Matawai 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 

Matawai School provides education for students in Years 1 to 8, in a rural community north-west of Gisborne. The school is guided by a vision that promotes high aspirations for students, underpinned by the values of respect, excellence, community, and perseverance.  A new principal was appointed in 2021.

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 

Most students make sustained progress and achieve at appropriate curriculum levels.

• Almost all students achieve at or above expected curriculum levels in reading, most students achieve at or above expected curriculum levels in writing and mathematics.
• The school is working towards addressing some disparity in the achievement of Māori students as compared to their in-school peers, particularly in writing.
• Attendance information shows that half of the students attend regularly; this is below the Ministry of Education target for regular attendance.
• Students are well supported by an inclusive school culture that supports wellbeing and increasingly reflects their languages, cultures and identities. 

Conditions to support learner success

Leadership effectively fosters a collaborative culture within the school and across the wider community that is focused on positive student outcomes.

• Leaders identify and pursue a small number of improvement goals; professional development for staff is well aligned to support the school’s strategic direction. 
• To support student success, leadership ensures planning, coordination and evaluation of the school’s curriculum and expectations for high quality teaching are clear.   
• Leaders increasingly involve parents and whānau in decision making and are establishing relationships with hapū and iwi; goals and priorities are anchored in sound understanding of the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. 

Teaching practice effectively responds to the diverse range of learners within multi-level classrooms.  

• Learners have opportunity to learn through a curriculum that prioritises the development of foundational skills; a framework to guide the delivery of The New Zealand Curriculum in multi-level classes is being developed. 
• Assessment practices increasingly support insights into learner progress; identifying the most appropriate assessment tools to measure learner progress against curriculum requirements is a priority. 
• Te ao Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori are increasingly woven through all aspects of the school’s curriculum; an identified next step is to increase staff capability in te reo Māori and tikanga Māori.

Leaders and teachers are aligning systems and practices towards meeting the school’s vision and goals for improved student outcomes.

• Leaders and staff use data with increasing capability to identify patterns and trends and to closely monitor student progress; effective use of a digital platform to support this is a planned next step.
• The school board represents and works closely with the school community to pursue improvement priorities and goals for learner wellbeing, achievement, and progress. 
• The school gives effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi by strengthening understanding of māturanga Māori, participation in tikanga Māori and is beginning to develop capability in teaching and using te reo Māori.
• Organisational conditions including policies, systems and processes are embedded, regularly reviewed and strengthened to drive strategic improvement. 

 

Part B: Where to next? 

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• improve student attendance, and across the school community, understanding about why this is important
• review and strengthen assessment practices to ensure these provide valid and reliable information that guides teaching and learning practices and measures student progress and achievement aligned to The New Zealand Curriculum
• ensure delivery of the integrated curriculum meets the requirements of The New Zealand Curriculum for students within multi-level classrooms, and over their time at the school
• build teachers’ knowledge of tikanga Māori practices and capability in using and teaching te reo Māori.

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

Within six months:

• review the effectiveness of strategies and approaches that promote attendance and support the school community to understand the link between regular attendance, academic progress and achievement
• conduct a whole school review of assessment tools and practices
• build staff capacity to use a digital platform and assessment evidence to inform teaching decisions and monitor the progress of learners, particularly Māori students in writing
• engage in professional learning opportunities that support teachers to gain confidence to use and teach te reo Māori and further incorporate tikanga Māori into school life, including a regular programme of te reo Māori teaching. 

Termly:

• analyse attendance data and measure progress to support the improvement of regular attendance at school.

Every six months:

• use an agreed monitoring process to review and report on the extent to which staff are building capacity in using and teaching te reo Māori and implementing tikanga practices
• review the impact of the integrated curriculum and its delivery on student progress in all areas of learning
• review assessment procedures to ensure they are effectively supporting teaching and learning.

Annually:

• report to the board in relation to annual and over time progress and achievement of all learners, including levels of disparity for groups
• evaluate and report progress towards improving attendance, identifying contributing factors
• use a range of evidence to review the effectiveness of the integrated curriculum on student outcomes to inform future planning.

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

• increased regular student attendance, leading to improved learning progress and achievement
• learners engaging in an integrated curriculum that clearly covers curriculum requirements as they progress across the school
• assessment practices that align with The New Zealand Curriculum are used to inform teaching decisions leading to improved outcomes for students, in particular Māori students’ writing
• learners and teachers improving skill and confidence in speaking te reo Māori and engaging in te ao Māori.

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

4 September 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