Woodcocks Road , Warkworth
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Mahurangi College
School Evaluation Report
Tēnā koutou e mau manawa rahi ki te kaupapa e aro ake nei, ko te tamaiti te pūtake o te kaupapa. Mā wai rā e kawe, mā tātau katoa.
We acknowledge the collective effort, responsibility, and commitment by all to ensure that the child remains at the heart of the matter.
Context
Mahurangi College, located in Warkworth north of Auckland, provides education for students from Years 7 to 13. The school's pride values include: Whāia te iti Kahurangi (the pursuit of excellence), Manaakitanga (respecting self & others), Ako (being innovative & curious) Manawaroa (being determined & resilient) and Atawhai (being empathetic & kind).
There are three parts to this report.
Part A: A summary of the findings from the most recent Education Review Office (ERO) report and/or subsequent evaluation.
Part B: An evaluative summary of learner success and school conditions to inform the school board’s future strategic direction, including any education in Rumaki/bilingual settings.
Part C: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle.
Part A: Previous Improvement Goals
Since the previous report in December 2022, ERO and the school have been working together to evaluate the extent to which literacy initiatives in the delivery of the local curriculum contribute to positive outcomes in student achievement. The school is aware that significant emphasis needs to be given to literacy development and progression to ensure equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners.
Expected Improvements and Findings
The school expected to see:
- Planned changes in its approaches to literacy, curriculum planning and pedagogy resulting in equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners, including Māori, students with special educational needs, and learners who were at risk of underachievement.
- Significant progress has been made in designing and implementing evidence informed structural teaching approaches.
- Junior student achievement in literacy and numeracy has been prioritised; most learners achieve above their curriculum level and many learners make accelerated progress.
- Teachers’ professional learning has resulted in a more consistent and collaborative schoolwide approach to teaching literacy across the curriculum.
Other Findings
During the course of the evaluation the Mahurangi College Principles of Instruction were developed to guide teacher practice and inform curriculum design. Most Year 11 students achieved the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) literacy and numeracy requirements; a small target group of Year 7 and 8 students who required additional support made accelerated progress in literacy. University Entrance achievement has increased with a large majority of students achieving this qualification. Consistent, agreed teaching methods are now common practice across the school from Years 7 to 13
The greatest shift that occurred in response to the school’s action:
- an increased strategic commitment to using evidence-informed agreed teaching practices across the school, leading to accelerated progress for most students
- a strengthened, coherent, well-sequenced knowledge-rich curriculum, which also ensures students see their cultures reflected in lessons
- teachers increasingly plan collaboratively to address literacy needs more effectively across the school.
Part B: Current State
The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.
Learner Success and Wellbeing
Students are well engaged, make positive progress, and succeed across a wide range of learning opportunities. |
- Most students in Years 7 to 10 achieve at or above the expected curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics.
- The school has identified disparity of achievement for Year 7 to 10 Pacific students; the school has plans to address this disparity.
- Most students achieve NCEA at Levels 1, 2 and 3; close monitoring assists students to achieve intended outcomes.
- Less than half of students attend school regularly and the school is not yet meeting the Ministry of Education’s target for regular attendance; thorough school processes for monitoring and following up unexplained absences are evident, and initiatives are in place to improve this area.
Conditions to support learner success
Leadership fosters and sustains a culture committed to quality teaching, and equity and excellence in learner outcomes. |
- Leaders ensure effective planning, coordination and evaluation of the school’s curriculum and teaching; expectations for high-quality, consistent structured teaching and learning have been implemented across the school and systematically monitored.
- Collaborative leadership across the school brings about a shared understanding of the school’s direction; this supports a cohesive approach to delivering structured teaching and learning approaches school wide.
- Leaders have high expectations for teaching and learning; individual skills and expertise of staff are used appropriately to further strengthen consistency of practice school wide.
Learners benefit from consistent, agreed structured teaching and learning school wide. |
- Clear, evidence based structured teaching and learning is delivered school wide, guiding lesson development and teaching practice, improving student outcomes.
- A consistent and embedded model of teaching supports all students, including those with high needs, to learn and achieve successful outcomes.
- Teaching practice is responsive to students’ learning needs, interests and cultural identities.
Coherent schoolwide systems, processes, and teaching practices lead to most students experiencing successful learning, progress, and achievement outcomes. |
- All staff take shared responsibility for improving student outcomes and conditions for learning, embedding consistent teaching practices to support increased achievement.
- Leaders and teachers appropriately identify learners with additional and complex learning needs and work in collaboration with parents and whānau to support progress and achievement.
- Focused schoolwide professional learning, aligned with robust coaching and mentoring practices, effectively builds teacher practice that improves student outcomes.
- Leaders provide comprehensive information to the board that ensures resourcing decisions are aligned with identified priorities for learner success.
Part C: Where to next?
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
- respond to analysed patterns in attendance and introduce stepped responses to increase the rates of regular attendance for all learners
- support Pacific students to achieve personal success that keeps pathways in and beyond school open to them by building the cultural capability of teachers
- increase the percentage of learners gaining NCEA Level 2 and 3 overall endorsements by continuing to strengthen teaching practices grounded in the science of learning
- increase the number of learners meeting or exceeding curriculum expectations in numeracy and literacy in the Years 7 to 11 targeted group by implementing interventions for those learners tracking below expectation.
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Within six months:
- continue to support and refine the literacy and numeracy programmes for target learners in year 7 to 10 and those who need to make accelerated progress
- continue to implement strategies to improve regular attendance
Every six months:
- observe best practice in structured teaching and evaluate this against current teaching and learning at Mahurangi College
- increase strategic resourcing and continue to communicate more effectively with parents and whānau about the need to be in school
- continue to grow language and literacy capacity across the school
- continue to work with families and stakeholders to further build connections and deepen the feeling of belonging for Pacific students
Annually:
- review course selection processes to ensure students are selecting pathways that enable them to achieve their potential
- continue to promote an academic culture within Mahurangi College that fosters high expectations for all students
- continue to analyse progress and implement further interventions if required for any students at risk of underachievement
- evaluate impact of strategies to improve regular attendance to inform planning.
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
- increased rates of attendance for all groups of learners
- equitable achievement for Pacific students and keeping all pathway open to them within school and beyond
- systems and interventions fully embedded to support all students to achieve their potential even those who are at risk of underachieving.
ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.
Me mahi tahi tonu tātau, kia whai oranga a tātau tamariki
Let’s continue to work together for the greater good of all children
Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools
4 December 2024
About the School
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Mahurangi College
Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2024 to 2027
As of October 2024, the Mahurangi College Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:
Board Administration
Yes
Curriculum
Yes
Management of Health, Safety and Welfare
Yes
Personnel Management
Yes
Finance
Yes
Assets
Yes
Further Information
For further information please contact Mahurangi College Board.
The next School Board assurance that it is meeting regulatory and legislative requirements will be reported, along with the Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report, within three years.
Information on ERO’s role and process in this review can be found on the Education Review Office website.
Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools
4 December 2024
About the School
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Mahurangi College
Provision for International Students Report
Background
The Education Review Office reviews schools that are signatories to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020.
Findings
Mahurangi College is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code and has completed an annual self-review of its implementation of the Code.
At the time of this review there were 28 international students attending the school, and no exchange students.
Pastoral care is responsive, caring and proactive. International Students are very well cared for and experience opportunities to develop academically and socially, as well as participate in the wider sporting, cultural and leadership opportunities within the school.
The school provides programmes that enable students to make progress in their academic studies and achieve their learning goals. The International Director regularly reports to the board on the achievement and progress of International Students, as well as their integration into the school life. There are effective and well-established internal evaluation processes in place making sure that issues are addressed efficiently.
Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools
4 December 2024
About the School
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Mahurangi College
Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
Background
This Profile Report was written within 6 months of the Education Review Office and Mahurangi College working in Te Ara Huarau, an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website www.ero.govt.nz
Context
Mahurangi College, located in Warkworth north of Auckland, caters for students from years 7 to 13. A new principal was appointed at the beginning of 2021 and joined an established senior leadership team. The school's pride values include whāia te iti kahurangi, the pursuit of excellence, manaakitanga respecting self, others, and ako our place being innovative and manawaroa curious determined and resilient and atawhai, empathetic and kind.
Mahurangi College’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
-
to continue to develop a culture of genuine mutual respect underpinned by highly engaged behaviour for learning and ‘pride values’
-
to continue to grow highly effective teachers whose understanding of pedagogy is supported by robust research and cognitive science
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to sequence a highly ambitious and responsive curriculum that drives equity in achievement for Māori, special educational needs, and students at risk of underachievement
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to plan for the implementation of a school-wide disciplinary literacy strategy.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Mahurangi College’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the extent to which disciplinary literacy initiatives in the delivery of the local curriculum contribute to positive outcomes in student achievement. The school is aware that significant emphasis needs to be given to literacy development and progression to ensure equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is because the school has identified that:
-
post-covid, disparity within achievement has identified the need for intensive and sustained literacy instruction to enable successful access of the curriculum by all learners
- literacy is the master skill of school and the impact of achieving this goal will be significant in delivering equity in achievement for all learners.
The school expects to see planned changes in its approaches to disciplinary literacy, curriculum planning and pedagogy resulting in equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners, including Māori, special educational needs, and students at risk of underachievement.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to evaluate the extent to which disciplinary literacy initiatives in the delivery of the local curriculum contribute to equitable and excellent outcomes in student achievement.
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teachers increasingly use research to inform their practice to support outcomes for students
- regular internal evaluation occurs to identify initiatives that have the greatest impact for students whose progress needs to be accelerated
- school values are well-known, understood and shared to support students to thrive.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
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resourcing and monitoring the implementation of a comprehensive disciplinary literacy plan
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supporting teachers to become ever more impactful via the provision of high-quality, research-backed professional learning
-
further enhancing a learning focused ako culture which promotes success and equity for all students.
ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. ERO will support the school in reporting their progress to the community. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.
Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
9 December 2022
About the School
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Mahurangi College - 01/06/2016
Findings
Mahurangi College students thrive in a student-centred learning environment. The broad, coherent curriculum supports high levels of student achievement and engagement. School goals drive improvement for learners, particularly priority students. Strong governance and leadership, effective teaching and learning, and partnerships with parents and the community enhance outcomes for students.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.
1 Context
What are the important features of this school that have an impact on student learning?
Mahurangi College in Warkworth continues to attract students in Years 7 to 15 from the wider Mahurangi area. The school now caters for 1308 domestic students and a growing number of international students. The number of Pacific students on the roll is steadily increasing as the community becomes more diverse.
The school’s vision statement is: “To create a dynamic learning environment challenging every student to strive for excellence and to positively contribute to their community”. The student learning centre that caters for students with specific learning needs occupies a central position in the school.
Commitment to bicultural practices is demonstrated through the prominence of the marae and strategic planning focused on raising the achievement of Māori students.
Students use electronic devices to enhance their learning across the curriculum. The "bring your own device" (BYOD) approach was introduced in 2014. School staff ensure that students have equity of access to digital learning.
The school has been part of the Learning Change Network (LCN) which had a particular focus on Pacific student success. Current professional development is designed to extend teachers’ capability in the use of student achievement data across the school.
Major upgrades and refurbishments to the school have provided staff and students with a high quality learning and work environment.
2 Learning
How well does this school use achievement information to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement?
Student achievement information is used effectively to inquire into patterns of achievement, and to identify relevant professional development for teachers in order to improve outcomes for students. Good use of data underpins teaching and learning decisions across the school. School goals provide the impetus for accelerating the progress of all students. High expectations of academic achievement are evident.
There is a settled, purposeful atmosphere throughout the school. Students are engaged in, and enjoy learning. They respond well to the school’s expectations of them as confident, self-managing learners. They adapt to new and changing contexts, and use multiple strategies for learning and problem solving.
Overall, students in Years 7 and 8 achieve at or above National Standards, particularly in reading and mathematics. The school has identified that student achievement in writing, particularly for boys, needs improvement. Appropriate targets have been set to improve outcomes for these learners. There is a school-wide goal of improving student outcomes in writing. Increasing student knowledge of what they do well and where they need improvement is supported by students using writing skills across the curriculum. Reports to parents provide them with good information about their child’s progress and achievement in National Standards in reading, writing and maths, as well as other learning areas of The New Zealand Curriculum.
National Standards data in reading, writing and mathematics for Pacific students is showing significant acceleration of their progress over time. There is good evidence of improvement for Māori students although school data show they, as a group, are achieving below school averages at this level.
The school is beginning to systematically collate achievement information about students in Years 9 and 10. Teachers are identifying valid assessment tools and becoming more familiar with curriculum levels appropriate to expectations for student achievement. Analysing student achievement information across Years 7 to 10, including ethnic and gender analysis and information about accelerated student progress in learning, would further enhance decision making and resourcing.
Mahurangi College students’ results in National Certificates of Educational Achievement (NCEA) compares very favourably with, and generally exceeds, national and similar schools’ results. Māori student achievement is similar to non-Māori. The trend of ongoing improvement is particularly evident at Level 3 and University Entrance. These improvements have been the result of careful monitoring, increased focus, and the school’s determination to provide greater equity of opportunity for students to access tertiary study. Significant improvement in NCEA course endorsements has been sustained over the years. The school has identified the next steps towards achieving the school vision of success for every student as continuing to investigate and trial strategies to improve boys’ achievement and to increase subject endorsements in NCEA.
Students experience high levels of success across areas of the arts, and academic, sporting, cultural, social and service events.
3 Curriculum
How effectively does this school’s curriculum promote and support student learning?
The responsive and inclusive curriculum adapts to, and provides for, students’ learning aspirations. It is very effective in promoting and supporting student learning. Students have effective, sufficient and equitable opportunities to learn.
The school curriculum is strongly aligned with The New Zealand Curriculum, particularly the key competencies, values and principles. These have been adapted specifically to this school’s context. There is a deliberate focus on students as members of, and contributors to a cultural, local, national and global community.
