Ngata Memorial College

Ngata Memorial College

School Evaluation Report

Tēnā 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.

Context

Ngata Memorial College is located in Ruatōria, on the East Coast of the North Island. It provides education for learners in Years 1 to 13. Most students are Māori and affiliate to Ngāti Porou.

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.

Part A: Current State 

The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.

Learner Success and Wellbeing

Ākonga achievement has improved in the senior school; outcomes for ākonga in Years 1 to 10 require improvement.
  • In 2024, just under half of ākonga achieved Level 1 of the National Certificate in Educational Achievement (NCEA) and a large majority attained Levels 2 and 3; few learners earned endorsements and University Entrance (UE).
  • In Years 1 to 8, a small majority of ākonga achieve at the expected level in reading and writing, and a few in mathematics.
  • In Year 9, a small majority of ākonga achieve at the expected level in reading and writing, with few in mathematics. In Year 10, very few learners achieve at the expected level in all three areas.
  • Ākonga express they learn in a supportive environment, that provides them with a range of learning opportunities.
  • Attendance is improving and still below Ministry of Education targets; the school has an appropriate plan to further improve overall attendance.

Conditions to support learner success

Leadership has set and pursues targeted improvement goals, prioritising improved outcomes especially for those ākonga most at risk of underachievement.
  • Leadership has established the conditions for staff to know and understand expectations for the quality of teaching and learning and are now holding them accountable to improve outcomes across the school.
  • Leaders are strengthening teaching practices through targeted professional learning to improve outcomes for all ākonga.
  • The principal actively engages with and works collaboratively with other school leaders and community groups to address barriers to ākonga engagement with schooling.
School staff provide a curriculum and teaching and learning programmes that are beginning to be responsive to the needs of students.
  • Staff are working towards a shared understanding of consistent and robust assessment practices to support use of strategies that will meet the needs of each ākonga.
  • Local contexts are reflected in the curriculum and schoolwide practices so that ākonga can see themselves in their learning.
  • Teachers increasingly design learning experiences aligned with ākonga interests and strengths, boosting engagement and participation, especially in the senior school.
The school is strengthening practices, systems, and processes to improve ākonga outcomes.
  • Relational trust and communication between staff support professional collaboration, focused on improved practices and outcomes for all learners.
  • The school is in the early stages of developing high quality evidence-informed practices to support staff to know the impact of their teaching on ākonga outcomes, and to adapt practice accordingly.
  • The school uses various external services to help ākonga and their whānau maintain access to and engagement with schooling.
  • A supportive board, aware of the strengths, needs, and expectations of the school community, responds to these with a learner-focused approach.

Part B: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

  • strengthen systems that support capability and capacity building across the school, including a shared understanding of evaluation for improved learner outcomes
  • strengthen and grow staff capability in data analysis and evidence-informed practices, to be responsive to the needs of all ākonga, particularly in multi-level classrooms
  • explore ways to strengthen learning-centred partnerships with the school community to enhance local context coverage in the curriculum and to drive schoolwide improvement, including attendance
  • strengthen practices, systems, and processes to support learners with additional needs, emphasising accelerated learning.

The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.

Within six months:

  • review assessment tools and practices to ensure effective use of these tools for responsive, explicit teaching instruction to improve the level and quality of ākonga outcomes across the school
  • implement use of literacy and numeracy goals and progressions in teaching and learning programmes, assessment and reporting practices so that ākonga and their whānau know next steps in learning.

Every six months:

  • rigorously analyse and scrutinise schoolwide achievement, attendance and wellbeing data to understand the impact of teaching practice and programmes on ākonga outcomes and to inform planning
  • analysed ākonga progress and attendance data is reported to the board and scrutinised to inform decisions about teaching and learning
  • whānau voice is collected as part of schoolwide evaluation to inform improvement actions.

Annually:

  • board and staff rigorously analyse and scrutinise schoolwide attendance, achievement and wellbeing data to understand the impact of teaching practice and programmes on ākonga outcomes, and to inform decision making for the next school year
  • focus a robust professional growth cycle on continuous improvement of practice, leading to improved outcomes for all ākonga, especially for those most at risk of underachievement
  • review and evaluate the effectiveness of the school curriculum and teaching practices to engage ākonga and support improved outcomes
  • the school board to implement a process of self-evaluation to ensure the effectiveness of their own performance.

Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:

  • improved ākonga outcomes in reading, writing, and mathematics; senior ākonga achieving NCEA endorsements and UE
  • strengthened systems and processes of internal evaluation that result in improved schoolwide practices and outcomes for all ākonga
  • strengthened, learning-centred partnerships between the school, ākonga, whānau and community resulting in improved outcomes
  • improved regular attendance for all ākonga.

Recommendation to the Ministry of Education

ERO will discuss with the Ministry of Education provision of support for:

  • staff development to accelerate progress and improve achievement outcomes in reading writing and mathematics for Years 9 and 10
  • strengthening systems, processes and teaching capacity for learning support in Years 1 to 10, particularly for those most at risk of under achievement.

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

Sharon Kelly
Director of Schools (Acting)

28 March 2025 

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

Ngata Memorial College

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2025 to 2028

As of March 2025, the Ngata Memorial College Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:

Board Administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Personnel Management

Yes

Finance

Yes

Assets

Yes

Further Information

For further information please contact Ngata Memorial College, 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)

28 March 2025 

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

Ngata Memorial College

Findings

Ngata Memorial College has continued to make progress against areas identified for improvement. Focus now needs to ensure that leadership for learning is building a high quality and consistent schoolwide teaching and learning culture that improves outcomes for all learners in Years 1 to 13.

1. Background and Context

What is the background and context for this school’s review?

