Piripiri School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 20 months of the Education Review Office and Piripiri 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 

Piripiri School is a small rural school located in the Waitomo district, providing education for students in Years 1 to 8. The school appointed a first-time principal who began at the beginning of 2022.

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

• raise engagement and achievement by accelerating success
• create a safe learning environment for ākonga
• develop and implement an innovative local curriculum
• enhance students’ sense of identity, language and culture.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well the school is accelerating learning and engagement for those students who need it.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to:

• ensure all learners have opportunities to learn and achieve at the appropriate level
• increase student engagement and self-direction in their learning
• establish a culturally responsive curriculum that responds to students’ needs, strengths and interests

The school expects to see:

• improved student achievement and engagement in learning
• learning programmes that enable students to take increasing responsibility for their own learning
• internal evaluation systems to improve student achievement.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its evaluation of how well learning and engagement is being accelerated for those students who need it:

• a plan that clarifies goals to improve student achievement
• leadership that prioritises the need to improve outcomes for Māori
• school values that are well known, enacted and support the wellbeing of all learners.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• targeted professional learning to build teacher capability to respond to student learning needs
• enhancing reciprocal partnerships to support culturally responsive learning opportunities.

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