Severn Street , Waitotara
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.
Waitotara School is a full primary located in South Taranaki providing education for students in Years 1 to 8. The school seeks to achieve connected and confident communicators, collaborators, self-managers and thinkers, that show resilience and drive their own learning.
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 October 2022 ERO report, the school has focused on evaluating how well delivery of the school’s literacy curriculum achieves equity and excellence for learners.
The school expected to see:
Embedded assessment processes and practices that support effective teaching, learning, and reporting.
Effective teacher practice, reflective of their participation in professional learning and development (PLD), aligned to agreed expectations for delivery of the school’s literacy curriculum.
The greatest shift that occurred in response to the school’s action is the impact for learners through the development of structured approaches to literacy. Implementation has strengthened teachers’ ability to consistently sequence literacy learning and ensure any identified knowledge gaps are addressed.
The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.
| Learners progress well over time with outcomes increasingly equitable and excellent outcomes. |
| Inclusive leadership actively involves students, parents and whānau in development, implementation and evaluation of the school curriculum, promoting a collective response to the needs of learners. |
| Curriculum and teaching practices are increasingly responsive to learners’ needs and interests. |
| Well established partnerships, in school, and with the board and community, informs a collaborative response to meet the needs of learners. |
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:
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
27 September 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 July 2024, the Waitotara School Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
For further information please contact Waitotara 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
27 September 2024
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 14 months of the Education Review Office and Waitotara 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
Waitotara School is a full primary catering for students in years 1 to 8 located in South Taranaki.
Waitotara School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
to raise student achievement through effective teaching practice in delivery of structured literacy
encouraging curiosity and creativity in children through an integrated curriculum, developing a growth mindset to follow their passions and giving effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi
provision of quality learning opportunities over the breadth of the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC), with a particular focus on becoming digitally fluent
to ensure student wellbeing to promote positive attendance, engagement, and achievement.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Waitotara School’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate: How well delivery of the school’s literacy curriculum achieves equity and excellence for learners.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
the school is seeking to evaluate changes in delivery of the literacy curriculum and determine the impact on learner progress, achievement, and engagement.
The school expects to see:
positive progress and achievement that ensures equitable and excellent outcomes for learners
embedded assessment processes and practices that supports effective teaching, learning, and reporting
effective teacher practice reflective of their participation in professional learning and development (PLD) and aligned to agreed expectations for delivery of the school’s literacy curriculum.
The school can draw from the following strengths to support it in its goal to further promote positive learner outcomes in literacy:
strategic and annual planning establishes relevant goals and actions to guide continuous improvement
the school environment reflects defined and shared values, encouraging positive student engagement in learning
collaborative practice between staff, and involvement in literacy PLD, are providing relevant opportunities to build professional capability and practice to achieve the school’s identified priorities
parents and whānau are valued learning partners, receiving regular information in relation to their child’s progress, achievement, engagement, and shared learning goals.
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
embedding assessment processes and practice that further promote effective teaching and learning
continuing to build the collective capability of staff in delivery of literacy practice that promotes a positive trajectory in the progress and achievement of learners
documenting changes in delivery of the school’s literacy curriculum that reflects shared strategies gained from participation in PLD and collaborative inquiry.
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.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
10 October 2022
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 2022, the Waitotara School Board of Trustees has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
For further information please contact Waitotara 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.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
10 October 2022
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Waitotara School is a small rural school in South Taranaki. At the time of this review the school caters for 16 children from Years 1 to 8. Eight students identify as Māori. Students are enrolled from the Waitotara village, valley and surrounding districts.
The current principal was appointed in 2015. The board of trustees comprises of newly appointed members and experienced trustees.
Areas for improvement from the May 2014 ERO report have been addressed. School conditions and practices to promote equity and excellence have been further strengthened.
Students whose learning requires acceleration are well supported and they make good progress.
School processes that promote equity and excellence include:
The school and ERO agree that recently introduced initiatives should be evaluated to determine effectiveness on accelerating student progress.
Children are achieving well. The school demonstrates strong progress toward achieving equity in educational outcomes, supported by effective, sustainable processes and practices.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Accelerated progress in reading, writing and mathematics is evident for the majority of students, including those who identify as Māori. Teachers and teacher aides monitor Māori students as a group and this informs decisions and actions about teaching and learning.
Progress of students with specific learning needs is closely tracked and monitored using carefully, considered assessment tasks. Appropriate programmes are in place to meet students’ needs and these are collaboratively actioned by staff and families.
Most students achieve at and above expectations in relation to National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Some achieve well above their age level expectations.
Achievement information is moderated for accuracy and consistency within the school and through discussion with cluster and neighbouring schools.
All children have an individual learning plan with goals that are regularly discussed with the student, family and teacher. There is celebration when goals are achieved. In 2017, goal setting has been strengthened through better understanding of school values by students. Goals are age-appropriate and progress is measured against the values of DRIVE, Determination, Respect, Initiative, Virtue, and Empathy.
Sound processes effectively guide school operation. These are reviewed by the board and staff to remain relevant and useful for teachers and the current group of students.
Leadership pursues the school’s goals, vision and targets to promote equity and support excellence for all. Curriculum review has resulted in greater clarity about the mission statement and values. Extensive consultation with families and the community supported this process.
The principal and Ngaa Rauru iwi, in partnership, support students who identify as Māori to better know their location, language, culture and identity.
Partnerships that promote learning are highly valued and supported. Families are well informed about student progress and achievement during the year through a range of communication systems.
Attention to health and safety and student wellbeing is key to ongoing success for all children. Students learn in a positive, well-resourced environment that is conducive to learning and wellbeing.
Trustees are building their capability and strengthening understanding of their roles and responsibilities as stewards of the school. They have high expectations of successful outcomes for students. It is evident they give priority to accelerating learners’ progress through appropriate, allocated resourcing.
Internal evaluation is a well understood process for ongoing improvement. It has been successfully used to modify change and improve practices that positively impact on children’s learning.
Continuing to embed and refine existing and recently developed practices, focused on improving outcomes for students, should support and sustain equity and excellence.
The newly developed performance management process aligns to school priorities and has the potential to further build teachers’ capability and effectiveness.
BOT and staff should continue to evaluate how well strategies and developments impact on students’ accelerated progress.
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 well placed to improve and sustain equity and excellence.
Children are achieving well. The school demonstrates strong progress toward achieving equity in educational outcomes, supported by effective, sustainable processes and practices.
Agreed next steps are to:
embed and further extend the newly implemented strategies and processes that impact on excellence and equity of learning for children.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
6 April 2017
|
Location |
Waitotara, Whanganui |
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
2474 |
|
School type |
Full Primary (Years 1 - 8) |
|
School roll |
16 |
|
Gender composition |
Male 11, Female 5 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 8 Pākehā 5 Other ethnic groups 3 |
|
Provision of Māori medium education |
No |
|
Review team on site |
February 2017 |
|
Date of this report |
6 April 2017 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, May 2014 Education Review, May 2011 Education Review, June 2008 |