Makaraka School

School Evaluation Report

Tēnā koutou e mau manawa rahi ki te kaupapa e aro ake nei, ko te tamaiti te pūtake o te kaupapa. Mā wai rā e kawe, mā tātau katoa.

We acknowledge the collective effort, responsibility and commitment by all to ensure that the child remains at the heart of the matter.

Context 

Makaraka School, a semi-rural school on the southern outskirts of Gisborne, provides for learners in 
Years 1 to 6. The school’s vision is ‘@ the Leading Edge, whaia te pai tawhiti, kia tina’.

There are two parts to this report.

Part A: An evaluative summary of learner success and school conditions to inform the school board’s future strategic direction, including any education in Rumaki/bilingual settings.

Part B: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle. 

Part A: Current State

The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.

Learner Success and Wellbeing 

Almost all learners are achieving at or above the expected curriculum levels.

• Achievement information shows that almost all students are at or above the curriculum expectations in mathematics and reading, and most progress and achieve well in writing; outcomes for learners show no significant inequities between groups of learners. 
• Students with additional learning needs are identified, have targeted support and progress well within an inclusive learning environment.
• Learners have a strong sense of belonging, well promoted by positive teaching and learning relationships.
• Regular attendance is above the Ministry of Education target for 2024.

Conditions to support learner success

Leaders effectively use a wide range of evidence to inform schoolwide improvement focused goals that sustain learner success. 

• Strategic planning and improvement goals, developed in collaboration with the community, board and staff are focused on equitable and excellent outcomes for all students with clear measures for success.
• Students at risk of not achieving are clearly identified, have targets set, well monitored and their progress regularly reported to whānau and parents and the board.
• Leaders regularly evaluate and review strategic goals and initiatives using achievement data and report this to the board; continuing to evaluate the success of these goals on student outcomes is a next step.
• Leaders effectively build relational trust within the teaching team, resulting in collaborative approaches to relevant professional growth and responsive teaching programmes that meet students’ learning needs.

Teaching practices are evidence-based and responsive to students’ learning needs, interests and cultural identities.

• Students have a curriculum that increasingly reflects local contexts and provides a range of activities, so they see themselves in their learning; building teacher capacity through continued growth in te reo Māori is a next step.
• Appropriate assessment information is used to plan and adapt teaching practice and report the progress and achievement of each learner their whānau and parents.
• Teachers’ use of structured literacy and mathematics approaches is growing well and supports learners’ academic achievement.

The school has well-aligned systems, structures and supports to bring about success and improvement for learners.

• The board is learner-focused, actively engaged and make evidenced-based resourcing for learning decisions.
• Teacher capacity and capability building is supported through ongoing professional development aligned with the school’s strategic goals; continuing to provide evidence-based professional development is appropriate. 
• Students benefit from positive teaching and learning relationships that support a strong sense of belonging within the school; their wellbeing is actively supported.
• The principal, teachers and board seek, use and value input from the school community in setting strategic priorities that influence ongoing school improvement and learner success.

Part B: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• undertake professional learning to build teacher capacity through continued growth in te reo Māori
• continue to monitor and evaluate student attendance and adjust strategies as necessary to improve on and sustain high levels of attendance
• evaluate the impact of improvement strategies on learner progress and achievement outcomes; this includes equity and excellence for all students and the ongoing effectiveness of professional development programmes.

The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.

Within six months:

• develop a schoolwide evaluation approach that identifies the extent to which professional learning, and other initiatives, impact on school and teacher actions for improved learner outcomes.

Every six months:

• track, monitor, analyse and report attendance to the board 
• evaluate progress and achievement data with a particular focus on the ongoing impact of professional development on student achievement outcomes
• review the integration of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori in the classroom programmes, so that teaching te reo Māori is embedded and teachers’ capability enhanced.

Annually:

• evaluate and report attendance, progress and achievement to the board to inform future strategic improvement priorities 
• evaluate and report to the community the effectiveness of strategies and approaches to maintain high levels of attendance 
• evaluate and report on the effectiveness of professional learning on equity and excellence for all learners and the ongoing usefulness of professional development programmes.

Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:

• improved fluency and frequency of the use of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori by staff and students schoolwide
• sustained and improved levels of attendance 
• a well-established evaluation approach that focuses on improvement to learner progress and achievement and gives priority to equity and excellence for all learners.

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.

Me mahi tahi tonu tātau, kia whai oranga a tātau tamariki
Let’s continue to work together for the greater good of all children

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

1 November 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