Matamata College

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 17 months of the Education Review Office and Matamata College 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 

Matamata College, located in the Waikato District, provides education for students in Years 9 to 13. The school whakatauki ‘Ma mahi, ka ora’ underpins a focus on providing learning programmes and opportunities for every student to reach their full potential.

Matamata College’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

• Success for all - providing all students/ākonga with access to a quality, relevant, exciting and engaging local curriculum so they attain their highest possible standard in educational achievement
• Connection - building strong connections with the wider school community to support learners to achieve educational success
• Mauri ora – delivering a learning environment that promotes wellbeing for all, where learners/ākonga and staff are able to thrive.

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Matamata College’s website.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the extent to which schoolwide culturally responsive practices are supporting students to engage, feel connected and achieve.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is: 

• the need to pursue equitable outcomes for Māori students and boys
• alignment with the school’s strategic plan and the findings of the 2022 ERO review.

The school expects to see equitable outcomes resulting from: 

• an exciting, relevant and responsive localised curriculum based on Te Mātaiaho supporting students to engage in learning
• partnerships with whānau, hāpū, iwi and the wider community informing educational opportunities and promoting learner success
• a holistic approach to wellbeing that promotes student confidence in language, culture and identity supporting learners to feel connected and thrive.

Strengths 

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to improve student engagement and achievement:

• leadership and governance with a clear vision for improvement
• systems and processes to track student achievement and the capacity to use student achievement information to inform decision making.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise: 

• developing a curriculum that responds to the needs of learners, particularly Māori and boys, at risk of underachieving
• implementing systems and practices to support ongoing collaboration with whānau, hapū, iwi and the wider community
• implementing a range of programmes to support greater connection and wellbeing schoolwide
• reviewing the effective implementation of policies and procedures that guide school operation, prioritising complaints, police vetting, standdown and suspension.

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

16 April 2024 

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