Findings
Ngataki School has made very good progress since 2014 under the leadership of the principal. Children are benefiting from improvements in the curriculum and teaching practices and are now highly engaged in their learning. It is now time to re-establish a board of trustees that reflects the local community.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
1 Background and Context
What is the background and context for this school’s review?
Ngataki School is located in the Far North and caters for children from Years 1 to 8. Most of the children are Māori, with connections to Ngāti Kuri, Ngāpuhi, and Te Aupouri. The school has two permanent teachers and two classrooms. One room caters for children in Years 1 to 4, and the other for children in Years 5 to 8.
Since 2013, ERO has maintained contact with the school through a longitudinal review process. This approach was based on the school’s poor performance and lack of positive outcomes for children over a long period of time. ERO’s 2009, 2013 and 2014 reports for Ngataki School identified concerns about the quality of teaching and learning, curriculum design, leadership and governance, including financial management and systems for quality assurance and internal evaluation.
After a period of staffing instability, including the principal’s leadership, an acting principal was appointed in July 2013. At the same time, the board of trustees was dissolved and a commissioner was appointed by the Ministry of Education (MoE). In July 2014, the commissioner, a Ngāti Kuri Trust Board representative, was directed by the MoE to establish a combined board of trustees for both Ngataki and Te Hapua Schools. The commissioner appointed a permanent principal to lead both schools, a role that began in Term 3, 2014. This experienced principal continues to hold a dual leadership role. A board of trustees has not yet been established to govern Ngataki and Te Hapua Schools.
ERO has continued to visit Ngataki and Te Hapua Schools from 2014 until the most recent evaluation visit in May 2018. During this time, the MoE has provided professional learning support for teachers and the principal. ERO’s visit to Ngataki School in November 2016 identified that very good progress had been made in all areas identified as priorities for improvement, except governance.
Since that time, the school has continued to engage in significant, targeted professional learning to improve the school’s curriculum design and enactment, and teaching and learning practices. Ngataki School’s teachers have partnered with teachers from Te Hapua School to share and further develop effective teaching and learning practices. This approach has involved teachers, children and whānau making weekly visits to each other’s schools for shared teaching and learning programmes.
2 Review and Development
How effectively is the school addressing its priorities for review and development?
Priorities identified for review and development
ERO and the school identified priorities for review and development that included improving the quality of:
- leadership and governance, including the development of a charter, strategic planning and policy framework, and improvement of self-review and personnel management systems
- the school’s curriculum design and enactment, including careers education for students in Years 7 and 8
- teaching practice, including teachers’ understanding and use of student achievement information.
Progress
Curriculumand teachingand learning
Teachers are highly skilled practitioners. They work collaboratively with each other, the principal, and with their teaching colleagues from Te Hapua School, to design and implement a responsive and meaningful curriculum for children from both Ngāti Kuri schools. Effective and ongoing partnering with whānau enables children to experience a curriculum design that is based in Ngāti Kuritanga.
Learning programmes immerse children in te ao Māori, including scientific inquiry within the Ngāti Kuri rohe. These localised experiences support children, teachers and whānau to learn within and about their own environment. Significantly, they promote children’s pride in their language, culture and identity. Learning programmes enhance children’s critical thinking and problem solving skills. Field trips and using digital devices help to provide significant learning opportunities for children, staff and whānau beyond the local area.
As a result of effective teaching practices, positive relationships, and authentic and personalised learning programmes, children are highly engaged, enthusiastic and motivated learners. Children’s ideas about the curriculum are valued, and they have choice about what and how they learn. Extensive professional learning is helping teachers to promote children’s oral language skills, in te reo Māori and English. This learning provides a strong basis for continual improvements in children’s writing.
Teachers integrate reading, writing and mathematics effectively with other areas of the curriculum. This work is informed by research and external professional support. Teachers’ use of standardised assessment tools, including the MoE’s Progress and Consistency Tool (PaCT), and other professional learning is improving their understanding and use of student achievement information.
Most children achieve at or beyond expected levels of the curriculum in reading and mathematics. The majority of children achieve at expected levels in writing. To further improve children’s writing skills and achievement, this core curriculum area is the current strategic focus for teachers’ professional learning. Most children also achieve well in science and the arts.
The key next step is to strengthen how well teachers and children use achievement and other learning information in order to become increasingly responsive and adaptive as learners and leaders.
3 Sustainable performance and self review
How well placed is the school to sustain and continue to improve and review its performance?
The school is well placed to sustain and continue to improve and review its performance.
Leadership and governance
The school is benefiting from the principal’s strong and capable leadership. Her collaborative approach is strengthening teachers’ and children’s resilience and their confidence to take learning risks, and to be effective leaders and learners. A well-managed change approach, including open and honest communication, is building trust and mutual respect between teachers and staff, and with the community. The school’s meaningful consultation is deepening learning partnerships with Ngāti Kuri whānau and is promoting an engaged and productive learning community.
In partnership with the Ngāti Kuri Trust Board, teachers and whānau, the principal has created a strategic vision and goals for both schools that are connected to The New Zealand Curriculum and to Ngāti Kuri expectations. Strategic goals are well aligned to teachers’ professional learning and to their inquiry-based appraisal. Internal evaluation is used purposefully to sustain and further improve outcomes for learners.
Key next steps
Key next steps for leadership and governance include:
- developing a framework for reviewing policies against current practices and legislation
- aligning the teachers’ appraisal procedures with current Education Council requirements
- continuing to strengthen internal evaluation to inform the school’s strategic direction and change for ongoing improvement
- evaluating, in partnership with whānau, how well the dual leadership role of the principal is working for both schools.
Board assurance on legal requirements
Before the review, the board of trustees and principal of the school completed the ERO Board Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklists. In these documents they attested that they had taken all reasonable steps to meet their legislative obligations related to:
- board administration
- curriculum
- management of health, safety and welfare
- personnel management
- financial management
- asset management.
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student achievement:
- emotional safety of students (including prevention of bullying and sexual harassment)
- physical safety of students
- teacher registration
- processes for appointing staff
- stand-downs, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions
- attendance.
In order to improve practice, the commissioner should support the principal by:
- authorising excursions out of the school that include an overnight stay
- consulting with whānau every two years about the delivery of the school’s health curriculum.
4 Recommendations
Recommendations, including any to other agencies for ongoing or additional support.
ERO recommends that the Ministry of Education work with the school and whānau to reconstitute a board of trustees that represents the school’s community.
Conclusion
Ngataki School has made very good progress since 2014 under the leadership of the principal. Children are benefiting from improvements in the curriculum and teaching practices and are now highly engaged in their learning. It is now time to re-establish a board of trustees that reflects the local community.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Julie Foley
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
3 August 2018
About the School
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Location
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Ngataki, Kaitaia
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Ministry of Education profile number
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1055
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School type
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Full Primary (Years 1 to 8)
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School roll
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27
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Gender composition
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Boys 14 Girls 13
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Ethnic composition
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Māori
Pākehā
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26
1
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Review team on site
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May 2018
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Date of this report
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3 August 2018
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Most recent ERO report(s)
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Education Review
Education Review
Education Review
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February 2015
March 2013
November 2009
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