Tuturau Primary School

Tuturau Primary 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  

​​Tuturau Primary School​ is located in Southland and provides education for students in Years 1 to 6. The school values of respect – whakaute, responsibility - takohanga and aroha - manaaki underpin decision making and interactions across the school. 

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

Most students make sustained progress and experience success.  
  • Most students achieve at or above curriculum expectations in mathematics and a large majority of students in reading and writing. 
  • Outcomes for Māori students in writing and mathematics have shown a significant improvement; the priority to improve student achievement in reading remains. 
  • There is a continuing need to improve excellent and equitable outcomes for all students in writing particularly for boys. 
  • Less than a third of students attend school regularly, the school is not yet meeting the Ministry of Education targets for regular attendance; this remains a priority. 

Conditions to support learner success

Strategic leadership works collaboratively to improve outcomes for learners. 
  • Leadership undertakes comprehensive consultation with students, staff, whānau and community to gather aspirations that inform improvement priorities. 
  • Leaders foster a highly collaborative team culture; staff are reflective and open to new approaches to improve learner success and wellbeing. 
  • Teachers and leaders analyse an appropriate range of student achievement information to set improvement priorities and next steps in learning; they continue to strengthen these practices.
Students learn and experience success through an increasingly responsive curriculum. 
  • Learners’ engagement is strengthened through deliberate connections to the localised curriculum; teachers engage in professional learning that improves their understanding and capability in tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori
  • Leaders and teachers set targets and use evidence-based interventions to facilitate ongoing innovation, improvement and to develop teacher capabilities for improved outcomes for learners. 
  • Teachers work collaboratively to inquire into their teaching practices to better understand what is working well and inform next teaching steps.
Key organisational conditions that support student achievement and wellbeing are being strengthened. 
  • Teachers and leaders deliberately foster meaningful relationships with local education providers and community groups to strengthen teachers’ capability and support improved wellbeing and achievement outcomes for learners. 
  • Leaders and teachers maintain a strong focus on improving culturally responsive practices across all areas of the school; continued consultation with whānau, hapū and iwi is identified as a next step for a schoolwide approach to the teaching and learning of te reo Māori
  • The embedding of formal evaluation processes across all strategic priorities to ensure initiatives are improving outcomes for learners has been identified as a next step. 

Part B: Where to next? 

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

  • engage with students, parents and whānau to identify strategies to improve regular attendance at school 
  • continue to strengthen teaching practice to improve outcomes for Māori students' achievement in reading and boys in writing 
  • develop a more targeted and strategic approach to evaluating school priorities for ongoing improvement. 

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

Within three months: 

  • consult with students and parents to understand attendance issues and develop an improvement plan 
  • teachers undertake professional development to better understand effective literacy practices that support improved outcomes for Māori students in reading and boys in writing 
  • research what effective internal evaluation looks like and develop a shared approach for leaders and teachers to review what is working to improve outcomes and for whom. 

Every six months: 

  • collate and analyse student attendance, progress and achievement data for trends and patterns, and use this to inform next improvement priorities 
  • use internal evaluation to improve leaders and teachers understanding of which initiatives are effective and identify next steps for improved engagement and achievement outcomes for learners. 

Annually: 

  • continue to use and report to the board student wellbeing, engagement, progress and achievement data to inform responsive decision making, and effective strategies for improving attendance, teaching and learning 
  • use an embedded evaluation process to understand the impact of attendance initiatives and professional development on improving teacher practice and raising student outcomes; use this to inform planning for continued improvements. 

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

  • increased student engagement in learning and more students attending regularly 
  • improved outcomes in reading for Māori students and writing for boys 
  • a fully embedded evaluation process to inform strategic direction. 

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 

​23 January 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 

Tuturau Primary School

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report ​2024​ to ​2027​

As of ​October 2024​, the ​Tuturau Primary 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 ​Tuturau Primary 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  

​23 January 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 

Tuturau Primary School - 23/06/2015

Findings

Most students at Tuturau School are achieving well in reading and mathematics. The school is ably led by skilled staff. The well-informed board provides highly effective governance and is focused on supporting positive outcomes for students’ learning and wellbeing. Students are strongly focused on learning and caring for one another. Parents and community view the school positively and are highly supportive.

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.

1. Context

What are the important features of this school that have an impact on student learning?

Tuturau School is a small, rural school. Most students travel to the school by bus. Staff welcome parents visiting at any time. The environment is warm, friendly and inclusive of students with diverse needs and their families.

A number of staff changes have occurred since the 2010 ERO review including the principal, teachers and some changes to board of trustees’ membership. The board has managed these changes carefully. An acting principal is leading the school while the principal is on leave.

The school is well supported by the community through the provision of resources, shared expertise and fundraising. The principal and teachers are part of the Mataura Valley cluster of schools. This involvement enables staff to share professional knowledge and ideas about effective teaching that support student learning.

