Poroutawhao School

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 

Poroutawhao School is a rural school north of Levin and provides education for students in Years 1 to 8. The school’s vision ‘Mauri mahi, mauri ora – work well, live well’ is supported by the values of ‘communication, creativity, collaboration and consideration’. 

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 shows that most learners achieve at or above curriculum expectation in reading, writing and mathematics; however senior students have lower levels of achievement than juniors.
• Improving equity for groups of learners, including Māori students, remains a priority for the school.
• Attendance information shows that less than half of all students attend regularly; the school is yet to meet the Ministry of Education 2024 target.

Conditions to support learner success

• Leaders and staff promote a positive school culture with a clear focus on improving learner engagement, wellbeing and achievement.
• Evidence-based improvement goals and targets are set with a focus on accelerating the progress of learners at risk of not achieving.
• Leaders support and facilitate targeted professional learning linked to strategic goals to strengthen teaching practice and increase success for all learners.

• Learners are supported to engage, inquire and apply new learning within an inclusive, positive environment that acknowledges who they are as learners.
• Teachers establish clear in-class routines that increasingly respond to individual students’ needs; building a shared understanding of effective strategies that enable learners to lead and talk about their learning is a next step.
• Teachers use relevant strategies, resources and agencies to reduce barriers to learning, particularly for students needing additional support; progress and achievement is regularly monitored to ensure improved outcomes for all students.

• A comprehensive annual plan accompanied by clear outcome statements provides the board and staff with clear guidance and measures to support school improvement.
• Leaders act on evidence gathered through evaluation to make improvements, including regular monitoring and reporting of student attendance, progress and achievement to the board.
• The board, leaders and staff continue to strengthen collaborative partnerships with whānau and the wider community, including iwi and hapū, as respected and valued partners of the school to guide ongoing improvement.

Part B: Where to next? 

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• monitor the success of initiatives to improve regular attendance and improve achievement outcomes for all learners, particularly for Māori and learners at risk of not achieving
• build teachers’ shared understanding of effective strategies to enable learners to identify what their next learning steps are and how to go about achieving these
• further strengthen relationships and partnerships with whānau, the wider community, local iwi and hapū, using the skills they bring to enhance student learning and guide strategic direction.

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

Every six months:

• moderate, monitor and report on the progress and achievement of all learners, with a particular focus on achieving equity for target groups of learners and those at risk of not achieving
• review and refine systems that monitor the impact of key improvement actions on learner attendance, achievement and engagement
• collaborate and connect with whānau, iwi and hapū to share their aspirations for learners and participate in the planning and decision-making of the school.

Annually:

• conduct a survey with students to enable teachers to identify learner attitudes, strengths and needs that need to be considered
• review and analyse the achievement and attendance information for all learners to identify initiatives that have been successful in accelerating progress and improving attendance, and to develop next steps for strategic planning
• gather and review whānau, iwi and hapū feedback and ideas on the success of learning partnerships with the school to assist with evaluating the extent of engagement and participation in learning.

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

• improved and sustained levels of attendance, progress and achievement for all learners
• all learners being active participants in their learning and able to talk about what they have achieved and their next steps
• improved and sustained levels of whānau and wider community engagement with the school and increased participation in the decision-making process that contributes to the depth and breadth of teaching and learning programmes.

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

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

2 December 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