Wakanui School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 14 months of the Education Review Office and Wakanui 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 

Wakanui School is a full primary school located in Mid Canterbury which provides education for learners from years 1 to 8. Learning is guided by the school’s values of respect | whakaute, resilience | manahau, responsibility | kawenga, and excellence | hiranga. Since mid-2022, the school has been led by a first-time principal who is a long-serving staff member at Wakanui School.

Wakanui School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

• that all students experience success through challenge, choice, striving for excellence, and seeking feedback to further improve outcomes

• the use of effective inquiry, programme, policy, and pedagogy to effectively meet identified goals.

A copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan is available on request from Wakanui School.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the impact of its revised, localised curriculum on student achievement and engagement.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

• the school has identified the need to develop a coherent, localised curriculum which aligns with the refreshed national curriculum

• to broaden and embed contemporary teaching and learning practices.

The school expects to see:

• a quality, contemporary, localised, and relevant curriculum developed and implemented

• improved learning outcomes and engagement across the curriculum, particularly for those identified as needing to make accelerated progress.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate the impact of its revised, localised curriculum on student achievement and engagement.

• student achievement data is collaboratively analysed, used to identify priority learners, and to inform planning

• professional learning is strategically prioritised, then collaboratively adapted and contextualised to the school

• a completed audit of current curriculum coverage has signalled areas for development.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• developing teachers’ skills to provide specific and constructive feedback and feed forward for learning so students and their whānau can contribute to setting relevant, challenging, achievable goals

• professional learning to broaden capabilities and build shared understanding of contemporary, future-focused teaching practices

• continuing to develop a localised curriculum, focused on competencies and concepts, which develops deep thinking in students leading to improved achievement and equity.

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

1 August 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