Plunket Street , Dargaville
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.
Dargaville High School is located in the Kaipara District in the Northland Region and provides education for learners in Years 9 to 13. Over half of students are of Māori heritage who predominantly whakapapa to local hapū and Ngāti Whatua iwi.
There are three parts to this report.
Part A: A summary of the findings from the most recent Education Review Office (ERO) report and/or subsequent evaluation.
Part B: An evaluative summary of learner success and school conditions to inform the school board’s future strategic direction, including any education in Rumaki/bilingual settings.
Part C: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle.
Since the November 2022 ERO report the school has been working to strengthen teaching practices in Years 9 and 10 to prepare all ākonga for success. The school expected to see:
The school has made limited progress against these priorities.
During subsequent ERO visits, it was found that there were additional priorities for improvement. The school responded by identifying three key improvement priorities to focus on that impact directly on student outcomes.
School leaders have been working with the Ministry of Education to develop an Action Plan focused on:
ERO undertook a further full onsite review of the school in April 2025.
The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.
| Improvement is required to ensure students are attending regularly, engaged in learning, making sufficient progress and achieving well. |
| Leadership is yet to develop effective systems and processes to improve outcomes for learners. |
| The quality of teaching is highly variable and needs significant improvement. |
| Improvements to school conditions are required to enable improved outcomes for students. |
Under section 171 of the Education and Training Act 2020, that a Commissioner be appointed in order to bring about the following improvements:
The school needs to act urgently to:
The required actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Within three months:
Within six months:
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
ERO will revisit the school early 2026 to assess progress towards improvement goals and report to the school community within the next 12 months.
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)
5 June 2025
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
As of March 2025, the Dargaville High School Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
ERO has identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:
The board has not yet addressed the areas of non-compliance identified.
For further information please contact Dargaville High School Board.
The next School Board 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.
Sharon Kelly
Director of Schools (Acting)
5 June 2025
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
The Education Review Office reviews schools that are signatories to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020.
Dargaville High School is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under Section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code.
No international students were enrolled at the time of the ERO review.
Sharon Kelly
Director of Schools (Acting)
5 June 2025
The Education Counts 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 Dargaville High School working in Te Ara Huarau, an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. This timeframe was impacted by Covid lockdowns. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website. www.ero.govt.nz
Dargaville High School is a co-educational secondary school for students in Years 9 to 13 located in the Kaipara District, Te Tai Tokerau. Approximately half of the students are of Māori heritage who predominantly whakapapa to local hapū and Ngāti Whatua iwi. This school has four different senior trades academies and a vertical Kaupapa Māori class. Tutamoe is a supported learning environment for students with diverse needs.
Dargaville High School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
Ākonga – All ākonga are given an equitable opportunity to excel in their learning and in their community.
Hauora – All ākonga have a sense of belonging and hauora, feeling connected with their identity, language and culture.
Kaitiakitanga – Acknowledging ākonga as kaitiaki of the past, present and future.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Dargaville High School’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well teaching practice in Years 9 and 10, prepares all ākonga, in particular Māori, for success.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
to ensure students are well prepared for future NCEA changes
school leaders and the school board acknowledge the need to improve holistic outcomes for all ākonga, and especially for Māori and Pasifika
to strengthen pathways for ākonga as they move into, through and beyond Dargaville High School
to support students to confidently explore their language, culture and identity through a range of contexts
for kaiako to participate in professional learning to further the development of a responsive curriculum.
The school expects to see:
kaiako responsiveness to the changing needs of students, to include ākonga language, culture and identity through a localised curriculum
kaiako consistently using effective teaching strategies and practices in adaptive ways to promote equitable and excellent learner outcomes
teaching that is consistently relevant, challenging and meaningful
appropriate interventions effectively support learners and focus on equity for Māori and Pasifika
ākonga with diverse learning requirements are a school-wide priority
subject areas and departments working collaboratively to provide contextualised learning experiences
improved ākonga, whānau and parent understanding of the significance of subject selection for meaningful learning pathways
enhanced internal evaluation capability and capacity, particularly amongst middle leaders.
