Owhata School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 16 months of the Education Review Office and Owhata 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

Ko Whakapoungakau te pae maunga

Ko Waingaehe te awa

Ko Rotorua-nui-a-Kahumatamomoe te moana

Ko Puketāwhero te papa whenua

Ko Te Roro-o-Te-Rangi te hapū

Ko Ngāti Whakaue te iwi

Ko Te Arawa te waka

Ko Ōwhata te marae

Ko Ōwhata te kura

Owhata School is situated in Rotorua and provides education for students in Years 1 to 6. The school promotes strong relationships with the local marae and hapū, Ngāti Te Roro-o-te-Rangi.

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

• provide authentic learning for all
• provide strong foundations for a safe and nurturing place for tamariki to thrive
• strengthen relationships and partnerships
• provide a cohesive curriculum across the kura.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well assessment practices contribute to improved student progress and achievement.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to:

• further define and clarify assessment practices across the school to meet the needs of all students in both English and te reo Māori mediums
• support students’ transitions within and across the school
• develop collective capability in the collection, use and analysis of student achievement data.

The school expects to see:

• evidence of improved achievement for all students
• school-wide consistency in the collection, analysis and use of student data to improve student progress
• the alignment of teacher planning with assessment information to meet the diverse needs of students.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate how well assessment practices contribute to improved student outcomes:

• leaders, staff and whānau are aware of the need for, and are collectively committed to, improving outcomes for all students
• a distributed leadership style that builds relational trust, shares leadership roles and maintains commitment to the school’s vision and values
• culturally responsive pedagogy and practice that supports learner and whānau wellbeing and strengthens a sense of connection and belonging to each other and to the kura
• sustained reciprocal relationships within the school community that include the involvement of local kaumatua, kuia, community, hapū, iwi and whānau in the daily life of the kura.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• strengthening the collective use of achievement data to make evidence-based decisions to improve teaching and learning at a school-wide and individual level
• develop coherent organisational conditions that promote evaluation, inquiry and knowledge building.

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

10 November 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