Mangakahia Area 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 

Mangakahia Area School is in the small rural town of Titoki, southwest of Whāngarei. The school provides education for students from Years 1 to 13. In 2024 the school roll was 75 students. The board appointed a permanent principal in 2024.

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 

• A small majority of learners in Years 1 to 6 achieve at expected curriculum levels in mathematics; in Years 7 to 10, mathematics achievement is less than a third.
• Less than half of learners in Years 1 to 10 achieve at expected curriculum levels in reading and writing.
• National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) information shows an increase in attainment over the last three years; a small majority of learners achieve NCEA Level 1 and 2, and a large majority achieve NCEA Level 3.
• Learners are proud of their school; they speak positively about the way staff value and affirm their identity, language and culture, enhancing their wellbeing.
• Less than a third of students attend school regularly; however, regular attendance is improving towards the Government’s target and leaders and the board are actively taking steps to develop strategies that increase attendance.

Conditions to support learner success

• Leadership is effectively guiding the school through a period of change that is focused on strengthening high quality teaching and learning.
• Leaders set and implement clear strategic goals that aim to support a responsive curriculum and improve learner outcomes.
• Senior leaders build good relational trust among staff that ensures positive and clear communication and collaboration for planning and teaching.

• Students experience culturally responsive and inclusive learning environments that foster positive and respectful relationships amongst students and with staff.
• Teachers are developing their use of assessment practices and student achievement information to consistently inform planning and teaching.
• Teachers adapt learning programmes, using practices tailored to the individual, that increasingly support learner engagement, particularly for those at risk of not achieving.

• The board represents and works with the community to develop the school’s vision, values and strategic direction.
• Staff and students recognise and value external educational partnerships that enrich teaching and learning opportunities.
• Leaders and some teachers are beginning to collect, analyse and interpret student engagement and achievement information to make evidence-based decisions for schoolwide improvement actions.
• Professional learning opportunities for teachers increasingly align to improvement goals and learner needs, particularly for those learners most at risk of not achieving.

Part B: Where to next? 

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• implement strategies and initiatives to improve students’ regular attendance
• further develop and implement the school curriculum, integrating the new literacy and mathematics requirements schoolwide to increase student progress and achievement
• strengthen schoolwide teaching, learning and assessment practices through the staff professional growth cycle to ensure consistency of approaches and the effective use of student achievement information to inform ongoing planning and teaching.

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

Within three months:

• review the school’s current attendance actions and implement a plan to increase regular attendance

Within six months:

• review structured literacy and mathematics approaches schoolwide and provide relevant staff professional learning that strengthens teachers’ understanding and use of highly effective teaching, learning and assessment practices
• collate and analyse feedback from staff about the professional growth cycle to support its ongoing implementation and impact on practice and learner outcomes

Every six months:

• review the impact of the plan to improve students’ regular attendance and identify next steps
• review progress made with implementing the school curriculum, including the literacy and mathematics requirements, to support future planning and action

Annually:

• review and report to the board on student attendance, progress and achievement information to inform ongoing strategic decision making and planning
• evaluate the impact of teaching, learning and assessment practices on students’ engagement, progress and achievement and use this to support next steps.

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

• increased regular attendance for all learners
• improved progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics and more students achieving NCEA Levels 1, 2 and 3
• effective use of assessment practices and achievement information schoolwide that support consistent high-quality teaching and learning.

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
Director of Schools (Acting)

6 May 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