129 Awapuni Road , Gisborne
View on mapAwapuni School is located in Gisborne city and serves a wide geographic area. Many students enrol with diverse and specific learning needs. Most students are Māori and 26% are Pākehā.
The school’s valued outcomes for learners are to be active and successful learners, empowered to: ‘learn to love and love to learn’ through the values of ‘Being Kind’.
Strategic targets for 2019 include a focus on developing teacher practice; increasing the number of students making accelerated progress; aligning vision, values and practices; and promoting increased whānau involvement to support students’ learning. The 2019, student achievement target is for Year 6 Māori students to demonstrate progress so that 75% will be in the at expectations for their cohort by the end of the year.
Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:
There has been significant leadership change in 2018. A new leadership team is in place and a new principal commenced at the beginning of 2019.
Schoolwide professional learning and development (PLD) in aspects of literacy has occurred and PLD in mathematics is ongoing.
The school is a member of Taha Whānau (Gisborne) Kāhui Ako| Community of Learning.
A large majority of students, including Māori, achieve at or above curriculum expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. Overall achievement has remained consistent over time. In 2018, there was significant improvement in overall achievement for mathematics.
Schoolwide data in 2018 shows improvement towards more equitable outcomes for Māori students in writing and mathematics. Significant disparity in reading for this group continues. Boys achieve less well than girls over time in reading, writing and mathematics, although literacy results have significantly improved for boys in 2018.
There are well established practices and processes for responsive provision for students with additional learning needs. Provision is coordinated in collaboration with a wide range of agencies and with whānau. Schoolwide practices effectively support their engagement, access to the curriculum and learning success.
There is evidence of accelerated progress for some of these learners, including Māori.
A range of support is provided for students requiring acceleration. A next step is to more clearly show acceleration for groups of learners through:
There is a clear focus and collective approach to providing a positive and supportive environment for students. This promotes their wellbeing, engagement and learning. Established expectations for positive behaviour are well communicated, enacted and known by students. Students’ diverse needs are well identified and deliberately responded to. This supports the provision of holistic support for them and their whānau.
Students demonstrate a sense of belonging and confidence in their learning and environment. Transitions into, throughout and beyond school are well considered and effectively supported. Respectful interactions are demonstrated and promoted. Teachers care for students and their success.
Students’ participation and progress in learning is appropriately supported through deliberate acts of teaching. Teachers promote the use of digital tools and collaboration to support learning. Students are increasingly provided with opportunities to make decisions and know about their learning.
Trustees and leaders value their staff and support them to undertake their roles effectively. Teachers regularly engage in professional dialogue and learning opportunities to develop their practice. The new senior leadership team is working collaboratively to promote consistent and cohesive practices, and to progress strategic priorities.
The new principal is effectively leading review and development in a collaborative, strategic and considered way. Leaders and trustees should further develop and align systems, processes and practices to build the school’s capacity to sustain improvement and promote equitable outcomes for all learners.
This should include:
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:
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student safety and wellbeing:
On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of Awapuni School (Gisborne)’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.
ERO’s Framework: Overall School Performance is available on ERO’s website.
For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:
For sustained improvement and future learner success, priorities for further development are in:
ERO identified non-compliance in relation to policy review and formal consultation with the Māori community.
In order to address this, the board of trustees must:
maintain an on-going programme of self-review in relation to policies
[National Administration Guidelines 2(b)]
in consultation with the Māori community, develop and make known the school’s policies, plan and targets for improving the progress and achievement of Māori students.
[National Administration Guidelines 1(e)]
To improve current practice, the board of trustees should:
Phillip Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services Central
Central Region
13 June 2019
|
Location |
Gisborne |
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
2544 |
|
School type |
Contributing primary (Years 1 to 6) |
|
School roll |
236 |
|
Gender composition |
Boys 52%, Girls 48% |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 70% |
|
Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS) |
Yes |
|
Provision of Māori medium education |
No |
|
Review team on site |
April 2019 |
|
Date of this report |
13 June 2019 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review December 2014 |
Students participate confidently in thoughtfully designed programmes that support them to achieve success. Emphasis on developing identity through connections to cultural heritage assists students’ sense of self worth and belonging. Effective leadership and a focus on improvement contribute to positive student outcomes.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.
Awapuni School (Gisborne) caters for students in Years 1 to 6. At the time of this ERO review there were 286 students on the roll. Most are Māori who whakapapa to a range of iwi groups.
An established and well-informed leadership team continues to work collaboratively with teachers and the community. There have been recent changes of staff, with five new beginning teachers taking up positions in 2014. Leaders place high priority on building teacher potential.
Provision for students with special needs continues to be a strong focus for the school. A Special Needs Specialist Teacher (SNST) leads development and oversees provision for these students. Two teachers act in Child Safety Advocacy roles to provide support for vulnerable children.
The school continues to participate in the Positive Behaviour for Learning project (PB4L) and externally facilitated mathematics professional development.
The school has a positive reporting history with ERO.
Leaders and teachers use data effectively to:
Well-established systems for sharing information ensure that planned programmes and strategies are tailored to students' needs.
Teachers demonstrate good knowledge of students and their families. They are highly responsive to students' interests and wellbeing and collaborate to provide for these. Refining targets for groups of students, by making them more specific, should assist the monitoring and analysis of student progress and evaluating the impact of teaching and interventions.
Most students achieve at or above the National Standards expectations in reading and writing. Lower overall performance in mathematics is being addressed through ongoing teachers’ professional development. Leaders and teachers continue to have confidence in their judgements in relation to the Standards.
Parents and families are regularly informed about their children’s learning and progress through portfolios, written reports and conferences. Students’ participation in conferences is helping to develop their understanding and ownership of aspects of learning.
Students experience learning opportunities that foster their confidence, success and self worth.
Appropriate emphasis is placed on literacy and numeracy to build foundational skills for learning across the curriculum. Knowledge and understanding of early New Zealand and significant local history is fostered. Students learn from rich place-based programmes that have meaning in their lives and nurture their identity.
Teachers create positive, supportive and inclusive environments for learning. Classrooms are well organised, orderly and settled. Teachers share clear expectations and manage routines to help students to focus and succeed. Teachers model and promote calm, respectful interactions.
Students engage positively and are motivated to learn. They collaborate with and encourage each other. The shared values are evident in action.
Transitions into school, from year to year and on to intermediate, are skilfully managed. Students with special needs and their families are well supported. Ongoing, well coordinated interventions promote engagement in learning and school life.
Curriculum review is regularly undertaken by project teams and the findings are used effectively to develop experiences that promote student success.
Māori students and their families are well supported to engage in school life through whanaungatanga. Students demonstrate confidence and a sense of belonging.
Students are well supported to participate and succeed as Māori. Teachers and school leaders place importance on students' connections to their heritage. This is highly evident in the shared values, programme planning and practice. Students enjoy traditional Māori activities including kapa haka, waka ama and kī-o-rahi. Continuing to develop teachers’ cultural knowledge and understanding should enhance their capacity to be responsive to the language, culture and identity of Māori students.
A school kaumātua/chaplain is a pivotal figure in the school. He provides advice, guidance and strong pastoral support for the school community. The board has initiated strategies for enriching whānau involvement in developing future direction.
Effective leadership, well-established practices and a positive school culture continue to support improved outcomes for students. The collaboratively developed vision of ‘love to learn and learn to love’ is promoted and practised. Relationships are open, respectful and productive.
Trustees are representative of their community. They focus on promoting equity, wellbeing and success. The board engages meaningfully with the community to learn and respond to the aspirations of parents and whānau. Trustees are regularly informed about school development and progress towards priorities. They, the principal and staff, are knowledgeable about their community and students.
Senior leaders are thoughtful and strategic. They support teachers to understand school expectations and build effective practice. Leaders' mentoring is assisted by opportunities to increase their expertise in this area. Further development of processes for teachers' inquiry and appraisal is likely to be useful in sustaining and improving practice.
Self review is highly reflective and improvement-focused. Evidence from a wide range of sources is accessed to monitor outcomes and review goals. These processes should be used to evaluate how well programmes and actions have accelerated the progress of priority and targeted learners.
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:
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student achievement:
Students participate confidently in thoughtfully designed programmes that support them to achieve success. Emphasis on developing identity through connections to cultural heritage assists students’ sense of self worth and belonging. Effective leadership and a focus on improvement contribute to positive student outcomes.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.
Joyce Gebbie
National Manager Review Services
Central Region
9 December 2014
|
Location |
Gisborne |
|
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
2544 |
|
|
School type |
Contributing (Years 1 to 6) |
|
|
School roll |
286 |
|
|
Gender composition |
Female 50%, Male 50% |
|
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Tongan Indian Other ethnic groups |
71% 26% 1% 1% 1% |
|
Review team on site |
October 2014 |
|
|
Date of this report |
9 December 2014 |
|
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review Education Review Education Review |
October 2010 June 2007 June 2004 |