The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate their Year 9 and 10 curriculum:
the school is strengthening ākonga wellbeing through working holistically and collaboratively with whānau, external agencies and the wider community
the senior leadership team is stable and cohesive, with a focus on continuous improvement and a shared understanding of the school’s vision
strategies to increase ākonga progress and achievement are increasingly effective as a result of closer monitoring and regular evaluation of impact on learning.
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
collecting student, staff and whānau voice to inform the evaluation process
developing a shared understanding of the key concepts, related to the evaluation focus, to ensure the work has impetus and is a collective endeavour.
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 November 2022
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Dargaville High School is the managing school for Northern Wairoa Alternative Education.
As of May 2022, the Dargaville High School Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
For further information please contact Dargaville High School Board of Trustees.
The next School Board 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
8 November 2022
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
The Education Review Office reviews schools that are signatories to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020.
Dargaville High School has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code.
No international students were enrolled at the time of the ERO review.
Dargaville High School’s provision for international students is reviewed annually.
Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
8 November 2022
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Dargaville High School has a roll of 461 students in Years 9 to 13. Approximately a third of students are of Māori heritage who whakapapa to local hapu and Ngāti Whatua iwi. There is a large group of Pākehā students and small groups of Pacific and Asian students.
At the start of 2016, the previous principal resigned. The board successfully lead the school through the challenges that this change presented. During 2016 the deputy principal took on the acting principal role, and other leaders and teachers took on extra duties. This helped to ensure that students experienced a good level of continuity and that their education was not affected. A new principal was appointed for the beginning of 2017.
The school is a member of the Community of Learning |Kahui Ako (CoL).Northern Wairoa
The school has capacity and capability to accelerate learning for all learners. However, there is some persistent disparity in achievement between Māori and Pākehā, except at National Certificates of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Level 2, and for boys at all year levels.
The school is developing worthwhile processes that are designed to achieve equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners. These processes are underpinned by increasing responsiveness to Māori and other learners who need to make accelerated progress.
The board, leaders and staff show commitment to improving practices to support equity for all learners. The board and senior leaders agree that next steps include:
further developing the school’s capability to support learners to make accelerated progress and sustain positive shifts in achievement
extending students’ opportunities for pathways to future employment, training or study.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
The school is becoming more effective at responding to Māori and other students whose progress needs to be accelerated.
Teachers are at different stages in developing their understanding of how to use achievement data to plan learning programmes, and reflect on their practice. Data are becoming more accessible to leaders and teachers. Leaders acknowledge it is necessary to further build capability in data analysis, and to make better use of analysed data to evaluate teaching and learning programmes.
The school’s analysis and use of achievement information is improving. For example, there is increased awareness on the part of leaders and teachers about how learners make progress towards NCEA qualifications. Greater use of formative assessment in Years 9 to 10 would provide teachers with a clearer picture of how well students are making accelerated progress over time.
In the NCEA, the majority of Māori students achieve Level 2 and 3 qualifications. However, only half achieve Level 1 and this low achievement requires strategic action. There is increased retention of Māori students through to Year 12 or 13, and an increase in Māori students leaving school with NCEA Level 2 qualification or above.
In-school disparity persists between Māori and Pākehā, except at NCEA Level 2, where for the past two years Māori achievement has been higher than Pākehā. There is also an evident and ongoing disparity in achievement for boys, across all year levels.
Over the past three years there has been a positive shift in overall NCEA Level 3 attainment, including that of Māori. There has also been an increasing trend in merit endorsements in NCEA Level 3. Māori are not so well represented in the school’s NCEA endorsements.
School leaders use standardised assessment tools to track students’ achievement from the beginning to the end of Years 9 and 10. They are aware of the benefits of using this information more deliberately to differentiate learning programmes to promote accelerated shifts in achievement. Doing this would also help them to identify groups of students who need targeted learning support.
The school’s moderation of NCEA assessment is developing well. School leaders should continue to extend teachers’ understanding of assessing and moderating student work in Years 9 and 10.
School processes are being developed to enable equitable and excellent outcomes for students.
