Review 25 February 2025
LatestSchool 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
Houghton Valley School provides education for students in Years 1 to 6. There are 174 students currently attending the school. Most of the students are Pākehā, 16% are Māori. The school vision, Ka Manaaki, Ka Rapu, Ka Whakamananwa tahi ai tatou (Caring, Exploring Inspiring Together), is underpinned by the school values of Te Ao Māori, Connection, Learning and Te Taiao.
Part A – Parent Summary
How well placed is the school to promote educational success and wellbeing?
| How well are learners succeeding? | Learners experience high levels of success and make excellent progress; outcomes are similarly high for all groups. |
| What is the quality of teaching and learning? | Learners benefit from high quality teaching practice that improves progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics. |
| How well does the school curriculum respond to all learners needs? | Learners have sufficient opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum. There is a consistent focus on supporting learners to gain skills in literacy and mathematics. Learners with complex needs are well supported to achieve their education goals. |
| How well does school planning and conditions support ongoing improvement? | School planning and conditions to support high quality education for learners are driving excellent school performance. |
| How well does the school include all learners and promote their engagement and wellbeing? | The school successfully promotes learners’ engagement, wellbeing and inclusion. |
| How well does the school partner with parents, whānau and its community for the benefit of learners? | The school reports usefully and accurately to parents / whānau about their child’s learning, achievement and progress. The school responds well to a wide range of information gathered through community consultation, to inform strategic planning and curriculum decisions. |
| Student Health and Safety | The school board is taking reasonable steps to ensure student health and safety. |
Achievement in Years 0 to 8
This table outlines how well students across the school meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.
Foundation Skills | |
| Reading | Almost all learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are equitable for all groups of learners. |
| Writing | Almost all learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are equitable for all groups of learners. |
| Mathematics | Almost all learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are equitable for all groups of learners. |
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 uses an appropriate approach and reliable practices to find out about achievement against the curriculum.
Assessment information is used well to adjust teaching practices to ensure ongoing improvement in teaching and student progress.
Progress
The school has good quality planning to increase the rate of progress for all groups of students.
The school has to some extent improved achievement and progress for those learners most at risk of not achieving since the previous review.
The school has to some extent extended achievement and progress for learners working at or above curriculum levels since the previous review.
The school is meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets set for 2030.
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 highly engaged and outcomes for learning are equitable and excellent.
Students’ sense of wellbeing and belonging is evident, supported by a wide range of successful initiatives.
Strategic and well-informed leadership drives improvement and sets high expectations for teaching and learning.
The school is using structured literacy in all areas of the school with planning in place to strengthen the structured mathematics approach.
The students are taught reading, writing and mathematics for 1 hour per day. The curriculum design provides for rich integrated learning opportunities with breadth and depth across learning areas.
Professional strengths and development needs are regularly identified and supported to sustain high quality teaching and improved outcomes for students.
Responsive teaching and learning reflect students’ strengths, needs and interests, builds on existing knowledge and skills to promote progress.
Key priorities and actions for improvement
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
- continue to strengthen the use of te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori across the school by integrating te ao Māori throughout curriculum design
- consolidate schoolwide evidenced-based strategies to guide consistent teaching practice in senior literacy and mathematics to meet students’ progress and achievement needs
- monitor and strengthen processes to improve student attendance.
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Within six months:
- evaluate the effectiveness of te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori learning across the school to identify areas for improvement
- review approaches to literacy and mathematics teaching and learning using observations, student voice and progress information to develop consistent expectations
- continue to use data to measure the impact of targeted strategies for improving attendance
Every six months:
- evaluate te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori teaching and learning practices using observations, teacher and student reflections to inform improvement actions
- undertake an in-depth analysis of achievement information; respond to any disparity and plan to accelerate student progress
- continue to track and monitor attendance information; identify what is working and adjust targeted strategies for ongoing improvement
Annually:
- analyse and report student progress, achievement, wellbeing and attendance information overtime and plan further improvement priorities and initiatives
- evaluate the consistency of literacy and mathematics teaching and learning on progress and achievement to inform improvement plans.
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
- improved and sustained achievement outcomes
- te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori purposefully integrated throughout the curriculum
- consistent evidenced-based strategies that guide responsive teaching, particularly in literacy and mathematics
- improved levels of attendance that meet or exceed the Government’s target for regular attendance.
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
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