Waikaka School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

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

Waikaka School is situated in Eastern Southland, 26 km north of Gore. Waikaka School provides education for students in Years 1 – 8. Their mission statement is: Learning for Life. He puna matauranga mutungakore|A pool of learning / knowledge that never dies. The school has been part of the Pomāhaka Kāhui Ako for six years. 

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

• all students will be learners for life - he akonga whaimatauranga (students forever in pursuit of knowledge)

• building a positive school community environment - he wāhi whakamana (a space of uplifting)

• celebrating our rural character on a global stage - tu ana ki te āo, tau ana (to stand proudly on the world stage.)

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively teachers implement culturally responsive practices.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

• leaders wish to develop a curriculum that truly honours Te Tiriti o Waitangi and better reflects Aotearoa New Zealand’s bi-cultural heritage

   

• teachers are undertaking professional learning programmes to strengthen their cultural capability.

The school expects to see:

• teachers developing culturally responsive practices that are effective for all learners

• Māori students and their whanau will see their language and culture is valued at Waikaka School

• Māori students experiencing success as Māori.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to evaluate how effectively teachers implement culturally responsive practices:

• a teaching team who actively seek opportunities to grow their capability to teach in a culturally responsive way 

• high expectations for excellent and equitable learning outcomes for all students

• a strong commitment to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• engaging with whānau to explore and define how students might experience success as Māori

• developing a curriculum plan for te ao Māori, which identifies te reo progressions through the school and provides clear guidelines for teachers

• developing schoolwide tikanga to establish and embed culturally appropriate protocols within the school context

• professional learning for staff to continue to strengthen their confidence and capability in tikanga and te reo Māori

• building meaningful relationships with iwi to grow partnerships, inform the school’s curriculum plans and support rich and authentic outcomes for all learners.

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

25 May 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