Matamata 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

Matamata Primary School is in the township of Matamata and provides education for students in Years 1 to 6. The school’s vision statement of One Size Fits One is underpinned by the values of Mākoha | Have a heart, Māharahara | Thinker, Whakahī | Stand proud and Hoea tō waka | Own your own actions. 

There are three parts to this report.

Part A: A summary of the findings from the most recent Education Review Office (ERO) report and/or subsequent evaluation.

Part B: 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 C: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle.

Part A: Previous Improvement Goals 

Since the previous ERO report of November 2022, ERO and the school worked together to evaluate progress against their strategic plan and the impact of annual initiatives on student outcomes.

Expected Improvements and Findings

The school expected to see:

Deliberate improvement strategies for groups of learners for more equitable outcomes.

• Leaders and teachers have successfully implemented a range of improvement strategies, including developing a well-considered localised curriculum that supports the engagement and progress of all learners.
• Student achievement has improved over time and outcomes are increasingly equitable for most groups of learners.

A coherent and explicit school wide mathematics programme that enhances teaching practice and student outcomes.

• A school wide structured mathematics framework is in place; this provides a consistent approach to teaching, learning and assessment, leading to improved outcomes for learners.

Accelerated literacy knowledge in Years 0-2.

• Achievement information shows that learners from Years 0-2 make good progress in gaining foundational skills in literacy.

Other Findings

During the course of the evaluation, it was found that learning partnerships with parents and whānau strengthened. The greatest shift that occurred in response to the school’s action was the growth in using evaluative practices by the board, leaders and teachers to guide whole school improvement.

Part B: Current State

The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.

Learner Success and Wellbeing

Most learners make good progress over time and achieve well.

• Most learners achieve at or above expected curriculum levels in reading and mathematics, and the large majority achieve this in writing.
• Māori learners make good progress over time in reading, writing and mathematics; the school continues to improve equity for Māori learners by implementing a number of strategies.
• Students express a strong sense of belonging and pride in their school; they experience high expectations for positive engagement and behaviour.
• The large majority of learners attend school regularly; the school is close to meeting the Ministry of Education’s 2024 target for regular attendance.

Conditions to support learner success

Leaders use systematic and collaborative approaches for strategic planning that sustain school improvement and focus on meeting the needs of all learners.

• Strategic leadership prioritises an engaging curriculum and high quality teaching within an inclusive and respectful environment.
• Leaders undertake regular and detailed reviews of programmes and initiatives that inform decision making and contribute to positive wellbeing and achievement outcomes for learners.
• Leaders value and nurture a culture of professional growth and development among staff that continually strengthens curriculum knowledge and teaching practices.

Learners have rich opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum.

• A well-considered local curriculum supports learners to gain foundation skills in literacy and mathematics and engage in a wide range of learning experiences.
• Teachers create purposeful and orderly classroom environments that foster inclusive participation and maximise teaching and learning time.
• Leaders and teachers know their students well and use good quality assessment information to plan, evaluate and celebrate the progress and achievement of each learner.

School conditions that support a positive school experience are well embedded.

• Relevant staff professional learning and development strategically aligns with the school’s improvement goals and learner needs.
• High levels of relational trust and effective communication among leaders and teachers support good collaboration at every level of the school.
• The board, leaders and teachers proactively build learning partnerships with parents, whānau, iwi and the wider community; these partnerships that provide extensive opportunities for learners and support their wellbeing and success.

Part C: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

• continue to refine curriculum initiatives in literacy and mathematics, with a particular focus on writing, to improve and sustain outcomes for all learners
• strengthen responsive and high quality teaching and learning practices to increase progress and achievement for those learners at risk of underachieving, including Māori learners
• monitor and continue to implement initiatives to increase the regular attendance of all students.

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

Every six months:

• provide ongoing professional learning opportunities for leaders and teachers, particularly in writing, to enhance their use of quality teaching and learning practices
• continue to embed a shared understanding of effective teaching approaches among staff that make the biggest difference for learners at risk of underachieving
• refine current initiatives to support students’ regular attendance and identify next steps

Annually:

• review and report to the board on the attendance, progress and achievement of all learners, with a particular focus on writing outcomes and Māori student achievement to inform future planning
• evaluate the curriculum initiatives in literacy and mathematics to identify further professional learning needs for staff.

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

• excellent and equitable achievement outcomes for all learners
• a well embedded school wide approach to the teaching of literacy and mathematics that supports the progress and achievement of learners, particularly for those at risk of underachieving
• improved regular student attendance.

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

4 February 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