2 Leman Street , Tokoiti, Milton
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Tokoiti School
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
Tokoiti School, situated just outside of Milton, provides education for students in Years 1 to 6. The school’s roll is 28, with a small number of Māori students. The school’s vison is Our future is as good as the path we lead our students on. The school values are Trust, Respect, Excellence, Kinship, Kindness, Environment, Responsibility and Self Control.
Part A – Parent Summary
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 sufficient 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 should improve its collection and use of information gathered through community consultation to inform strategic planning and curriculum decisions. |
Student Health and Safety | The 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 | Almost all 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 becoming more equitable for all groups of learners. |
Mathematics | A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are equitable for all groups of learners. |
Attendance
The school is exceeding the target of 80% regular attendance.
The school has a suitable plan in place to improve attendance.
Regular attendance is improving beyond the target.
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 significantly 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 meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets for 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
Leadership successfully fosters a positive and inclusive environment that well supports the work towards realising excellent and equitable outcomes for learners.
Students’ high levels of reading have been sustained over time; they are well supported to develop sound skills in writing and mathematics.
Professional learning and development in structured literacy and structured mathematics builds teacher capability to support successful outcomes for students.
Students’ knowledge is broadened through a curriculum that extends learning beyond their immediate environment and reflects strong local content.
Through effective teaching practices and well targeted initiatives, the individual needs of learners are met, and they steadily progress and experience success.
Key priorities and actions for improvement
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
- incorporate te ao Māori in the curriculum and the school environment
- implement structured literacy, complementing successful school practices in reading
- continue to embed the structured mathematics programme
- formalise consultation processes; this includes sharing information from the school community given to the principal informally, with the board of trustees and staff to inform strategic direction and future planning.
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Every six months:
- monitor that the integration of te ao Māori is increasingly evident throughout the curriculum and teachers’ culturally responsive practice is growing
- evaluate the impact of structured approaches to literacy and mathematics teaching and teacher capability, to identify further professional development needs
- review moderation practices to ensure these are strengthening teachers’ understanding of progress and achievement
Annually:
- evaluate how well the focused approach of incorporating te ao Māori in the school environment has increased culturally responsive practice
- evaluate the effectiveness of structured teaching approaches to improve learner outcomes
- use systematically gathered student achievement data, to inform curriculum review and board improvement priorities
- formally consult with parents, whānau and the school community to gather and report to the board information to support strategic planning and school actions.
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
- sustained high levels of achievement in reading and attendance
- improved writing and mathematics outcomes for all learners
- te ao Māori consistently reflected in the curriculum, classroom practices and school environment
- effective consultation and reporting processes, with the school community contributing to strategic planning, vison and improvement goals.
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 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
Tokoiti School
Findings
Tokoiti School has effectively addressed its priorities for improvement. The trustees, principal and teachers are working together to ensure positive outcomes for students. The school is establishing useful school-wide and classroom planning practices. Key school practices are improvement focused, and likely to sustain and improve student progress and achievement.
The school has made sufficient progress to transition into ERO’s Evaluation for Improvement process.
1 Background and Context
What is the background and context for this school’s review?
Tokoiti School is a small rural school located near the town of Milton, South Otago. It caters for learners from Years 1 to 6. There are 31 students at the school, 22% of the students identify as Māori.
This report outlines Tokoiti School’s progress in addressing the areas for review and development identified in ERO’s 2019 Education Review report. The board of trustees, leaders and teachers focused initially on ensuring assessment information about students’ progress and achievement was reliable and used effectively. The school has been supported by a Ministry of Education Student Achievement Facilitator. The board has a mix of new and experienced trustees.
Since the 2019 ERO report changes have been made to the teaching team and classrooms have been considerably refurbished. During 2020 and 2021 teaching staff participated in literacy professional development.
2 Review and Development
How effectively is the school addressing its priorities for review and development?
Priorities identified for review and development
The 2019 ERO report identified that the school needed to strengthen the following areas:
- setting of school targets
- awareness of student progress in achievement
- te ao Māori in class programmes
- annual and strategic planning
- internal evaluation
- aspects of compliance.
Progress
The principal, teachers and trustees have made very good progress in addressing the areas for review and development identified in ERO’s 2019 report. The school has an increased focus on ensuring all students progress and achieve well.
