Halfmoon Bay School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within six months of the Education Review Office and Halfmoon Bay 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 

Halfmoon Bay School is located on Rakiura / Stewart Island and provides learning for children from Years 0 to 8. Its local curriculum utilises the school’s location, offering many learning contexts beyond the classroom including natural environment-based learning activities.

Halfmoon Bay School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are that students:

• are ‘schooled for success’ through high-quality teaching and learning programmes
• show behavioural, emotional and cognitive engagement in their learning.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the impact of its localised curriculum on achievement and progress for all learners and particularly target learners in Years 3 and 5. 

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is: 

• achievement data has indicated a need to reduce disparities in target learners’ progress and achievement 
• to enact the school’s strategic objective to personalise learning 
• to take a systematic and common practice approach, using achievement information to inform learning progress across the curriculum
• to increase students’ involvement in their learning.

The school expects to see:

• a strengthening of the use of evidence in learner profiles to inform learning goals
• improvements in programme effectiveness in order foster learner growth across the curriculum
• the continuing development of a broad curriculum reflective of each individual’s needs, strengths and interests, so that all learners have the opportunity to experience success.

Strengths 

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate the impact of its localised curriculum on achievement and progress for all learners:

• all teachers know every child in the school and all contribute to progressing each individual’s learning
• effective curriculum integration maximises Rakiura’s unique environment and provides rich, authentic contexts for learning
• a local community and Board who play an active role in supporting learning at the school.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• enhancing rates of progress for all children and in particular for those identified as target learners whose achievement falls below expectations
• increasing the use of learner profiles to effectively document curriculum planning, develop teaching and learning steps and set goals to foster student growth across the school’s localised curriculum
• developing the contribution of students’ reflective voices to more deeply understand and benefit from their learning.

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

27 November 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