Waimate Centennial School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within six months of the Education Review Office and Waimate Centennial 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 

Waimate Centennial School provides education for students from Years 1 to 6. It is a semi-rural school. A new principal took up the position in February 2022.

Waimate Centennial School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

• develop and implement a local curriculum that embraces culture and history relevant to the students and their families
• build strong relationships and cultural responsiveness to enable learning partnerships between the school and families that will support students’ progress and achievement
• develop students as leaders and to empower them to be engaged and to take increasing responsibility for their learning.

The strategic plan is due to be refreshed and refined during 2023. It is likely to reflect the local Kāhui Ako strategic goals.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well the learning partnerships between the school and the community are supporting positive outcomes for all students.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

• to overcome the effect of COVID lockdowns which distanced families from the school
• the school values parent voice and wants to engage effectively to gain this
• the school believes that by embracing manaakitanga and whanaungatanga, authentic learning partnerships will be fostered.

The school expects to see:

• students’ having a sense of belonging within the school and for ownership of their learning to be strengthened
• improved progress and achievement in foundational areas of learning
• greater involvement of families and the community in the life of the school
• the local curriculum reflecting what matters most for the school community.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate how well the learning partnership with the community is supporting positive outcomes for all students. The school has:

• a good balance between new and experienced teachers which strengthens professional capability
• useful connections with a range of support agencies including the Kāhui Ako which contributes to equity provision for students
• a strong culture of care and support (Manaakitanga) amongst students and teachers which provides an inclusive learning environment.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• establishing a partnership improvement plan to track their progress towards this goal
• engaging parents/whānau in meaningful relationships to support their children’s learning
• building relationship-based practice to gain a deep understanding of students and to empower them to make choices about their learning
• further developing culturally responsive practice to be inclusive and to promote students’ sense of belonging.

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.

Kathy Lye
Acting Director Review and Improvement (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
16 March 2023 

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