Tarras 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 

Tarras School is a rural school located in Central Otago. It provides personalised education for a small group of students from Years 1 to 8. The school has experienced a significant increase in student numbers, with the roll doubling in the last two years. A new principal was appointed in Term 4 of 2023. Tarras School’s values are hapori | community, mahira |curiosity, kanorau | diversity, whakauka | sustainability.

There are three parts to this report.

Part A: A summary of the findings from the most recent Education Review Office (ERO) report and/or subsequent evaluation.

Part B: 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 C: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle.  

Part A: Previous Improvement Goals 

Since the previous report in July 2022, ERO and the school worked together to evaluate how well the teaching of mathematics supported students’ learning, and how well staff and board members developed their understanding and implementation of effective evaluation. 

Expected Improvements and Findings

The school expected to see:

Teachers gathering a clear picture of student progress and achievement in mathematics.

• Teachers have participated in professional learning and development to strengthen their practice in the teaching of mathematics
• Teachers developed a planning document that provides expectations over three years. From this, students who required more support were more easily identified and provided for.

Students confident in working with more complex mathematical concepts as they move through the year levels.

• The teachers evaluated how effectively they engaged students in number-knowledge learning. This resulted in more student-led learning activities which gave students confidence in accessing their number knowledge to support new learning and consolidate prior learning.
• Almost all students have improved their progress and achievement in mathematics in line with the curriculum expectations.

Teachers and board members implementing rigorous evaluation to support improvements for students’ learning.

• Teachers and the board participated in evaluation training which has enabled them to critically examine how well they engage with and plan for students to succeed, and how well resourcing supports the learning.

The greatest shift that occurred in response to the school’s actions is the development of collaborative planning which shows progressive learning expectations over each three-year period in mathematics. This has supported students to revisit prior learning more frequently which has reinforced and refreshed their learning and enabled them to build on and use their knowledge across all mathematics areas. The school has explored how students can use a variety of resources to help them engage in and explain their mathematics learning. 

Part B: Current State

The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.

Learner Success and Wellbeing

Nearly all students achieve very well. They reach or exceed national levels of expectation.

• The majority of students make sustained progress and achieve at or above the appropriate curriculum level.
• Overall school achievement information shows that most students achieve at or above expected literacy levels and the majority of students made expected progress in mathematics.
• Junior students who have been at this school longer than one year are making good progress in literacy and numeracy.

Conditions to support learner success

Leadership embeds a culture committed to improvement, equity and excellence for all learners.

• Leadership progresses strategic goals clearly identifying mathematics, reading and writing as priority learning areas.
• Leadership has supported board understanding about the importance of using evidence to decide priorities and measure progress towards improvement goals.
• The school is taking steps to build capacity for culturally responsive leadership and teaching practices.

The school continues to develop its localised curriculum and strengthen teaching practice so that all learners engage in rich, meaningful programmes of learning. 

• Students benefit from teachers who know them well and tailor programmes to meet their specific learning needs.
• Individual and small-group plans provide progressive expectations for mathematics and literacy learning.
• The school is effectively accessing support from external agencies for students who need extra help to succeed.

Key conditions to support all learners success are developing.

• The school is working closely with parents of students who needs extra support in mathematics to improve students’ confidence and success.
• The relatively new board is taking steps to improve its knowledge and understanding of its governance role. 
• The school has taken early steps towards giving effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and developing partnerships for learning with its Māori community.

Part C: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• further develop relationships with parents and the wider community and use the skills they bring to enhance students’ learning.

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

Within six months:

• To partner purposefully with parents and community members to support students’ learning.
• Research the local community for skills that will support students’ learning within the NZC | Te Mataiaho-Refreshed Curriculum.

Every six months:

• Use assessment information to evaluate how better partnerships are improving student achievement.
• Hold a sharing celebration that highlights successes and shows next steps for the students and community to focus on.

Annually:

• School leaders will report how better partnerships with parents and the community are making a difference and improving outcomes for all learners.
• Consult with the community to share successes and create more opportunities for their engagement.
• Implement a wellbeing survey to gauge the impact that the opportunities for greater community support have on students.

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

• improved student achievement supported by positive community-school learning partnerships
• a school curriculum document that links community engagement with student outcomes and includes success criteria
• stronger community-school links.

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

10 May 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