Yaldhurst School – Tōtara Tūkaha

Yaldhurst School – Tōtara Tūkaha

School 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.

About the School 

Yaldhurst School – Tōtara Tūkaha is in Canterbury and can provide education for learners in Years 1 to 8. There are currently 120 learners in Years 1 to 6. European/Pakeha students make up more than 80% of the school roll with just over 10% Māori students and the remainder from other ethnicities. Learners are encouraged to know and use the HERO values of Healthy, Enthusiastic, Responsible and Open Minded. A new Principal began in 2025.

Part A – Parent Summary

Progress since March 2020 ERO report

To sustain improvement and future learner success, three next steps were identified: build understanding and use of internal evaluation to inform improvement; strengthen leaders’ capacity to gather, analyse and report on schoolwide progress and achievement; and build leaders’ and board members’ understanding and capability to ensure ongoing school improvement. 

Since the last review, leaders and the board have worked together to develop capability and ensure ongoing school improvement through the development of strategic and annual planning. Data is gathered systematically, analysed and reported. Internal evaluation capability is being intentionally developed by leaders with staff. 

How well placed is the school to promote educational success and wellbeing?

How well are learners succeeding?Success and progress for all learners is increasing.
What is the quality of teaching and learning?

Learners benefit from high quality teaching practice that improves progress and achievement in  reading, writing and mathematics. 

 

How well does the school curriculum respond to all learners needs?

Learners have rich opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum.

There is a consistent focus on supporting learners to gain skills in literacy and mathematics.

Learners with complex needs are well supported to achieve their education goals.

How well does school planning and conditions support ongoing improvement?School planning and conditions to support ongoing improvement to the quality of education for learners are well established.
How well does the school include all learners and promote their engagement and wellbeing?The school successfully promotes learners’ engagement, wellbeing and inclusion.
How well does the school partner with parents, whānau and its community for the benefit of learners?

The school reports usefully and accurately to parents / whānau about their child’s learning, achievement and progress.

The school responds well to a wide range of information gathered through community consultation, to inform strategic planning and curriculum decisions.

Student Health and SafetyThe school board is taking reasonable steps to ensure student health and safety.

Achievement in Years 0 to 8

This table outlines how well students across the school meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Foundation Skills

 
Reading

A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Results are equitable for all groups of learners.

Writing

A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Results are equitable for all groups of learners.

Mathematics

Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Results are equitable for all groups of learners.

Attendance

The school is approaching the target of 80% regular attendance.

The school has a suitable plan in place to improve attendance.

Regular attendance is not yet improving towards or beyond the target.

Chronic absence is not yet reducing over time. 

Assessment

The school uses an appropriate approach and reliable practices to find out about achievement against the curriculum.

Assessment information is used well to adjust teaching practices to ensure ongoing improvement in teaching and student progress.

Progress

The school has good quality planning to increase the rate of progress for all groups of students.

The school has to some extent improved achievement and progress for those learners most at risk of not achieving since the previous review.

The school has to some extent extended achievement and progress for learners working at or above curriculum levels since the previous review.

The school is making progress towards Government reading, writing and mathematics and/or pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau targets and is likely to meet them by 2030. 

An explanation of the terms used in the Parent Summary can be found here: Guide to ERO school reports
 

Part B - Findings for the school

This section of the report provides more detail for the school to include in strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school.

Areas of Strength

  • Learners express a strong sense of belonging along with sound knowledge of the school values.
  • Learners are well supported by teachers, support staff and leaders in a culture of care, reflected in high levels of engagement, progress and the involvement of their families.
  • Leaders use data and research well to inform their practice, focus on strategic goals and support staff to assist learners in meeting their potential.
  • Structured, explicit teaching is a strength across the school; this benefits learners’ progress and achievement.
  • Intentional, collaborative planning and teaching meets the needs of diverse learners, supporting their learning effectively.
  • Ongoing evaluation of programmes and response to progress strengthens teaching and learning for learners. 

