Otamatea High School

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This is the Official Otamatea High School Facebook page
Established in 1966, Otamatea High School is a rural Y7-13, co-educational, fully-funded State High School. Situated in Maungaturoto, the High School is approximately 45 minutes south of Whangarei and 90 minutes north of Auckland when travelling by car. It has four contributing primary schools which are situated at Kaiwaka,
Maungaturoto, Paparoa and Mangawhai. The school also draws students from the wider area of Waipu, Matakohe, Ruakaka and Tinopai. The roll GMFS for 2016 is 394 students. An additional 23 allocated places have been designated for Secondary Tertiary Programme students (Hospitality Academy and Primary Industries Academies).
The school also hosts international and foreign exchange students. The High School has a property occupancy agreement with the Ministry of Education on Bickerstaffe Road, Maungaturoto. The total site area is 7.7060 hectares.
We are a relatively small, rural school striving to offer a wide range of curriculum subjects in order to ‘meet the
learning needs of all of our students’. New features of our curriculum in 2016 are a Senior Pathways class, a composite Year 7 and 8 class focussed on accelerating literacy and numeracy for selected learners, and further developing of a Hospitality Academy.
Otamatea High School has the advantage of having close relationships with our contributing schools (Maungaturoto
Primary School, Kaiwaka Primary school, Paparoa Primary School, Waipu Primary School, Mangawhai Beach School, Matakohe School, Tinopai School) allowing for a smooth transition for junior students into the high school setting.
Our Year 7 and 8 syndicate has been successfully developed to cater for the intermediate years, including a balance of homeroom classes and specialist subjects. The syndicate area includes a playground development and an upgraded modern learning environment and break out space.
The conclusion of our recent ERO report was a positive endorsement of the hard work and dedication of our staff:
“Otamatea High School is well led, managed and governed. Leaders and teachers review the quality of teaching and pastoral care so that students learn and achieve in a supportive and affirming environment. Student achievement, including that of Māori students, continues to improve.”
Students are encouraged to become involved in the life of the school through a variety of activities including sporting, culture, and the arts. Flagships of the school include the Duke of Edinburgh programme where students are supported to work towards and complete their Gold Hillary Award, our annual OTA Arts Festival and success in the Smokefree Rockquest competitions.
Otamatea High School recognises the values of the tangata whenua and the unique position of Maori Culture. The mana whenua of Ngati Whatua (iwi) and Te Uri O Hau (hapu) are recognised. Te Reo Maori is available to all students at all levels. There is also an ongoing commitment to embed tikanga Maori in all other curriculum areas.
Te Roopu Tautoko (whanau support group) are very active in the local community and have good connections with hapu and iwi. The school is involved in the Kia Eke Panuku (KEP) Ministry of Education initiative in 2016. The KEP Strategic Change Leadership Team have developed an action plan which will assist culturally responsive and relational pedagogy to become embedded across the school.
The school enables students to access work experience in an area of employment in which they are interested.
Coupled with this, all senior students have the opportunity to enter the Gateway programme which offers them a chance to gain practical experience in their chosen career. Students are also encouraged to access programmes which the school offers through Northland Polytechnic, Correspondence School, and other tertiary institutions.
These courses are Unit Standard based and include Sport Leadership and Tourism. In 2016 Academic counselling will be offered to all Year 9 – 13 students through their whanau support groups.
The school has established close working relationships with community groups and other educational establishments. These include the Maungaturoto Country Club, Kaiwaka Sports Association, local businesses, local iwi, other Secondary schools, NorthTec and Manukau Institute of Technology. The school also makes use of courses offered by the New Zealand Correspondence School.