Huiarua Station , Tokomaru Bay
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.
Te Kura o Mata is located inland from Tokomaru Bay, north of Tūranga Nui ā Kiwa/Gisborne. The whakataukī, He raukura kei ōku ringa - My hands are adorned with feathers, guides the school’s work in te ao Māori and te ao whānui. From the beginning of 2024, te reo Māori Level 2 immersion has been offered, alongside English medium learning. A new tumuaki was appointed at the start of 2023.
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.
| A small number of tamariki are achieving at expected curriculum levels. |
| Leadership fosters a professional culture focused on high-quality teaching and learning that is grounded in te ao Māori. |
Leaders and kaiako engage whānau in kura life and decision making through a a wide variety of opportunities.
| Kaiako provide relevant and meaningful learning opportunities focused on tamariki experiencing success. |
| The school is strengthening systems, processes and the organisational conditions for improved outcomes for all tamariki. |
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 tamariki. 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 June 2024, the Te Kura o Mata Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
For further information please contact Te Kura o Mata, 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
On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO ‘s overall evaluation judgement of Mata School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Developing.
Mata School is an isolated rural school located on Huiarua Station, 45 minutes inland from Tokomaru Bay. It is staffed with one full-time sole charge principal and another teacher is employed as the principal’s release teacher. They regularly team teach providing children with personalised learning programmes. The school caters for students in Years 1 to 8. At the time of ERO’s onsite visit there were six students on the roll, of whom most are Māori. The roll continues to be highly transient.
The school’s motto is ‘excellence through effort’. The principal has consulted with whānau to develop a localised curriculum and a graduate profile that encourages students to be ‘confident, ambitious, respectful and organised’. The curriculum also promotes academic knowledge and skills, and values te ao Māori.
Mata School has been involved in a long-term review process with ERO to support school progress and development. The principal has received support in his leadership role from the Ministry of Education (MoE) and from a leadership advisor. Trustees have received support from New Zealand School Trustee Association (NZSTA).
There has been significant progress made in several of the areas identified for review and development in the 2018 ERO report. The principal and release teacher continue to provide quality individualised programmes for students. They have also strengthened the processes for moderation of student assessment and work collaboratively with local schools to ensure the reliability of their achievement data. The principal and release teacher have attended professional development that is supporting them to work effectively with students that need to make accelerated progress.
The school has consulted with students and whānau to develop a localised curriculum that prioritises Mana Tangata, Mana Awa, Mana Whenua and Mana Moana. A graduate profile has also been developed that reflects whānau aspirations. The documented curriculum is reflective of the intentions of The New Zealand Curriculum and supports students’ development of the key competencies. Students continue to benefit from participating in a range of sporting, cultural and educational activities with other local schools. Staff actively promote learning partnerships with parents and whānau to support student learning and acceleration.
The board of trustees has received training from NZSTA about the role of governance and strategic planning, and from the Ministry of Education about finance. The board has implemented a succession plan for the pending election including for the role of board chair. The principal engaged with the ERO Internal Evaluation Workshop to build capability in this area.
The principal continues to engage with a leadership advisor to effectively build his leadership capability. A collaborative process for the appraisal and performance management of the principal began in 2019 through a professional learning group of East Coast principals, supported by an external facilitator. This is supporting the professional growth and learning of the principal as well as meeting the requirements of the Teaching Council NZ. In 2018 the principal was not adequately appraised in his principal or teacher role.
There is an ongoing need for:
Mata School is working well to sustain and continue its performance. Factors contributing to sustainability are:
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:
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student achievement:
ERO noted the following areas of non-compliance.
ERO recommends that the board seeks ongoing support and guidance for:
On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO ‘s overall evaluation judgement of Mata School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Developing.
ERO’s Framework: Overall School Performance is available on ERO’s website.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services Central
Central Region
18 June 2019
| Location | Huiarua Station, East Coast | |
| Ministry of Education profile number | 2609 | |
| School type | Full Primary (Years 1 to 8) | |
| School roll | 6 | |
| Gender composition | Female 4 Male 2 | |
| Ethnic composition | Māori Other | 5 1 |
| Review team on site | May 2019 | |
| Date of this report | 18 June 2019 | |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review Education Review Education Review | June 2018 September 2016 July 2013 |