Whangaroa College

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within nine months of the Education Review Office and Whangaroa College 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

Whangaroa College is in Kaeo, Te Tai Tokerau and provides education for students in Years 7 to 13. The school’s mission statement is “building confident global citizens that strive for excellence”. Whangaroa College acknowledges and upholds the values of Whakamana i te tangata (respect), Kawea ake te mana (responsibility), Mā te ngākau ū (commitment) and Kia manawaroa (perseverance). By following these values, the school aims to ensure all students are equipped with the skills to achieve their full potential and positively contribute to society.

Whangaroa College’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

• Community engagement
• Teaching and learning
• PB4L
• Kaitiakitanga.

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Whangaroa College’s website.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively culturally responsive and relational teaching practices are promoting positive outcomes for all students.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to:

• Support students to achieve success with a strong, secure sense of their identity
• strengthen teaching capability to improve the impact of teaching on learning and achievement for all students.

The school expects to see greater numbers of students attending regularly, engaged in their learning, and making accelerated progress to achieve their full potential.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate how effectively culturally responsive and relational teaching practices are promoting positive outcomes for all students:

• the school is continuing to strengthen conditions, actions and practices to promote wellbeing, which includes te ao Māori and mātauranga Māori
• strong networks with a range of external agencies who provide specialist support to individuals and groups of students
• leadership is collaboratively strengthening the culture of relational trust to ensure ongoing organisational capacity building for continuous improvement.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• professional development which builds teaching capability in culturally responsive and relational teaching practices
• continuing to develop and refine a localised curriculum reflective of the collective aspirations of whānau
• implementing consistent curriculum progressions that provide robust frameworks for teaching and 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

23 February 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