Board of Trustees

The Board is made up of the school Principal and a staff representative. The remainder are parent representatives. Our current Board is comprised of:

Chairperson - Leayne Huirua
Finance - Janine Spence
Health and Safety - Roslyn Ching
Personnel/Property - Dion Walker
Principal - Graeme Whitworth
Staff Rep - Michelle Watson
newly elected member 2010-Kyall Green

Board members are charged with running the school within a strict set of  Ministry guidelines, but we are able to include the wishes of our community in the education of their children, therefore we canvass the community on a regular basis for feedback. This kind of consultation allows us to develop our long term planning for the school, and this is reviewed annually.

Board meetings are usually held in the evening two times a term.

Our school and its Board of Trustees is scrutinized on a regular basis by the Education Review Office (ERO) and their comments can be found by clicking here

The following is the Community Page of the most recent ERO report and is a summary of ERO findings

To the Parents and Community of Mosston School

These are the findings of the Education Review Office’s latest report on Mosston School .

Mosston Primary is a contributing primary school for students in Years 1 to 6, located in Wanganui.  At the time of the review, in June 2009, the school had a roll of 130 students, 25% of whom are Māori.  Students learn within a supportive and caring school culture.  Interactions are respectful and affirming.  The recently implemented behaviour management system is well understood and used by all teachers.  Vibrant classroom displays and visual prompts reinforce and support learning, and reflect an emphasis on celebrating success.

Teachers collect appropriate numeracy and literacy data to inform their planning and classroom practice.  Collated reading data shows many students commence school with advanced literacy understandings and continue to exceed age expectations as they move through the school.  Assessment information reported separately for Māori students, shows similar achievement levels to their non-Māori peers.  A review of assessment tools is planned to develop the use of nationally referenced tests to report schoolwide results and inform charter targets.

Students are well supported in their transition to school.  Significant opportunities are provided for parents and whānau to support the learning needs of their children.  Reading logs, and alphabet and basic word notebooks, encourage active parental participation in reinforcing students’ emerging literacy skills.  Little Learners is a valuable initiative that enables students to attend school with their parents and take part in extra literacy learning and transition programmes before they turn five.  Children familiarise themselves with the school environment and teachers are able to determine the literacy, numeracy and social needs of individuals before they enrol at school full time.  

Students experience a range of effective teaching strategies used to improve their writing.  An agreed process for teaching writing is successfully implemented in all classrooms.  The purpose of learning is thoroughly discussed and reinforced during lessons to maintain focus.  Modelling books fully outline successful writing strategies, and provide a useful record for students to revisit previous learning to independently support their literacy development.  Students regularly self and peer assess their writing to help them celebrate what they have done well, and what they can work on next.  An evaluation is planned to determine the impact of professional development on teaching, learning and student achievement. 

The board is well placed to effectively govern school operations.  Trustees engage in regular training to extend their understanding of roles and responsibilities.

Future Action

ERO is confident that the board of trustees can govern the school in the interests of the students and the Crown and bring about the improvements outlined in this report. 

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.

Review Coverage

ERO reviews do not cover every aspect of school performance and each ERO report may cover different issues.  The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to student achievement and useful to this school.

If you would like a copy of the full report, please contact the school or see the ERO website, http://www.ero.govt.nz.

Dr Graham Stoop

Chief Review Officer