Review 30 August 2023
LatestTe Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
Background
This Profile Report was written within 10 months of the Education Review Office and Waerenga 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
Waerenga School is located in a rural environment near Te Kauwhata, providing education for students in Years 1 to 6. A new principal was appointed in June 2023.
Waerenga School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
- to grow and enhance student learning
- to integrate te reo Māori and tikanga Māori into everyday school life
- to strengthen parent partnerships in learning.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Waerenga School’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively the school’s approaches and practices to teaching and learning contribute to increasing progress for all students in literacy. Further building responsive partnerships for learning and strengthening evaluation capability to enable equitable outcomes will be ongoing priorities for the school.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
- the commitment the school places on continual improvement for all students, with a focus on improving equitable outcomes
- the importance of building partnerships in learning with parents and whānau to promote student achievement
- the opportunity to strengthen teacher knowledge and skills in evaluation for continuous improvement.
The school expects to see continuous growth and improved outcomes for learners in literacy.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to raise student achievement in literacy:
- Leadership and experienced teachers that collaboratively promote continuous improvement.
- Teaching resources and practices that respond to the learning needs and identities of tamariki.
- Strong relationships with families and the local community that support engagement in the life of the school.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
- implementing targeted actions to support progress and equitable outcomes for all students in literacy
- strengthening reciprocal home and school partnerships to support student learning
- building evaluation skills and practices to further inform school direction in teaching and learning.
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 Schools
30 August 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