Hawera Primary 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 

Hāwera Primary School is located in Te Hāwera township and provides education for learners in Years 1 to 6. Hāwera Primary School vison is that all students will “Whāia te Mātauranga – Strive for the Best”. The school values are “The KAHA Way” are “Kotahitanga – Getting on together, Ako – Learning from each other, Hauora – Feeling positive, and Awhi helping and supporting”.

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 

• The majority of learners, including Māori learners, are working at or above the expected level in reading and mathematics and just less than half are working at or above expectation in writing; there is disparity for boys across all areas.
• Most learners make expected progress or better; there is an identified need to accelerate the progress of boys in reading, writing and mathematics. 
• School practices are inclusive and support learners to have a strong sense of belonging.
• Attendance rates have improved but are not yet meeting the Ministry of Education targets; leaders and staff connect with and provide support to families to improve attendance. 

Conditions to support learner success

• Leaders effectively use best-practice evidence to plan and coordinate the school’s curriculum and teaching; expectations for high-quality teaching are shared and learner outcomes are tracked and monitored. 
• Leaders increasingly focus on targeted actions from regular review cycles to promote equitable outcomes for all learners. 
• Leaders build educationally focused partnerships with local iwi, whānau, and the school community to increasingly provide opportunities for learning and success. 

• Positive teacher-student relationships, underpinned by the school values, foster collaborative and respectful classroom environments. 
• Teachers work to strengthen their understanding of established teaching strategies to effectively address the diverse needs of learners.
• Te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori are integrated through the school day, strengthening students' confidence in their identity as Aotearoa learners. 

• Teachers are well supported to build their capacity and capability through targeted, carefully paced professional development that aligns with the school’s goals. 
• The board effectively represents and serves the community, ensuring that strategic planning aligns with local community aspirations for learners.
• Collaborative consultation with local iwi, hapū, and whānau, shapes a local curriculum that increasingly reflects tikanga Māori, mātauranga Māori, and te ao Māori.

Part B: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• increase the number of learners meeting or exceeding curriculum expectations in mathematics and writing with a focus on reducing disparity for boys 
• continue to implement and review the effectiveness of strategies and initiatives to improve attendance
• build teacher capability through high-quality, evidence-based professional development to enhance learner outcomes in mathematics and writing; establish and embed a cohesive, school-wide approach to the instruction of mathematics and writing
• embed the localised curriculum to both sustain and enhance students' sense of belonging while supporting Māori learners in achieving success as Māori. 

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

Within six months:

• clearly identify teacher strengths and areas for development to facilitate targeted professional development in mathematics and writing
• teachers participate in targeted professional development in writing and mathematics
• define and prioritise the next steps for implementing the school’s localised curriculum.

Every six months:

• monitor and evaluate progress in improving attendance and achievement outcomes in mathematics and writing for all learners
• plan and implement professional learning opportunities to enhance teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge in the teaching and learning of mathematics and writing 
• evaluate the effectiveness of deliberate interventions and chosen teaching strategies for targeted groups of learners, particularly boys, to guide future actions
• ensure consistent implementation of the local curriculum across the school.

Annually:

• analyse and report school-wide achievement data to the board and strategically plan actions aimed at improving attendance and enhancing learner outcomes in mathematics and writing
• evaluate the impact of teaching and learning on progress and achievement in writing and mathematics, and use this analysis to inform subsequent steps
• review the progress of boys and priority learners and evaluate the effectiveness of teaching approaches and resource allocation decisions
• collaborate with students, parents, whānau, iwi, staff and board to monitor and assess the impact of the localised curriculum on learner outcomes.

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

• improved achievement outcomes, with reduced disparity for boys, and an increased number of learners meeting or exceeding curriculum expectations in mathematics and writing; improved levels of attendance
• consistently effective and responsive teaching and learning across the school, leading to improved achievement outcomes for all learners in mathematics and writing
• ongoing partnerships with local iwi, hapū, and whānau, coupled with collaborative consultation, that continues to inform and strengthen a local curriculum that reflects tikanga Māori, mātauranga Māori, and te ao Māori.

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 September 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