Blenheim School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 16 months of the Education Review Office and Blenheim 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

Blenheim school is situated near the city centre and caters for students in Years 1 to 6. The school’s aspirations for their community are to embrace diversity and to encourage a sense of belonging through strong learning centred relationships. The school encourages learners to be brave, courageous, resilient and respectful.

Blenheim School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

• A learning culture that acknowledges progress and success.
• To support the wellbeing of staff and students. 
• Educationally powerful connections and relationships.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively staff build assessment practices that improve achievement and promote equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is: 

• school leaders and teachers recognise the need for more consistent school wide assessment practices which will better inform teaching and learning 
• the school is utilising the support of the Piritahi Kahui Ako Across School Leaders (ASL) to develop assessment practices which drive and acknowledge individual progress
• the school has been involved with professional learning alongside Waikato University. 

The school expects to see:

• a schoolwide, positive trajectory in achievement across the curriculum 
• purposeful and relevant assessment practices that are clearly documented and used to monitor and support student progress and achievement 
• whānau participating in their children’s learning
• teachers knowing and responding to the aspirations that parents and whānau have for their children.

Strengths 

The school can draw from the following strengths to evaluate how effectively staff build assessment practices that improve achievement and promote equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners:

• teachers at Blenheim School recognise the need for inclusivity and relationships of care for improving outcomes for learners
• staff and whānau who give willingly of their own time and resources to improve opportunities and equity for learners
• the school is strengthening their leadership 
• a supportive and caring wider community.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise: 

• gathering robust assessment information for more responsive planning and teaching 
• developing shared understandings for processes and systems to develop rigorous tracking and monitoring of student’s progress
• ensuring that the Board of Trustees is informed about student progress through regular reporting 
• strengthening partnerships with parents and whānau so they are regularly informed of student progress 
• continuing professional learning with ASL’s to drive powerful assessment practices across the 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 May 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