Auroa 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 

Auroa School is in South Taranaki and provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. The school’s vision is ‘Te Mana Akoranga, Educate to Empower, and is supported through the values of ‘pride, innovation, respect and initiative – stand tall, be the example’.

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 

• Achievement information shows that most learners are meeting or exceeding expected curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics; the school is taking steps to reduce disparity for boys in reading and writing.
• Learners with additional needs are well catered for in programmes that accelerate their progress and achievement.
• Student wellbeing and sense of belonging are well supported by an inclusive school environment and culture. 
• The majority of learners attend school regularly; the school is not yet meeting the Ministry of Education attendance target and leaders and teachers are using a range of strategies to monitor, report and improve attendance. 

Conditions to support learner success

• Leadership is embedding a cohesive curriculum and clear expectations for schoolwide teaching practices that support learner engagement and success.
• Leaders provide coaching approaches and opportunities for teachers to lead initiatives, building increased collective responsibility for achieving improvement goals.
• Leaders and teachers are strengthening their evaluative capabilities to further understand the effectiveness of strategies designed to improve learner outcomes. 

• Classroom conditions support positive student engagement and shared responsibility for learning, characterised by a culture of respect and inclusion.
• The localised curriculum continues to provide learners with authentic opportunities to create, apply and demonstrate new learning. 
• Leaders and teachers are implementing new procedures to strengthen the collation and analysis of achievement data to better inform teaching practice and know learner outcome trends over time.

• Useful information provided to the board ensures resourcing decisions are based on evidence and drive school improvement initiatives.
• Parents and whānau receive relevant information about their child’s progress and achievement; they have a range of opportunities where they engage and provide feedback to support improved learner outcomes, wellbeing and attendance.
• Leaders and teachers are taking steps to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi by integrating te reo me ōna tikanga Māori across the curriculum and using internal expertise and professional development to strengthen capabilities.

Part B: Where to next? 

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• continue to improve achievement outcomes for all learners and reduce disparity for boys in reading and writing 
• monitor the impact of strategies to improve and sustain attendance rates for all learners
• further refine the design of the localised curriculum to ensure there is alignment from Year 1 to Year 8
• establish clear expectations for leader and teacher use of te reo me ōna tikanga Māori in classroom programmes and use internal expertise to lead and embed cultural practices.

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

Within six months:

• evaluate the components of the curriculum delivery model to ensure there are clear progressions that support increased learner independence and self-management

Every six months:

• review the success of school led initiatives to increase and sustain rates of attendance
• report on the achievement of all learners with a particular focus on the progress made with achieving equity for target groups of learners and those at risk of not achieving

Annually:

• report on the achievement of all learners and initiatives that have been most successful in accelerating progress for groups of learners, to inform strategic planning decisions 
• measure the growth in capability and provision of te reo me ōna tikanga Māori and plan and resource for continuing improvement.

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

• improved levels of progress, achievement and attendance for all learners
• a schoolwide curriculum delivery model that aligns with the school’s vision 
• increased use of te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori in daily school life and classroom programmes.

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

3 December 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