Katikati College

School Context

Katikati College provides education for 841 students in Years 7 to 13. The roll includes 19% who identify as Māori and 4% as Pacific. There are 18 international students.

The school states that its valued outcomes for all students are expressed through the school vision of ‘An innovative learning community to maximise people potential’, with the MARK values of Manaakitanga, Ako, Rangitiratanga, Kotahitanga. These are the guiding principles for the charter and school operations. Inclusion, wellbeing and engagement are key desired outcomes.

Strategic goals for 2019 include: providing personalised programmes that meet the needs and aspirations of all learners; attracting, developing and retaining inspiring staff; engaging meaningfully and collaboratively with the wider school community and strengthening partnerships between the College, caregivers and whānau.

Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:

• achievement of national qualifications
• Māori student achievement
• engagement and wellbeing.

Since the November 2016 ERO report, a new principal and three new deputy principals have been appointed.

Evaluation Findings

1 Equity and excellence – achievement of valued outcomes for students

1.1 How well is the school achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for all its students?

The school successfully promotes excellent outcomes for many learners.

A large majority of students achieve at expectation in National Certificates of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Levels 1 and 2 with half the students achieving Level 3. Many of these students receive merit or excellence endorsement of their certificate. This data is consistent over time. Māori and boys achieve less well at all levels of NCEA.

There is no common, overall assessment and achievement picture across subjects in years 7 to 10. Department leaders report that the majority of students achieve at or above expectations in their respective faculties. School leaders indicate there are many students below expected levels of learning on entry at Year 7. There is disparity in achievement for Māori and boys in Years 7 – 10.

Students with additional learning needs are well supported to participate, progress and successfully achieve in relation to appropriately developed Individual Education Plans.

1.2 How well is the school accelerating learning for those Māori and other students who need this?

The school is developing new systems and practices to more effectively track, monitor and respond to the rate of progress of priority learners. Literacy and numeracy data for Year 7 and 8 shows a number of students, including Māori and Pacific, have made accelerated progress through 2018.

2 School conditions for equity and excellence – processes and practices

2.1 What school processes and practices are effective in enabling achievement of equity and excellence, and acceleration of learning?

The school’s broad based curriculum provides many opportunities for students to participate and celebrate success in a wide range of academic, sporting, cultural and leadership activities. Pathways, including tertiary programmes, Gateway, STAR and Industry Training Organisation courses, provide options for senior students who receive sound careers advice and guidance. Leaders are empowering teachers to explore new ways of teaching and learning. Regular review and developments focus on growing student agency, promoting deeper learning and enhancing the presence of culture, language and identity across the school. There is a well-considered approach to transitioning students into the school at Year 7.

Leaders and teachers use a suitable range of assessment tools to gather baseline data, appropriately identify students at risk of not achieving and establish broad annual school targets. Individual student achievement is well monitored. Teachers use this data to identify and respond to students’ interests and learning needs. The introduction of a number of initiatives, such as hubs and rumaki classes, in the junior school is promoting a greater collegial and collaborative approach to addressing the learning needs of junior students.

Trustees and leaders forged powerful partnerships with parents, whānau, iwi and the wider community. Local businesses and industry work collaboratively with college staff to provide a range of opportunities for students to gain experience and develop skills. The introduction of the Pou Arahi initiative involves iwi representatives working strategically with leaders and trustees to better represent and reflect Māori aspirations and perspectives and improve outcomes for Māori students.

A range of systems and processes are in place to promote student wellbeing. Student voice, including anonymous surveys, provides important feedback on many aspects of school operation. Students benefit from the strong schoolwide focus on inclusion. Relationships amongst students and teachers are generally positive and respectful. The new Pou Whare system provides mentoring and coaching for students and complements the work of Deans and form teachers.

2.2 What further developments are needed in school processes and practices for achievement of equity and excellence, and acceleration of learning?

The school and ERO agree on the need to refine assessment practice in Years 7 – 10 to establish consistent expectations and standards across all learning areas. This should:

• provide a clearer picture of progress and achievement for students and parents
• enable more effective tracking and responses to the rate of progress of priority learners
• enhance the use of formative assessment for learning
• support the evaluation of the impact of teaching, programmes and initiatives on student outcomes.

A sound appraisal framework supports teachers to improve their practice and inquire into their teaching. A number of recent refinements have been introduced. It is important to robustly implement this process to support the development of teacher capability and grow collaborative practice to better meet the diverse needs of students. Improving the outcomes for all learners and removing the disparity for Māori and boys is a priority for the school.

Internal evaluation needs further development. Overall pictures of schoolwide information and NCEA achievement are evident. Patterns of achievement and outcomes for individuals and groups and cohorts of students are recognised and shared. A key next step is to more deeply explore this data to identify why the pattern exists, what has worked and where to next.

Leaders and trustees have introduced a number of new systems and initiatives. Developing clear indicators of expected outcomes at the planning stage should assist with reporting of progress and evaluating the effectiveness of these programmes.

3 Other Matters

Provision for international students

The school is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of International Students) Code of Practice 2016 (the Code) established under section 238F of the Education Act 1989. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code.

At the time of this review there were 18 international students attending the school.

The school uses sound processes to monitor the provision of pastoral care, accommodation, English language learning, appropriate learning programmes, community links and achievement for international students.

4 Board Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the board 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
• finance
• 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 and certification
• processes for appointing staff
• stand down, suspension, expulsion and exclusion of students
• attendance
• school policies in relation to meeting the requirements of the Children’s Act 2014.

5 ERO’s Overall Judgement

On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of Katikati College’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Developing.

ERO’s Framework: Overall School Performance is available on ERO’s website.

6 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:

• sound systems and processes to support student wellbeing
• curriculum that promotes student engagement and achievement
• strong links with families, whānau, iwi and the wider community.

Next steps

For sustained improvement and future learner success, priorities for further development are in:

• strengthening internal evaluation to more deeply inquire into data, evaluate the impact of new programmes and promote improvement
• providing more equitable outcomes for those Māori and other students identified at risk of poor educational outcomes
• continuing to grow teacher capability and promote collaborative teaching practice.

Areas for improved compliance practice

To improve current practice, the board of trustees should:

• continue to update policies and procedures to ensure they align effectively and are current with legislation.

Phil Cowie

Director Review and Improvement Services Central

Central Region

17 September 2019

About the school

Location	Katikati
Ministry of Education profile number	117
School type	Secondary (Years 7 – 13)
School roll	841
Gender composition	Female 51%, Male 49%
Ethnic composition	Māori 19% NZ European/Pākehā 69% Asian 7% Pacific 4% Other ethnic groups 1%
Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS)	Yes
Provision of Māori medium education	Yes
Review team on site	June 2019
Date of this report	17 September 2019
Most recent ERO report(s)	Education Review November 2016 Education Review November 2013