Te Kura o Ōmanaia

Findings

On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of Omanaia School's performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.

1 Background and Context

What is the background and context for this school’s review?

Omanaia School in the Hokianga provides education for students from Years 1 to 8. The school has a roll of 33 students, mainly of Māori descent. The local people are of Ngāti Kaharau and Ngāti Hau hapū and affiliate to Ngāpuhi.

The 2016 ERO report identified a number of areas the school needed to address. These included making the transition from mainstream to a bilingual approach, developing Marautanga o Aotearoa assessment processes and establishing effective teaching practices. Because of concerns in these areas, ERO decided to continue monitoring the school’s progress through a longitudinal review process.

Over the last two years significant work has resulted in good progress. This progress supports the philosophy and approach to learning that hapū and iwi expect the school to promote.

2 Review and Development

How effectively is the school addressing its priorities for review and development?

Priorities identified for review and development

Priorities for development identified during ERO’s 2016 review included:

• developing and implementing a school curriculum that aligns with Te Marautanga o Aotearoa (TMoA)
• implementing assessment practices
• implementing effective teaching practices to accelerate student progress
• establishing effective internal evaluation across the school.

Progress

Implementing Te Marautanga o Aotearoa (TMoA)

There has been a dedicated approach to the implementation of TMoA. The school’s curriculum design is responsive to the aspirations of students, whānau, hapū and iwi. Together they have identified authentic and meaningful contexts for learning, and the environmental conditions required for children to learn. The curriculum emphasises students’ identity as Māori and connectedness with their lives outside school, and with hapū and iwi events, local history and Ngāpuhitanga.

Assessment practices

Teachers have undertaken effective professional learning about teaching and assessment practices. They have implemented new assessment tools. These continue to be further modified to support the implementation of TMoA and to help teachers provide positive outcomes for children.

Most students in the school have had less than two years in total immersion learning. Their achievement outcomes progress steadily during their time in this setting. Appropriate systems are in place for data management. The principal analyses student achievement well to identify next steps to support learning progress.

Good analysis of data about the acquisition of te reo Māori begins at enrolment. Students’ progress is tracked as they develop and become more fully immersed in te reo over time.

Effective teaching practices

Teachers' effective practices demonstrate their commitment to responding to children’s cultural identity, learning needs and life experiences. Formative teaching practices are used well.

The concepts of whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, wairuatanga, kotahitanga, whakapapa, hapū and iwi connectedness are integrated across the breadth of the school’s curriculum.

The school environment reflects teachers’ holistic and bicultural approaches, and students’ learning and pride in language, culture and identity. Tuakana/teina practices strongly support relational teaching and learning.

Internal evaluation

The board and staff have implemented a strategic approach to ongoing improvements. Good internal evaluation processes are in place to guide strategic development. The implementation of TMoA has been evaluated and this process is ongoing.

The principal has revised the student reporting format to make student outcomes clearer for parents. The board and principal will continue to improve processes across all school operations as they continue to build internal evaluation across the school.

Key next steps

The principal’s appraisal identifies some key next steps to continue growing school leadership practices. The board should consider prioritising some of these goals for 2019 to ensure they are progressed diligently. The board should also consider continuing to use an external appraiser for the principal. A robust performance management agreement would support the principal to meet and sustain the board’s high expectations.

The board has implemented some processes for internal evaluation. They are continuing to strengthen these by implementing a schedule for evaluation across all school operations. This scheduling should help prioritise areas that require further improvement.

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.

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
• school policies in relation to meeting the requirements of the Vulnerable Children Act 2014.

Conclusion

The principal and board have made significant progress in implementing Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, assessment and teaching practices to support total immersion teaching and learning. The school continues to improve student achievement. Internal evaluation processes continue to be improved across school operations.

4 ERO’s Overall Judgement

On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of Omanaia School's performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.

Steve Tanner Director Review and Improvement Services Northern

Northern Region

28 February 2019

About the School

1 Context

Omanaia School in the Hokianga provides education for students from Years 1 to 8. There are 18 students, all Māori and of Ngāti Kaharau and Ngāti Hau hapū, and of Ngāpuhi iwi. Over the last three years the school has had significant changes in leadership, staff, curriculum and assessment.

The school has had a limited statutory manager (LSM), appointed by the Secretary for Education, to provide support with financial and personnel matters. This intervention began in August 2014 and came to a successful completion in December 2014. The board continues to access support independently through the NZ School Trustees Association (NZSTA) to develop their governance capacity.

