Turitea School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

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

Turitea School is located in rural Palmerston North providing education for learners in Years 1 to 6. The school stands by its mission statement of ‘Ko te poipoi, ko te atawhai, ko te manaaki’ or ‘Nurture, embrace and respect all learners’. The school prioritises honouring its heritage and the traditional aspects that a semi-rural school has by looking back to move forward.

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

• ensure high quality teaching and learning occurs throughout the kura with a strong focus on being culturally competent

• design and implement effective systems for assessment, evaluation and moderation, and consultation with whānau

• ensure students receive a broad education that reflects their identity, culture and a commitment to te Tiriti o Waitangi

• breathe life into the school values (uara) across the kura and embed these into the localised curriculum

• strengthen all aspects of leadership and governance within the kura.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively the school is implementing culturally responsive practices across the school.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

School leadership identify the uara of whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, kaitiakitanga, and mātauranga as being fundamental to effective teaching and learning. Leaders see these as the pou (pillars) for a rich school culture and provide a framework for teaching and learning practices that will support and sustain successful outcomes for all learners. 

The school expects to see:

• learners who are able to articulate a deep understanding of the uara

• a localised curriculum and learning programmes that are designed through the lens of each uara

• consistent and coherent assessment and moderation practices across the school

• successful outcomes across the curriculum for all learners.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in achieving its goals:

• The school community participates in and contributes widely to school activities, events and decision making.

• Students learn in a caring environment that supports them to engage confidently in their learning.

• School leaders are highly committed to providing the conditions and opportunities for all staff to grow teaching practice and leadership skills.

• A principal who is passionate about building cultural competency and capacity across the school with a strong commitment to honouring te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• a deepening understanding of the school uara and how these relate to highly skilled teaching and learning practices

• further development and implementation of a robust professional growth cycle

• a shared understanding and implementation of effective assessment and moderation practices

• the use of progressions for teachers, learners and their whānau ensuring there is clarity for next steps in learning

• senior leaders deepening knowledge of their roles and responsibilities and effectively leading change across the 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

15 May 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