Charter

Te Whenua - Our Place

Kua hōhonu ki te whenua ngā pakiaka o te rākau e kore e taea te huhuti
The roots of the tree are deep into the ground and cannot be pulled out


In 2016 the Oakura School’s 150th Jubilee (1866-2016) was held, celebrating 150 years of education in Oakura. Oakura School started in 1866, operating out of a private residence, until in 1880 the first school buildings were built on the current site. In those early years there were two nearby schools, Koru and Kirihau. Koru School was established in 1880 and Kirihau School in 1924. Both schools existed to support families of the local timber mill workers and local farmers. As these mills closed, Kirihau School amalgamated with Koru School in 1934, with seven students transferring. Then in 1939 the twenty students at Koru School joined with Oakura School.
Today Oakura School is a vibrant well-resourced school situated 12 km from New Plymouth city in the popular beach location of Oakura. It is a full-primary (5-13yr olds) with approximately 380 pupils spread across fifteen classrooms. The majority of the children live in Oakura Village with a few children travelling from rural areas by bus.

School programmes are closely related to the environment and local places of significance. The peak of Taranaki Maunga is visible from our school grounds, with our school situated at the base of the Kaitake Ranges. Our local marae is the Okorotua Marae at Oakura Pa and our hapū is Ngāti Tairi. Our river is the Oakura Matapu River and the Matekai Stream borders our school property. We have four school houses: Patuhā, Koru, Wairau and Matekai – all named after places of significance in our community. These narratives and names were gifted to us from Ngāti Tairi. They are all places and/or tupuna of significance in our rohe (area). Our team names acknowledge the significance of wai - awa or manga (rivers or streams) that flow into Oakura Matapu, reflecting the journey of a learner at Oakura School. They are the Momona te Whānau - Yr 1-3, Kiri te Whānau - Yr 4-6, and the Wakamure te Whānau, Yr 7/8. Each class is also named after a rakau (tree) that is endemic to Taranaki and found on our school grounds. 

Our pupils proudly take part in many environmental projects within our community. For example: Te Ara Taiao, kiwi releases on the Kaitake Ranges, beach clean-up day, spinifex planting on the beach, planting in native bush areas, stream monitoring, planting and nurturing native plants in our plant propagation unit and Enviro Centre and taking part in inquiries supported by local environmental groups.

Our students have an active lifestyle. Many students are fully involved in skiing and water sports, such as surf life saving, body boarding and surfing. Most of the children are members of the Oakura Junior Sports Club. This club offers a wide range of sports including cricket, soccer, netball, hockey, basketball, mini-ball and tennis. Oakura School plays a significant role in providing a social meeting place and community facilities such as the School/Community Library, the Oakura Junior Sports Club and the tennis courts.


Our Vision

Kia ākona te manako me te manaaki
Oakura School students
learn to think
and learn to care,

in a learning community which prepares them
for a successful future.

Our Values

We encourage and model the values, principles and intent of the New Zealand Curriculum with special emphasis on:

Pono - Honesty

Be truthful, responsible and accountable for our actions

Whakaaro pai - Respect

Value ourselves, other people and the environment

Manawanui - Perseverance

Aim high, take risks and persevere in the face of challenges

These are the values that will underpin all our programmes. They are all about learning to make the best choices in any situation. With the support of the home we aim to develop future citizens who will make positive contributions to society.

Cultural Diversity

When developing policies and practices for Oakura School every endeavour will be made to reflect New Zealand’s cultural diversity including the unique position of Māori.

The Board takes all reasonable steps to provide instruction in Tikanga Māori (Māori culture) and Te Reo (the Māori language) for students. If a parent requests programmes to be taken fully in Māori, the Principal will refer to the Resource Teacher of Māori for advice and assistance and discuss with the parents the ways the school currently involves Te Reo and Tikanga Māori in our school programmes.

The achievement of all students will be monitored closely and trends within identified cultural groups will be analysed and changes made to teaching and learning programmes to reflect identified needs.

Supporting Documentation

Annual Plan
Student achievement targets
5 year Property Plan
10 year Maintenance Plan
Professional Development Plan
Self Review Plan
Annual Budget
School Curriculum Programme
School Policies – NAGs

Procedural Information

Oakura School will lodge a copy of its annually updated Charter and the Annual Report to the Ministry of Education by 1 March each year. The Charter will include the school’s annually updated targets for improvement.

Oakura School will consult with its community regularly as part of its self-review cycle. Our Māori community are consulted with, and reported to, on a regular basis. Consultation and communication to the community is carried out in the form of questionnaires to parents and pupils, discussions at BOT meetings and Home and School meetings, newsletters, staff meetings, pupils’ homework tasks and parent information evenings. The results are compiled and the needs of the community prioritised and used to establish the school charter.

