Putere School

School 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.

About the School

Putere School is a small rural school, situated inland south of Wairoa, that provides education for eight students in Years 1-8.  A new teaching principal was appointed in 2023. The school’s vision is that the values of aroha, resilience, organisation for learning, hauora and achievement will support students to be inspired, learn and achieve.

Part A – Parent Summary

How well placed is the school to promote educational success and wellbeing?

Achievement in Years 0 to 8

This table outlines how well students across the school meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Attendance

The school is approaching the target of 80% regular attendance.

The school has a suitable plan in place to improve attendance.

Regular attendance is improving towards or beyond the target.

Assessment

The school is not yet using an appropriate approach and reliable practices to accurately find out about achievement against the curriculum.

Teachers should improve their use of assessment information to adjust teaching practices to ensure ongoing improvement in teaching and student progress.

Progress

The school is developing good quality planning to increase the rate of progress for all groups of students.

The school has not improved achievement and progress for those learners most at risk of not achieving since the previous review.

The school has not extended achievement and progress for learners working at or above curriculum levels since the previous review.

The school is making progress towards meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets and/or pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau targets for 2030 and agrees this will need to be a key strategic priority.

Support

During this review ERO had concerns about the quality of education being provided and made recommendations for support to the Secretary / Ministry of Education.

An explanation of the terms used in the Parent Summary can be found here: Guide to ERO school reports
 

Part B Findings for the school

This section of the report provides more detail for the school to include in strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school.

Areas of Strength

• Students are increasingly engaged in meaningful learning that prioritises the development of foundational skills, within an inclusive school culture that provides a sense of belonging.
• The curriculum reflects contexts that children know and includes te ao Māori and te reo Māori, and is strengthening learning opportunities to broaden students’ knowledge and experiences.
• Leadership is beginning to set and pursue improvement-focused goals and targets.
• Learners are increasingly supported to develop sound skills in structured literacy and mathematics; strengthening evidence-based teaching practices is a key area to improve learner outcomes.
• Professional learning and development in structured literacy and mathematics is beginning to build teacher capability to support the improvement of outcomes for students.

Key priorities and actions for improvement 

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

• build capability in assessment and use of standardised tools, to accurately know how well students progress and achieve, report to the board and provide parents with timely information about their children’s learning
• critically review the Putere School curriculum to ensure alignment with developments in The New Zealand Curriculum; continue to develop capacity and capability in effective teaching practice in structured literacy and mathematics
• strengthen strategic planning, using student progress and achievement information, to ensure that school direction reflects what the community wants for its children
• continue to encourage attendance to improve and sustain regular rates.

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

Within three months:

• seek assistance to review assessment practices for appropriateness and to build teacher capability, including strategies for moderation; use this data to inform teaching and learning
• initiate the use of reliable assessment data, identify and monitor progress of students; plan specific interventions to ensure acceleration of progress for those who need this
• continue professional learning to strengthen knowledge of structured approaches to teaching reading, writing and mathematics

Within six months:

• complete a review of the Putere School curriculum to ensure that it meets the needs of learners, reflects the priorities of the community and aligns to The New Zealand Curriculum
• continue professional learning to strengthen knowledge of assessment practice, and use this information to inform classroom practice and assist students in setting learning goals
• consult with parents, whānau and the wider community to gather information to inform strategic planning and school actions

Every six months:

• monitor student progress, including attendance, using reliable quality assessment data to inform next steps and to report to the school board and parents

Annually:

• use the analysis of progress, achievement and attendance information to know the impact of initiatives and professional learning on learner outcomes; know what is working or not and for who and make adjustments
• use ongoing assessment information quality to plan programmes that are responsive to individual needs
• evaluate the extent to which a responsive Putere School curriculum meets the needs and aspirations of learners and their whānau
• report to the board and school community, evidencing progress towards school goals; this reporting should inform future school direction.

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

• consistent and effective teaching, learning and assessment practices and improved outcomes for all learners
• students engaged in learning and successfully progressing through a responsive curriculum that aligns with developments in The New Zealand Curriculum
• implementation of an evidence-based strategic plan that identifies actions and resourcing, resulting in significant progress and achievement for all learners
• a well-informed community working in partnership with the school to support learner progress, attendance, engagement and wellbeing.

Part C: Regulatory and Legislative Requirements

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements

All schools are required to promote student health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.

During this review the Board has attested to some regulatory and legislative requirements in the following areas:

Board Administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Personnel Management

Yes

Recommendation to the Ministry of Education 

ERO recommends that the Ministry of Education provide tailored support for:

• further growth in teaching capability in assessment for learning and using data to inform 
  evidence-based decision making to improve learner outcomes.

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

Sharon Kelly
Acting Director of Schools

25 February 2025

Education Counts

This website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home