Pukeatua School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within six months of the Education Review Office and Pukeatua 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 

Pukeatua School is centrally located between Te Awamutu and Putāruru. It is a full primary school providing education for learners in Years 1 to 8. A new principal was appointed in Term 4 2021.

Pukeatua School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

• to further develop and incorporate tikanga and te Reo Māori through a localised curriculum to support inclusive and equitable outcomes

• to further build teacher capacity through focused professional learning and development for effective teaching and learning across the school.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the effectiveness of the writing programme with the aim of raising achievement for all learners and boys in particular.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

• the school has noticed that achievement in writing, for boys in particular, needs improvement

• the current programme, although meeting some needs, is not necessarily developing the higher-level skills such as creative and critical thinking

• there is a need to develop shared understanding about the teaching of writing across the school.

The school expects to see:

• improved and more equitable outcomes in writing for all

• a school-wide approach to the teaching of writing

• a localised curriculum to support the development of writing.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate the effectiveness of the writing programme with the aim of raising achievement:

• the concurrent development of the localised curriculum to support the development of writing

• the delivery of the structured literacy programme that supports reading and spelling

• teachers who are committed to raising the achievement outcomes of every learner

• significant resourcing both in school and in the community to support initiatives to improve learning outcomes.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• continuing to build a shared understanding of effective teaching and learning across the school

• building internal evaluation knowledge and capability to plan for and action the process, to know what is working and what is not, for informed decision making

• engaging with professional learning in writing to improve consistency of teacher practice.

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

21 July 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