Te Mahoe School

School 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.

About the School

Te Mahoe School is located in the area of Lake Matahina, approximately 30kms from Whakatāne and provides education for students in Years 1 to 8. The school roll is approximately 33 students. Māori learners make up 100% of the roll. Te Mahoe School provides a level one te reo Māori immersion option for learners in Years 1 to 8. There was a new principal appointed in term two, 2024.

Part A: Parent Summary

Progress since January 2023 ERO report

ERO and the school worked together to evaluate how well responsive teaching, learning and assessment practices impacted equitable and excellent outcomes for learners.

The school expected to see:

• improved learner progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics
• schoolwide consistency in effective and responsive teaching, learning and assessment practices.

During the course of the evaluation, it was found that progress and achievement outcomes for learners in reading, writing and mathematics has remained at similar levels over time.

There have been several staff changes within the school which has impacted the consistency of effective teaching, learning and assessment practices; improving the consistency and quality of teaching, learning and assessment practices across the school remains a priority focus for leaders and the board.

How well placed is the school to promote educational success and wellbeing?

Achievement in Years 0 to 8

This table outlines how well students across the school meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Attendance

The school is significantly behind the target of 80% regular attendance.

The school is yet to have a suitable plan to improve attendance.

Regular attendance is not yet improving towards or beyond the target.

Chronic absence is not yet reducing over time. 

Assessment

The school is not yet using an appropriate approach and reliable practices to accurately find out about achievement against the curriculum.

Teachers should improve their use of assessment information to adjust teaching practices to ensure ongoing improvement in teaching and student progress.

Progress

The school does not have good quality planning to increase the rate of progress for all groups of students.

The school has not improved achievement and progress for those learners most at risk of not achieving since the previous review.

The school has not extended achievement and progress for learners working at or above curriculum levels since the previous review.

The school is not making progress towards meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets and/or pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau targets for 2030 and agrees this will need to be a key strategic priority.

Support 

During the course of this review ERO had concerns about the quality of education being provided and made recommendations for support to the Ministry of Education.

An explanation of the terms used in the Parent Summary can be found here: Guide to ERO school reports

Part B: Rumaki/Bilingual Outcomes and Conditions to Support Learners Success  

This section of the report provides more detail about the quality of teaching and learning through the provision of te reo Māori in rumaki/bilingual classroom/s within in English medium schools.

Learner success and wellbeing

• Ākonga in Ōmataroa (te kura teina/juniors) are all achieving at or above across te reo matatini and pāngarau, while less than a third of ākonga in Pūtauaki (te kura tuakana/seniors) are achieving at or above across te reo matatini and pāngarau.
• Ākonga are beginning to confidently participate in learning discussions using te reo Māori with both their kaiako and peers.
• The kura is significantly behind the Ministry of Education target for regular attendance. 

Conditions to support learner success

• Kaiako are beginning to establish steps to identify and provide for ākonga needing additional support to achieve and progress towards expected curriculum age levels.
• Kaiako are modelling quality te reo Māori in the classroom and creating an environment where ākonga are encouraged to be active participants in learning opportunities.
• Continued discussions with stakeholders are contributing to the development of a plan for a fluid Māori medium pathway.

Part C: Findings for the school

This section of the report provides more detail for the school to include in strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school.

Areas of Strength

• Te reo Māori, te ao Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori are increasingly woven through a range of meaningful learning opportunities.
• Staff are focused on building collaborative and trusting relationships within the school and community, this is beginning to have a positive impact on strategic planning.  

Key priorities and actions for improvement 

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

• improve student outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics, with an urgent focus on accelerating progress for those who are not yet meeting curriculum level expectations
• strengthen schoolwide consistency of quality teaching and learning and use of assessment in reading, writing and mathematics
• establish and monitor schoolwide assessment practices for teachers and leaders to consistently evaluate the impact of teaching practices on student outcomes
• develop a plan to improve regular attendance for all students, to meet Government targets
• effectively drive improved performance in the rumaki through strategic scrutiny of ākonga well-being, progress and achievement data by governance and leadership. 

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

Within three months:

• implement improvement plans for literacy and mathematics that include outcomes of accelerated progress for those students not yet achieving their expected curriculum level
• establish and monitor schoolwide assessment practices for teachers and leaders to consistently evaluate the impact of teaching practices on student outcome
• develop and implement strategies to improve rates of attendance for students by setting an annual improvement target with a supporting action plan 

Every six months:

• review the quality of teaching, learning and assessment practices in reading, writing and mathematics; use this information to prioritise actions for continued improvement
• monitor accelerated progress for students identified as not yet achieving expected outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics, to identify areas of success and guide responsive next steps
• monitor and report on the impact of strategies used to improve regular student attendance
• collaborate with whānau, hapū and iwi to inform the strategic growth and development of rumaki.

Annually:

• thoroughly analyse student achievement and accelerated progress in reading, writing and mathematics; use this information to guide targeted teaching and strategic planning priorities
• evaluate the quality and consistency of planning, teaching and assessment practices in literacy and mathematics, to inform and support further improvement 
• assess and report attendance patterns and successful strategies to improve regular attendance levels
• analyse and report on the effectiveness of rumaki strategic goals and objectives for improving ākonga learning and wellbeing. 

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

• significantly improved, schoolwide engagement and achievement outcomes for all students in literacy and mathematics
• effective use of assessment information to guide schoolwide improvement priorities, and improve teaching and learning practices
• increased rates of regular attendance
• improved achievement outcomes across te reo matatini and pāngarau for all ākonga.

Part D: Regulatory and Legislative Requirements

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements

All schools are required to promote student health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.

During this review the Board has attested to some regulatory and legislative requirements in the following areas:

Board Administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Personnel Management

Yes

Actions for Compliance 

ERO and the board have identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:

• the requirement to complete necessary safety checks of an employee 
  [Section 31 Children’s Act 2014; Sections 5 and 8 Children’s (Requirements for Safety Checks of Children’s Workers) Regulations 2015]
• the requirement to erect clear signs and notices of the school’s fire evacuation procedure 
  [Part 1 Fire Safety, Evacuation Procedures, and Evacuation Schemes) Regulations 2018]. 

The board has since addressed the areas of non-compliance identified.

Recommendation to the Ministry of Education

ERO will initiate conversations with the Ministry of Education about support to bring about the following improvements:  

• increase teachers’ knowledge and understanding of effective teaching, learning and assessment practices in literacy and mathematics, to accelerate students’ progress and achievement    
• strengthen leadership capacity to establish sustainable schoolwide systems and processes for ongoing improvement, resulting in improved outcomes for all students.

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 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
Director of Schools (Acting)

2 May 2025

Education Counts

This website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home