William Jones Drive , Otangarei, Whangarei
View on mapThis Profile Report was written within 15 months of the Education Review Office and Te Kura o Otangarei 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
Te Kura o Otangarei is in Whāngarei, and provides education for ākonga in Years 1 to 8. The school’s vision is to encourage and foster Taha Wairua, Taha Hinengaro, Taha Tinana and Taha Whānau in ourselves and others around us. The school has Rumaki Reo Māori for ākonga in Years 4 – 8. A new Principal was appointed in 2023.
Te Kura o Otangarei’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Te Kura o Otangarei’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well the engagement, progress and achievement of all ākonga is improved through health and wellbeing initiatives and approaches to learning. Strengthening home-school learning partnerships and improving rates of ākonga attendance are ongoing priorities to further support progress and achievement.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
The school expects to see:
The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate how well the engagement, progress and achievement of all ākonga is improved through health and wellbeing initiatives and approaches to learning:
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
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
7 May 2024
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
As of November 2022, the Te Kura o Otangarei Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:
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For further information please contact Te Kura o Otangarei School Board.
The that it is meeting regulatory and legislative requirements will be reported, along with the Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report, within three years.
Information on ERO’s role and process in this review can be found on the Education Review Office website.
Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools
7 May 2024
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
The principal, board and staff continue to raise the expectations for effective teaching, accelerating student progress, and providing positive outcomes for children and whānau.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Te Kura o Otangarei is located in Tikipunga Whangarei. The school caters for students from Years 1 to 8. The school has two full immersion classes and four mainstream classes. The roll currently stands at 100 students, all of whom are Māori with mainly northern tribal links.
The 2015 ERO report identified a number of areas for further improvement. ERO also recommended the Ministry of Education provide appropriate advisory support for the school. This included support for Māori immersion classes to improve teaching practice and raise student achievement.
ERO has returned to the school regularly over the last two years to evaluate how the board and the school have progressed.
The school has implemented some good processes that have helped to establish a settled learning environment. These include individual mentoring programmes for children from Years 3 to 8. This initiative aims to enhance children's self-esteem, resilience, and social competencies. The Positive Behaviour 4 Learning (PB4L) strategies are now well embedded. Students are taking more responsibility for their own learning and behaviour. Students in Years 7 and 8 have leadership roles in the school and the tuakana teina principles are operating well across the school.
The principal’s leadership has been the driving factor in establishing a positive school tone. He models the values and effective approaches to managing student behavioural issues. This modelling includes using restorative strategies, manaaki, whakamana, and empowering students and their whānau. Staff are now consistently embedding these values and practices across the school.
The school has successfully managed staffing changes. Effective teaching practices are now consistent across the school. The principal continues to lead and build a professional culture. There are good systems in place to support staff’s professional practice.
Appropriate professional development, and performance management systems help teachers grow and reflect critically on their practice. Fortnightly staff meetings prioritise conversations about teaching practice to accelerate students' learning.
There is a culture of collaboration and relational trust. Teachers share ideas and effective teaching practices with one another. The curriculum is being broadened through a number of initiatives, which include:
A next step for the school is to grow teachers' leadership capabilities so they can contribute to school improvements to lift children’s achievement.
ERO affirms the principal’s vision of continuing to broaden the curriculum through increasing te reo Māori across the school, and introducing a Māori history curriculum. These strategies have the potential to promote children’s language, culture and identity.
There are good systems for monitoring student achievement in both the English and Māori medium classes. School achievement data from 2015 show that students in some year levels have made good progress. This is especially so for students in Years 2 to 5. In 2017, some students in the senior classes are showing accelerated progress due to more effective teaching strategies.
Achievement levels for students In Te Puāwaitanga, Ngā Whanaketanga have lifted, particularly in 2016. The school is determined to ensure that students' achievement progress continues to increase as stable staffing helps to consolidate effective teaching practices and learning.
