271 Shoal Bay Road , Tryphena
View on mapTēnā koutou e mau manawa rahi ki te kaupapa e aro ake nei, ko te tamaiti te pūtake o te kaupapa. Mā wai rā e kawe, mā tātau katoa.
We acknowledge the collective effort, responsibility and commitment by all to ensure that the child remains at the heart of the matter.
Mulberry Grove School is a full primary school on Aotea, Great Barrier Island and provides education for children in Years 1 to 8. The school’s roll is 27, half of whom are Māori.
The school promotes its vision Opening a World of Possibilities through using the local environment to inform the curriculum and children's learning.
Since the previous ERO report the school has been evaluating how well teachers respond to learners needs to ensure successful outcomes for all learners. The school expected to see:
Teachers work collaboratively to plan and teach programmes that reflect the curriculum focus and responds well to learners’ needs and interests. They collect a range of assessment information in reading, writing and mathematics and have sound knowledge of their learners’ needs and interests. A priority is to improve the use of this information to plan teaching and learning programmes that accelerate achievement. Community and iwi partnerships to develop teaching and learning programmes that reflect Aotea’s environment and context have been strengthened.
During the course of the evaluation, it was found that a focus on the local environment that reflects the Mulberry Grove and Aotea community has provided learners opportunities to participate actively in learning in ways that are meaningful to them.
| How well are learners succeeding? | Success and progress for all learners is increasing. |
| What is the quality of teaching and learning? | Learners benefit from good quality teaching practice that improves progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics. |
| How well does the school curriculum respond to all learners needs? | Learners have sufficient opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum. There is an increasingly consistent focus on supporting learners to gain skills in literacy and mathematics. Learners with complex needs are well supported to achieve their education goals. |
| How well does school planning and conditions support ongoing improvement? | School planning and conditions to support ongoing improvement to the quality of education for learners are well established. |
| How well does the school include all learners and promote their engagement and wellbeing? | The school reasonably promotes learners’ engagement, wellbeing and inclusion. |
| How well does the school partner with parents, whānau and its community for the benefit of learners? | The school reports usefully and accurately to parents / whānau about their child’s learning, achievement and progress. The school is improving its collection and use of information gathered through community consultation to inform strategic planning and curriculum decisions. |
| Student Health and Safety | The school board is taking reasonable steps to ensure student health and safety. |
This table outlines how well students across the school meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.
Foundation Skills | |
| Reading | A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners. |
| Writing | A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners. |
| Mathematics | A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are not yet equitable for all groups of learners. |
The school is behind the target of 80% regular attendance.
The school is developing a suitable plan to improve attendance.
Regular attendance is not yet improving towards or beyond the target.
The school is improving its approach and the reliability of its practices to accurately find out about achievement against the curriculum.
Teachers are developing assessment information to adjust teaching practices to ensure ongoing improvement in teaching and student progress.
The school is developing good quality planning to increase the rate of progress for all groups of students.
The school has to some extent improved achievement and progress for those learners most at risk of not achieving since the previous review.
The school has to some extent extended achievement and progress for learners working at or above curriculum levels since the previous review.
The school is making progress towards meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets for 2030 and agrees this will need to be a key strategic priority.
This section of the report provides more detail for the school to include in strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school.
Teachers and leaders set high expectations for success; learners who need additional support are identified early and receive targeted support, particularly in reading and mathematics.
Learners experience range of relevant and meaningful learning opportunities; teacher and learning programmes reflect the school’s location, natural environment and community.
Teachers value the cultural backgrounds of their learners and increasingly demonstrate this throughout the school’s programmes, initiatives and practices; learners have a strong sense of belonging and are confident in their identity.
Teachers regularly work collectively in planned ways within the school and with the other Aotea schools.
Professional development is in place to support curriculum development in mathematics and literacy.
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Within six months:
Every six months:
Annually:
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
All schools are required to promote student health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
During this review the Board has attested to some regulatory and legislative requirements in the following areas:
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
ERO and the board have identified the following area of non-compliance during the board assurance process:
The board has since addressed the areas of non-compliance identified.
ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Report and is due within three years.
Me mahi tahi tonu tātau, kia whai oranga a tātau tamariki
Let’s continue to work together for the greater good of all children
Sharon Kelly
Director of Schools (Acting)
22 May 2025
This website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
This Profile Report was written within 12 months of the Education Review Office and Mulberry Grove 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
Mulberry Grove School is a full primary school catering for children in Years 1 to 8 in Tryphena on Aotea, Great Barrier Island. The school uses its unique location and the local environment to inform the curriculum and children's learning.
The school values its place, role and connections to the community, and has links with the other two schools on Aotea.
Mulberry Grove School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:
develop the quality and effectiveness of teaching and learning practices that ensure successful outcomes for all children
develop a local curriculum that is relevant and meaningful for our children and our school
develop an actively engaged confident school community
evaluate school performance through regular self-review
provide the optimum environment that is conducive to meeting the school’s vision of teaching and learning in the 21st Century.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Mulberry Grove School’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively teachers respond to learners needs to ensure successful outcomes of all learners.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to:
align teaching and learning with the strategic priorities of the school
focus the learning on effective and meaningful local curriculum context.
The school expects to see teachers planning that reflects individual learners needs and interests. Teachers will be able to effectively use assessment information to inform planning and develop a local curriculum that is relevant and meaningful for learners.
The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to evaluate how effectively teachers respond to learners needs to ensure successful outcomes of all learners.
an inclusive school culture that supports the wellbeing of learners
stable staff who know their learners and community well and have a wide range of experience
teachers effectively support learners with a focus on mathematics, reading and writing.
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
refining of school wide assessment and relational practices to inform planning and learning that further develops student agency and self-regulating learners
developing individual education plans for all learners
developing an integrated curriculum that includes mātauranga Māori perspectives of science
engaging the community in consultation with a particular focus on the local curriculum.
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
6 April 2023
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
As of May 2022, the Mulberry Grove School Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
For further information please contact Mulberry Grove School Board of Trustees.
The next Board of Trustees assurance 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.
Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
6 April 2023
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home