Ngaere 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

Ngaere School situated between Stratford and Eltham, in rural Taranaki, provides education for Years 1 to 8 students. The school’s aspiration is for students to be ‘proud, motivated learners, empowered to reach their potential’, underpinned by the vision of Living and learning with respect.

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

• Most learners achieve at or above expected curriculum levels in reading and a majority in writing and mathematics.
• Achieving equity for groups of learners, particularly for Māori, and for boys in writing, is a school priority.
• Learners express a positive sense of belonging and pride that supports their wellbeing and engagement with learning.
• A majority of learners attend school regularly; the school is yet to meet Ministry of Education targets for regular attendance and is proactively working with families and learners to improve in this area.

Conditions to support learner success

• Leaders are using a range of evidence to make informed decisions about improvement actions that support learner progress and achievement.
• Leadership is becoming more distributed, within a culture of collaboration that facilitates shared expectations and accountability for student learning and wellbeing.
• Leaders support teachers to engage in research based professional learning that guides a collective response to meeting the needs of learners.

• Teachers and staff effectively implement structured learning programmes that assist students to make ongoing progress with their learning.
• Students needing further in-class learning support are identified and provided with well-considered, planned and monitored additional assistance that improves learner outcomes.
• Students have a broad range of opportunities and experiences to participate in and apply new learning.

• The board, leaders and teachers are strengthening the use of evidence to know learner progress, attendance and wellbeing outcomes to inform and set focused improvement goals.
• Positive relationships between teachers and students, aligned to the school’s values, create inclusive learning-centred classrooms.
• Parents and whānau receive relevant information about their child’s progress and achievement and have many opportunities to share their knowledge and collaborate to support learning outcomes.

Part B: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

• continue to improve achievement outcomes for all learners, particularly for Māori, and for boys in writing
• develop a systematic evidence-based approach to evaluate school improvement initiatives, including attendance rates, and monitor their impact on learner outcomes
• strengthen the provision of te reo Māori and mātauranga Māori within the school’s curriculum, with a focus on increasing teacher and learner capability.

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

Within six months:

• implement a systematic evidence-based approach to evaluate school improvement initiatives and monitor the impact on learner outcomes
• review the provision of te reo Māori and mātauranga Māori within the school’s curriculum, assess teacher and learner capability and develop an implementation plan

Every six months:

• moderate, monitor and report on the progress, achievement and attendance of all learners, with a focus on achieving equity for groups of learners at risk of not achieving

Annually:

• analyse and report schoolwide achievement information to the board, including progress made in increasing equity for groups of learners at risk of not achieving, then strategically plan actions that will improve achievement and learner outcomes
• report on the effectiveness of selected school initiatives, including attendance, designed to improve learner outcomes to inform future planning decisions
• measure progress with strengthening the provision of te reo Māori and mātauranga Māori within the school’s curriculum and monitor gains in teacher and learner capability to inform next development steps.

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

• improved attendance, achievement and equity for all learners
• collective understanding of systems, processes and practices that support learner progress, achievement and wellbeing
• strengthened capability of staff and learners in te reo Māori and mātauranga 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

8 November 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