Bulls School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report 

Background

This Profile Report was written within 10 months of the Education Review Office and Bulls 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 

Bulls School is a coeducational primary school that provides education for children from year 1 to year 8. It is located at the north end of Bulls township.

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

• building teacher and learner confidence
• developing and strengthening cultural revitalisation
• developing the localised curriculum through place-based learning.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively the school’s approach to the teaching and learning of literacy impacts students’ progress and achievement in writing.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is because the school wants to develop an approach to writing that supports learners to build their achievement, progress and confidence in writing and further supports the school's strategic goal of building teacher and learner confidence. 

The school expects to see:

• an evidence-based, school-wide approach to the learning and teaching of writing
• teachers supporting learners to build confidence in writing to improve overall progress and achievement 
• strengthening of the school’s strength-based approach to the learning and teaching of writing

Strengths 

The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to evaluate how effectively the school’s approach to the teaching and learning of literacy impacts students’ progress and achievement in writing:

• teachers positively engage with in appropriate professional learning with external and internal expertise
• a learning environment where teachers collaborate with learners and whānau to establish and respond to individual learning needs
• a school wide strategic focus on building teacher and learner confidence to improve outcomes. 

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise: 

• identifying and implementing evidence-based teaching and learning practices that support learners increased confidence, progress and achievement in literacy
• continuing engagement in appropriate professional learning with external and internal expertise to strengthen learning and teaching in literacy
• developing and implementing a localised school-wide approach to the teaching and learning of literacy that further strengthens the quality of teaching and learning. 

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

12 February 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