Ngaruawahia School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 15 months of the Education Review Office and Ngaruawahia 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 

Ngaruawahia School provides education for students in Years 1 to 8. There is a school-wide commitment to te reo Māori and Te Whare Hangarau including a technology-based curriculum for students in Year 7 and 8, and students from other local schools with Year 7 and 8 students. A new principal was appointed in 2021.

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

• accelerate student achievement in literacy and numeracy

• develop learner agency so that students are self-directed and self-regulating

• strengthen collaborative teaching across the school

• strengthen leadership capabilities to support shifts in pedagogy and practice

• continue to strengthen powerful partnerships with whānau to support learning and behaviour.

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plans on Ngaruawahia School’s website.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate to how well powerful partnerships and building teacher capability support student outcomes, beginning with mathematics.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to:

• establish the effectiveness of interventions to support focus students in mathematics

• make increasingly evidence-based decisions for ongoing developments in teaching and learning.

The school expects to see:

• improved outcomes for all students in numeracy and literacy

• consistent high quality teacher practice across the school.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal of improving outcomes for students, beginning with mathematics:

• a well-established plan that clarifies actions and provides indicators of success

• leadership that understands the need, and contributes to improved outcomes for Māori

• an inclusive learning environment where students feel a sense of belonging and connection.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• continued professional learning to build teacher capability to improve outcomes for all students, with a focus on those who need it

• building collective capacity to do and use evaluation, inquiry and knowledge building for improvement.

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

28 February 2023

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