The school has a holistic approach to addressing the school's high levels of transience. Teachers take time to settle new students to prepare them for learning. They keep the focus on each individual child's progress. The school values of manaakitanga, whanaungatanga and whakamana (caring, relationships and empowering) are helping to settle, engage, and connect students, teachers and whānau.
Professional development has supported teachers to develop systems that can provide the school with dependable assessment judgements on student achievement. A next step is to develop external moderation processes with other schools.
The principal provides the board and teaching staff with well analysed achievement data and recommendations to promote accelerated learning. Data are used well to identify students who require accelerated learning, to inform curriculum initiatives, and support teaching as inquiry practices.
A next step for Te Puāwaitanga is to strengthen the collaboration between senior leaders and facilitators. This would help to support teaching strategies in immersion teaching, and raise children’s achievement and promote positive learning outcomes.
The school uses internal evaluation processes to critically reflect on student achievement, school initiatives and student wellbeing. The board receives good information about the school from the principal. Trustees attend training workshops, and are continuing to grow their governance capabilities. The board, school leaders and teachers should continue to develop their internal evaluation processes to ensure that positive outcomes are being achieved for all children.
Before the review, the board of trustees and principal of the school completed the ERO Board Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklists. In these documents they attested that they had taken all reasonable steps to meet their legislative obligations related to:
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student achievement:
The ongoing challenge for the school is to raise students' achievement in relation to the National Standards and Ngā Whanaketanga. ERO recommends that school leaders and teachers continue to work together and with whānau to strengthen learning partnerships that focus on children’s learning.
The school agrees that more targeted planning should be developed to accelerate students' progress. This planning should include practices for responding more effectively to the strengths and needs of children whose learning needs to be accelerated. ERO will monitor and discuss these plans and the outcomes with the board.
The principal, board and staff continue to raise the expectations for effective teaching, accelerating student progress, and providing positive outcomes for children and whānau.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
23 November 2017
| Location | Tikipunga, Whangarei | |
| Ministry of Education profile number | 1069 | |
| School type | Full Primary (Years 1 to 8) | |
| School roll | 100 | |
| Number of international students | 0 | |
| Gender composition | Girls 39 Boys 61 | |
| Ethnic composition | Māori Pacific African | 95 3 2 |
| Special Features | Full immersion classes | |
| Review team on site | August 2017 | |
| Date of this report | 23 November 2017 | |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review Education Review Education Review | October 2015 February 2013 May 2009 |
Te Kura o Otangarei is working well with external support and is making some good progress to improve outcomes for students. The school now needs to promote effective teaching and behaviour management practices consistently throughout the school. ERO will continue to support and evaluate the school’s progress.
ERO intends to carry out another review over the course of one-to-two years.
Te Kura o Otangarei is located in the northern part of Whangarei city. The school caters for students from Years 1 to 8. One feature of the school is that students have an option of learning in an immersion, bilingual or mainstream programme. All students are Māori and are mainly of Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Wai, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Whātua and other northern hapu and iwi descent.
At the time of ERO’s February 2013 report the principal had been appointed for only two terms. He had identified as a priority the need for the school to develop a behaviour management strategy to increase students' engagement in learning, and to improve their progress, achievement and success.
The 2013 ERO report recognised that many staff and board members had given long service to the school and were dedicated to improving learning for students. However it identified many areas for improvement including teaching and assessment practices, implementing the National Standards, and developing self review across all areas of school operations.
As a result of these 2013 review findings, ERO made the decision to return to the school over a 1 to 2 year period. Since this time, ERO has returned to the school on six separate occasions during 2013, 2014 and 2015 to evaluate the progress the school has made to address concerns.
Since ERO’s 2013 report staffing has remained consistent, except for the te reo Māori immersion unit where two new teachers began in 2013. Since term 4, 2014 the school has received support from a Ministry of Education (MoE) student achievement function (SAF) adviser who has worked with teachers mostly in the mainstream area of the school. Also during the past two years, trustees have been involved in professional development to improve their understanding of their governance roles and responsibilities.