Trustees and staff have addressed the area for review and development outlined in ERO’s 2010 report. Self-review processes are now robust and comprehensive.

2. Learning

How well does this school use achievement information to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement?

Teachers make very good use of assessment information to monitor students’ progress and make changes to programmes to achieve better outcomes for students. Students achieve very well in reading and mathematics in relation to the National Standards. Although some students were achieving at the National Standard for writing, teachers identified this as an area that required specific consolidation.

Targets and actions are developed with the aim of accelerating the progress of students at risk of poor learning outcomes. The students’ learning is monitored closely and the intensive, individualised learning experiences provided for them in most cases, lead to improvement in progress. The principal and staff critically evaluate school performance in promoting students’ learning. They regularly reflect on the effectiveness of their teaching, carefully monitor students’ progress and report on the impact of changes as part of their curriculum reviews.

New entrant students are well supported in their learning and benefit by the close one-on-one attention they receive. The acting principal is collating information provided by the class teacher to identify any trends and patterns that may inform the transition to school programme. The sharing of this information with early childhood services would be useful in the preparation students receive prior to beginning school.

The school provides parents with very detailed information about their child’s learning, including how they can support this at home. Families are actively involved in the life of the school and in supporting students’ learning. Teachers help parents to develop skills to support their children’s learning at home. Parents’ views are sought on aspects of the students’ learning programmes. Their views are valued and used by teachers.

Area for review and development

The annual achievement target could be made more specific by identifying the numbers and year levels of those students in the target group.

3. Curriculum

How effectively does this school’s curriculum promote and support student learning?

The school’s curriculum responds to parents’ and community views and priorities for developing life-long learners. Teaching programmes support students’ learning, interests and community involvement and strengthen their knowledge of the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa/New Zealand. The school’s vision and values are given prominence in classrooms. The focus on values is effective in fostering caring and respectful relationships at all levels in the school.

Teaching practices are effective. Students are positive about their teachers and eager to learn. They are clear about what they are learning and what success looks like. Classrooms are well managed and effective use is made of learning time, by both students and teachers. Students are skilled and confident in the use of technologies to help them with their learning.

Teachers work collaboratively. They share ideas and strategies that effectively support students at risk of poor outcomes. Teachers have undertaken professional development particularly in the teaching of mathematics. Their enhanced teaching skills have resulted in improved student achievement in this curriculum area.

Teachers readily use external help to respond to students’ identified needs. This includes using the relevant education services as well as through professional connections with other local schools. Staff and trustees acknowledge the benefits of being part of the local cluster of schools.

Professional development decisions for teachers are based on the outcomes of reviews of students’ learning and teacher needs. This has been effective in building capacity to bring about improvement in mathematics achievement. Teachers have now identified a need for professional development in the teaching of writing to improve student achievement in this area.

Parents and the school community are kept well informed about school programmes and activities through a range of communication strategies.

How effectively does the school promote educational success for Māori, as Māori?

The acting principal and staff effectively provide opportunities for Māori students to experience educational success as Māori. All students have good opportunities to regularly hear and use te reo Māori. Students have been able to meaningfully learn tikanga Māori by visiting a marae on more than one occasion. They are aware of the rich Māori history associated with their district.

Māori students are achieving well in reading and mathematics. They are fully engaged with their learning and enjoy the family-like relationships that exist in the school.

4. Sustainable Performance

How well placed is the school to sustain and improve its performance?

The school is well placed to sustain and improve its performance.

Trustees have a strong commitment to continuous improvement that leads to better outcomes for students. They have made effective use of a number of training opportunities that have given them a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities.

Annual goals are linked to well-considered strategic aims that give high priority to supporting student learning and wellbeing. Progress with these annual objectives is regularly monitored and reported to the board. Self-review processes are well developed and used in the evaluation of all aspects of school operations.

Trustees and staff take deliberate actions to maintain the strong relationships with the community, to promote the positive profile of the school and continue building the inclusive environment. They have a determination to strengthen the school’s financial position and maintain and further enhance the effective practices in the school.

Closer evaluation of the impact of actions taken to address the annual student outcome objectives, would improve the quality of reporting to the board.

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

Most students at Tuturau School are achieving well in reading and mathematics. The school is ably led by skilled staff. The well-informed board provides highly effective governance and is focused on supporting positive outcomes for students’ learning and wellbeing. Students are strongly focused on learning and caring for one another. Parents and community view the school positively and are highly supportive.

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern

23 June 2015

About the School

Location

Southland

Ministry of Education profile number

4032

School type

Contributing (Years 1 to 6)

School roll

28

Gender composition

Girls 14;

Boys 14

Ethnic composition

NZ European Pākehā

Māori

21

7

Review team on site

May 2015

Date of this report

23 June 2015

Most recent ERO reports

Education Review

Education Review

Education Review

December 2010

November 2007

August 2004