Titirangi School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within six months of the Education Review Office and Titirangi 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

Titirangi School is situated on the edge of the Waitakere Ranges in West Auckland, catering for students in Years 1-6. The school’s values are Āko Tahi, Whanaungatanga and Manaakitanga - Learning Together, Relationships & Belonging and Caring & Respect. Titirangi School is an Enviro School and a member of the Kōtuitui Kāhui Ako. A first-time principal joined the school at the start of 2023.

Titirangi’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:

• equip ākonga/learners with language, literacy, numeracy and digital literacy skills that enable future learning and development
• empower ākonga to develop a sense of ownership over their own learning
• embrace and respect our tūrangawaewae - personal, local, environmental and bi-cultural, while acknowledging our responsibility to Te Tiriti o Waitangi
• embrace diversity and provide for good wellbeing, physical health and mental health for all.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the impact of culturally responsive practices on excellent and equitable outcomes for all learners.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

• leaders and teachers are in the process of developing a local curriculum that reflects Aotearoa’s bi-cultural status and the diversity of cultures at the school
• the school is seeking to strengthen relationships within the school community including local iwi
• professional learning and development are in place to strengthen culturally responsive practices.

The school expects to see improved achievement and well-being outcomes for all learners. Central to this is a shared belief that culturally responsive practices allow teachers to engage learners and have a positive impact on achievement for all.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate the impact of culturally responsive practices on excellent and equitable outcomes for all learners:

• ākonga/learners who enjoy school and are enthusiastic about new learning opportunities
• quality teacher practices place the school values, learner profiles and equity at the centre of learning
• an engaged and supportive community which values learning, inclusion and a rich and localised curriculum that focuses on the needs and interests of ākonga/learners
• school leadership, including the Board, values and promotes diversity, in particular Te Ao Māori.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• integrating the New Zealand Aotearoa Histories Curriculum into the Titirangi School local curriculum
• strengthening the physical learning environment to reflect the cultures and identity of the whole school community
• improved teacher confidence and capability when engaging in Te Reo Māori and Te Ao Māori
• developing a deeper understanding of culturally responsive pedagogies and embedding these into the Titirangi School local curriculum.

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

4 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