Wainui Beach School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within fifteen months of the Education Review Office and Wainui Beach 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 

Wainui Beach School is located on the outskirts of Gisborne City in the rohe of Ngāti Porou. The school has learners from Years 1 to 6. A place-based curriculum is guided by the pepeha: Te Kura o Wainui; Ko Maungaroa te Maunga; Ko te Poho-ō-Rawiri te Marae; Ko Hāmanatua te Awa. The local lighthouse provides the symbol for learning progress: Lighting up Learning, Ki te Ao Mārama, ki te Ao Mātaurangi.

Wainui Beach School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

• schoolwide inquiry and the development of student agency
• supporting teacher capacity through professional learning and development
• strong relationships within the school and between school and the community
• maintenance of the unique identity and environment

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the extent to which high impact teaching strategies influence equitable and excellent outcomes, including wellbeing outcomes. High impact teaching includes focus on reciprocal feedback and feed forward.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

• the school aims to achieve both equitable and excellent outcomes through high quality teaching and learning
• research supports that high impact teaching strategies such as specific feedback and feed forward promote student learning
• learner wellbeing is a valued outcome further enhanced through deliberate teacher actions.

The school expects to see: 

• improved achievement outcomes for all and accelerated progress for those who need this
• learners who can articulate their learning strategies, respond and act on feedback about their learning
• learners who understand their personal attributes and are confident about their positive contribution to the school and wider community
• continued strengthening of assessment for learning, to support learners to achieve.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal of high impact teaching strategies that progress student learning and wellbeing: 

• a schoolwide culture of continuous improvement that promotes equitable outcomes for all students
• an inclusive and culturally responsive environment 
• robust systems and processes that track, monitor and report progress and achievement outcomes to inform assessment for learning.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise: 

• continuing to review teaching and learning to ensure a shared understanding of the elements of high quality practice
• strengthening formative assessment practices with a focus on feedback and feedforward
• consider ways to measure wellbeing and resilience. 

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

6 December 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