Awhitu District School

Summary

Awhitu District School is located at the northern end of the Awhitu Peninsula near Auckland. The current roll of 126 children includes 26 Māori children, a small number of whom whakapapa to Ngāti Te Ata, the local iwi. There is also a small number of Pacific children.

Since the last ERO review in 2014 there has been a complete change in the teaching team. This includes a new principal, who started at the beginning of 2016. A mainly new board is led by an experienced chairperson.

The school belongs to the Waiuku Community of Learning | Kāhui Ako.

How well is the school achieving equitable outcomes for all children?

The school responds effectively to many Māori and other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration. Effective systems for monitoring and tracking mean that trustees, leaders and teachers know which children are at-risk of not achieving. Learning and teaching is increasingly responsive to their needs and strengths. There are examples of high-quality internal evaluation in relation to children’s progress and achievement.

The school needs to further develop a culturally responsive and relational framework for teaching and learning that will bring coherence to ongoing improvement. A more robust approach to curriculum review should result in deeper, more sustainable improvements in classroom programmes and teacher practice.

Learners are achieving well. The school demonstrates strong progress toward achieving equity in educational outcomes, supported by effective, sustainable processes and practices.

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

Equity and excellence

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

The school is responding effectively to many Māori and other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration.

Overall achievement in reading had remained stable between 2013 and 2015 whereas achievement in writing and mathematics had declined. However, there has been improvement, particularly in mathematics and writing in 2016. Achievement of Māori remains below that of non–Māori and boys’ achievement below that of girls.

The school is able to show that from the beginning of 2017, of the 16 Māori and other children who were achieving below national expectations, 4 have made accelerated progress in reading. Of the 29 Māori and other children below expectation in mathematics, 10 have made accelerated progress. Seven out of 27 have achieved similar results in writing.

The school emphasises values of personal best, respect, integrity, determination and exploration. These are well understood and enacted by many children.

Since 2016 the school has strengthened the process teachers use to make overall judgements about student progress and achievement, (OTJs).

Children with additional needs are very well supported. The special needs coordinator uses an extensive network, built up over many years, to access a wide range of resources and support. A specially adapted curriculum has been put in place to enable these children to experience success.

School conditions supporting equity and excellence

What school processes are effective in enabling achievement of equity and excellence?

Many school processes are effective in enabling the achievement of equity and excellence.

The board is well informed about the numbers of children who are at risk of underachieving and how teachers are responding to their needs. Strategic planning, goals and targets are being used effectively by leaders and the board to identify and focus on the progress of children who are at risk of underachieving.

Leaders have developed relational trust with the school community and have developed high expectations for teachers and children. This promotes high levels of child engagement and a positive school culture.

Children are benefitting from the increasing use of the skills and knowledge of Māori members of the community to support them in their learning. Teachers have begun to engage effectively with parents and whānau as partners in their children’s learning.

The curriculum is increasingly responsive to the aspirations of parents, whānau and the local community, and to the needs and strengths of children. Leaders and teachers are committed to ensuring that te ao Māori is visible throughout the curriculum and school life. Children are developing a strong sense of identity as members of their local community and citizens of Aotearoa/New Zealand.

Teachers are increasingly using evidence of student learning and progress as a basis for professional discussion and inquiry. Professional learning and development has a focus on accelerating the progress and achievement for all children. Inclusive processes and practices, particularly systems for monitoring and tracking, support teachers to identify and plan for children’s specific learning needs.

The school is increasingly able to evaluate the impact of new initiatives on children’s achievement.

Sustainable development for equity and excellence

What further developments are needed in school processes to achieve equity and excellence?

The school needs to further develop a culturally responsive and relational pedagogy as a coherent framework for responding to the needs of Māori and other learners.

There is also a need to strengthen processes for ongoing curriculum review with a focus on building teacher capacity. This should result in deeper, more sustainable improvements in classroom programmes and teacher practice.

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
• 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 Vulnerable Children Act 2014.

Going forward

How well placed is the school to accelerate the achievement of all children who need it?

Learners are achieving well. The school demonstrates strong progress toward achieving equity in educational outcomes, supported by effective, sustainable processes and practices.

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

Lynda Pura-Watson

Deputy Chief Review Officer Waikato / Bay of Plenty

31 October 2017

About the school

1 Context

What are the important features of this school that have an impact on student learning?

Awhitu District School is located in an attractive rural setting on the Awhitu Peninsula near Waiuku. It is a full primary catering for students from Years 1 to 8. At the time of this review the roll was 119, with 22 students of Māori descent.

In consultation with the community, the school has reviewed its charter and established a shared vision and values to develop the foundations and desire for children to become life-long learners. The school continues to be the centre of the local community and benefits from strong support. Many families have attended the school through several generations and new families are made to feel welcome. Parents and whānau work in partnership with teachers and an inclusive, family oriented school culture has been established.

