Aokautere School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 12 months of the Education Review Office and Aokautere 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 

Aokautere School is a rural primary school catering for students in Years 1 to 6. It is located on the outskirts of Palmerston North. The school’s vision for learners is underpinned by the values of Manawaroa Māia, Maanaki, Pāiki; Resilience, Confidence, Respect, Curiosity.

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

• Hononga kia au/ Connect to self – to foster a sense of Hauroa for all ākonga through skills that encourage a growth mindset.
• Hononga ki ngā tāngata/ Connect to other - to actively grow strong, empathetic learning partnerships for all learners.
• Hononga ki ngā ako /Connect to learning – learners will experience a curriculum that inspires curiosity and enables excellence and equitable outcomes.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively teaching, learning and curriculum delivery of literacy achieves equity and excellence for all learners.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

• the school is seeking to evaluate changes in the delivery of the literacy curriculum and determine the impact on learner progress and achievement.

The school expects to see:

• equity and excellence for students, and accelerated progress for learners working towards curriculum expectations in literacy
• embedded assessment processes and practices that support effective teaching, learning and reporting
• the Aokautere School Curriculum documentation reflective of shared expectations for teaching, learning and culturally responsive practice.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to further promote positive learner outcomes in literacy:

• The school environment reflects defined and shared values, encouraging positive student engagement.
• Leaders' collaborative approach, decision making and resourcing reflect the school's priority to achieve the school's vision for student success.
• Collaborative practice between staff and involvement in literacy professional learning and development, are providing relevant opportunities to build professional capability and practices to achieve the school's identified priorities.
• Strategic and annual planning establishes relevant goals and actions to guide continuous improvement.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:  

• embedding assessment processes and practices that further promote effective teaching and learning systems for assessment in the junior school.

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

18 July 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