Te Rerenga 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

Te Rerenga School is a rural school on the eastern side of the Coromandel Peninsula between Coromandel and Whitianga. The school provides education for students from Years 1 to 8. The school’s vision is to develop learners who are confident in their own skills and abilities, preparing them for future learning. The values of manaakitanga, kaitiakitanga, whanaungatanga and kotahitanga underpin this vision.

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

Outcomes for learners show continuous improvement over time and they achieve well.

• Almost all learners progress and achieve at or above the expected curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 8; most Māori learners achieve as well as their non-Māori peers in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Learners who need additional support or extension work make good progress through relevant and individualised learning programmes.
• Learners have a positive sense of belonging and pride in their school, that supports their wellbeing and engagement with learning.
• In relation to the Ministry of Education’s target, the majority of learners attend school regularly; effective strategies are in place to address attendance concerns.

Conditions to support learner success

Strategic and effective leadership drives the implementation of the school’s vision, values and improvement goals.

• Leadership supports a culture of professional growth and development among teachers, that enables the school to progress towards meeting its strategic goals.
• Teachers and leaders use evidence well to plan and implement actions for school improvement that enhance learner outcomes.
• Leadership builds positive relationships within the community and with other education providers to increase learning opportunities for students and staff.

Learners experience a meaningful curriculum, supported by explicit and responsive teaching, with a clear focus on literacy and mathematics.

• Teachers use a range of responsive teaching practices that enable all learners to continue to make progress in their learning.
• Learners experience classroom environments consistently characterised by respect and collaboration, with students taking responsibility for their learning.
• Mātauranga Māori and te reo Māori are increasingly integrated into the curriculum so that all learners know and understand more about Aotearoa New Zealand.

Key conditions that underpin successful schooling, including board governance, learner wellbeing and partnerships, are embedded and well aligned.

• The board consults with the community and analyses and reviews information to inform decision making.
• Leaders and teachers implement and use an appropriate range of strategies that support students’ wellbeing.
• Well-established community partnerships provide students with a diverse range of learning experiences; relationships with whānau and mana whenua continue to strengthen. 

Part B: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• establish the Te Rerenga Graduate Student Profile to reflect student, parent and whānau aspirations
• continue to use highly effective teaching practices that affirm students’ cultures and identities and maintain learner progress and achievement
• implement further practices and initiatives that support student wellbeing.

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

Within six months:

• engage with students, parents and whānau to inform the development and implementation of the Te Rerenga Graduate Student Profile
• provide professional learning opportunities to strengthen teachers’ understanding and use of highly effective teaching practices
• carry out regular checks on students’ wellbeing and implement initiatives that enable learners to manage their own wellbeing

Annually:

• monitor and review the implementation of the student profile framework
• evaluate the impact of teaching practices and wellbeing initiatives on student attendance, engagement, progress and achievement
• evaluate and report to the board on student attendance and achievement and the progress made in implementing strategic priorities to inform decision making for improvement.

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

• students take responsibility for their learning and character development through demonstrating the school’s values and community aspirations
• sustained attendance, progress and achievement for all learners
• engaged learners who know and use strategies for managing their own wellbeing.

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

25 July 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