Ngata Memorial College is a composite school located in the township of Ruatōria, on the East Coast. It caters for students in Years 1 to 13. Almost all the 112 students are Māori and most affiliate to Ngāti Porou. The roll significantly increased during 2021.

Since June 2020, the school has been part of a longitudinal evaluation process with ERO to support building capability for school operation and continuous improvement. A Limited Statutory Manager (LSM), Ministry of Education and New Zealand School Trustees Association, have provided targeted support to address the areas identified in the 2020 ERO report. The LSM role ended term 1, 2021.

Since the beginning of this longitudinal process almost all trustees have remained in their school governance roles. A permanent principal was appointed at the end of 2020, and he remains in the role. Ongoing changes to teaching staff and senior leadership continue.

Sir Apirana Ngata’s words are the foundation for the school’s vision: E tipu e rea, mo ngā rā o tō ao, Ko tō ringa ki ngā rākau ā te Pākehā, Hei oranga mō tō tinana, Ko tō ngākau ki ngā tāonga a ō tīpuna Māori, Hei tikitiki mō tō māhunga, Ko tō wairua ki te Atua, Nānā nei ngā mea katoa.

2. Review and Development

How effectively is the school addressing its priorities for review and development?

Priorities identified for review and development

The June 2020 ERO report identified concerns about the sustainability of the school due to the changing composition of the board of trustees, teaching staff and student roll. Key next steps included strengthening:

  • effective leadership of learning
  • knowledge and understanding of governance roles and responsibilities
  • teachers’ use of assessment information
  • internal evaluation capability.

Ngata Memorial College has continued to make progress against these areas. The school is better placed to sustain and continue improving and reviewing its performance.

Progress

Consistency is developing in schemes of work, themes for learning, planning templates and the use of formative assessment tools for literacy and numeracy. Leaders and teachers have had external professional learning and development to support: the use of the Curriculum Progression Tools, including the Learning Progression Frameworks; and the Progress and Consistency Tool, to support the effective use of achievement information to monitor and improve student outcomes. This professional learning has supported some collaboration in planning for teaching with primary and secondary teachers.

Developing high-quality leadership of learning schoolwide is now urgent. This should include:

  • a clearly developed plan and well communicated description for leaders’ roles, responsibilities and accountabilities for effective curriculum delivery, teaching practices and learning programmes across all year levels to achieve the school’s vision
  • strengthening mentoring and monitoring processes to ensure effective teaching and learning practices to build consistency of a schoolwide learning culture.

In 2021, the majority of students in NCEA Levels 1 - 3 achieved well. For the first time in six years, some students successfully attained University Entrance. Senior students’ participation and involvement in a wide range of activities have been widely promoted and shared. Leaders’ focus now needs to include tracking and monitoring individual progress and achievement for learners in Years 1 to 10, including celebrating, promoting and sharing success.

The board actively seeks community voice through a range of consultation initiatives for improvement. These initiatives have been well supported by whānau and the community. The school should consider how they have followed through by communicating with the community about progress towards realising whānau aspirations for their children. This communication should include sharing information about:

  • an authentic and localised curriculum
  • reciprocal learning partnerships with whānau to support successful learning
  • meaningful pathways that whānau have direct input into and clearly understand.

Leaders and new kaiako need support to learn and understand valued tikanga and kawa, to ensure that the learning environment respects and reflects te ao Māori. The school needs to re-establish a planned programme for the effective delivery of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori from Years 1 to 13. The board is trying to recruit a te reo Māori teacher. While this process is occurring, the school should look to its local community, hapū, iwi and local kura for support.

3. Sustainable performance and self review

How well placed is the school to sustain and continue to improve and review its performance?

The school is better placed to sustain and continue improving and reviewing its performance. Progress towards consolidating systems, processes and practices identified for improvement continues to be made. Strategic evaluation and planning is underway to better meet the unique vision, values and valued outcomes of the kura, for tamariki and their whānau.

Governance is strongly supporting consistency and cohesion for ongoing schoolwide improvement. Deliberate and well-considered actions are extending members’ in-depth knowledge of their roles and responsibilities, effective stewardship and building stronger accountabilities for school leadership. The presiding member continues to be the poutokomanawa for the school. Trustees continue to hold the aspirations of the school’s vision for the students that attend. They are knowledgeable about education, Poroutanga and the community the school serves. To better support members to know the impact of resourcing decisions on improving outcomes for learners, it is timely that regular principal reports to the board show analysed information about:

  • student achievement and progress for all learners from Years 1-13, across the curriculum
  • groups of learners differentiated for age and gender
  • rates of progress over time for all learners achieving below curriculum expectations against expected improvement trajectories
  • progress against strategic goals and plans.

Board assurance on legal requirements

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:

  • board administration
  • curriculum
  • management of health, safety and welfare
  • personnel management
  • financial management
  • asset management.

During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student achievement:

  • emotional safety of students (including prevention of bullying and sexual harassment)
  • physical safety of students
  • teacher registration
  • processes for appointing staff
  • stand-downs, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions
  • attendance
  • school policies in relation to meeting the requirements of the Children’s Act 2014.

During the course of the review, ERO identified the following areas of non-compliance. In order to address these, the board of trustees must:

  • ensure all staff employed have a current police vet
    [s 104 Education and Training Act 2020]
  • undertake and record sufficient identity checks on the appointment of staff.
    [Children’s Act 2014].

Conclusion

Ngata Memorial College has continued to make progress against areas identified for improvement. Focus now needs to ensure that leadership for learning is building a high quality and consistent schoolwide teaching and learning culture that improves outcomes for all learners in Years 1 to 13.

The school will transition into ERO’s Evaluation for Improvement process | Te Ara Huarau.

Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region - Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

5 May 2022

About the school

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement.