Pongaroa School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 12 months of the Education Review Office and Pongaroa 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 

Pongaroa School is situated in the Tararua District, near the eastern coast and educates learners in Years 1 to 8. The adjacent beaches and the local farming area provides additional contexts for learning.

Pongaroa School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to experience a rich and responsive curriculum that:

• empowers students through an integrated approach while focused on reading, writing and mathematics 
• promotes and supports hauora (well-being) in a positive learning environment
• Is rich in cultural experiences that further develop te reo me ono tikanga Māori
• develops a sense of kaitiakitanga - caring for the local environment and developing a sense of guardianship for this.

You can obtain a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan from the school office. School families can log on to Pongaroa School’s website to obtain a copy.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively revised and new strategies are in strengthening the teaching of literacy. This should raise student achievement in reading and writing and enable students to better access the curriculum.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is a need to: 

• improve student outcomes in reading and writing
• raise achievement across the school
• enhance the ability of all students to access and succeed across the wider curriculum.

The school expects to see increased engagement and achievement in reading and writing. It also expects improved reading capability to allow students to better access all areas of the local curriculum. 

Strengths 

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to improve student outcomes in reading:

• a wide range of curriculum opportunities that offer students a variety of avenues to engage in learning and to succeed.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise: 

• improving teacher practice in the teaching of reading and writing to better enable students to engage in the school’s local curriculum
• revise and refine the school’s assessment practices to increase its accuracy and to better identify the next steps for student learning. This should also support a rise in student engagement and result in improved opportunities for learning.

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

7 March 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