The new principal is leading school wide improvements for better outcomes for students. He demonstrates a strong learner focus and is setting clear expectations to improve the quality of curriculum pathways and teaching and learning. Senior leaders are being supported by some good leadership capability among the staff, to grow effective teaching practice through the school.
The development of effective teaching practice is now more aligned with the Education Council requirements. Expectations of teachers are more robust, and teachers’ inquiry processes consider the effectiveness of their teaching practice. This increasingly reflective, professional culture will support teachers and leaders as they adapt practice to improve learner outcomes.
Learners are benefitting from the school’s positive and inclusive culture. They have increased awareness of pathway opportunities, and appreciate the many adults who support them in selecting these pathways. The provision of Gateway programmes is a part of the pathways structure. These programmes are responsive to individual students’ interests, learning needs and aspirations.
Students particularly appreciate the broad range of opportunities to visit tertiary and career institutions. Past students and members of the community visit the school to share their work and experiences with students. These opportunities give students real insights into career pathways and encourage them to consider their own potential and the possibilities for their future.
Pastoral care processes are assisting students and their families. Learners with additional educational needs benefit from social and health promoting services and in-school support. Teacher aides assist learners in class. Leaders could develop a framework of the pastoral care provision in the school to show how the systems and approaches are interconnected to ensure maximum benefits for students.
The school’s curriculum is becoming more responsive to individual student aspirations and learning needs. It is also more focused on teaching and learning in authentic contexts. In recent years a junior diploma has been introduced for Years 9 and 10 that is linked to the New Zealand Curriculum levels. This initiative could be extended by focussing more on developing students’ understanding of themselves as learners, and providing activities for them to explore their preferred future directions.
The board is well led, and its operation is supported by sound documentation that is regularly updated to meet legal requirements. Connections between the board and community are now more transparent. As a result, there is greater community involvement in the school’s curriculum to support students’ learning and pathway success.
The board, leaders and staff show commitment to improving practices to support equitable and excellent outcomes for learners.
Relevant development priorities include:
developing students’ agency in determining their learning progress and their individual pathway development
closer monitoring of students’ progress in Years 9 and 10, and increasingly responsive teaching to accelerate progress and lift achievement
documenting a longitudinal picture of the progress and achievement of identified individuals and groups of students from Years 9 to 13
developing a school-wide pathway framework for Years 9 to 13
increasing the formative evaluation of initiatives, planning and targets.
ERO also recommends the development of a Māori strategic education plan with a focus on increasing parity in achievement for Māori students. Whānau involvement in this planning will be a critical contributing factor in its potential for success.
Before the review, the board 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 the following:
board administration
curriculum
management of health, safety and welfare
personnel management
asset management.
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student safety and wellbeing:
emotional safety of students (including prevention of bullying and sexual harassment)
physical safety of students
teacher registration and certification
processes for appointing staff
stand down, suspension, expulsion and exclusion of students
attendance
school policies in relation to meeting the requirements of the Vulnerable Children Act 2014.
The school is a signatory to theCode of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students(the Code) established under section 238F of the Education Act 1989. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code. At the time of this review there were no international students attending the school.
The school has capacity and capability to accelerate learning for all learners. However, disparity in achievement for Māori and other learners remains.
Leaders and teachers:
know the learners whose progress and achievement need to be accelerated
need to build teacher capability to accelerate learners’ progress and achievement.
The school agrees to:
develop more targeted planning to accelerate progress for learners
monitor targeted planning, improved teaching, and learners’ progress
discuss the school’s progress with ERO.
The school has requested that ERO provide them with an internal evaluation workshop.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
14 November 2017
|
Location |
Dargaville |
|
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
19 |
|
|
School type |
Secondary (Year 9 - 15 |
|
|
School roll |
461 |
|
|
Gender composition |
Girls 52% Boys 48% |
|
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
30% |
|
Provision of Māori medium education |
Yes |
|
|
Total number of students in Māori language in English medium (MLE) |
25 |
|
|
Number of students in Level 4 MLE |
25 |
|
|
Review team on site |
September 2017 |
|
|
Date of this report |
14 November 2017 |
|
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
September 2014 |