The school’s curriculum design promotes academic achievement across a breadth of subjects. Good work has been done to enable students of different abilities and interests to contribute to and engage in learning across a variety of meaningful pathways. Māori and Pacific themes are very evident in teachers’ planning across the curriculum and year levels.
Strengths of the curriculum include:
- the school’s inclusive practices that reflect their determination to improve outcomes for students with particular learning needs
- strong support for students’ wellbeing including academic and careers counselling
- the use of digital devices and resources in ways that promote learning
- numerous opportunities for student leadership, and leadership of learning
- the strong co-curricular programme that provides many opportunities for students to be active participants in a wider curriculum.
Ongoing review continues to inform the content and structure of the school curriculum. The current review of the Year 7 to 10 curriculum structure is a significant part of the ongoing improvement. Building sound foundations for continuity across the Year 7 to 15 curriculum continues to be a priority.
Teaching practices engage students in meaningful learning through:
- a shared understanding of expectations between students and teachers
- additional opportunities and mentoring beyond the school’s timetable, to support student learning.
Leaders agree that it would be useful to have a regular school-wide survey to gain further information about student wellbeing to inform programmes and initiatives.
Students benefit from mutually beneficial relationships between the school and the community. These relationships focus on the learning partnership between the school and parents. Learning-centred relationships engage and involve the school community. Community collaboration and partnerships extend and enrich opportunities for students to become "confident, connected, actively involved lifelong learners".
How effectively does the school promote educational success for Māori, as Māori?
The school has strongly improved its effectiveness over the past three years in supporting educational success for Māori as Māori. Māori and Pacific students report feeling confident about, and proud of, being Māori or Pacific in this school. They are well supported in their cultural identities.
The school has developed a Māori Achievement Plan in consultation with Māori parents defining success for Māori as Māori. A continued strategic focus on raising the achievement of Māori students includes:
- the school-wide promotion of tikanga Māori
- strong leadership in tikanga to facilitate PLD, provide learning opportunities for students, and liaise and consult with the Māori community
- expectations of student leaders to use and promote te reo me ona tikanga Māori at Mahurangi College.
ERO recommends the college continues to develop teacher and student understanding of, and responsibility for, the concepts within success for Māori as Māori.
4 Sustainable Performance
How well placed is the school to sustain and improve its performance?
The school is very well placed to sustain and improve its performance. The school vision and values underpin school direction, and are widely known and supported by students, staff, trustees and the wider community.
Factors that contribute to effective and sustainable practices to achieve the school’s vision include:
- a collective responsibility within the school community to create the conditions in which all students may experience success
- well considered and strategic decision making by senior leaders, strongly modelled by the principal
- the way leaders build relational trust at all levels of the community to support openness, collaboration and risk taking, and are receptive to change and improvement
- the performance management systems that strengthen and sustain focused professional learning and collaborative activity to improve teaching and learning.
Well considered appointments to the senior management team, aligned to the school’s strategic plan, are enabling this team to lead change in the school and support professional teaching practices. The school is currently developing a teacher profile to enhance teacher effectiveness aligned with Tātaiako: Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners, which promotes culturally responsive pedagogies, to continue to improve outcomes for Mahurangi students
Shared respect and understanding are evident in the way the principal and board relate to each other and work cooperatively to establish a purposeful and successful learning environment for their students. Self review is used to sustain a continuous cycle of development that improves student learning.
The school is now well poised to further sustain and improve its performance. School staff and trustees could further build their capability and capacity in using evaluation, inquiry and knowledge building for improvement.
Provision for international students
The school is a signatory to the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students (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 27 international students attending the school.
The education and integration of international students in the school and community are closely monitored and evaluated. High quality pastoral care, together with academic, vocational, arts and sporting programmes enable international students to be successful across a variety of learning opportunities. Staff responsible for the care of international students regularly review the quality and effectiveness of their provision for these students. The board is well informed about international student involvement, progress and achievement.
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.
Conclusion
Mahurangi College students thrive in a student-centred learning environment. The broad, coherent curriculum supports high levels of student achievement and engagement. School goals drive improvement for learners, particularly priority students. Strong governance and leadership, effective teaching and learning, and partnerships with parents and the community enhance outcomes for students.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
1 June 2016
About the School
Location |
Warkworth |
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
24 |
|
School type |
Secondary (Years 7 to 15) |
|
School roll |
1308 |
|
Number of international students |
27 |
|
Gender composition |
Boys 53% Girls 47% |
|
Ethnic composition |
Pākehā Māori Kiribati/ Tuvaluan African Chinese Samoan South East Asian Tongan other European other Pacific other |
67% 13% 4% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 9% 1% 1% |
Review team on site |
March 2016 |
|
Date of this report |
1 June 2016 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review Education Review Education Review |
September 2012 November 2009 June 2006 |