Key priorities and actions for improvement 

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

  • formalise and embed self-review processes for effective governance
  • pursue further progress and acceleration of learners in reading; sustain achievement in writing and mathematics
  • continue to refine and develop the school curriculum incorporating national changes; maintain collaborative teaching and learning practice across the school
  • pursue increased regular attendance for learners through effective use of school strategies and resources.  

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

Within six months:

  • refine self-review for the board, along with assessment practices and tools with staff, so learner needs are clearly identified and responded to
  • develop the collective capability of staff, aligned with strategic goals, to extend collective teaching capability
  • analyse progress towards the goals of most learners achieving at or above their curriculum level in reading, writing and mathematics and make changes where appropriate
  • evaluate the effectiveness of strategies and resources to lift regular attendance, adjusting as needed to maintain momentum

Annually:

  • confirm assessments and assessment practice for the next year align with learner needs and continued progress, achievement and national changes
  • review and evaluate the effectiveness of staff professional learning on building capacity and learner progress adjusting as needed
  • evaluate the extent to which targeted resources and support for learning has improved and sustained progress and achievement; use this evaluation to plan next steps
  • check progress towards improved regular attendance and reduced chronic absences; plan strategically for the best use of resources to lift attendance further. 

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

  • effective board governance supporting robust school assessment practices that inform next steps and improved outcomes for learners
  • most learners achieving at or above expected curriculum levels in reading, writing; sustaining the trajectory of achievement in mathematics
  • increased regular attendance and reduced chronic absences. 

Part C: Regulatory and Legislative Requirements

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements

All schools are required to promote student health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.

During this review the Board has attested to some regulatory and legislative requirements in the following areas:

Board Administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Personnel Management

Yes

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
Acting Director of Schools

3 March 2025

Education Counts

This website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home

Yaldhurst Model School - 04/03/2020

School Context

Yaldhurst Model School is a semi-rural school in Christchurch for students in Years 1 to 8. The school currently has a roll of 153 students.

The school’s vision is ‘Yaldhurst Model School is a happy place for HEROs to Learn-Create-Share’. School values are: healthy individuals, enthusiastic learners, responsible citizens and open-minded explorers.

The school’s current priorities are to:

  • improve student processes in science and improve students’ writing
  • develop and maintain consistency in the wellbeing of staff and students.

Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following area:

  • student achievement in writing.

Schoolwide professional development is focusing on: moderation of writing assessments, e-learning and te reo Māori. School buildings are currently being refurbished.

In 2017 the school had the support of a Ministry of Education Advisor.

Yaldhurst Model School is part of the Uru Mānuka Kāhui Ako|Community of Learning.

Evaluation Findings

1 Equity and excellence – achievement of valued outcomes for students

1.1 How well is the school achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for all its students?

The school is achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for most students in reading and writing. School data for 2018 and 2019 shows that, in reading, most students are achieving at or above school expectations, and a large majority of students are achieving at or above school expectations in writing and mathematics.

2018 and 2019 schoolwide achievement data shows:

  • a decline of achievement in reading, writing and mathematics
  • most Māori students achieve at or above school expectations in reading, writing and mathematics.

1.2 How well is the school accelerating learning for those Māori and other students who need this?

School achievement data for 2019 shows that the school does not yet effectively accelerate achievement for those Māori and other students who need this.

Few students in writing and mathematics have their learning accelerated, and less than half of the students have their learning accelerated in reading.

The learning of Māori students who needed to increase the rate of their progress in reading was accelerated. The school had limited success with accelerating the learning of Māori students in writing and mathematics.

2 School conditions for equity and excellence – processes and practices

2.1 What school processes and practices are effective in enabling achievement of equity and excellence, and acceleration of learning?

Students have access to a broad and responsive curriculum. A range of learning opportunities has been designed to encourage student engagement and meet their needs, interests and aspirations. Student agency is developed through the local curriculum and access to e-learning. Students have a sense of belonging to their school and are able to confidently discuss their learning. The recent development of curriculum guidelines provides comprehensive information to support teaching and learning.

