Pukehina 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 

Pukehina School is a small, rural school catering for Year 1 to 8 students, located near Te Puke. The school is situated beneath the maunga Te Pare o te Ra Wahi Rua. The school’s values are Whakamana | Proud, Ngaakaupai | Positive, Whakaute | Respectful, Kaatuarehe | Outstanding, Ahurei | Unique and Auaha | Discoverers.

There are two parts to this report.

Part A: 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 B: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle.

Part A: Current State 

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

Learner Success and Wellbeing

Learner outcomes are increasingly equitable and excellent.

• Most learners achieve at the expected curriculum levels for mathematics; the large majority of students achieve this for reading and writing.
• Students with additional learning needs make progress towards achieving their goals; they are provided with appropriate additional support to learn.
• Students have a strong sense of wellbeing and pride in their school that results in high engagement and positive relationships.
• The large majority of learners attend school regularly; the school meets the Ministry of Education’s 2024 target for regular attendance.

Conditions to support learner success

School leadership works strategically to improve outcomes for all learners.

• Leadership knows learners well and prioritises wellbeing and inclusion for all students, including those with additional learning needs.
• Well-considered staff professional learning opportunities align with strategic goals, strengthen teaching practice and improve outcomes for all students.
• The principal uses appropriate student achievement information to set and implement relevant strategic and annual goals.

Curriculum and teaching practices are increasingly responsive to learners' needs and interests.

• Leadership has designed a curriculum with an appropriate range of practical and cultural learning experiences for students; this encourages purposeful engagement in learning.
• Learners experience a positive and inclusive learning environment; they work well together in multi-level classrooms.
• Staff effectively adapt learning strategies that meet the different ages and levels of learners.

Key conditions that underpin successful schooling outcomes are being embedded.

• Learners are confident in their identities, languages and cultures which helps to support positive involvement in their learning.
• Leadership and the board are working towards strengthening learning partnerships with whānau and involving them more closely in the strategic direction of the school.
• Staff increasingly integrate te reo Māori and tikanga Māori into teaching and learning so that learners know about and appreciate te ao Māori.

Part B: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

• improve achievement outcomes for all learners in reading, writing and mathematics through the continued effective use of schoolwide assessment information
• strengthen whānau engagement in their child’s learning and partnership with the school to support their active involvement in planning and decision-making processes
• monitor attendance initiatives to sustain all students’ regular attendance.

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

Every six months:

• evaluate how well staff use assessment information to plan and teach responsively and provide engaging learning experiences for all students
• continue to track and monitor the progress of all learners and use this information to inquire into and adapt teaching practice to increase learner outcomes
• review learning partnerships with whānau and their involvement in strategic planning and decision making to inform further actions

Annually:

• evaluate shifts in assessment and teaching practices and the impact on student outcomes
• review and report to the board on student attendance, progress and achievement to strategically plan actions that will improve and sustain learner outcomes.

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

• improved overall levels of student progress and achievement informed by the effective use of schoolwide assessment information
• enhanced learning partnerships with parents and whānau, including their active involvement in the planning and decision-making processes of the school
• sustained regular student attendance.

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

7 March 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