Arahunga School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 6 months of the Education Review Office and Arahunga 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

This report is part of a nationally coordinated evaluation of 27-day specialist schools during the second half of 2023. This included the development of day specialist school evaluation indicators by ERO with significant input from principals, staff and the Special Education Principals’ Association of New Zealand (SEPAnz).

Context 

Arahunga School is a day specialist school dedicated to meeting the unique learning needs of students aged between 5 to 21 years. All students have Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) funding. Students learn across a range of settings, including campus classes and a transition class for senior students at the base school and seven hubs located in host schools. Specialist therapy services are provided to students to support their wellbeing and access to learning through a transdisciplinary approach.

An extensive and wide-reaching specialist teacher outreach service network is provided for the Horowhenua, Manawatū, Whanganui areas that includes the wider Taranaki region. This service supports ORS funded students enrolled in their local school. Additional support services are provided through a wide range of innovative contracts to work with and build capabilities in local communities. 

The school continues to navigate and manage roll growth pressures along with the employment and property demands associated with this.

The school’s whakatauki,  ‘Popoia te kakano kia puawai - nurture the seed and it will blossom,’ reflects how the school focuses on the progressive and holistic learning and wellbeing success of all learners.

Arahunga School’s current strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are focused on:

• students’ learning – managing self, leading self, and self determination
• student engagement, participation, learning and inclusion 
• successful transition supporting individual aspirations 
• community engagement – culturally responsive practice.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively assessment practices across the school, are informing teaching, learning and wellbeing to respond to the needs of our unique learners. 

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is: 

• strengthening assessment practices across the school for consistency and shared understanding to better inform teaching strategies is a key priority as roll growth is managed. 

The school expects to see: 

• assessment practices that consistently build on prior learning and show progression in relation to individual learner goals
• student learning and wellbeing being enhanced
• learners being empowered to be active, confident and connected in their community.

Strengths 

The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to evaluate how effectively assessment practices across the school, are informing teaching, learning and wellbeing to respond to the needs of our unique learners. 

• Transdisciplinary knowledge of the learners that is consistently evident in planning for learning.
• Leadership establishes a clear strategic direction and culture that supports school improvement.
• Leadership creates positive conditions for innovation solutions to sustain improved outcomes for learners.
• Systems and processes effectively identify and responds to the holistic needs of learners and whānau.
• Learners becoming competent communicators is well established as a high priority outcome.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise: 

• building capability and shared understanding of the range of assessment tools for teacher that better inform teaching and learning
• using assessment information effectively to identify student’s target goals
• partnering with whānau to understand the purpose of how assessment informs the students’ pathway
• embedding the use of the school’s digital platform to record, track and monitor individual learning and wellbeing outcomes. 

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

13 May 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