Waikino School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within seven months of the Education Review Office and Waikino 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 

Waikino School is located in the Karangahake Gorge between Waihi and Paeroa and provides education for students in Years 0 – 6. An extensive garden, Whare Manu design space and forest school, provide contexts for the school’s focus on creativity and sustainability.

Waikino School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

• to utilise an holistic focus on ākonga potential and progress in partnership with whānau
• to develop kaitiakitanga in our ākonga and the wider community
• to foster creativity, innovation, inquiry and problem solving for our ākonga, staff and whānau that support agentic pathways for all.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the extent to which aligning the school’s valued outcomes and curriculum with te ao Māori is improving learner outcomes and meeting the aspirations of whānau and iwi.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is a commitment to:

• meeting responsibilities under Te Tiriti o Waitangi
• ensuring the curriculum promotes the languages, cultures and identities of all students and reflects the aspirations of whānau and iwi
• excellent and equitable outcomes for all learners.

The school expects to see:

• educationally powerful relationships with Ngāti Tara Tokanui and Hāpori Whānui (Māori community) shaping strategic planning, curriculum development and the cultural capacity of the school community
• values, capabilities and a localised curriculum that incorporate a Māori world view ensuring that te ao Māori is a lived reality at Waikino School
• improved cultural capability and a culturally responsive curriculum resulting in excellent and equitable outcomes for all students.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its strategic aim to deepen cultural responsiveness:

• a learning environment that prioritises inclusion and responds to the needs of learners and their whānau
• a school curriculum that reflects an holistic approach to student growth and a commitment to fostering individual pathways
• established partnerships with Ngāti Tara Tokanui and Hāpori Whānui
• school-wide leadership that strategically and deliberately pursues a vision for holistic, student driven learning.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• partnering with Ngāti Tara Tokanui and Hāpori Whānui to ensure the school values and capabilities reflect the aspirations of whānau and iwi
• building the cultural capability of the school community to support the enactment of a culturally responsive curriculum
• implementing a curriculum that responds to students’ cultures, languages and identities and promotes equitable and excellent outcomes for all.

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.

Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
entral Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

18 November 2022 

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