Halcombe Primary School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 8 months of the Education Review Office and Halcombe Primary 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 

Halcombe School is a semi-rural primary school located in the township of Halcombe, approximately 13 km from Feilding, providing education for students in Years 1-8. The school is proud of its supportive relationships with whānau, community and Te Tikanga hapū that are focused on positive outcomes for all learners. The school values and promotes high expectations for all learners to achieve their academic, physical and social potential.

Halcombe Primary School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:

• enable all students to reach their potential in reading, writing and mathematics
• provide a broad, future-focused curriculum
• build community through attending to hauora.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well the school’s curriculum reflects and enhances local history, and local tikanga and mātauranga Māori.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

• to ensure every learner has a strong sense of identity, culture and belonging
• to strengthen understanding and connections with whānau, local history and mātauranga Māori
• the opportunity it provides to enhance high expectations for culturally responsive teaching and learning practices.

The school expects to see all learners achieving their potential supported by a future-focused curriculum that empowers a strong sense of identity, culture and belonging.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal for all learners to achieve their potential supported by a strong sense of identity, culture, hauora and belonging.

• Collaborative staff who are focused on maintaining positive and supportive learning relationships.
• Consistent teaching practices throughout the school, including a focus on extension and learning support programmes.
• A committed board of trustees focused on enhancing school performance and learner outcomes.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise outcomes of equity and excellence for all learners through:

• continued professional learning focused on establishing and implementing a local integrated curriculum that is enriched by, and inclusive of, local history, tikanga and mātauranga Māori
• continuing to use current theory and research such as recent literacy reviews to support and enhance the school’s high expectations for teaching and learning
• continuing to strengthen partnerships with whānau, community and all hapū, iwi in the school rohe.

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.

Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

10 February 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