Tikipunga High School

School Evaluation Report

Tēnā koutou e mau manawa rahi ki te kaupapa e aro ake nei, ko te tamaiti te pūtake o te kaupapa. Mā wai rā e kawe, mā tātau katoa.

We acknowledge the collective effort, responsibility and commitment by all to ensure that the child remains at the heart of the matter.

Context 

Tikipunga High School is located in Whangārei and provides education for students in Years 7 to 13.  The school poutokomanawa (values) are:  Ako - everyone learning together, Manaakitanga – empowerment of self and others, Pono – remaining truthful and honest, Tikanga – the way we do things and Whanaungatanga – knowing, caring and connecting.  There is provision for students with high learning in the school’s assisted learning unit, Te Putahitanga. 

There are two parts to this report.

Part A: An evaluative summary of learner success and school conditions to inform the school board’s future strategic direction, including any education in Rumaki/bilingual settings. 

Part B: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle. 

Part A: Current State 

The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.

Learner Success and Wellbeing

• The majority of students achieve National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) at Levels 1, 2 and 3, however very few students achieve University Entrance. 
• Achievement information for Years 7 to 10 students in reading, writing and mathematics shows less than half the students achieve at expected curriculum levels; most students make accelerated progress over this time.
• NCEA achievement outcomes for Māori students have improved and been sustained over time.
• Less than half of students attend regularly.   

Conditions to support learner success

• Professional learning and capacity building is valued and nurtured by school leaders, who are focused on improving learner experiences. 
• Leaders prioritise and deliberately plan for inclusive learning and successful outcomes for all students, particularly Māori and students with additional needs. 
• Learner engagement, progress and achievement information is used effectively to set individual targets, strengthen practices and plan for improvement in student achievement outcomes.

• Leaders and teachers recognise the importance of improving literacy for all students; teachers use targeted support strategies and literacy development continues to be a focus for the school.
• The curriculum reflects local contexts and mana ōrite mō te mātauranga Māori, allowing students to value the richness of these whakaaro (ideas) and enhance connections to their learning.
• A school-wide approach to teaching practices is being embedded and leaders demonstrate commitment to ongoing development of effective teaching approaches across all learning areas.

• Staff prioritise building positive relationships with students and their whānau based on mutual trust and school values that promote calm and orderly environments to support engagement in learning. 
• Leaders and teachers continue to engage in professional learning and demonstrate improved confidence and capability in te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori. 
• The school collects and tracks progress and achievement information for individual students in Years 7 to 10 for reading, writing and mathematics; they continue to develop an accurate reporting system for stronger schoolwide data analysis over time, for groups of students and across year levels. 
• Leaders and teachers use evaluative evidence to plan and implement actions for improvement and monitor the progress and impacts of their actions. 

Part B: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• implement initiatives to improve school attendance to meet the Ministry of Education target
• continue to accelerate achievement in Years 7 to 10 and University Entrance attainment to ensure students have every opportunity for future success and access to meaningful pathways 
• set and pursue ambitious improvement targets and goals aligning evaluation, strategic and annual implementation planning with regular monitoring and reporting on progress to the board. 

The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.

Within three months:

• review current attendance information, develop a cohesive action plan, implement and monitor results
• develop a system that reports useful data over consecutive years for Years 7 to 10 reading, writing and mathematics 
• plan and implement opportunities that support more students to access pathways to University Entrance qualifications

Every six months:

• review attendance data, systems and practices that had the most impact, and report findings and future actions to the board
• further develop effective teaching strategies with regular observations and feedback 

 Annually:

• report progress over time to the board for Years 7 to 10 for reading, writing and mathematics, analysed to show long-term progress
• use ERO School Improvement Framework to evaluate strengths and weaknesses, set priorities and plan for ongoing improvement 
• align strategic and annual planning to include attendance and achievement initiatives, detailed actions such as setting clear targets for cohorts, show monitoring of progress on actions and regularly report progress to the board.

Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:

• improved student attendance across the school that meets the Ministry of Education target
• evidence of accelerated achievement in Year 7 to 10 reading, writing and mathematics and University Entrance attainment so more students are achieving at and above expectations
• leaders using high-quality evidence to coherently plan and monitor the school’s strategic improvement cycle and systematically evaluate the effectiveness of strategies to improve students’ outcomes.

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

Me mahi tahi tonu tātau, kia whai oranga a tātau tamariki
Let’s continue to work together for the greater good of all children

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

5 September 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