Cambridge Middle School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within thirteen months of the Education Review Office and Cambridge Middle 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 

Cambridge Middle School is located in the Waikato town of Cambridge and provides education for students in Years 7 to 10. The school’s Mana Manaaki centre supports the hauora and learning of all students. Specialist classes in the performing arts, design and creative technologies are a feature of the curriculum. The school is an active member of Te Kāhui Ako o Te Oko Horoi.

Cambridge Middle School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:

• successfully implement a localised conceptual curriculum as the foundation for learning

• create targeted programmes to engage all learners with a focus on priority learners

• develop leadership and teacher capability with targeted professional learning

• strengthen relationships with whānau and the wider community to support learning and wellbeing

• further develop staff knowledge and understanding of te reo Māori and tikanga.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively the local curriculum is improving equitable outcomes for all learners. Strengthening student wellbeing and engagement in learning and supporting Māori students to achieve success as Māori are ongoing priorities for the school.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

• the opportunity it provides to respond effectively to school data to enable equity in the achievement of Māori students, target learners and students with additional needs
• the school’s strategic focus on growing student resilience and motivating and engaging the adolescent learner
• the school’s commitment to improving all students’ educational experience of schooling through programmes tailored to their interests and needs.

The school expects to see further actions implemented to enhance the quality and effectiveness of the local curriculum to enable culturally inclusive teaching and continuous improvement in equitable outcomes for learners.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to improve equitable outcomes for all learners:

• leadership that collaboratively develops and pursues the school’s vision, goals and targets for equity and excellence and promotes positive communication and openness to change

• well-established planning that analyses school-wide data, prioritises actions for improvement and contributes to effective evaluation of the school’s curriculum and teaching

• a strategic approach to ongoing professional development that supports an effective culture for learning, builds collective capacity and promotes consistency of school-wide practices.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• strengthening relationships with whānau to support greater levels of engagement and success for Māori learners as Māori

• reviewing and refining the school’s programmes and practices to enable a highly inclusive and responsive local curriculum

• continuing to build collective capability to improve equitable outcomes for learners.

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.

Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

1 December 2022 

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

This school hosts a satellite unit from Patricia Avenue Special School for students with additional needs.