Ngutuawa School

School 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

Ngutuawa School provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. There are currently 139 learners enrolled in the school. Māori learners make up more than 40% of the students, European/Pakeha are 36%. The school’s PRIDE values are Positivity/Ngākaupai, Respect/Whakaute, Integrity/Tapatahi, Determination/Pūtohe and Excellence/Kairangi. An acting principal was in place at the time of this review.

Part A: Parent Summary

How well placed is the school to promote educational success and wellbeing?

Achievement in Years 0 to 8 

This table outlines how well students across the school meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Attendance

The school is behind the target of 80% regular attendance.

The school is developing a suitable plan to improve attendance.

Regular attendance is not yet improving towards or beyond the target.

Chronic absence is not yet reducing over time.

Assessment

The school is not yet using an appropriate approach and reliable practices to accurately find out about achievement against the curriculum.

Teachers are developing assessment information to adjust teaching practices to ensure ongoing improvement in teaching and student progress.

Progress 

The school is developing good quality planning to increase the rate of progress for all groups of students.

The school is yet to show whether it has improved achievement and progress for those learners most at risk of not achieving since the previous review.

The school is yet to show whether it has extended achievement and progress for learners working at or above curriculum levels since the previous review.

The school is not making progress towards meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets and/or pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau targets for 2030 and agrees this will need to be a key strategic priority.

Support

During the course of this review ERO had concerns about the quality of education being provided and made recommendations for support and/or intervention to the Secretary / Ministry of Education.

An explanation of the terms used in the Parent Summary can be found here: Reporting | Education Review Office
 

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

Learners have positive relationships with staff.

Recently appointed leaders have prioritised growing staff capability, setting strategic priorities with goals to improve outcomes for all learners. Recent engagement in professional learning is building teaching capability.

Structured literacy is embedded for younger learners and is beginning to be extended through to the senior areas of the school; structured mathematics is currently being implemented.

Inquiry into effective teaching practice has recently been implemented, with a planned approach to evaluation for improvement being developed.

Key priorities and actions for improvement 

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

• develop a schoolwide assessment framework based on high quality evidence and effective tools to improve teacher practices
• provide opportunities for all learners to progress and achieve with their learning and wellbeing
• develop a consistent learning environment that supports each learner’s needs using high-quality teaching practices.

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

Within three months:

• confirm assessment tools and provide teachers with professional learning in their use to inform planning and practice, improving learner outcomes
• undertake learner and staff wellbeing surveys
• develop a shared, collaborative understanding of high-quality teaching practice that is context specific for the school
• introduce strategies and initiatives to increase regular attendance

Within six months:

• led by the acting principal review the progress of the application and consistency of high-quality teaching practices to plan for next steps in teacher development

Every six months:

• gather, analyse and use reliable assessment information on all learners to inform teaching planning and practice to improve learner outcomes
• gather, collate and respond with actions to wellbeing feedback
• monitor and review the application and consistency of expected teaching practices to inform next steps
• review and implement additional strategies and resources to further increase regular attendance and reduce chronic absence

Annually:

• review and refine the consistency of assessment practices to establish the impact on learner programmes, progress and achievement
• plan for strategies and resourcing to progress learner and staff wellbeing
• evaluate the impact of high-quality teaching practice to plan for future learning and resourcing
• evaluate strategies to improve attendance, tracking progress against government targets and reallocating resources as needed.

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

• accurate and consistent achievement information, aligned with national priorities, used to inform teaching
• positive wellbeing of learners and staff, reflected by high levels of engagement and participation in learning
• consistent high-quality teaching and delivery of programmes that increase learner progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics
• improved and sustained regular attendance of learners and reduced chronic absence.

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

No

Curriculum

No

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

No

Personnel Management

Yes

Actions for Compliance

The board has identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:

• board administration must meet each of the primary objectives in governing a school
  [Section 127 (1)(a), (1)(b)(i), (1)(c), (1)(d) and Sections 145 and 639, Education and Training Act, 2020]
• learning programmes must have particular regard to the National Education and Learning Priorities (NELP) and give effect to foundation curriculum statements, national curriculum statements, national performance measures, teaching and learning programmes, monitoring and reporting students’ progress
  [Section 127 (2)(a), (2)(b) and Sections 5, 90, 164, 165, 639, Education and Training Act, 2020; National Education and Learning Priorities]
• provide a safe physical and emotional environment for students through practices that are known, understood and effectively implemented.
  [Section 127 (1) and (2) Education and Training Act, 2020; Health and Safety at Work Act, 2015; Health and Safety at Work (General Risk and Workplace Management) Regulations, 2016]

The board has since taken steps to address the areas of non-compliance identified.

Recommendation to the Ministry of Education

ERO recommends that the Secretary for Education/Ministry of Education consider intervention for the dissolution of the board and appointment of a commissioner as listed in section 181, Education and Training Act 2020, to bring about the following improvements:

• governance knowledge and effective implementation of the board’s roles and responsibilities
• effective implementation of health and safety practices
• develop high-quality schoolwide learning programmes, supported by effective assessment, to improve learners’ progress and achievement
• develop a consistent learning environment that supports each learner’s needs using high-quality teaching practices.

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 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
Director of Schools (Acting)

19 May 2025

Education Counts

This website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home