Students with additional learning needs are well supported. Individual student needs are responded to through access to external resources and agencies, individual education plans and differentiated teaching. The board of trustees provides additional resourcing for these students.

The school’s vision of Learn, Create, Share and its values are embedded throughout the school. Teachers effectively use a range of assessment information in order to best meet students’ learning strengths and needs.

Teachers work collaboratively and take a shared responsibility for students’ achievement and wellbeing. Teacher capacity and capability are further developed through a robust appraisal system and opportunities for relevant schoolwide and individual professional development.

2.2 What further developments are needed in school processes and practices for achievement of equity and excellence, and acceleration of learning?

Internal evaluation remains an area for development, as identified in the 2016 ERO report.

The board of trustees, leaders and teachers need to undertake professional development on internal evaluation to:

  • build knowledge and understanding of what, why and how to evaluate
  • better identify the impact of initiatives and innovations on student outcomes
  • develop an effective school evaluation framework
  • inform strategic planning, so that resources can be aligned to priority areas to support student learning.

School leaders need to regularly gather, analyse and report on schoolwide achievement to:

  • better enable the setting and pursuing of goals and targets to accelerate the learning, progress and achievement of all students
  • enable leaders and the board to make well-informed strategic and resourcing decisions
  • ensure sufficiency of student progress.

It would be timely for the board to have further training in their roles and responsibilities.

3 Board Assurance on Legal Requirements

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
  • finance
  • 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 Children’s Act 2014.

4 ERO’s Overall Judgement

On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of Yaldhurst Model School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Developing. 

ERO’s Framework: Overall Findings and Judgement Tool derived from School Evaluation Indicators: Effective Practice for Improvement and Learner Success is available on ERO’s website.

5 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:

  • its local curriculum, which provides students with opportunities to achieve within the breadth of the New Zealand Curriculum
  • how teachers identify, track and monitor student achievement, with a focus on improving students’ outcomes.

Next steps

For sustained improvement and future learner success, priorities for further development are in:

  • building understanding and use of internal evaluation to inform improvement
  • strengthening leaders’ capability to gather, analyse and report on schoolwide progress and achievement
  • building leaders’ and trustees’ understanding and capability in order to ensure ongoing school improvement.

Actions for compliance

ERO identified non-compliance in relation to:

  • reporting on schoolwide achievement
  • consultation with Māori
  • appraisal of leaders.

In order to address these, the board of trustees must:

  • through the analysis of good achievement information, evaluate the progress and achievement of students, giving priority first to student progress and achievement in literacy and numeracy [NAG 1.2(a)]
  • in consultation with the school’s Māori community, develop and make known to the school’s community, policies, plans and targets for improving the progress and achievement of Māori students [NAG 1(e)]
  • ensure that the principal’s performance management processes are completed annually [NAG 3; s 77A State Sector Act].

Area for improved compliance practice

To improve current practice, the board of trustees should ensure that:

  • the complaints register is used appropriately and consistently
  • all governance practices meet legal and good practice requirements.

Recommendations to other agencies

ERO recommends that the Ministry of Education and the New Zealand School Trustees Association consider providing support for the school in order to bring about improvements in:

  • internal evaluation, including the analysis and reporting of student progress and achievement
  • assessment and moderation practices
  • strategic planning and governance.

Dr Lesley Patterson

Director Review and Improvement Services Te Tai Tini

Southern Region

4 March 2020

About the school

Location

Christchurch

Ministry of Education profile number

3602

School type

Full Primary (Year 1 to 8)

School roll

153

Gender composition

Girls 49%

Boys 51%

Ethnic composition

Māori 3%

NZ European/Pākehā 81%

Fijian 5%

Other ethnicities 11%

Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS)

Yes

Provision of Māori medium education

No

Review team on site

November 2019

Date of this report

4 March 2020

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review September 2016

Education Review May 2013