Takapuna School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 8 months of the Education Review Office and Takapuna 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

Takapuna School is located in Takapuna, Auckland City, catering for Years 1 to 6 ākonga/learners. The school’s vision, Whaia tonu tō huarahi tuturu, maintain your own true direction, proud to be different, proud to make a difference, is underpinned by Takapuna School’s values of being connected, curious and collaborative.

Takapuna School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

• Inclusive Practices: Proud of our Identity, Culture and Language.

• Learn through STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics).

• Hauora: Developing wellbeing practices for ourselves and others.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well Takapuna School’s localised curriculum practices and processes are responsive to the learning needs, with a focus on continuous improvement of equitable and excellence outcomes for all ākonga.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

• strategic planning clearly articulates the evaluation focus

• STEM and the history curriculum are explicitly integrated into ākonga learning

• whānau understand STEM curriculum importance in broadening learning opportunities

• identity, language and culture are embedded into the localised curriculum, focused on equitable and excellent learning outcomes

• the school’s bicultural and multicultural setting are reflected in, outdoor and inside learning spaces, focused on ākonga needs.

The school expects to see:

• continued improvement in learning outcomes for all students

• consistent commitment to developing knowledge and practice of cultural capabilities through the school’s localised culturally responsive curriculum

• teaching and learning indicators for STEM woven into learner profiles

• teaching for equity and excellence is a school wide priority

• ākonga hauora underpinning school wide teaching and learning practices

• collaborative team-wide teacher targets track and monitor ākonga to meet individual learning needs.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate how well localised curriculum practices and processes are responsive to the learning needs, with a focus on improving equity and excellent learning outcomes, of all ākonga:

• collaborative, embedded and effective teaching practices

• leadership that is focused on continuous improvement through well-developed internal evaluation

• whānau, community and ākonga engagement with learning

• programmes and practices supported through research and informed theory

• clearly defined values and vision that guide all practices.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• an evaluation of consistency of STEM teaching practices and processes schoolwide

• building capability to deliver the New Zealand refreshed curriculum, to include implementation of the history curriculum, embedded into the localised curriculum, and giving effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi

• evaluating levels of equity through schoolwide qualitative and quantitative data sources.

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

17 August 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