7164 Te Aararoa Road , Hicks 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.
Potaka School is located north of Hicks Bay, East Cape and provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. The school’s vision is that learners will grow in confidence knowing who they are and where they come from.
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.
| The school is working towards equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners. |
| Leadership fosters a professional culture focused on high quality teaching for equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners. |
| The school is taking steps to provide a responsive curriculum and consistently high-quality teaching practice. |
| Key systems, processes and practices that further support improved learner outcomes are being established across the school. |
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Within three 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
22 August 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 Potaka School Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
ERO and the board have identified the following area of non-compliance during the board assurance process:
[Sections 19 and 19 of the Children’s Act 2014: School board’s child protection policies]
The board has since taken steps to address the area of non-compliance identified.
For further information please contact Potaka 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
22 August 2024
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Potaka School caters for children in Years 1 to 8. At the beginning of 2017 there were 15 children on the roll. Almost all children are Māori and whakapapa to Te Whānau Apanui and Ngāti Porou iwi.
The current principal, and new release teacher, were both appointed in 2015. Since the December 2013 ERO review a new board chairperson and trustees have been elected. The board has been well supported in governance matters by personnel from the Ministry of Education and the New Zealand Schools Trustees Association.
The school continues to be involved in the Ngāti Porou schools’ cluster. This group of schools is in the early stage of setting up a Community of Learning|Kahui Ako.
Potaka School responds well to Māori and other children whose learning and achievement needs acceleration.
There are some processes that contribute to the achievement of equity and excellence outcomes for children.
Further development is needed in curriculum, internal evaluation and professional learning for teachers.
At the time of this review most Māori and Pākehā children were achieving the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. However, the continuity of the school’s achievement data has been affected by changes to staffing and the makeup of the roll prior to 2015. The school does not have comparative achievement data over time for groups of learners.
The school has capacity and capability to accelerate learning for all children. However, disparity in achievement for Māori and/or other children remains.
Leaders and teachers:
The school agrees to:
ERO will provide an internal evaluation workshop to support the school to develop effective planning and monitoring processes to support equity and excellence for all children.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Potaka School responds well to Māori and other children whose learning and achievement needs acceleration.
School achievement data in National Standards 2016 shows that most children are achieving at or above National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. This pattern has remained consistent from 2015 to 2016. It is now important for leaders to collate achievement information year to year in order to identify learning patterns and trends over time, and any emerging disparities between groups of learners.
Teachers provide group and individualised learning opportunities that enable children to experience positive learning outcomes, and some to make accelerated progress.
Teachers use information from a range of assessment tools to make overall teacher judgements about individual achievement in relation to National Standards. Moderation of these judgements needs to be strengthened.
The principal and teachers have developed a culturally appropriate, welcoming and inclusive school culture that promotes children’s learning and development.
The school has a range of processes that enable achievement of equity and excellence for children.
School has developed tikanga Māori processes that enable Māori children to experience success.
‘To ringaringa ki nga rakau a te pakeha, hei orange mo to tinana, hingangaro ki ngā taonga a o tipuna, hei tiki tiki mo tou matenga ko to wairua ki te atua nana nei hanga ngā mea katoa’
Potakatanga values provide an open and welcoming environment. Children, parents, whānau, teachers and members of the community have a sense of shared ownership and a strong focus on culturally responsive values and practices that contribute to children’s wellbeing and learning.
The school’s culturally rich curriculum values integrity, self-confidence and positive attitudes which are well integrated into the curriculum.
Collaborative parent partnerships for learning are contributing to accelerated achievement for all children. Parents of those children who are at risk of under-achieving are well informed and work with teachers to progress the achievement of their children.
Teachers work collaboratively with teacher aides. They have high expectations for learning and achievement, and are responsive to children’s learning needs.
Further development is needed in curriculum, internal evaluation and professional learning for teachers.
The school has not established a systematic and coherent approach to internal evaluation. The development of internal evaluation will enable trustees, leaders and teachers to make more informed resourcing decisions aligned to children’s achievement.
The school’s curriculum is incomplete. The curriculum document should reflect the expectations for achievement of children based on the learning progressions. This is particularly important in a multilevel classroom.
Teachers need professional learning and development in writing. It is important that they increase their knowledge and understanding in the teaching of written language and develop effective teaching strategies that engage all children in writing.
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:
The school has capacity and capability to accelerate learning for all children. However, disparity in achievement for Māori and/or other children remains.