Targets for student achievement will be identified by:

  • Analysis of school wide assessment data
  • Information gathered from staff meetings and Overall Teacher Judgements
  • National priorities

2023 targets are:

1.To accelerate the achievement of our 2023 year 4 students in writing so that 50% (22/33) students of this year group are meeting curriculum expectations in their end of year easTTLe assessment.

2. To raise the achievement of our 2023 year 8 students in mathematics, so that at least 80% (42/52) students meet the expected curriculum levels as assessed by overall teacher judgements at the end of the year. 

3. To raise year 4 - 8 students achievement in te reo Māori so that more than 85% of students are achieving as Stage 2 or above in the NZCER te reo Māori assessment. 

    2023-2025 Strategic Goals

    Are aligned to the Education and Training Act 2020:

    In line with the Tomorrow School’s recommendations, clause 127 of the Education and Training Act refocuses
    Boards on a wider range of objectives, with educational achievement sitting alongside three other, equally as
    important, primary objectives.

    These are for schools to ensure that:
    1. Every student is able to attain their highest possible standard in educational achievement;
    2. The school is a physically and emotionally safe place for all students and staff, and gives effect to
    relevant student rights and takes all reasonable steps to eliminate racism, stigma, bullying, and any
    other forms of discrimination within the school;
    3. The school is inclusive and caters for students with differing needs;
    4. The school gives effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi by:
    a. Working to ensure that its plans, policies, and local curriculum reflect local tikanga Māori,
    mātauranga Māori and te ao Māori.
    b. Taking all reasonable steps to make instruction available

    And the National Education and Learning Priorities (NELP):

    The New Zealand Government is committed to continually building and developing a world class education. The National Education Learning Priorities (NELPS) set out the priorities and objectives of achieving change across our system, reflective of a culturally rich and diverse Aotearoa. At the heart of the NELP sit three core components: wellbeing, equity and inclusion.

    The NELPS outline 5 key objectives to achieve change across our system, which embody wellbeing, equity and inclusion:

    Learners at the Centre - Learners with their whānau are at the centre of education
    Barrier Free Access - Great education opportunities and outcomes are within reach for every learner
    Quality Teaching and Leadership - Quality teaching and leadership make the difference for learners and their whānau
    Future of Learning and Work - Learning is relevant to the lives of New Zealanders today and throughout their lives
    World Class Inclusive Public Education - New Zealand Education is trusted and sustainable.

    At Oakura School, we exemplify and value these five objectives, which are implicit throughout our Vision, Values, Learner Profile and Annual Plans. The Vision of the NELPS Whakamua te pae tata kia tina – Take hold of your potential till it becomes a reality, reflects Oakura School’s Learner Profile whakatauki of Kia tupu ai ēnei kākano hei rakau nui - May these tender seedlings grow into mighty trees. Both encourage and support ākonga to do the best they can and strive to reach their goals.

       Goal 1: To have a ‘Learning to Care’ Culture - caring for ourselves, others and the environment

    Strategies:
    (Link to Learner Profile – Manaakitanga)

    1. Provide a safe physical environment for the school community
    2. Continue to grow a positive, caring culture across the school community (respect for self and others)
    3. Maintain a welcoming, inclusive culture
    4. Nurture a respect for the environment, both locally and globally.
    5. Promote the importance of a healthy lifestyle
    6. Nurture and enhance the relationships between all our students
    7. Provide an environment that attracts and retains quality staff

       Goal 2: To ensure students achieve their personal best across all aspects of their learning

    Strategies:
    (Link to Learner Profile – Maia, Auaha)

    1. Focus on the development of strong foundation skills (literacy and numeracy)
    2. Deliver a rich, learner focussed curriculum
    3. Assessment tools are used effectively to support improvement in student outcomes
    4. Encourage and provide opportunities to develop and express creativity
    5. Success is valued and celebrated
    6. Strengthen the partnership between home and school
    7. Provide effective teaching and learning strategies through reflective practice

       Goal 3: To support all students to become active, empowered learners

    Strategies:
    (Link to Learner Profile – Ako, Manawaroa)

    1. Promote ako (flexible learning relationships) across the school community
    2. Provide authentic contexts for learning
    3. Maximise the use of our local environment and community
    4. Within the contexts for learning, develop the dispositions from the school learner profile: manaakitanga - inclusive, manawaroa - resilient, auaha - innovative, maia - confident 
    5. Develop a future focussed curriculum

       Goal 4: To support students as global citizens by strengthening connections between the school, community and the wider world

    Strategies:
    (Link to Learner Profile – Ko ngā kirirarau o te ao whānui)

    1. Develop a strong sense of identity 
    2. Develop our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi / The Treaty of Waitangi
    3. Empower students to believe they can make a difference
    4. Celebrate and develop an appreciation of the cultural diversity within our school community
    5. Develop an understanding of, and sense of responsibility for, global issues
    6. Develop effective, safe and responsible participants in online environments