Taoroa School

The same report — the board assurance report of 10 September 2024 — also sets out actions for compliance: the non-compliance ERO identified during that process. This is that section of the report in full, in ERO’s words.

ERO and the board have identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:

School donations. Boards should consult with their school communities and reflect their views when making decisions about whether to opt in to the scheme or not and let their school communities know their final decision. [Education and Training Act 2020]

The board has since taken steps to address the areas of non-compliance identified.

Read this board assurance report on ero.govt.nz →

The roll ERO recorded, and when

ERO writes a roll into each report it publishes: a count taken for that report, on the day shown, by the review team that was there. The Ministry of Education’s current roll for this school is 44 — the figure at the top of this page, and the one to use for how big the school is now. These are a different measurement by a different body, so they will rarely agree, and a difference between them is not a change in the school.

1. April 2018

   28

   Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 6 June 2018

This is one count taken for one report. It says what the roll was on that day, and nothing about how the roll has moved.

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 10 September 2024 — “School Evaluation Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.

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

Taoroa School is a rural primary school, located in the Rangitikei district. It provides education for students in Years 1 to 8. The school’s vision is for learners to be connected, engaged and empowered and for them to be at the centre of learning, having barrier free to learning that is supported by quality teaching and leadership.

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

The majority of students make sustained progress over time.

A large majority of learners achieve at or above expected curriculum levels in reading and mathematics, the majority in writing; focus remains on ensuring equity and improving writing outcomes for all learners.

Learners needing extra support are identified and provided with successful additional support to learn and make progress towards achieving their goals.

Many target students have made accelerated progress in reading and writing.

Most learners attend school regularly, almost meeting levels expected by the Ministry of Education; staff work closely with families to encourage regular attendance.

Conditions to support learner success

Leadership is effectively embedding improvement strategies aligned with school priorities and works collaboratively with staff towards improving learner outcomes.

Leaders have set specific improvement goals and targets to support acceleration of progress for those learners at risk of underachievement.

Learners’ engagement, progress, achievement and wellbeing are monitored regularly and well-supported to continually improve by school-wide systems.

Leaders’ consistent focus on building positive partnerships with whānau, hapū, iwi, and the local schools’ network supports students to access an increasing range of learning opportunities.

Learners experience a meaningful curriculum, supported by explicit and responsive teaching.

Local contexts and mātauranga Māori are increasingly reflected throughout the curriculum; education outside the classroom is meaningfully incorporated.

Teachers provide students with a wide range of authentic and culturally responsive learning opportunities within an inclusive environment.

Consistent and effective teaching practice is well-supported by professional development, aligned to the school’s strategic goals that promote student wellbeing and achievement.

Well established systems and processes support continuous improvement for learners.

Relational trust across the school and its community increasingly supports whānau to be valued and respected partners in their children’s learning.

Trustees are involved in comprehensive strategic planning that prioritises positive learning and wellbeing outcomes; they seek high levels of parent and community voice to support this process.

Staff are strengthening the ways that they collect, analyse and interpret achievement and wellbeing data that supports a timely response to students’ learning and wellbeing needs.

Part B: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

review and evaluate current assessment tools and schedule, to determine the effectiveness for teaching and learning

continue strengthening teaching capability through professional development that supports improved learning and wellbeing outcomes for all

continue to accelerate learning for all, particularly those who are underachieving

continue to work with mana whenua to develop the local curriculum.

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

Within six months:

review and evaluate assessment tools used currently to determine their usefulness

use the learnings from writing professional learning and development in teacher practice and class programmes

work with mana whenua and Kāhui Ako to further develop and implement the localised curriculum

investigate programmes that will further enhance the achievement of extension learners.

Every six months:

leaders and teachers track and monitor student wellbeing, attendance, progress and achievement outcomes to know the impact of improvement programmes

report to parents their child’s progress, achievement and wellbeing outcomes

report to the Board outcome information for attendance, wellbeing and achievement.

Annually:

student achievement and progress information are analysed for trends and patterns, reported to the community and used to inform progress towards improving learning and wellbeing outcomes for all students

evaluate to what extent key priorities and goals have been met to inform forward planning.

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

accelerated learning in writing and improved equitable outcomes for all

revised and streamlined assessment schedule that supports overall teacher judgements

localised curriculum documentation being further developed to guide teaching practice and learning programmes.

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

10 September 2024

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

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →