The Terrace School (Waipukurau)

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

The Terrace School (Waipukurau) is located in Central Hawkes Bay and provides education for students in Years 1 to 8. The school’s vision He kaha te Mātauranga is promoted through the values of Whakawhanaungatanga, Ako, Kaitiakitanga and Aroha. The school has a bilingual rumaki, Te Aranga.

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

• Achievement information for 2023, shows a majority of learners achieved at expected curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Mid-year data for 2024, shows a trajectory of improvement in reading, with all Year 8 students at or above expectation.
• Students with additional learning needs are well supported and they participate, engage and learn in an inclusive learning environment.
• The school has not yet met, and is working towards, the Government’s target for regular attendance; strategies to improve attendance focus on building positive relationships with students and whānau to promote engagement in learning.

Conditions to support learner success

• Leadership is making good progress in developing a localised curriculum designed to meet the aspirations of whānau and iwi; continuing to build teacher capacity in te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori is a planned next step.
• Leadership increasingly fosters a culture for teachers that is committed to having high quality teaching and the monitoring of learner progress.
• Leaders give high priority to an inclusive school culture where students are supported to access learning and barriers to learning are successfully reduced.

• Students have sufficient opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of The New Zealand Curriculum; priority is given to teaching foundation skills in literacy and mathematics.
• Teachers use appropriate assessment information to adapt teaching practice and report the progress and achievement of each learner.
• Teachers’ interactions with students are increasingly learning focused and purposeful; teaching strategies that engage all students in learning continue to be a priority.

• Teachers are well supported to build capability through professional development aligned with the school’s goals; ongoing development of teachers’ practice in structured literacy to address learner needs is given priority.
• Partnerships for learning are well-developed; parent and whānau input into their children’s education is highly valued.
• Well considered transition processes promote learners’ wellbeing and sense of belonging; continuing to gather student voice and wellbeing data for all learners is a planned next step.
• The board is representative of the school community and members work collaboratively with school leaders, whānau and iwi to realise the vision and to achieve improvement goals.

Rumaki/Bilingual Outcomes and Condition to Support Learner Success

Learner success and wellbeing

• Less than half of ākonga in Te Aranga are achieving at or above expected levels in pānui, while less than a third are doing so in tuhituhi and pāngarau.
• Ākonga are beginning to experience smooth transitions through Māori-medium education.
• Ākonga develop confidence and pride in learning and using te reo Māori, supported by growing language skills and cultural connections.

Conditions to support learner success

• The school is strengthening bilingual teaching, learning programmes, and assessment tools to support the diverse needs of second-language learners in Te Aranga.
• Whānau and mana whenua contribute through hui, online input and board representation to ensure the reo programme reflects community aspirations.
• Te Aranga is supported by an environment where te reo is normalized and reinforced through whānau engagement and cultural practices.

Part B: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• focus on improving attendance rates for all learners using the strategies in place
• build teacher capability and capacity in evidence-based teaching practices to improve outcomes for all students in reading, writing and mathematics
• further develop capability of all staff to integrate te reo Māori, tikanga Māori, and mātauranga Māori in the curriculum to support Māori learners to achieve success as Māori
• collect and use student wellbeing data to strengthen responsive classroom and school wide practices
• strengthen planning, teaching, assessment and data analysis in Te Aranga.

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

Within six months:

• monitor the effectiveness of strategies to increase and sustain regular attendance
• continue professional learning and development in structured literacy for teachers for consistency in approach
• implement a responsive local curriculum, strengthening te reo Māori and tikanga Māori across the school and in everyday classroom practices
• conduct a wellbeing survey with staff, learners and whānau, to assist with strengthening classroom and school wide practices that further engage learners
• source reo rua-specific professional development around assessment, robust data analysis and monitoring and tracking ākonga progres

Every six months:

• analyse attendance data, measure progress towards improving regular attendance at school and adapt strategies accordingly
• continue to build on teachers’ capacity and capability to integrate te reo Māori, tikanga Māori, and mātauranga Māori and identify agreed ways to measure progress
• continue to monitor the impact of professional development for teachers on raising student achievement in reading and writing

Annually:

• use the analysis of progress, achievement, wellbeing and attendance information to know the impact of initiatives and professional learning on student outcomes
• evaluate the extent to which the local curriculum meets the needs and aspirations of learners and their whānau
• measure progress made to integrate te reo Māori, tikanga Māori, and mātauranga Māori in the curriculum.

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

• improved wellbeing, progress and achievement outcomes for all students; improved learner outcomes for ākonga in Te Aranga
• improved regular student attendance
• consistent and high-quality, evidence-based teaching practices in literacy and mathematics
• the aspirations of learners and their whānau met through a responsive curriculum.

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
Director of Schools (Acting)

24 April 2025

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