ERO review now available

Kia Ora Wairakei Whanau

As you may be aware, Wairakei School has had its 2017 ERO audit completed; these audits are a normal part of school life, with a typical review cycle of 3 years.

We as a Board are happy with the outcome of the review, as the ERO panel has made some very telling statements around the collaborative, holistic and nurturing learning environment of Wairakei School. Unfortunately, the ERO panel are only on site for 3 days so it is hard to get a complete view of all aspects of being a Wairakei learner, the programmes used and methods used to enable success.

A huge thanks to Shane and the Senior Leadership team for the effort in collating information in a specific manner for the ERO panel. This was a massive task to show all of the work going into planning and executing the curriculum and ensuring all learners are getting the best out of their education, and then being able to show that on a few pieces of paper (and PowerPoints galore!)

This review is not just about the process and procedures within the school, but is also a valid avenue for parents to reflect to the ERO panel their experiences and expectations of Wairakei, and I’m pleased to say that the overall outcome was extremely positive.

A large focus in this ERO audit has been on priority learners, as it has been long identified that lifting the lowest common denominator lifts achievement across all learners, so with that in mind we had specific data and metrics to show the ERO panel. The programmes and procedures that have been put into place have shown improvement in all learners across all age groups within the School.

Since the last ERO audit in 2013, there have been several developments within Wairakei, these include but are not limited to:

· Collaborative teaching and Learning developments;

· Spirals of Inquiry professional learning;

· Acceptance as a founding school in the Waimairi-iri Community of Learning;

· Professional Learning in Cultural responsiveness;

· Maori Whanau Hui established;

· Kapa Haka / Mau Rakau / Maori Mentor programme;

· HUGE role growth;

· and, as you are all well aware, our Wairakei School buildings are being updated / rebuilt and refreshed!

The Items that were identified in the 2017 review as improvement areas were

· Compliance – Teacher appraisals. Over the last 18 months, we have been focussing on collaborative and inquiring practices in this space, however more focus is now on individualising these appraisals and this process has been underway all this year.

· Leadership structure – this is a new structure within Wairakei and is still being embedded into the school, including deputy principals and lead teachers across the 3 areas of the school (Otakaro, Wai-iti and Wairere) – more focus is also being put into the Curriculum review.

Overall, the final ERO report captures the spirit of Wairakei School and its Whanau, including the Teachers, Teacher Aids, Parents, Care Givers, Guardians, Volunteers and especially our Absolutely Brilliant Wairakei Learners.

If you wish to view the report, the final report has now been made available on the ERO website at this link.

Finally, if you have any concerns or comments about this report, please feel free to drop into the office for a chat or drop either Shane or myself an email.

Nga Mihi

Nic Pethig

Board of Trustees - Chairman

Wairakei School

nic.board@wairakeichch.school.nz