27 June 2025

Kia ora e te whānau,

This brings me to the final spiel for Term 2 and what a week it has been!

On Monday we welcomed our Evaluation Partners from the Education Review Office to our school. We hadn't seen ERO for some years and we were the last of their catch up schools. Maybe because we start with a W! 

Prior to their visit we had provided them with a stack of evidence to wade through that was directly related to the areas of their review - this is called the Schooling Improvement Framework. The key areas being Learner Success and Wellbeing, Leadership, Curriculum, Teaching and Learning, Professional Capability and Collective Efficacy, Inclusion and Wellbeing, Partnerships, Stewardship and Governance, Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Evaluation for Improvement.

While they were here they observed teachers in classrooms, spoke to students about their learning, looked at planning and met with a group of senior students to chat about a whole raft of things to do with school life. They spoke to Leaders, they spoke to teachers and they spoke with Trustees. They looked through policies, they looked deeply into data... they totally and thoroughly examined us!

They were looking for alignment and they found it in spades.

I am writing this feeling a tiny bit on the vacant side of a Wednesday evening and a massive amount on the PROUD side. So incredibly proud of our students, our staff, our Board, our community and our beautiful place. Our Evaluation Partners were very happy for me to share the feedback we received this afternoon with you, hot off the press, as by the time the reports are written in their completed form they tend to stripped of the richness as they are only, I think it's around the 8 bullet point mark long, with some drop down boxes. This will take some weeks and I will let you know when it's confirmed. 

Here we go:

• Manaakitanga shines through everything.

• Our students, board and staff all speak the same language. 

• Our students are articulate, know what they are learning and why, are highly engaged and have fun, they say the teachers are strict (in a good way!)

• Our students feel valued, are inclusive and feel like everyone is equal here.

• Our achievement is at the higher end with the focus on boys and writing achievement a continuing goal.

• We are excelling in Leadership. We are collaborative, committed and relational.

• We provide targeted and considered Professional Learning opportunities for teachers.

• We manage change thoughtfully and purposefully.

• We excel in our work with priority learners, are inclusive, have excellent communication and transparency internally and externally.

• We provide a very rich and broad curriculum, it's cohesive, authentic and new curriculum changes to reading, writing and maths are managed thoughtfully.

• Wellbeing is well embedded, we use data well and are responsive to needs. 

• The good relationship we have with Mana Whenua is clear.

• The Board are skilled, visible, understand Governance, are provided with good information, are supportive and provide targeted resourcing.

• Strong partnerships are evident across schools, community groups and professional networks.

• Teaching and learning is consistent, there are high expectations and skillful teaching in all spaces.

• Teachers have positive, warm relationships, they do a great job. 

• Children get their needs met really well here.

I could go on... there was more like this... but that vacant side of me is now starting to take over! 

Basically they had a terrific experience here. We all had a terrific experience with them here. They said they couldn't have ended the term in a better way... and I agree, nor can I!

We are on a high!

Thank you to one and all.

Happy holidays everyone!