School Context
Ohau School, located in Levin, caters for children in Years 1 to 8. Of the 209 learners enrolled, 26% identify as Māori.
The school’s vision for learners is to ‘Reach each child to teach each child’. This is supported by their mission that ‘Through our striving for excellence in teaching and learning, our students will be self-managing, confident and creative learners, who can effectively communicate with the world around them’. The values of respect, responsibility, kindness, honesty and determination underpin the schoolwide behaviour and mentoring programme, ‘Living above the line’.
Annual goals for the school focus on striving for excellence in teaching and learning through internal evaluation, professional learning, having effective hubs, and establishing a responsive curriculum.
Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:
- achievement in reading, writing and mathematics
- targeted learning programmes
- wellbeing.
Since the November 2016 ERO review, there have been several changes in staffing, including the appointment of a new deputy principal and senior leader. Two of the three board members are newly elected.
Professional learning and development (PLD) has been focused on reviewing and developing the curriculum and strengthening the appraisal process, including teaching as inquiry and coaching. The programme, Titiro ki mua, is being used to support the integration of culture, language and identity in the local curriculum.
The school is a member of the Taitoko Kāhui Ako|Community of Learning.
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?
Since 2017, school achievement information indicates most students, including Māori, achieve at or above curriculum expectations in reading, writing and mathematics.
Boys have not achieved as well as girls in writing over time. The strategies put in place since 2017 to address this have significantly reduced this disparity.
Girls achieved better than boys in mathematics in 2017 and 2018. Data for 2019 shows that this disparity has been addressed.
Information for Year 8 shows that, since 2017, almost all students leave the school achieving at or above curriculum expectations.
1.2 How well is the school accelerating learning for those Māori and other students who need this?
The school is effectively responding to those students whose learning and achievement needs accelerating. School information shows that many learners who were underachieving made accelerated progress in 2019.
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?
School leaders work collaboratively with staff to create a positive learning environment that is inclusive, values diversity and promotes student wellbeing.
Teachers use a suitable range of assessment tools to gather achievement data. Students at risk of not achieving are identified and have their individual progress and achievement effectively tracked and monitored. A range of targeted teaching strategies and programmes are planned and implemented to meet these students’ learning needs.
Students with additional and complex needs are suitably identified and well supported. Individual plans are put in place and progress towards goals is carefully monitored. Appropriate external expertise is accessed as needed. The board ensures that resources for supporting the specific needs of these children are well allocated.
Students experience a curriculum that is personalised, inquiry-based and informed by their interests and learning needs. Purposeful teaching is evident. High expectations for participation, engagement and behaviour are in place across the school to promote positive student outcomes. Expectations for the ