Nga Tawa Diocesan School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 11 months of the Education Review Office and Nga Tawa Diocesan 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 

Nga Tawa Diocesan School is a state integrated, Anglican school. It caters for girls from Years 9 to 13 with most learners living onsite in the school’s boarding houses. The school is located rurally in Marton, in the Rangitīkei district.

Nga Tawa Diocesan School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

• remaining authentic and passionate about the special character, traditions, and culture of the school 

• acknowledging, nurturing, and challenging every young woman at Nga Tawa; to embody the school’s values, to be aspirational and resilient

• providing a safe and inclusive living and learning environment that promotes holistic wellbeing.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the extent that the school’s established wellbeing strategies equip learners with the skills and attitudes to better manage life challenges. 

The rationale for selecting this evaluation comes from noticing that mental health challenges for young people in our society, are increasing. The school wants to evaluate the tools they have in place to support their young people. They want to equip them to notice and respond positively to challenges, helping them to find success and to become the best version of themselves.

The school expects to see:

• a cohesive and culturally informed schoolwide strategy of wellbeing and resilience

• young people who are aware of how to use a range of tools to support their wellbeing

• shared knowledge across the school to support wellbeing.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support it in its goal to evaluate the extent that the school’s established wellbeing strategies equip learners with the skills and attitudes to better manage life challenges:

• a culture of inclusivity, underpinned by its special character, informed by positive psychology and increasingly culturally responsive

• consistently high academic achievement outcomes at all levels of NCEA

• clear strategic intent to improve wellbeing and resilience that is purposefully led and implemented by experienced school leaders

• internal expertise that can support ongoing capacity building of staff

• staff who use the school’s effective processes to ensure every learner is well known.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• implementing and embedding a cohesive wellbeing and resilience strategy

• building staff and student capacity to support wellbeing

• analysing a range of evidence to help evaluate the wellbeing and resilience strategy

• documenting the wellbeing and resilience strategy and sharing it with the school’s community.

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 School

3 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