Supplementary Supports Inventory
Support: Mutukaroa
Design Elements
Design Elements
Description
Target for support
(strengths and needs)
Research has shown that the successful development of core skills in the early years of
schooling significantly impacts on subsequent achievement.
Mutukaroa is a home school learning partnership that seeks to accelerate learning
progress and achievement for students in years 1, 2 and 3 by fostering the active
engagement of parents and whānau in learning partnerships, and to provide them with
the tools and knowledge necessary for them to support the development of core skills in
their children.
Expected Outcomes
Mutukaroa is underpinned by the findings of the Best Evidence Synthesis The Complexity
of Community and Family Influences in Children’s Achievement in New Zealand.1 These
findings identify which practices have a positive impact in improving learner outcomes.
Mutukaroa builds on research that shows that:

educationally powerful partnerships change what happens in classrooms

deliberately nurtured school–whānau relationships help learners achieve success

ongoing cycles of inquiry, focused on building partnerships, promote student
learning in and outside of school.
Mutukaroa sets out to explore and implement a personalised approach that would
develop honest, robust, and rigorous relationships with parents and whānau. The
principle intentions of Mutukaroa are to grow relationships based on trust, build
understanding, invite a two-way knowledge exchange, and encourage parents and
whānau to participate actively in their child’s learning.
The investment objectives for participating schools include:

accelerated learning progress and achievement for new entrants

whānau and learners are well informed and equipped to contribute to accelerated
learning outcomes for new entrants

parents and whānau are engaged in the achievement data of their children

parents and whānau become more influential in their children’s learning

teachers are more confident and capable to more effectively relate to and interact
with diverse families.
What data is used to
inform decisions?
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Delivery design (who,
how long,
interactions)
The key components of Mutukaroa approach are designed to foster the development of
fully engaged parents and whānau who understand assessment. The high-level steps are
highlighted below:
National Standards/Ngā Whanaketanga Rumaki Māori results
Public Achievement Information (PAI)
Regional and local information (decile, roll, ethnicity, leadership)
School charters (produced annually)
Annual reports and Analysis of variance
Education Review Office Report(s)

Learners are assessed on school entry at 5 years old then again at 5 ½ years, 6 and 7
years, with the intention of tracking progress during their time at school.

At each stage of the assessment process the Early Learning Support Advisor reviews
the data, discusses any issues with the teacher and agrees the next steps in the
child’s learning journey. Next steps complement and support what teachers are
doing in the classroom.

Parents and whānau are invited to a 45 minute - 1 hour meeting with the Early
Learning Support Advisor to discuss the assessment data and learning targets. These
1
Biddulph, F., Biddulph,J., & Biddulph,C. (2003). The Complexity of Community and Family Influences on Children’s Achievement
in New Zealand: Best Evidence Synthesis. Wellington: Ministry of Education. This document is accessible at
http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/7692/bes-community-family-influences.pdf
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Design Elements
Description
sessions are longer than a typical parent-teacher interview to allow for an in-depth
and focused ‘learning conversation.

Sessions take place at a time and location that meets the needs of the parent.
Locations include the school’s parent support centre, cafes, at home, or at the
parent’s workplace.

The Learning Support Advisor utilises a learning framework and tool set to offer
parents and whānau structured and specific advice about how to support their
child’s learning. Parents and whānau contribute invaluable knowledge about their
child and learn the skills of inquiry so they feel confident to ask their child’s teacher
demanding questions about their child’s learning.

Parents and whānau receive literacy and numeracy tools to use at home and bring
back to the centre for others to use when their child has mastered their current
learning targets.
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Using a methodical approach, the Early Learning Support Advisor establishes 10
week targets co-constructed with parents and whānau. These targets become the
basis for the next review session.

The school follows-up with parents and whānau at regular 10 week intervals by
phone or face to face.

Parents and whānau are encouraged to drop in to the Parent Centre, text message
or email if they strike a problem or run out of ideas.

Annual targets for educational outcomes are set and monitored as part of the school
charter.

Key assessment tools used include asTTle (Reading, Writing and Numeracy), Junior
Assessment in Maths (JAM), Six Year Survey Data, He Matai Matatupu and School
Entry Assessment.
The Ministry will support the implementation of the Mutukaroa programme in a school
for one year by:
How will the support
contribute to
classroom practice
and school
capability?

funding release time and costs for Mutukaroa experts to deliver workshops and
observe practice in participating schools/kura;

providing learning and change facilitation to help networks of schools/kura to
develop and embed the leadership and change capabilities required to implement
and sustain Mutukaroa within their schools;

funding release time for teachers and school coordinators in participating
schools/kura to strengthen the model within their school;

developing the Mutukaroa tools and resources (videos, printed and online material)
that will be used by teachers, parents and whānau.
Mutukaroa is utilising the Learning and Change Network framework to bring networks of
schools/kura and their communities together to work through a critical analysis and
learning and change process to facilitate strong community connections - to support the
adaptation and effective implementation of Mutukaroa processes in their particular
school.
The Learning and Change Networks framework recognises that schools and kura with
effective teaching and effective leadership have the inherent capability to undertake
change in practice. The collaborative partnership involving the network members, the
Ministry and external facilitators will support Mutukaroa school/kura networks to
nurture, guide and embed these processes for change.
How will the support
contribute to building
educationally
powerful
relationships with
parents,
whānau/family,
The Mutukaroa programme will:

develop teacher knowledge about the value and importance of linking learning at
home with learning at school and will provide them with the tools and training to put
this into practice

create school/kura networks which involve the key stakeholders – parents,
whānau/family, hapu, iwi and community

ensure the active engagement of parents and whānau, the ‘demand’ side of
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Design Elements
Description
hapu, iwi and
community?
How is support
monitored and
measured in terms of
outcomes?
education, in learning partnerships, and to provide them with the tools and
knowledge necessary:
o to understand where their children are currently at in their learning
o to understand what their child’s next learning steps will be
o to support the development of core skills in their children.
Student achievement is monitored through each of the learning conversations between
teachers and parent/whānau, which includes ensuring that the current learning steps
have been achieved and next steps are identified.
Individual student achievement will be tracked against National Standards and Ngā
Whanaketanga Rumaki Māori.
Parent/whānau and teacher surveys will be conducted to monitor impact and
improvement on family/community/teacher outcomes.
What needs to be
sustained?
To be an ongoing success participating schools and kura will continue to:

Scrutinise beliefs that position parents and whānau as disinterested or ill-equipped
bystanders in their child’s education. In doing so, challenge the belief that parents
and whānau will never understand their child’s assessment. If parents and whānau
know more they can have a more meaningful conversation and productive
relationships with school.

Focus on developing a shared language about learning so that parents and whānau
are able to engage effectively in their children’s learning and school-wide learning
practices. With the expressed intention of increasing the ‘demand’ from the parent
community and drive high level communication and understanding between
teachers, parents, whānau, and learners.

Understand and utilise assessment data to constantly test thinking against the
standard or raising student achievement.

Take a whole-school approach to delivery with a clear expectation that teachers and
leaders at all levels of the school will be involved in the collective enterprise of
raising the performance of priority learner.

Challenge teachers and leaders to focus on specific outcomes that were likely to
raise student achievement. As a result, school decisions line up more intentionally
with strategic goals, creating a sense of cohesion and purposeful action.
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