Since 2019, more students are now achieving at or above expected levels in reading, writing and mathematics. The school has focused on accelerating the achievement of students at risk of not achieving in writing. In 2020, all students targeted to make accelerated progress in their writing achievement did so. The school’s data for 2021 shows that most students are achieving at or beyond expectations.
Planning for schoolwide improvement is now cohesive and aligned. The principal is demonstrating stronger professional leadership within the school. The school’s charter and strategic plan reflects the current priorities. The annual plan gives useful detail to support the achievement of strategic goals. The annual plan includes achievement targets that are inclusive of all students identified as needing to accelerate their learning progress.
The principal and teachers are now implementing more robust practices to know about students’ learning and progress and how they can better respond to identified needs. They have developed more effective processes for collecting, sorting and analysing student achievement information. The increased use of learning information has resulted in:
- the principal having an increased awareness of what needs to be focused on
- more deliberate teaching and learning programmes
- greater awareness of the amount of progress all students are making
- the board of trustees receiving more informative and useful student achievement and progress reports.
Over time, ERO has observed students well engaged in their learning. Their learning tasks are relevant to their needs. Students are aware of what they are learning. Teaching is deliberate and focused.
The principal and teachers have continued to strengthen and embed tikanga Māori in day-to-day class programmes and school practices. There is daily karakia and waiata, and visitors are welcomed. Teachers have an increased awareness of concepts valued by Māori. They are incorporating these into their teaching practices. They continue to build caring relationships with parents and whānau.
The school has appropriately improved aspects of compliance. The principal and board have:
- updated the appraisal procedures to include all requirements
- improved practices to ensure Risk Analysis Management documents are easily retrieved
- reviewed the complaints procedure.
3 Sustainable performance and self review
How well placed is the school to sustain and continue to improve and review its performance?
The school implements effective processes and practices to sustain and continue to improve and review its performance.
The principal, teachers and trustees are improvement focused. They are increasingly using useful processes to reflect on and improve their teaching practices, class and school programmes. ERO has seen examples of good reflective practice leading to improved learning programmes.
There is useful evaluation provided to the board informing trustees about the progress being made toward achieving the school’s strategic goals, in particular the board’s target to lift achievement levels. Reports to the board include what the analysis of data is indicating, investigating alternative approaches and monitoring the impact of programmes and interventions.
Key next step
The principal and board of trustees have identified, and ERO agrees, that the school continues to strengthen internal evaluation for improvement processes to know about the impact of teaching programmes and identify what needs adjusting.
Board assurance on legal requirements
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:
- board administration
- curriculum
- management of health, safety and welfare
- personnel management
- financial management
- asset management.
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student achievement:
- emotional safety of students (including prevention of bullying and sexual harassment)
- physical safety of students
- teacher registration
- processes for appointing staff
- stand-downs, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions
- attendance
- school policies in relation to meeting the requirements of the Children’s Act 2014.
Conclusion
Tokoiti School has effectively addressed its priorities for improvement. The trustees, principal and teachers are working together to ensure positive outcomes for students. The school is establishing useful school-wide and classroom planning practices. Key school practices are improvement focused, and likely to sustain and improve student progress and achievement.
The school has made sufficient progress to transition into ERO’s Evaluation for Improvement process.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region - Te Tai Tini
14 December 2021
About the school
Tokoiti School - 19/07/2019
School Context
Tokoiti School is a small rural school located near the township of Milton, South Otago for students from Years 1 to 6. There are 32 students on the roll, eight of whom identify as Māori. Students learn in two multilevel classes.
The school’s vision and strategic priorities are underpinned by a set of Tokoiti ‘Trekker’ values: whakawhitinaki |trust, whakaute |respect, hiranga |excellence, manaakitanga |kindness, whanaungatanga |kinship, taiao |environment, haepapa |responsibility, and kia tau |self control.
The vision for Tokoiti School is that students will be ‘equipped with the qualities of confidence and motivation, and skills in relationship building, problem solving and risk taking’. It also states ‘Trekkers will also have academic success to allow them to be responsible, thoughtful and respectful citizens who are proactive lifelong learners’.
The strategic aims are for all students to:
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receive a full and balanced education respecting individual needs and abilities
-
be able to achieve and progress in their learning through effective relationships
-
awhi |welcome and encourage whānau and community in the life of the school
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recognise the unique position of Māori culture within Aotearoa, New Zealand.
Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, schoolwide information about outcomes for students in achievement in reading, writing and mathematics.
Tokoiti School is an active member of the Tokomairiro 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 working towards achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for all of its students.
