Te Mahia 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

Te Mahia School is a full primary school for Years 1 to 8 situated on the Mahia Peninsula, with connections to Rongomaiwahine. The school has a bilingual rumaki. A new principal was appointed in 2022. The school values of Mana Motuhake, Mana Whānau, Mana Reo, Mana Tū, Mana Ukaipo, underpin the school’s strategic direction. The Ministry of Education provides a Limited Statutory Manager to support school change.

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 collects and to some extent analyses data about student achievement and progress, however gaps in assessment practice, data and validity are evident; current information indicates the school has yet to address inequity in achievement for Māori students, particularly for Māori boys.
• Leadership opportunities for senior students have a positive impact on wellbeing and promotes the belief in themselves as role models; continuing to develop a school wide behavioural management approach is an ongoing next step.
• Students with additional learning needs are supported with care, in an inclusive climate; their rates of progress are not clear.
• Less than half of students attend regularly; attendance is well below the current Ministry of Education target.

Conditions to support learner success

• Leadership is beginning to work collaboratively with the teaching team to develop relational trust with focus on learner outcomes, supported by relevant professional learning.
• Leadership is beginning to plan and co-ordinate the school’s curriculum and set teaching expectations; developing a more detailed outline for teaching to support expectations for high quality learning is a next step.
• Leadership is beginning to use a range of evidence, including community consultation, to identify, action and monitor improvement goals.

• In some classes expectations for learning and success are high and students are well engaged; having this level of expectation, and planning and use of assessment, consistently across the school for all learners is a next step.
• Assessment information is beginning to be used school wide to plan for, adapt teaching practice and report the progress and achievement of each learner; strengthening the accuracy and use of data to inform teaching and closely monitor progress of all learners, is required.
• The local curriculum increasingly integrates te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori and fosters a learning environment that reflects learners’ identity, language and culture.

• Partnerships for learning are developing so that whānau can be involved in their children’s education; parents’ understanding about progress and achievement is a first, significant step.
• The board and leaders are further strengthening relationships with whānau, hapū and iwi to support the school’s strategic direction and improvement planning.
• Teachers’ reflective inquiry into the effectiveness of their teaching practices is being established to build a collaborative approach about knowing what makes a difference to learning outcomes.
• The board are learner-focused, seek knowledge about their roles and responsibilities and provide strong support to leadership for change and improvement in what needs to happen for learners.

Part B: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

• establish a consistent and shared understanding of effective and responsive teaching practices, guided by high quality assessment practices and accurate analysis of student progress and achievement data
• develop a detailed local curriculum framework, including key statements for reading, writing and mathematics, that support expectations for high quality teaching and meets the requirements of The New Zealand Curriculum
• continue to develop a school wide behavioural management approach that supports wellbeing and responds to culture, language and identity of students
• continue to build positive partnerships with whānau, hapū and iwi to further inform the school’s vision, goals, targets and priorities for improvement, including attendance, engagement and improved outcomes for Māori learners.

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

Within three months:

• prioritise teaching and learning strategies that make a positive difference to learner outcomes, particularly for those learners at risk of not achieving
• continue to develop and implement a school wide behavioural approach that aligns with the school’s strategic direction
• establish regular and consistent communication with whanau about learners’ attendance, engagement, progress and achievement.

Within six months:

• use appropriate tools and assessment procedures, including moderation practices, and check data is accurate and valid; using this data ensure all students at risk of not achieving are identified, and plan specific responses to support their progress
• the board asks for and scrutinises attendance, progress and achievement information and that reports are provided by the principal that indicate the responses to this data
• the development of a local curriculum framework, including key statements for reading, writing and mathematics, is well underway.

Every six months:

• leadership and teachers track, monitor and analyse attendance, engagement, progress and achievement data; teachers work collaboratively using learner outcome data, to evaluate the impact of teaching strategies and know what to continue with and what to change
• the board uses attendance, progress and achievement information reported by the principal for decision making about resourcing and progress against the annual plan
• support whānau to understand the links between attendance, progress, achievement and wellbeing outcomes.

Annually:

• significant information about students’ attendance, wellbeing, progress and achievement is analysed and reported to the board, to indicate the impact of changes to teaching and learning on making a difference for all learners
• an annual implementation plan is set using evidence and achievement data, and includes relevant targets to address the needs of those at risk of not achieving
• consultation with whānau, hapū and iwi informs improvement plans to meet what the community wants for their children.

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

• improved attendance and wellbeing; all students engage in their learning, progress and achieve well and outcomes are equitable
• effective, responsive leadership and teaching with increased capability in assessment practices, resulting in improved and sustained outcomes for all learners
• strengthened partnerships between whānau and the school support learners to progress and achieve. 

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

4 October 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