Norfolk School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 7 months of the Education Review Office and Norfolk 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 

Norfolk School caters for students in years 1 to 8 and is in a rural setting near Inglewood.

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

• for the localised curriculum to guide staff in engaging and inspiring tamariki
• for hauora and wellbeing to be prioritised throughout the school community so that we can all feel safe, valued, included, and accepted for who we are
• for community, shared ownership, and a sense of belonging. Our staff and board of trustees will maintain strong community partnerships that reflect Norfolk School’s unique culture and rural setting, so the needs of our people remain at the heart of all that we do
• to make the most of our unique geographical area by maximising outdoor education opportunities, encouraging environmental sustainability, awareness and understanding of the natural world around us.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well delivery of the localised curriculum achieves equity and excellence for all learners.  

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

• to understand how current practices and introduced changes in delivery of the localised curriculum impacts on learner outcomes and achieves equity and excellence.

The school expects to see:

• evaluative information showing how the school’s deliberate actions, inclusive of achievement targets and goals, achieve equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners
• highly effective teaching and learning matching the schools shared expectations of effective practice in literacy, mathematics, and culturally responsive practice
• ongoing documented changes to the Norfolk School curriculum as new approaches in literacy, culturally responsive practices and future priorities are shared and embedded into practice.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to deliver a localised curriculum that achieves equity and excellence for all learners:

• leaders, teachers, and trustees collectively pursue the school’s vision guided by relevant priorities to promote continuous improvement
• collaborative practice promotes development of the schools' key priorities and are well supported through provision of relevant professional learning and development (PLD) for staff and opportunities to lead, trial and share practice across the school
• the learning environment reflects the school’s shared values and promotes the positive and purposeful engagement of students in learning.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• collaborative development of specific achievement targets from which the school can align their internal processes and practices to evaluate outcomes for targeted learners and understand their progress toward achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for all
• continuing to build the collective capability and practice of staff aligned to the school’s key priorities in literacy and culturally responsive practice that is supported by PLD, sharing of practice and coaching aligned to the professional growth cycle
• ongoing review and documenting evidenced changes to Norfolk School curriculum to reflect shared best practice expectations as new approaches and strategies are embedded in practice.

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

19 June 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