Waiheke Primary School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 12 months of the Education Review Office and Waiheke Primary 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 

Waiheke Primary School caters for year 1 to 8 ākonga/ learners and is located on Waiheke Island in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf.

The school’s vision is to empower ākonga o te motu to be nurturing, innovative action takers. Waiheke Primary School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for ākonga are based on 3 guiding pou/pillars of ako/learning, ahurea/culture and taiao/environment. These are realised through:

• ākonga making progress and having success in their learning

• fostering engaging and innovative learning opportunities

• creating strong connections with the wider community

• te reo Māori and tikanga Māori being valued and practised by staff, students, and the community           

• hauora (wellbeing) of students, staff and community

• an environment fit for purpose.

 You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan and 2022 curriculum on Waiheke Primary School’s website.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively the localised curriculum provides responsiveness to learner’s needs, ensuring quality teaching and equitable outcomes for all.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is that in 2022, the school moved from being an International Baccalaureate school to implementing its own local curriculum, based on the competencies and learning expectations of the New Zealand Curriculum. The evaluation focus is founded on seven key expectations.

The school expects to see:

• effective teaching strategies used in adaptive ways

• embedded learning progressions applied consistently across the school

• a focus on teacher professional learning to support developing te reo Māori and tikanga Māori capability embedded into the school’s local curriculum

• strong deliberate partnerships and a close connection to Piritahi and local iwi to support language, culture and identity of ākonga

• assessment for learning practices are embedded into practice and are reflected in student outcomes

• continual monitoring and refinement of the curriculum through the implementation and embedding phase of the Waiheke Primary School Curriculum

• the impact of a local school inquiry model that reflects the special nature of being an island community.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support it in its goal to evaluate curriculum, and teacher responsiveness to ākonga needs:

• a school culture where the staff, students and community believe wellbeing and inclusivity contribute to, and are implicit to learner success

• leaders, teachers and community have collectively developed a learning framework to provide authentic, agentic, inquiry-based learning opportunities, with an explicit focus on kaitiakitanga- connecting and caring for their environment  

• whanaungatanga underpins the school ethos of a nurturing, connected community where belonging and positive relationships are intertwined in the fabric of the school

• courageous, consultative leadership and school stewardship strategically focused on ākonga educational needs

• a schoolwide commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi through the curriculum.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• ensuring teaching strategies and practices provide quality differentiated and inclusive learning opportunities for ākonga

• providing teachers with needs-based support to accelerate progress of ākonga

• on-going evaluation of the localised curriculum considering authenticity, broadness, deep learning, assessment to inform, and opportunities to grow ākonga culture, identity, and language

• the consideration of attendance, academic and wellbeing trends in relation to learner outcomes, post extensive Auckland Covid lockdowns.

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.

Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

8 December 2022 

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