Norsewood and Districts School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 18 months of the Education Review Office and Norsewood and Districts 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 

Norsewood and Districts School is situated in Norsewood, a 10-minute drive north of Dannevirke.

Norsewood and Districts School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:

• learn where there is a strong emphasis on equity, excellence and wellbeing and achievement for all learners
• take ownership of their learning in a positive, culturally responsive environment.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively the school’s partnership with parents and the local community is enriching the wellbeing and achievement of all students.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

• an understanding of how a strong parent /school partnership can support student learning and wellbeing
• a desire to improve communication through the introduction and regular use of new tools and processes.

The school expects to see and strengthening of the relationships between whānau and the school. It also expects to see an improvement in the wellbeing and achievement of students.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to strengthen the school’s partnership with parents and the local community to enrich the wellbeing and achievement of all students:

• connectedness with local cultures that informs the local curriculum
• community connections to the history of the area that offer opportunities to actively engage with the wider community
• an active school that has a focus on hauroa and the strengths of its students (active and involved students).

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• strengthening connections with whanau and community to support student engagement and learning
• gathering knowledge of the local communities and local stories to inform the further development of a local curriculum.

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

28 July 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