Leaders and teachers:
The school agrees to:
ERO will provide an internal evaluation workshop to support the school to develop effective planning and monitoring processes to support equity and excellence for all children.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Lynda Pura-Watson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Waikato / Bay of Plenty
30 May 2017
| Location | East Cape |
| Ministry of Education profile number | 2649 |
| School type | Full Primary (Years 1 to 8) |
| School roll | 15 |
| Gender composition | Boys 8 Girls 7 |
| Ethnic composition | Māori 14 Pākehā 1 |
| Provision of Māori medium education | No |
| Review team on site | March 2017 |
| Date of this report | 30 May 2017 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Arotake Paetawhiti December 2013 Education Review August 2012 Education Review August 2010 |
Potaka is a sole charge school situated on State Highway 35 across the road from Potaka marae. It is located on the border of ngā iwi o Ngāti Porou and Te Whānau-a-Apanui on the east coast of the North Island, close to Hicks Bay and Te Araroa. Student’s whakapapa to te hapū o Te Whānau o Tapaeururangi and te iwi o Ngāti Porou.
The Potaka School community has set high expectations for their children’s learning and behaviour. The charter reflects whānau views, opinions and aspirations. 'Tu Tangata, Tu Kaha' is the school's vision which encourages students to stand tall and be strong, so they can be confident to manage themselves in any situation. The mission statement 'E Tipu E Rea' supports the provision of a stimulating, safe and secure learning environment, which reflects the bilingual and bicultural heritage of Aotearoa/New Zealand. School values promote honesty, integrity, mutual trust and respect.
Since the 2012 ERO review report two commissioners have worked alongside one permanent principal, (who left early 2012) and two emergency principals. The current principal was contracted at the beginning of Term 2, 2013 and will continue until the end of the 2013 school year. Since late 2011, the future of the school has been uncertain, which has been unsettling for students, whānau and community. Prior to this report being released the Minister of Education informed the community that the school will now remain open.
Issues leading up to the appointment of a commissioner in 2012 arose from ERO identifying serious risks to school operations, quality of teaching and learning, and the health and welfare of staff and students. These issues arose following the significant breakdown in relationships between the incumbent principal at the time, board and community. The outcomes required from the commissioner’s intervention were to:
During the period of the intervention all matters have been addressed and regular communication and consultation has occurred between the commissioner, community and staff.
Significant progress has been made. The principal has used her professional knowledge and considerable teaching experience to make effective and meaningful connections with this group of previously disengaged and unmotivated learners. She has successfully developed a strong culture of mutual respect, trust and honesty among students, staff, whānau and with herself. Teaching strategies are constantly reviewed and adjusted to engage students in learning that is meaningful and linked to their own experiences and interests. Classroom management is focused on learning strategies to sustain student engagement and cooperation.
High expectations are well established for learning and behaviour. Focusing on individual student strengths and potential by staff has resulted in motivated learners. Students are respectful of one another and the tuakana-teina approach encourages all students to support each other and remain on task. A positive, focused and inclusive environment is provided for students at all levels.
Initially, there was limited achievement information available to assist the interim principal to make clear judgements or plan programmes. In Term two 2013 an assessment schedule was developed and implemented. The major focus was to gather student achievement information in reading, writing and mathematics and to determine results in relation to the National Standards. The first round of assessment data was gathered and completed in June 2013.
Student achievement information has been effectively used to:
School wide assessments are due to be completed in December 2013. This information is expected to determine individual student progress and achievement.
The commissioner and principal have successfully developed and implemented effective communication and consultation processes with the whānau and its extended community. Whānau are experiencing a strong sense of belonging and connectiveness with the school. Relationships between the school, whānau and community are positive and much improved. Effective communication strategies include:
A successful outcome of these interactions has been the strong learning partnerships developed between the school, whānau and community. Whānau are confident that their children are meaningfully engaged in learning and achieving educational success.
The commissioner has played a key role in re-developing community confidence in the school. She has set the tone for school culture and built respectful relationships. Good use has been made of whānau skills and experience, and community capability has been strengthened. Parents are now happy to spend time in the school and to participate on the advisory committee and attend community meetings. Training towards self governing has also been ongoing. As a consequence, community members, including kaumātua are beginning to renew their interests in Potaka School activities.
Whānau members have contributed to school planning and assisted with the setting of future strategic priorities. There are clear alignments between the charter, school planning and teaching and learning.
The commissioner and principal have developed a coordinated approach to educational developments within the school. Resources are allocated to meet school priorities and strategic goals.
The school is well placed to sustain, improve and review its performance. As a result of a challenging but successful journey since the last review, the Potaka School community are now in a sound position to govern their school. Good progress has been made in a number of areas. These include:
The whānau are pleased to become self governing and enthusiastic to begin the process for the recruitment, selection and appointment of a new principal.
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:
To remain focused on continuous improvement a number of matters still need to be considered. These include:
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Dale Bailey
National Manager Review Services
Northern Region
5 December 2013
| Location | Potaka, near Te Araroa, East Coast | |
| Ministry of Education profile number | 2649 | |
| School type | Full Primary (Years 1 to 8) | |
| School roll | 13 | |
| Gender composition | Boys 8 Girls 5 | |
| Ethnic composition | Māori NZ European/Pākehā | 12 1 |
| Review team on site | October 2013 | |
| Date of this report | 5 December 2013 | |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review Education Review Education Review | August 2012 August 2010 June 2006 |