The school is building its capacity to address the priorities identified for review and development.
Priorities identified for review and development
Progress
Embedding effective teaching and learning practices
Teachers, particularly in the mainstream area of the school have benefited from the considerable support provided by the SAF adviser. These teachers are improving how they use student achievement information to inform teaching and learning programmes, and are improving their focus on target learners. They are also using more effective teaching practices and are improving their understanding of the National Standards. Over the past 18 months mainstream student achievement has improved in reading, writing and mathematics.
These improvements are the result of a more systematic approach to teachers’ professional learning that includes them:
Students in the digital technologies pilot class are engaging positively in their learning. This result is a positive sign for considering a whole-school digital approach to engaging students in learning, especially in writing. The school is now exploring how it might use digital technologies to further engage the community and support children’s learning.
Key next steps
School leaders are implementing accountability systems alongside school’s teacher appraisal process. These systems include purposeful and regular observations of teaching practice. Senior leaders now need to increase expectations for improved teaching practice and ensure that there is school-wide consistency in the use of effective teaching practices.
The school has worked with the Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) strategy for the last few years. There are some examples where teachers are using this framework well and where students are beginning to respond to these strategies. Unfortunately there are examples of teaching where positive behaviour management strategies are not used and children’s wellbeing is at risk. An essential next step is to ensure that all teachers are implementing the PB4L strategies. This expectation would ensure a consistently managed and safer learning environment for students throughout the school.
It remains a concern that a high number of students in the immersion unit are underachieving in pāngarau, tuhituhi and panui. These immersion classes still require specific external support to develop effective teaching and assessment practices.
To embed teaching and learning practices throughout the school, senior leaders also need to continue supporting all teachers throughout the school to:
Improving school-wide communication processes
The principal and senior leaders have made good progress in this area that includes:
Key next steps
The principal and senior leaders recognise the need to continue providing visible school leadership, clear delegations of responsibilities and for review and reporting.
In addition school leaders have critical leadership roles in:
The school has improved its ability to sustain, improve and review its performance. However, it is still not sufficiently well placed in this key area of sustainable performance.
Embedding self review across all school operations
With MOE support, the school has developed a good framework for self review, focused on promoting staff input and positive outcomes for students. Key next steps to further improve school wide self review include:
It is also timely now for the board of trustees to consult with the school’s community to review their philosophy and policy for bilingual and immersion learning. This consultation and review would support the board in ensuring that the immersion and bilingual units are appropriately resourced. It would also help to ensure that teachers receive appropriate professional development to support students’ specific language needs and acquisition.
Before the review, the board of trustees and principal of the school completed the ERO Board Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklists. In these documents they attested that they had taken all reasonable steps to meet their legislative obligations related to:
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student achievement:
In order to meet its obligations the board must:
[National Administration Guidelines]
Recommendations, including any to other agencies for ongoing or additional support.
ERO recommends that the Ministry of Education provide appropriate advisory support for the Maori immersion unit to improve teaching practices and raise student achievement.
Te Kura o Otangarei is working well with external support and is making some good progress to improve outcomes for students. The school now needs to promote effective teaching and behaviour management practices consistently throughout the school. ERO will continue to support and evaluate the school’s progress.
ERO intends to carry out another review over the course of one-to-two years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
5 October 2015
| Location | Otangarei, Whangarei | |
| Ministry of Education profile number | 1069 | |
| School type | Full Primary (Years 1 to 8) | |
| School roll | 100 | |
| Gender composition | Girls 51 Boys 49 | |
| Ethnic composition | Māori Pākehā Cook Island Māori Australian African | 92 2 2 2 2 |
| Special Features | Immersion classes | |
| Review team on site | July 2015 | |
| Date of this report | 5 October 2015 | |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review Education Review Education Review | February 2013 May 2010 March 2009 |