Masterton Primary 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 

Masterton Primary School, located in Wairarapa, provides education for students in Years 1 to 6. 
The school seeks to nurture the growth, well-being and happiness of every student, providing them with the skills, knowledge and values they need to thrive in life.

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 school is working towards improved and equitable outcomes.

• A small majority of students achieve the expected curriculum level in reading and mathematics and less than half in writing; the school has yet to address the significant disparity for boys in these areas.
• Students with additional needs are well supported and progress against goals set in their individual education plans.
• Schoolwide initiatives support improved attendance; the school is working towards meeting the Government target for improving regular attendance.

Conditions to support learner success

Strategic leadership effectively establishes positive conditions to improve learner outcomes.

• Leadership opportunities are evident within and across school for staff and students; students develop and use their leadership skills to contribute to the positive environment.
• Leadership is inclusive, values diversity and promotes student wellbeing for learning.
• Leaders regularly reflect on the effectiveness of new initiatives and use data to verify gains and identify areas needing further development.

Teaching approaches are well considered to provide learners with a variety of relevant contexts for learning.

• Students learn in calm spaces where they work together to support their learning.
• Regular lessons in te reo Māori, with te ao Māori and tikanga Māori woven throughout the curriculum, support Māori learners to experience success as Māori.
• Teachers actively reflect on the effectiveness of their actions; they collaborate to understand the impact of new teaching practices on outcomes for learners.

Positive school conditions promote learners’ wellbeing and engagement in learning.

• Well considered strategic goals and actions impact positively on students’ behaviour and wellbeing.
• Students' express a strong sense of identity and demonstrate increased levels of engagement developed through a culturally responsive model, Te Ara Whakamana, integrated at all levels of the school.
• Whānau regularly support school-based events; an identified next step is to engage with whānau in partnerships for learning.
• Well established partnerships are evident between trustees, leaders and staff; they regularly reflect on and evaluate the impact of their actions to support student learning.

Part B: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

• target teaching to address the underachievement of boys and improve learner outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics
• provide teachers with explicit guidance for teaching and assessment in reading, writing and mathematics to accelerate the learning of those who need this
• provide professional learning to deepen teachers’ understanding of the use of assessment to address student learning needs.

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

Within six months:

• update guidance and expectations for teaching and assessment practice to capture new curriculum requirements in reading, writing and mathematics; this guidance should include the planned changes to schoolwide assessment and reporting processes
• provide learning opportunities for teachers to more fully understand the use of assessment tools
• provide support to parents on use of the school’s new reporting system.

Every six months:

• monitor student attendance and the effectiveness of strategies; adjust approaches accordingly
• analyse student progress and achievement data to determine if initiatives are improving outcomes; identify the impact on addressing disparity for boys.

Annually:

• review the impact of teaching and learning programmes and assessment practices on achievement outcomes, to know what has been successful and what needs further improvement
• review and report to the board attendance and achievement information to inform decision making
• gather and respond to whānau voice for strategic direction and annual goals; initially this should include feedback on the effectiveness of the new ways of reporting student engagement and achievement to whānau.

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

• improved achievement outcomes for all learners, especially boys
• students regularly attending school
• clear guidance for the delivery of teaching and learning and assessment
• increased whānau understanding about how well their children progress and achieve and how they can further support their engagement and progress.

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

Sharon Kelly
Acting Director of Schools

5 March 2025

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