School information about overall achievement shows that over two thirds of students are achieving at or above the school’s expectations in reading and mathematics, and a small majority of students are achieving this in writing.
While the large majority of students are achieving, from 2016 to 2018, there has been an overall downward trend in achievement in reading and writing.
School information shows that there is disparity for Māori students and boys in reading, writing and mathematics. This disparity has been ongoing and is still to be effectively addressed.
1.2 How well is the school accelerating learning for those Māori and other students who need this?
The school has had limited success in accelerating the learning of those students whom they have identified, need this.
The school is yet to accelerate written language learning, for those Māori students whose progress needs to be accelerated.
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?
The school’s welcoming family-like school environment supports children’s learning. They have opportunities to live and enact the ‘Trekker values’ in a caring and inclusive setting. Older children support younger children in play and in their learning. The principal’s and teachers’ holistic view of their learners is informed by knowing the children and their families very well. Each child’s progress is tracked.
Tokoiti School’s planned curriculum is flexible and adaptive to children’s interests, allowing teachers to respond to unexpected opportunities to learn. This includes an increased incorporation of tikanga Māori.
The principal and teachers have useful curriculum guidelines. They have clear statements about effective teaching practice and learning progressions. The school has a collaborative teaching team, which includes experienced teacher aides, who collectively support children’s wellbeing and learning.
Students, the principal and teachers have benefitted from the school’s active involvement in the Kāhui Ako. The positive impact on children’s learning has been through relevant professional development and learning, expert teachers in classes, between school moderation, and tools and improved transitions into and out of the school.
2.2 What further developments are needed in school processes and practices for achievement of equity and excellence, and acceleration of learning?
The school has targets to raise the achievement of learners. These targets need to be reworked so that they will drive equity and excellence for all students, and be supported by specific planning to achieve these. The principal and board need to develop targets which focus on all those children who need to accelerate their learning. This will enable the principal to analyse and report to the board on rates and sufficiency of children’s progress, especially those children targeted for acceleration of their learning.
The school’s strategic and annual planning needs to better reflect the present school priorities. This should be supported by useful action planning which contains measurable outcomes. Evaluating progress towards meeting these priorities will facilitate future decision making.
Internal evaluation should be strengthened. This will help the board, principal and teachers to better know what is working and what is not, and to measure the impact and effectiveness of initiatives and interventions across all areas of the school.
The school leaders and board have identified, and ERO’s evaluation confirms, that the school needs to continue to strengthen and embed te ao Māori in day-to-day classroom programmes.
This review found that Tokoiti School has yet to address the majority of the recommendations from the 2016 Education Review report.
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 Vulnerable Children Act 2014.
4 ERO’s Overall Judgement
On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of Tokoiti School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Needs development.
ERO will maintain an ongoing relationship with the school to build capacity and evaluate progress.
ERO’s Framework: Overall School Performance 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:
- strong relational trust at all levels and between the school and its community that provides a family-like environment for students
- a localised curriculum that is flexible and responsive to learning opportunities for students.
Next steps
For sustained improvement and future learner success, priorities for further development are:
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the redevelopment of school targets so that they are inclusive of all students who need to make accelerated progress
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analysing, reporting and evaluating the sufficiency of progress students are making, including those targeted for acceleration in their learning
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reviewing annual and strategic planning to ensure coherence and reflection of the school’s current priorities and valued outcomes for students
-
strengthening internal evaluation to know the effectiveness of initiatives and interventions in all areas of the school
-
continuing to strengthen and embed te ao Māori in day-to-day classroom programmes.
Areas for improved compliance practice
To improve current practice, the board of trustees should:
- update its appraisal procedure to reflect the current expectations of the Teaching Standards
- ensure that Risk Assessment Management documents for Education Outside the Classroom are stored in an easily retrievable way
- review the complaints procedure to support usability.
Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services Southern
Southern Region
19 July 2019
About the school
Location |
Milton |
Ministry of Education profile number |
3845 |
School type |
Contributing Primary (Years 1-6) |
School roll |
32 |
Gender composition |
Boys 17, Girls 15 |
Ethnic composition |
Māori 8 NZ European/Pākehā 19 Other ethnicities 5 |
Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS) |
No |
Provision of Māori medium education |
No |
Review team on site |
May 2019 |
Date of this report |
19 July 2019 |
Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review February 2016 Education Review November 2012 Education Review June 2009 |