Ngakuru 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 

Ngakuru School is a small rural primary school situated south of Rotorua and provides education for students in Years 1 to 8. The school values being the hub of their rural community and encourages positive community relationships and engagement. Ngakuru School’s vision, values and learner dispositions focus on students striving for personal excellence.

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 in August 2022, ERO and the school worked together to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of teaching and learning practices in supporting and maximising opportunities for every student to learn and achieve at their appropriate curriculum level.

Expected Improvements and Findings

The school expected to see:

Maximum and equitable opportunities for all learners to succeed.

• Almost all learners achieve at or above their expected curriculum level in reading, writing and mathematics.
• A pattern of sustained high achievement is evident over time, with an increase in numbers of learners achieving above expected levels in reading, writing and mathematics.

Quality teaching and learning practices that are consistent and effective.

• High expectations for student success are now established schoolwide enabling students to consistently progress in their learning through engaging programmes and explicit teacher instruction.
• Leaders and teachers have established effective systems to regularly monitor learner progress and achievement, responding effectively to ensure learner needs are met and outcomes are progressed. 

Other Findings

During the course of the evaluation, it was found that leaders and teachers have refined systems for regularly evaluating their impact on learner progress, resulting in consistent quality practices for teaching and learning and improved outcomes for learners.

Part B: Current State

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

Learner Success and Wellbeing 

• Highly positive learner outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics are sustained over time, with increased numbers of learners achieving above expected curriculum levels.
• Learners requiring additional learning assistance are well supported and consistently show progress against their goals, and improved outcomes.
• The school continues to work towards meeting the Ministry of Education attendance targets.

Conditions to support learner success

• Leaders build and sustain trust and collaboration within the school and community to support strategic vision and positive outcomes for learners.
• Professional learning initiatives are informed by assessment data and aligned to school strategic planning that focus staff on continually improving practice for better outcomes for learners.
• Leaders and teachers have established processes and strategies to ensure collective expectations for high quality teaching and learning across the school, resulting in continued positive outcomes for learners.

• Teacher planning meets the needs of learners, enabling learners to confidently engage in learning, grow new knowledge and consistently progress.
• Respectful and collaborative teacher-learner relationships foster an inclusive environment that promotes student engagement in learning.
• Teachers collaboratively monitor learners’ progress and achievement to support consistent planning and high-quality teaching that is focused on next steps for learners.

• Positive outcomes for learner wellbeing and engagement in learning are well supported and enhanced through established programmes and processes that grow learners’ sense of belonging, resilience and skills for self-regulation.
• Student self-management of learning at school and home is enhanced through access to a digital platform that contains planning that responds to students’ interests and learning needs.
• Leaders and teachers involve parents, whānau and community in sharing aspirations for their children; this information informs school decision making to strengthen engagement and positive outcomes for learners.
• Leaders and teachers use information from a range of sources to effectively analyse and evaluate the impact of actions focused on improving outcomes for learners, and to plan for ongoing improvement.

Part C: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• sustain high levels of learner progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics
• implement, integrate and embed consistency of updated curriculum and assessment requirements
• continue to strengthen whānau, community and iwi engagement and partnerships
• improve and sustain rates of regular learner attendance.

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

Within six months:

• identify teachers’ strengths and needs regarding curriculum requirements in reading, writing and mathematics to inform professional development
• gather student and whānau voice about attendance and review this information alongside formal attendance data, to support implementation of strategies to improve regular attendance

Every six months:

• monitor learner progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics, including expectations for curriculum implementation; align these findings to inform next steps for continued improvement
• monitor and report on the impact of strategies to improve regular attendance rates

Annually:

• evaluate and report, to the board and community, on reading, writing and mathematics outcomes for all learners; use this information to identify what is having the most impact for learners and what areas require strengthening
• analyse how well teachers’ and leaders have embedded updated curriculum and assessment requirements and how this has impacted learner progress and achievement
• gather whānau voice to review engagement and partnership strengths and areas for continued improvement
• evaluate patterns in attendance for all learners, report findings to the board and community and use this information to identify next steps to continue increasing regular rates of attendance.

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

• sustained high levels of progress and achievement for all learners in reading, writing and mathematics
• embedded high quality teaching and learning practices across the school for reading, writing and mathematics
• positive whānau and community relationships that inspire high levels of engagement to support the most effective outcomes for all learners
• improved and sustained rates of regular attendance for all learners.

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

27 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