Wairoa Primary School

School Context

Wairoa Primary School has students in Years 1 to 6. The roll is 238 and most students identify as Māori.  Whānau have a choice of English medium (Aūraki) or Rūmaki pathways. 

The school’s mission is to provide the highest quality learning in a caring environment which values diversity and prepares children for the future.

The vision of ‘E Tu E Tu Tamariki ma; Ko au te akonga, ko te akonga ko au’ encompasses the aspiration for students to stand tall with pride in their whakapapa.

The school values of whakawhanaungatanga, hauora, kaitiakitanga and whakapapa underpin the holistic approach to growing pride, identity and the community spirit in each child.

The school’s annual targets focus on raising literacy and numeracy achievement. Teachers are involved in professional learning in these key areas with a focus on digital learning and fluency to further engage, enhance learning, and promote student independence.

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

• achievement in reading, writing and mathematics
• Rūmaki and Aūraki learning pathways
• attendance
• wellbeing.

An experienced board chair and recently-elected members make up the board of trustees. They have close whakapapa connections within the community and represent the district. The principal is newly appointed since the April 2015 ERO report. The school has longstanding staff members with few new staff.

The school is an Enviro School, and engages regularly with other schools within the district for extended curriculum. The school is part of the Mata Nui o Kahungunu Kāhui Ako.

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 has made progress to achieve higher levels of equity and increased excellence in outcomes for all learners, in reading, writing and mathematics.

The school reports sustained high achievement for all Rūmaki pathway students against national expectations in pānui, tuhituhi me pangarau.

In the Aūraki pathway, most students achieve in mathematics and the majority in reading and writing. The disparity between boys and girls has decreased significantly over time, with some variation of data for girls in 2017. Trend data over time shows all Pacific students achieve at The New Zealand Curriculum expectations.

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

School presented achievement data shows that there has been success in accelerating progress for individuals and some groups of students.

Those students who are at risk of not achieving expected levels are suitably identified, monitored and are known to teachers and leaders.

Establishing a clearer picture about where accelerated progress is occurring and who for, should support the school to know about its overall effectiveness and inform next steps to plan and improve outcomes for priority learners.

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?

Students experience a positive learning environment. Whakawhanaungatanga and manaakitanga are evident in the school and underpin the inclusive culture and relationships. A range of extended curriculum activities engages students and builds their capabilities and interests. These highlight Māori values and are strengths-based.

The school is responsive to the needs of students who require extra support. It works closely with a range of external agencies to develop innovative and inclusive ways to promote equitable opportunities for students to learn. Students with additional or complex learning needs experience a positive transition into the school. Whānau engagement is valued and integral to programme design for individual students.

The school has a sustained focus on developing the capability of teachers. Professional learning responds to student needs, aligns to school goals and is supported by external expertise. A continued focus on mathematics is occurring schoolwide. The current emphasis on the learning dispositions in mathematics aims to promote equity and excellence in this curriculum.

The Rūmaki pathway continues to demonstrate a holistic approach to student learning and achievement. Teaching practices are consistent with culturally responsive and relational pedagogies. Daily cultural routines are steeped in Māoritanga, promoting leadership and tuakana teina competencies. A collaborative approach and commitment to equity, promotes and extends the use of te reo Māori within rich and meaningful contexts.

There is an emphasis on building meaningful learning partnerships with whānau. Leadership seeks out the perspectives of students, parents and whānau. A range of appropriate and effective communication strategies and events engage parents in productive learning conversations. The school identifies and draws on community collaborations to enrich learning opportunities.

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

Through a strategic approach, the leadership team should continue to collaboratively pursue the school’s vision, goals and targets for equity and excellence. Further co-ordinating and aligning practices and processes across the school (Aūraki and Rūmaki) to focus more deliberately on equity of outcomes for all students is an important next step.

More robust and better analysis of achievement data with improved reporting of progress and acceleration for all groups at risk of not achieving, is required. Deepening teachers’ understanding of the progress and acceleration should help to inform targets and improve reporting of those students at risk across the school.

Completing the current review of the curriculum, to include the rationale for implementing new initiatives, and provide expectations for assessment across the school should give clearer guidance for effective teaching practice.

Strengthening teacher inquiry and internal evaluation to lift professional practice should improve identification of identify what is most effective in accelerating learning to inform decision making. Continuing to strengthen trustees’ understanding of review and internal evaluation should support ongoing improvements in student outcomes.

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:

• a continued focus on building capability, aligned to school priorities
• a culture of care and community spirit that systematically responds to students’ needs, promotes their wellbeing and supports their learning
• connections and relationships with whānau, the wider community, iwi and other education organisations that promotes positive outcomes for students.

Next steps

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

• strategic leadership to provide targeted direction and alignment across school systems, processes and practices
• improving stewardship capability to further strengthen ongoing strategic direction and decision-making
• building schoolwide inquiry and internal evaluation to better determine the effectiveness of programmes and actions on improving student outcomes.

ERO’s next external evaluation process and timing

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

Phil Cowie

Director Review & Improvement Services

Central Region

18 December 2018

About the school