775 State Highway 96 , Gore
View on mapTe Tipua School
Te Tipua School
School Evaluation 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.
Context
Te Tipua School is a small rural primary school located between Gore and Winton, in Central Southland. The school provides education for learners from Years 1 to 8. A new principal began at the school in Term 2, 2024. There have been multiple changes in leadership since 2022.
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.
Part A: Current State
The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.
Learner Success and Wellbeing
Students are engaged, make good progress and achieve well. |
- Most students achieve at or above expected curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics; high achievement rates have been sustained over time.
- Outcomes are equitable across all groups of learners.
- Most students attend school regularly; the school is not yet meeting the Ministry of Education’s attendance target.
Conditions to support learner success
Leadership is taking steps to build a learning focused culture. |
- Leadership is beginning to plan and coordinate the school’s curriculum; expectations for consistent high-quality teaching and learning are not yet shared.
- Leadership is beginning to use evidence to plan for school improvement; including identifying strategies to improve learner outcomes.
- Leadership is developing relationships with other education providers to increase opportunities for learning and success.
Improvements are required to develop a coherent approach that supports effective teaching and learning schoolwide. |
- Students benefit from experienced teachers who know them well and tailor programmes to meet their specific learning needs.
- Leaders and teachers provide effective support programmes for students who need additional support to learn and progress at an appropriate pace in literacy.
- Teachers and leaders need to design and agree on a shared local curriculum that clarifies progressions for learners across curriculum levels; priority needs to be given to enacting a consistent approach to assessment in literacy and mathematics.
Key conditions, systems and processes that sustain positive outcomes for learners are being established. |
- Teachers engage regularly with parents to discuss learners’ strengths, needs and interests which extends learner success and wellbeing.
- Student feedback and ideas are gathered and increasingly used to inform programmes and initiatives in the classroom.
- Leaders and teachers are taking steps to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi; te reo Māori is increasingly woven into teaching practice.
Part B: Where to next?
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
- clarify and agree schoolwide expectations for high quality teaching and learning
- review classroom programmes to identify what is working well and where to next to improve progress, achievement and attendance
- consolidate approaches for reading, writing and mathematics so that learners experience a coherent learning pathway as they progress through the school
- rationalise strategic planning so that it reflects agreed measures of success and targets appropriate improvement priorities that focus on outcomes for learners.
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Within six months:
- trustees and staff identify improvement priorities and establish appropriate measures of success for attendance and achievement
- leaders deliberately plan for gathering evidence that enables effective monitoring and reporting against identified improvement priorities
- leaders align organisational systems and processes to support curriculum delivery and robust assessment decisions.
Every six months:
- leaders and teachers ensure plans for consistent, effective and responsive teaching strategies are embedded across the school
- leaders and teachers monitor and evaluate the impact of teaching strategies on outcomes for learners.
Annually:
- leaders report learner progress, achievement and wellbeing information to the board to enable data scrutiny and increasingly effective strategic decision making
- leaders and teachers plan for strategic professional learning and development to continue to strengthen teaching and to build evaluation capability.
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
- consistent, responsive teaching strategies that improve and sustain excellent and equitable outcomes for learners
- a robust cycle of continuous improvement supported by the strengthened evaluation capability of leaders, teachers and the school board
- improved and sustained student attendance.
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
Director of Schools (Acting)
8 May 2025
About the School
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Te Tipua School
Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2023 to 2026
As of March 2023, the Te Tipua School, School Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:
Board Administration
Yes
Curriculum
Yes
Management of Health, Safety and Welfare
Yes
Personnel Management
Yes
Finance
Yes
Assets
Yes
Further Information
For further information please contact Te Tipua 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.
Sharon Kelly
Director of Schools (Acting)
8 May 2025
About the School
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Te Tipua School - 03/12/2019
School Context
Te Tipua School is a small rural school offering education for students in Years 1 to 8. The school has a roll of 24 students, about a quarter of whom identify as Māori. Students learn together in two or three multilevel classes. Years 7 and 8 students participate in regular technology education at a nearby intermediate school.
The school’s vision for students is that they will be confident, caring learners who strive for excellence. This is expressed in the school’s whakatauki: whaia te taumata (pursue the highest peak). Students are encouraged to develop and demonstrate the values of respect, responsibility, kindness and honesty.
To achieve these outcomes the board of trustees has strategic goals focused on delivering a ‘student-centred, local and culturally-relevant curriculum’ that empowers students to ‘live the school vision and values. Also, a caring learning environment and the acceleration of learning for any students not yet achieving at expected curriculum levels.
Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:
- achievement against New Zealand Curriculum levels in reading, writing, mathematics and other learning areas
- student wellbeing and engagement.
The school is a member of both the Eastern Southland Kāhui Ako|community of learning and the Country Schools Cluster.
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 mostly effective in achieving excellent outcomes for its students and is working toward equitable outcomes for all groups.
The small size of the school and impact of some students joining and leaving the school during the school year makes analysis of trends and patterns in achievement difficult. However, school information for the last three years shows that a large majority of students achieve at curriculum expectations in mathematics, reading and writing. Recent curriculum reports show that most students achieve at expected levels in science and a majority achieve at these levels in Health and Physical Education. Almost all students report their physical and emotional wellbeing is well supported.
A greater proportion of girls, than boys, achieve at expected levels in reading, writing and mathematics. There is parity in the achievement of Māori students in relation to their NZ European/ Pākehā peers in mathematics over time. However, there remains some disparity in the achievement of Māori students in literacy.
