State Highway 27 , Tatuanui
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.
Tatuanui School is a rural school in the Morrinsville area, providing education for students in Years 1 to 6. A new principal started at the beginning of 2024. The school’s mission is to develop learners who are
self-motivated and resilient communicators, collaborators and problem solvers. This mission is underpinned by the school’s CARE values.
There are two parts to this report.
Part A: 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 B: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle.
The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.
| Most learners are engaged, make good progress over time and achieve well. |
| Collaborative and strategic leadership provides a consistent focus on learner progress and achievement outcomes. |
| Learners increasingly benefit from teaching and learning opportunities that promote their engagement, confidence and independence. |
| Key conditions that support successful education are strengthening. |
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:
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 Evaluation 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
Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools
1 November 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 August 2024, the Tatuanui School Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
ERO has identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:
The board has since addressed this area of non-compliance.
The board has taken steps to address this area of non-compliance.
For further information please contact Tatuanui School, 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.
Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools
1 November 2024
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Tatuanui School is a rural contributing school situated in the outskirts of Morrinsville. The school caters for students in Years 1 to 6. At the time of this ERO review, nine children identified as Māori. Since the September 2016 ERO report, the roll has grown to its current roll of 136. Leadership has remained consistent and approximately half of the teaching team has since joined the school. The board of trustees is led by an experienced chairperson, other trustees have a range of skills and experience.
The school vision ‘Empowered 21st Century Learners’ is underpinned by ‘we care’ (caring, attitude, responsible, respectful, enviro kid) values for ‘A Tatuanui Child’ who will be: ‘self-motivated, resilient, problem solvers, communicators, and collaborators’.
Staff have accessed professional learning and development in learner agency, writing, and digital technology.
Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:
The school is a member of the Morrinsville Kāhui Ako.
The school is working towards achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for all its students. Achievement data for 2017 to 2019 shows that most students are achieving at or above national curriculum expectations in writing, reading, and mathematics. Girls significantly outperform boys in reading and writing. The school’s most recent data in writing shows improved achievement for both gender groups, however, the disparity for boys remains. In mathematics, a significant improvement in achievement for boys over time has led to comparable levels of achievement with girls.
School data shows most students are achieving within curriculum expectations in aquatics, social studies and the arts.
Data for 2019 shows acceleration for approximately half of the identified students who need this in reading and writing, and some students in mathematics. The school’s recent professional development focused on writing and student agency is showing improved outcomes for boys in literacy. Māori students are accelerating at similar rates to their peers in literacy.
Leaders provide effective professional learning opportunities. A recent focus on resilience and writing is reducing disparity and improving outcomes for those students who need this. Well-established systems to monitor and track student achievement shows that professional learning and development benefits students. The school is supported by a well-informed, responsive board of trustees who are focused on improving outcomes for students. Trustees resource and fund learning programmes that contribute to accelerated progress.
Caring, collaborative and organised learning environments enables students to achieve success. Classrooms are well resourced with an appropriate focus on literacy and mathematics. Teachers use a wide range of effective strategies to engage and support students to be increasingly independent in their learning. A range of planning and assessment tools enhance consistency of practice throughout the school. Students with additional needs are included and supported in calm, positive classrooms. Timely communication encourages positive relationships with parents, family and whānau. Effective systems and affirming relationships are contributing to positive outcomes for students.
The school curriculum offers a wide range of authentic learning opportunities. A recent digital technology and learner agency focus, fosters children’s engagement in learning. Access to context-based learning through sustainability education, sporting and various cultural focuses underpins the curriculum. A range of tikanga Māori practices are developing in the school and contributing to a sense of belonging for Māori students. Appropriate emphasis is given to a breadth of learning areas as outlined in The New Zealand Curriculum. Strong school values are visible and enable a sense of community and belonging. Children benefit from a culture of care that fosters confidence and contributes to the aspirations for a ‘Tatuanui Child’.
Students achievement and progress is closely monitored by leaders and teachers. They now need to give priority to the improved use of achievement data through:
Leaders and ERO agree that continued development of learning partnerships with the community and iwi, to inform local contexts with a bicultural focus, should further enhance the school curriculum.
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:
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student safety and wellbeing:
On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of Tatuanui School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.
ERO’s Framework: Overall Findings and Judgement Tool derived from School Evaluation Indicators: Effective Practice for Improvement and Learner Success is available on ERO’s website.
For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:
For sustained improvement and future learner success, priorities for further development are in:
Darcy Te Hau
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services
Central Region Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
9 April 2020