Nga Iwi School

School Context

Nga Iwi School is located in Mangere South Auckland. Māori children make up 24 percent of the roll and 73 percent are of Pacific heritage.

The school’s vision is to grow ‘learning-empowered and empathic’ children. In 2017 after consultation with local mana whenua, the school’s original whakatauki, ‘Ngā iwi o te motu, kia kotahi ai: People of the land be one’, was returned to the school. This is now represented in the new school logo, I CarE Manaakitanga. The school values of integrity/ngākaunui, curiosity/pakirehua, and excellence/hiranga, underpin the school vision.

The school’s bilingual unit, Tū Pakari has two classrooms at Māori medium level 3. Children learn through Te Marautanga o Aotearoa.

The school is a member of the Mangere Community of Learning|Kāhui Ako (CoL).

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

• achievement and accelerated progress in reading, writing and mathematics
• progress and achievement in relation to the school’s strategic goals
• outcomes related to community engagement
• other valued outcomes in relation to Te Marautanga o Aotearoa.

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?

Nga Iwi School is highly effective in achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for children. In the past three years there has been a deliberate and strategic approach to lifting achievement.

The majority of children are achieving at or above expected curriculum levels. Since ERO’s 2015 review, writing achievement has lifted significantly. Achievement data indicate that over time children have made accelerated progress in writing and in reading. Over 70 percent of children are now achieving at expectation in reading and mathematics. Improved assessment and moderation systems and practices have contributed to this very good progress.

A small disparity exists in literacy and mathematics for some groups of students. However, school data show that parity is increasing for these students. Over the past three years many Māori and Pacific learners have made accelerated progress in reading and writing.  

Children are well supported to become confident, resilient learners who flourish in a culturally responsive learning environment. Their wellbeing is strongly evident at all levels of the school. Children proudly express their language, culture and identity and are optimistic about their futures.

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

The school is very effective in accelerating the learning of Māori students. School leaders’ strategic approach to targeted professional development for teachers has impacted positively on raising achievement for Māori students.

The school has a strong bicultural identity. Te reo Māori me ōna tikanga is embedded in the life of the school. Improved outcomes for students, particularly for Māori learners, is attributed to this nurturing environment.

School leaders and teachers scrutinise achievement information to identify children who need to make accelerated progress. Specific learning support programmes successfully support these children to lift their achievement.

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 is very well placed to sustain its current effective practices and to promote equity and excellence for children.

School leaders lead the school with integrity. They create a culture of professional inquiry to build teachers’ capability and capacity. High relational trust and collaboration are evident across the school.

Children experience authentic learning opportunities that engage and challenge them. Increasingly children are having a greater role in leading their learning and critical thinking. They have suitable access to digital learning to develop their independent and collaborative skills.

The school has strong partnerships with parents, whānau and the community. These connections enhance student achievement and wellbeing. Families’ home languages are actively encouraged.

Effective stewardship contributes successfully to improve outcomes for students. Children’s wellbeing, and optimal learning opportunities for staff and students are core priorities of the board. Relevant resourcing decisions and strong internal evaluation processes support the school to achieve its valued student outcomes.

Over the last three years the board has developed a high quality physical environment that is culturally reflective of the schools’ contributing community. This sends a powerful message to children and the community that they are valued and able to achieve well. The learning environment is thoughtfully designed to affirm and celebrate children’s interests and identity, and to extend their learning experiences.

Strong internal reporting and evaluation practices support the school’s goals for raising achievement for all students. The community, board, leaders, teachers and students contribute to the school’s internal evaluation processes. Evaluation is systematic and coherent, underpinning school improvement at every level. Internal and external expertise is used astutely to build capability for ongoing improvement, supporting the school’s culture of evaluation, inquiry and knowledge building.

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

Ongoing developments to achieve equity and excellence include:

• continuing to grow capability and capacity to accelerate the progress of those Māori students not yet achieving parity
• strengthening transitions through the school to better support positive outcomes for in-school equity and excellence.

3 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 Vulnerable Children Act 2014.

4 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

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

• leadership that enables and sustains collaborative learning and decision making that is conducive to student learning and wellbeing
• coherent, strategic approaches that builds professional capability and collective capacity to promote equitable and excellent valued outcomes for students
• educational partnerships with parents, whānau and community that are strengths based and affirm children’s, identity, language and culture.

Next steps

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

• increase the use of school information about children of concern, to work towards parity of achievement outcomes for Māori students
• use the school’s coaching model to further grow leadership and teaching capability across the school.

ERO’s next external evaluation process and timing

ERO is likely to carry out the next external evaluation in four-to-five years.

Julie Foley
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)

Te Tai Raki - Northern Region

6 April 2018

About the school