Students come from within the community and surrounding districts. They share a strong sense of belonging and take pride in their school. They benefit from an extensive range of authentic and meaningful learning experiences within the school and wider community. This year the school has established a student council that provides leadership opportunities, and ensures that students' views and ideas are included in school decision making.

The school has had a positive reporting history with ERO. Since the last ERO review in June 2009 there have been significant changes in staff and board membership. This includes a number of new board members. A new principal was appointed at the beginning of 2014 and a new deputy principal in 2013. The new principal has set a clear priority, which is to develop more robust self-review practices. This is expected to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of school-wide practices to promote student progress and achievement.

Teachers keep up to date with current education practices and have undertaken relevant professional development in assessment, literacy, numeracy and inquiry learning.

2 Learning

How well does this school use achievement information to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement?

The school uses achievement information well to make positive changes to students’ engagement, progress and achievement. The principal, in consultation with staff, analyses school-wide assessment information to monitor and evaluate student progress and achievement against National Standards. Student achievement information is also used to improve school-wide systems and practices.

School achievement information indicates that the proportion of students achieving at and above the National Standard is consistent with expected levels in mathematics; it is lower in reading and writing. The school has set relevant targets and goals for supporting students to raise their progress and achievement levels.

The board is kept well informed. The principal reports on student achievement and progress made towards meeting agreed school targets and goals. The board uses this information to make informed decisions about resourcing, special programmes and interventions to support priority learners. These students are well catered for in classroom programmes.

Students have a good understanding about what and why they are learning. They have many opportunities to discuss their learning and ideas with one another. They enjoy the opportunities to challenge themselves physically, socially and academically.

Parents and whānau receive comprehensive written reports and have many opportunities to discuss and contribute to their children’s education. They find the principal and teachers very approachable and open communication promotes close partnerships between home and school.

The principal has identified and ERO and the board agree that self-review practices need to be further strengthened by aligning school systems, processes and practices at all levels. Aligning self-review practices should provide the school with more robust and evidence based information.

3 Curriculum

How effectively does this school’s curriculum promote and support student learning?

The school’s curriculum effectively promotes and supports student learning. The curriculum is closely aligned to the principles of The New Zealand Curriculum and is responsive to the aspirations of the school community. The school values have been recently reviewed after extensive consultation with students, staff, board and community. They underpin all aspects of school life. Promoted as ‘PRIDE’, these values encourage students’ personal best, respect, integrity, determination and exploration.

The school promotes an inclusive culture that is family oriented and values diversity. Students experience a positive climate for learning and a safe physical environment where they are able to challenge themselves and take risks. Good use is made of the community environment to extend and enrich student learning opportunities. This includes camps, land care, outings to the local beach and use of the rural environment. People in the community regularly contribute to the educational programmes. A reciprocal arrangement is that students are encouraged to give back to their community by supporting local emergency services, and taking part in trees for survival planting and other environmental projects.

A feature of the school is the respectful and trusting relationships evident at all levels. A strong emphasis is placed on buddy relationships where older students support their younger peers. There are high expectations for students’ behaviour and learning. Teachers know students and their families well, and have established positive and open communication that supports students’ wellbeing.

There is high-quality teaching across the school. Teachers use a wide range of effective strategies to meet the differentiated learning interests and needs of students. Teachers ensure that students know the purpose of learning and know what they need to do to be successful. They give children regular feedback, positive reinforcement about learning progress and constructive feed forward about their next learning steps.

How effectively does the school promote educational success for Māori, as Māori?

At the time of this ERO review the school had 22 students of Māori descent. The school culture promotes educational success for Māori as Māori. Students spoken with by ERO expressed pride in their school and a strong sense of belonging. Māori students and whānau are actively involved in school life and accept leadership opportunities. Programmes are inclusive of Māori contexts and local history. Sites of historical significance to Māori also provide a focal point for student learning.

The school has identified that Māori students as a group achieve at levels similar to other students in mathematics, but significantly lower in reading and writing. The board and staff have set targets and goals for these students with the aim of improving their achievement levels.

The principal has identified and ERO agrees that the school needs to strengthen Māori dimensions across the school. They have begun the process by building stronger links with local iwi and supporting teachers to build their professional knowledge and confidence in te reo and tikanga Māori practices.

4 Sustainable Performance

How well placed is the school to sustain and improve its performance?

The school is well placed to sustain and improve its performance. School leaders, trustees, teachers and the school community work collaboratively to support student learning and improvement to school operations. The new principal is providing effective professional leadership and trustees are committed to supporting the school. Self-review practices are focused on continual improvement and outcomes for students. Teachers are dedicated and reflective practitioners, who undertake regular professional development to improve their practice. There is strong community support and a proactive parent group (PTA), who generously support school activities. A family oriented and inclusive school culture contributes to an environment that supports student wellbeing and success.

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.

When is ERO likely to review the school again?

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

Dale Bailey

National Manager Review Services

Northern Region

19 May 2014

About the School