Te Huruhi School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report  

Background  

This Profile Report was written within 12 months of the Education Review Office and Te Huruhi 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  

Te Huruhi School, located in Surfdale on Waiheke Island in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf, caters for Years 1-6 ākonga. Ngā Purapura offers bilingual education opportunities at the school. The school’s vision is to grow confident, connected, and creative ākonga through their core values of Courtesy/ Manawanui, Co-operation/ Mahitahi, Caring / Manaakitanga, Commitment /Mana and Courage/ Maia.  

Te Huruhi School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are: 

• E manawanui ana mātou ki te kura o Te Huruhi ki te whakatairanga i ngā āhuatanga whaitake mā ngā ākonga katoa kia tū māia, kia tū rangatira. At Te Huruhi School we are committed to all students experiencing meaningful learning in a personalised, differentiated way that promotes confident and independent learners.  

• Ka puta atu a mātou tamariki mai i te kura me te mātua mōhio ko wai rātou, nō hea rātou, kia tū pakari ai rātou ki roto i te hāpori, otirā i te ao whānui. Our children will leave our school knowing who they are and their sense of place in the local community and the world. 

• Ka matatau a mātou tamariki ki te pupuri i ngā pūkenga ako ā-reo, ā-tuhi, ā-pāngarau, ā-pūtaiao, ā-toi hoki. Our children will be Literate and Numerate with lifelong learning skills in Science, the Arts and Te Reo. 

• He mea hirahira ki te ahurea o tō mātou kura, taiao me te marautanga hoki kia tautoko i ngā tamariki katoa ki te whakarangatira i te reo māori, ōna tikanga me te hītori o Aotearoa. Support all learners to value, recognise and be inclusive of Te Reo, Tikanga Māori and the history of Aotearoa as important aspects of our school culture, environment, and curriculum. 

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well the school’s culturally responsive, inquiry- focussed curriculum provides student engagement and positive equitable learner outcomes.  

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:  

• to establish how well the school’s broad localised island-centric curriculum reflects the interest of ākonga/learners and their whānau 

• build further connections and commonality with the two other Waiheke schools and the Te Huruhi community through a culturally responsive lens 

• continue to lift numeracy and literacy capability through an inclusive, responsive, learner focussed curriculum 

• teacher and leader effectiveness is premised on collaborative practices and processes to provide equitable and excellent education outcomes for all learners. 

The school expects to see: 

• a culturally responsive curriculum that provides equitable and excellent learning outcomes for all ākonga with a specific focus on literacy and numeracy capability and capacity 

• inquiry learning, that is authentic, meaningful and with enough challenge to engage ākonga, whilst ensuring each learner sees, hears and experiences personal success  

• a consistent teacher and leader focus on identity, engagement, wellbeing and learner needs being met, to ensure positive and equitable learner outcomes  

• internal evaluative capability enhanced to be able to show the impact of school-wide innovations. 

Strengths  

The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to evaluate how well it meets all ākonga learning needs through a culturally responsive, inquiry-based curriculum: 

• ākonga feel a keen sense of school belonging 

• learning is inclusive and personal wellbeing is valued by the whole learning community 

• inquiry learning focused on real life problems and issues, such as, sustainability and climate change 

• teachers feel strongly committed to the school and their work 

• the school works closely with its families to build genuine learner centred relationships. 

Where to next? 

Moving forward, the school will prioritise: 

• an internal evaluation of how mathematics and literacy are taught across the school 

• continue to build leadership capability that has clear vision and strong strategic intent  

• determine with WaiCol leaders where to next, in building and sustaining a culturally responsive curriculum with end of Year 6 ako/ learning expectations fully articulated 

• consider the academic impact of a school wide focus and model for learner wellbeing 

• build teacher coaching/ mentoring capability to support developing consistent teaching effectiveness, practices, and knowledge. 

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 

​​5 October 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