Tautoro School

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 

Tautoro School is a full primary school south of Kaikohe, located within the hapū boundaries of Ngāti Rangi and Ngāti Moerewa. The school provides a bilingual education pathway for learners in Years 1 to 8. The school is guided by its vision statement: ‘Ko au te waka, ko te waka, ko au’ and its Ngā Waka Hoe values. Tautoro School is a member of Te Arahura Kāhui Ako and the Kaikohekohe Manaiakalani cluster.

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.

Part A: Previous Improvement Goals

Since 2023, ERO and the school having been working together to evaluate how a focus on Ngā Waka Hoe values promoted a positive learner culture and contributed to ākonga achieving excellent and equitable outcomes.

Expected Improvements and Findings 

The school expected to see ākonga who are independent thinkers, engaged in their learning, confident in their language, identity and culture, and who set goals and solve problems to achieve excellence in their learning.

• Leaders and teachers promote wellbeing for all learners through Ngā Waka Hoe values; they implement inclusive practices to support learners with diverse learning need and provide guidelines for expected behaviours.
• Learners increasingly demonstrate Ngā Waka Hoe values and are engaged in learning that reflects their local heritage.
• Teachers and leaders are continuing to develop approaches that actively involve learners in setting learning goals and solving problems.

Other Findings 

During the course of the evaluation, it was found that Ngā Waka Hoe values have become embedded into all aspects of school life to strengthen relationships, give effect to te ao Māori and uphold the wairua of the school.

The greatest shift that occurred in response to the school’s action was that most learners made expected or accelerated progress in their learning.

Part B: Current State

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

Learner Success and Wellbeing

• The majority of learners in Years 1 to 4 achieve at or above curriculum expectation in writing; the majority of learners in Years 1 to 8 achieve these in mathematics; and less than half of learners achieve these in reading.
• Most learners in the Years 5 to 8 rumaki classes achieve at or above curriculum level expectation in pānui, tuhituhi and kōrero.
• Learners and teachers share a strong sense of belonging; learners are confident in their cultural identity and are improving their te reo Māori capabilities.
• Attendance initiatives have resulted in a reduction in chronic absence; however as less than half of learners attend school regularly, the school does not meet the Ministry of Education target for regular attendance.

Conditions to support learner success

• Leaders set meaningful goals that focus on improving the progress and achievement of all learners.
• Leaders use data from a wide range of sources that provides a strong evidence base for strategic decision making to support learner success.
• Senior leaders work collaboratively with a high level of relational trust; they are beginning to build capacity at middle leadership level to strengthen conditions for teaching and learning.

• Teachers have respectful relationships with their learners; learners are settled and attentive in their learning; classrooms are orderly with embedded routines and transitions.
• Teaching and learning programmes are focussed on building the identity and confidence of learners to engage in learning, based on Ngā Waka Hoe values and te ao Māori.
• Teachers are increasingly using engagement and achievement data to plan and teach to meet learner needs; they are beginning to introduce and embed structured programmes in literacy and mathematics.

• Leaders promote a strong commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi; learners understand their iwi and hapū connections and how these strengthen their relationships to one another.
• The Tautoro Graduate Profile provides Year 8 learners with confidence in their identities, cultures and languages and their potential to succeed in their future studies.
• Bilingual education is valued by the community; leaders and teachers are committed to continuing to strengthen its provision.
• Leaders and teachers engage in evidence-based professional development that strengthens their knowledge of The New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa.

Part C: Where to next? 

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

• extend and embed structured literacy and mathematics practices to raise achievement
• further strengthen the te reo Māori learning pathway across the school
• continue to develop and strengthen middle leadership to monitor and encourage consistent and coherent teacher practice
• strengthen attendance initiatives to improve regular attendance.

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

Within six months:

• develop a professional development plan to extend and embed structured approaches in literacy and mathematics
• design a framework for the progression of te reo Māori across the school to improve confidence and fluency
• develop a plan for the professional development of middle leaders that focuses on the consistency of teaching through monitoring, observing teachers, monitoring planning and providing feedback.

Every six months:

• analyse achievement data to ensure that there is a clear sense of progress and achievement in literacy and mathematics
• monitor and analyse the teaching and learning of te reo Māori across the school to ensure an increased pace of language use
• collect teacher feedback and ideas on the impact of strengthened middle leader support to inform professional development needs
• review and adapt initiatives that improve regular attendance.

Annually:

• use the analysis of literacy and mathematics achievement information to plan for ongoing professional development
• assess the level of te reo Māori being used across the school to further strengthen the te reo Māori learning pathway for all learners
• evaluate middle leadership initiatives and roles to support future planning
• evaluate and adapt plans to strengthen initiatives that improve attendance.

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

• consistent teaching practices in reading and mathematics leading to raised achievement
• growing confidence and fluency in the learner’s use of te reo Māori as they progress through the school
• middle leadership that supports high quality teaching practices and learning programmes
• improved attendance so that more learners are attending school regularly.

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

9 December 2024

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

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2024 to 2027 

As of October 2024, the Tautoro School 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

Actions for Compliance 

ERO and the board have identified the following area of non-compliance during the board assurance process:

• obtain police vets of non-teaching and unregistered employees  
  [Section 104, Education and Training Act 2020]

The board has addressed the areas of non-compliance identified.

Further Information

For further information please contact the Tautoro 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

9 December 2024

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