Whangarei Heads School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 9 months of the Education Review Office and Whangarei Heads School working in Te Ara Huarau, an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website. www.ero.govt.nz

Context 

Whangarei Heads School is located beneath Mt Manaia, overlooking the Whangarei Harbour. It provides education for ākonga in Years 0 to 8. A new principal was appointed during 2022.

Whangarei Heads School is part of the Ngā Kura mo te ako o Whangarei Kāhui Ako.

Whangarei Heads School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for ākonga are:

• Our Students / ākonga – Our students and staff are engaged and empowered in their learning.
• Our Environment / kaitiaki – Our environment drives our curriculum inside and outside the school gate.
• Our Community / whakakotahitanga – Our partnerships are strong, authentic and active.

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Whangarei Heads School’s website.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well systems and processes support collaboration and moderation practices to enhance teaching and learning to achieve equitable and excellent outcomes for all ākonga.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to:

• provide systems and processes that support collaboration and moderation practices within school and across schools, building on connections with Kāhui Ako and other local schools
• continue to ensure teaching and learning is informed by reliable and culturally responsive assessment practices that personalises learning for all ākonga
• develop and implement strategies’ to increase ākonga agency.

The school expects to see:

• teachers consistently using culturally responsive assessment practices to inform personalised learning outcomes for all
• teachers supporting ākonga to have agency in their learning across a broad school curriculum.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to evaluate how well systems and processes support collaboration and moderation practices to enhance teaching and learning to achieve equitable and excellent outcomes all ākonga:

• ākonga experience a responsive broad localised curriculum driven by the local marine and bush environments
• teachers use effective teaching strategies in adaptive ways to promote equity and improve ākonga outcomes
• professional relationships and effective teaching practices that focus on learning and wellbeing of each ākonga
• school leadership sustains a culture of relational trust to ensure ongoing capacity for continuous school improvement.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise continuing to:

• build teacher knowledge and pedagogy that enhances culturally responsive assessment practices
• align systems and processes that support internal and external moderation practices.
• increase ākonga agency through learning and assessment activities.

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. ERO will support the school in reporting their progress to the community. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

21 July 2023 

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement.  educationcounts.govt.nz/home