Tahatai Coast School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

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

Tahatai Coast School is located in Pāpāmoa and caters for students from Years 1 to 6.

Tahatai Coast School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

• for all ākonga, developing equity and excellence with a lens on priority learners

• providing a rich localised curriculum that develops the capacity for ākonga to engage strategically in their learning.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well the achievement and mana of Māori ākonga are lifted by strengthening the holistic approach to culturally responsive teaching and learning practices.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

• the school has begun its journey to embed culturally responsive practices to have Māori ākonga achieving as well as non-Māori in literacy and numeracy

• evidence collected through school-wide assessment data and NZCER’s ‘Me & My Schools’ survey on engagement and attendance data highlights parity needed for Māori and learners.

This evaluation focus aligns with the direction of the Mount Maunganui Kāhui Ako and Te Wharepūni ā Pāpāmoa.

The school expects to see:

• improved Māori student achievement through culturally responsive teaching practices

• enhanced levels of engagement of Māori ākonga and whānau

• increased representation of Māori learners through the provision of extra-curricular activities such as student leadership, sport and cultural performances.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to lift the achievement and mana of Māori learners:

• reciprocal relationships with Ngā Pōtiki and Ngāi te Rangi

• resourcing and staffing capability focused on culturally responsive pedagogy and practices

• the Tahatai School local curriculum that includes strength-based approaches for Māori

• continuation as part of the Mount Maunganui Kahui Akō and participation in Te Wharepūni ā Pāpāmoa Kahui Akō.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• strengthening the reciprocal relationships with iwi, whānau and ākonga to build trust and to work collaboratively to ensure there is a mutual understanding of aspirations for tamariki Māori

• honouring the partnerships as outlined in Te Tirirti o Waitangi

• individual strength-based plans for all Māori learners, with a holistic view and respect to cultural competencies

• continued professional development to strengthen teaching strategies that are conducive to better outcomes for Māori ākonga

• incorporating te ao Māori (Te Reo/Tikanga/our place) into learning programmes on a day-to-day basis to ensure all ākonga have a sense of belonging and value the connection with their learning and place.

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 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