The current principal was appointed in October 2014 following a period of temporary leadership. Since then new teaching staff and support staff have also been appointed. Prior to the arrival of the principal, the board consulted with their community about the future direction of their school.

The board and principal have decided to move towards a bilingual programme for 2016 and beyond. This sets a new curriculum direction for the school. Since term 4, 2014 the school has been in a transition period. Prior to that, from 2011 to 2014, the school committed to a full immersion programme. Then in 2015 it went back into English medium education using The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC). It has now been decided to progress towards a bilingual approach for 2016. The principal and teacher will work towards developing and delivering a suitable bilingual curriculum, incorporating Te Marautanga o Aotearoa (TMoA) and Ngā Whanaketanga Rumaki Māori (NWRM), for 2016 and the future.

2 Equity and excellence

The vision and values for the school are based on the proverb " Whaia e koe te iti kahurangi, ki te tuohu koe me he maunga teitei. Seek ye the treasures of your heart; if you bow your head let it be to a lofty mountain". School values and attitudes are based on Māori principles and values of kaitiakitanga, manaakitanga, wairuatanga, Ngāpuhitanga and rangatiratanga.

In 2015 the new principal had to begin to develop and gather achievement information as there was no achievement information evident in the school. The principal and teacher developed a National Standards assessment framework aligned with the NZC as a starting point. By the end of 2015 student achievement information showed that most students were achieving at or above the National Standards in reading. It also showed that approximately half the roll were achieving at or above in writing, and at least half the school roll were at or above the expected standard in mathematics.

TThis is the first time National Standards achievement data has been used in the school for many years.he principal and teacher use this data to identify where students are at in terms of their achievement.

3 Accelerating achievement

How effectively does this school respond to children whose learning and achievement need acceleration?

The school is not yet responding effectively to children whose learning and achievement needs acceleration. The principal has provided some analysis of the achievement data for 2015. He has identified the needs of students who are underachieving and how the school can accelerate these students. It is too early to determine the effectiveness of this work.

The 2015 data will not be used in 2016 as the school focus is on developing TMoA, NWRM, and teaching practices that align to these curriculum guidelines. They are at the very early stages of this development.

4 School conditions

How effectively do the school’s curriculum and other organisational processes and practices develop and enact the school’s vision, values, goals and priorities for equity and excellence?

The school is at the beginning stages of significant curriculum change and is not at a stage where there is effective enactment of the school's new bilingual curriculum vision.

The two experienced teachers, who have an understanding of good quality teaching practices, are providing a learning environment that actively engages students in learning.

The principal builds trusting relationships, effective participation and collaboration at every level of the school. The principal, staff and board have a shared understanding of the school's new vision and are progressing the transition process from The New Zealand Curriculum to Te Marautanga o Aotearoa.

The board of trustees develops culturally responsive relationships with the school community to encourage active participation in the school and a good two-way flow of communication about the school's activities. The work of the board is following the vision and aspirations of the community.

Trustees have increased their capability to scrutinise achievement information and learning outcomes for students. They have developed their charter for 2016 -2017 and are ready to set achievement targets for the year.

There is a need now for the board and school leadership to develop internal evaluation frameworks to progress governance and management systems across all operations of the school.

5 Going forward

How well placed is the school to achieve and sustain equitable and excellent outcomes for all children?

Leaders and teachers:

• have not yet adequately built their knowledge of the children whose learning and achievement need to be accelerated
• have not yet adequately established necessary conditions to effectively accelerate learning and achievement
• are not well placed to achieve and sustain equitable and excellent outcomes for all children.

ERO intends to carry out a process of ongoing evaluation to support development over the course of one-to-two years.

6 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 the following:

• board administration
• curriculum
• management of health, safety and welfare
• personnel management
• asset management

During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student safety and wellbeing:

• emotional safety of students (including prevention of bullying and sexual harassment)
• physical safety of students
• teacher registration
• processes for appointing staff
• stand down, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions
• attendance
• compliance with the provisions of the Vulnerable Children Act 2014.

7 Recommendations

ERO recommends that the school accesses further external support to:

• develop and implement a school curriculum aligned to Te Marautanga o Aotearoa
• develop and implement assessment practices incorporating Nga Whanaketanga Rumaki Māori
• develop teaching practices in Panui, Tuhituhi, Korero, and Pāngarau to accelerate the progress of students
• increase the effectiveness of school internal evaluation practices.

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

18 May 2016

About the school