Hamilton North School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background 

This Profile Report was written within 6 months of the Education Review Office and ​Hamilton North 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 

This report is part of a nationally coordinated evaluation of 27-day specialist schools during the second half of 2023. This included the development of day specialist school evaluation indicators by ERO with significant input from principals, staff and the Special Education Principals’ Association of New Zealand (SEPAnz).  

Context  

Hamilton North School is a day specialist school for children and young people aged five to twenty-one years, who have additional learning needs and receive funding from the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS).  

The school adapts and individualises the New Zealand Curriculum to meet the specific learning needs of students. Each student has an individual education plan. 

A team of specialists and therapists provide transdisciplinary support for students in consultation with families, whānau and staff. A specialist teacher outreach service provides support for ORS funded students enrolled in local schools. 

In addition to the base school, there are 10 satellite classes hosted in five local schools, Te Ao Mārama School, Crawshaw School, Te Totara Primary School, Hamilton Junior High School and Rototuna Senior High School. A transition learning area for older students focusing on work skills and transitioning towards life after school, is located at the base school.   

The school continues to navigate and manage roll growth pressures along with the employment and property demands associated with this.  

The school’s mission is to enable students to develop their potential with regards to their ability, to foster skills and provide opportunities, which allow them to successfully integrate into our multicultural society. This is supported by and enacted through the student motto: ‘In Our School Everyone is Safe and Cares for Each Other’. 

​​Hamilton North School​’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are: 

• ako – our learning 
• hauora – our wellbeing 
• whanaungatanga – our relationships. 

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate to what extent the documented and enacted school curriculum reflects effective teaching and learning practices that responds to the unique and diverse needs of learners.  

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is that leaders have identified the need to review the current school curriculum to strengthen: 

• a shared understanding of what effective teaching practice means and looks like for diverse learners 
• a range of clear pathways to support learners to reach their potential  
• the documentation that supports and guides consistent coherent teaching practices across the school. 

The school expects to see a curriculum that equips learners with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be successful and reach their potential. 

Strengths  

The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to evaluate the extent the documented and enacted curriculum reflects effective teaching and learning practices that responds to the unique and diverse needs of learners.  

• A sustained focus on learners being able to communicate effectively and achieve individual goals with whānau input and voice supporting planning for learning.  
• Effective school systems and processes clearly identify, plan for and evaluate strategies that minimise complex behaviours. 
• Leadership creates conditions for innovation and responds to and sustains improved outcomes for learners. 
• Whānau and learner voice is effectively used to support planning for learning and wellbeing. 
• Staff consistently demonstrate and enact high expectations for learners and their success.  

Where to next? 

Moving forward, the school will prioritise: 

• reviewing current approaches and documented guidance for current practice  
• developing principles to underpin the implementation of school’s curriculum in line with the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum, Te Mātaiaho 
• using existing school structures to establish current good practices to determine priorities to inform curriculum development  
• strengthening the individual education planning process to improve goal setting to better monitor student learning and wellbeing outcomes.  

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 

​​2 May 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