1.2 How well is the school accelerating learning for those Māori and other students who need this?
The school is mostly effective in accelerating the learning for those students who require this. School information shows this is most effective for those needing to accelerate their learning in reading. Recent approaches to accelerating boys’ learning in writing have shown success in the short-term and the school is yet to evaluate how well these gains are sustained over time.
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?
Trustees and the principal have clear and high expectations that all students will be supported to achieve success. Trustees have set specific achievement targets focused on ensuring any students not yet at expected levels will have their learning accelerated. To support this goal, they are resourcing additional teaching time and supporting teachers to access relevant professional learning. The principal has ensured that all school systems are well focused on planning for, monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of strategies to accelerate learning. She is fostering collaboration across the school community and promoting a culture of robust inquiry and reflection into what works to improve outcomes for students.
Teachers plan purposefully to accelerate the learning of students needing this. They use a range of learning information, including parent perspectives, to get to know students well as individuals and learners. They develop specific, individualised teaching and learning plans and goals. Teachers communicate regularly with parents about plans and strategies to accelerate their children’s learning. They are involving students more in knowing about their learning, achievement and progress and in contributing to their next learning steps.
Students’ learning and wellbeing is well supported through the school’s curriculum which effectively enacts the community’s vision for its learners. The school’s values are explicitly taught and modelled. There are increased opportunities for all students to learn Māori language, tikanga, knowledge and history. This has been achieved through improved consultation and partnership with Māori whānau and is supporting the wellbeing and confidence of Māori students. Good use is made of local community resources and people to provide authentic contexts for learning that link to students’ lives.
Senior students benefit from opportunities to perform valued leadership roles and to support the learning of younger students. They have regular opportunities to build friendships with peers in other rural primary schools.
The school has a range of well-considered, thorough review and evaluation practices that effectively support ongoing improvement. These make very good use of community and student perspectives on what is important to them. The principal and teachers regularly review and analyse student achievement and progress information to identify what is working to accelerate learning and identify areas for improvement.
2.2 What further developments are needed in school processes and practices for achievement of equity and excellence, and acceleration of learning?
Trustees and the principal have identified, and ERO agrees, it is timely to review the school’s curriculum to ensure it:
-
maximises student engagement through the provision of authentic, relevant contexts and purposes for learning and greater coherence across learning areas
-
continues to foster student ownership and involvement in their learning, including student’s self-assessment capabilities
-
reflects and sustains shared understandings about what works to accelerate learning.
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 Te Tipua School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.
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:
- effective governance and leadership that set high expectations that all students will experience success
- teaching that responds to the specific needs of individual students and is focused on accelerating the learning of those students who need this
- robust self-review practices that sustain improvement and effective practice.
Next steps
For sustained improvement and future learner success, the priority for further development is in:
- ongoing curriculum review to maximise student engagement in learning.
Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services Te Tai Tini
Southern Region
3 December 2019
About the school
Location |
Southland |
Ministry of Education profile number |
4027 |
School type |
Full Primary (Year 1-8) |
School roll |
24 |
Gender composition |
Male 13, Female 11 |
Ethnic composition |
Māori 6 |
Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS) |
Yes |
Provision of Māori medium education |
No |
Review team on site |
October 2019 |
Date of this report |
3 December 2019 |
Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review August 2017 |
Te Tipua School - 18/08/2017
Findings
Students are proud of their school. There is a strong focus on nurturing, positive relationships between students. Students enjoy a broad and authentic range of learning experiences. Most students achieve well in relation to the National Standards. The school has successfully addressed the challenges identified in the 2015 ERO report.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
1 Background and Context
What is the background and context for this school’s review?
Te Tipua School is a small, rural school near Gore providing education for Years 1 to 8 students. ERO reviewed the school in 2015. At that time ERO had serious concerns about relationships, particularly between the principal and board, and the principal and teachers. Aspects of school management had not been sustained. Since then, the school has had Ministry of Education intervention and support. There have been changes in principalship and staffing over the last two years.
The school has recently joined the Eastern Southland Kāhui Ako | Community of Learning (CoL).
2 Sustainable Performance and Self Review
How well placed is the school to sustain and continue to improve and review its performance?
The school is well placed to sustain and continue to improve and review its performance. The board, principal and teachers have reviewed the school values. These now need to be well embedded in order to maintain the positive learning environment students and teachers enjoy.
Through support from external agencies and training, trustees have built their capacity to govern well. The relationship issues between the board and principal, principal and staff have been resolved. The board, principal and teachers have worked to strengthen partnerships between home and school so that students’ learning is enhanced. Parents, teachers and students are regularly surveyed to assure the board about their wellbeing and satisfaction. Teachers work collegially to support students’ learning.
The principal, teachers and support-staff appraisals are being carried out on a regular cycle. However, the appraisal system needs to be strengthened in order to be more useful.
Key next steps
The board, principal and teachers need to continue to:
- embed the school’s vision and values and evaluate how well these guide the school curriculum
- strengthen learning-focused partnerships with parents
- develop, strengthen and embed a robust appraisal system.
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.
Conclusion
Students are proud of their school. There is a strong focus on nurturing, positive relationships between students. Students enjoy a broad and authentic range of learning experiences. Most students achieve well in relation to the National Standards. The school has successfully addressed the challenges identified in the 2015 ERO report.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Te Waipounamu)
18 August 2017
About the School
Location |
Southland |
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
4027 |
|
School type |
Full Primary (Years 1 to 8) |
|
School roll |
43 |
|
Gender composition |
Girls: 25 Boys: 18 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
8 |
Review team on site |
June 2017 |
|
Date of this report |
18 August 2017 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
July 2015 |