Tatuanui 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

Tatuanui School is a rural school in the Morrinsville area, providing education for students in Years 1 to 6.  A new principal started at the beginning of 2024. The school’s mission is to develop learners who are 
self-motivated and resilient communicators, collaborators and problem solvers. This mission is underpinned by the school’s CARE values.

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

Most learners are engaged, make good progress over time and achieve well.

• Most learners achieve at or above expected curriculum levels in reading and mathematics, and the majority of learners in writing.
• Significant disparity in the achievement of writing for boys is evident; the school has identified this as an improvement priority.
• Learners with additional needs make appropriate progress towards achieving expected curriculum levels through effective support programmes.
• The majority of students attend school regularly; the school is yet to reach the Ministry of Education’s target for regular attendance.

Conditions to support learner success

Collaborative and strategic leadership provides a consistent focus on learner progress and achievement outcomes.

• The principal actively promotes a positive culture of shared responsibility among staff for learner wellbeing and achievement outcomes.
• Leadership prioritises areas for school improvement through well-considered evaluation of student achievement data and the local curriculum to inform strategic decision making.
• Leaders and teachers consistently role model the school’s CARE values, contributing to an engaging and settled environment for all learners.

Learners increasingly benefit from teaching and learning opportunities that promote their engagement, confidence and independence.

• Students experience inclusive learning environments where mutual respect between learners and teachers promotes a strong sense of belonging and pride in their school.
• Teachers provide purposeful, well-paced learning experiences that actively encourage students to develop their independence and self-management.
• Leadership plans to refresh the school curriculum, including a stronger focus on te reo Māori and mātauranga Māori within teaching and learning programmes.

Key conditions that support successful education are strengthening.

• The board, leadership and staff take a deliberate approach to building partnerships within the school community through effective communication and their active involvement.
• Parents and whānau are respected partners in the learning process; they are well informed about their child’s achievement, next learning steps and how they can provide support at home.
• Professional development opportunities are clearly aligned to the school’s strategic priorities and staff work together to develop shared understandings of responsive teaching approaches.

Part B: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

• increase the regular attendance of all learners
• further develop and implement effective teaching approaches in writing to raise achievement, particularly for boys
• refresh the local curriculum to provide a coherent schoolwide framework for teaching and learning that includes strengthening the integration of te reo Māori and mātauranga Māori.

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

Within six months:

• review the current curriculum in consultation with the school community to ensure that it reflects student, teacher, parent and whānau aspirations

Every six months:

• monitor rates of student attendance to know the impact of initiatives and inform further actions
• continue to provide professional learning opportunities that strengthen teachers’ understanding and use of effective teaching, learning and assessment practices in writing
• review progress with implementing the school’s refreshed local curriculum to identify next steps for refinement

Annually:

• review and report to the board on the attendance, progress and achievement of all learners, with a particular focus on writing outcomes, to inform future planning
• evaluate the implementation of the school’s local curriculum and its impact on teaching and learning within an Aotearoa New Zealand context. 

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

• improved regular student attendance
• increasingly excellent and equitable achievement outcomes for all learners, particularly in writing
• a refreshed local curriculum that supports the engagement of learners and meets the needs and aspirations of the school community.

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

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

1 November 2024

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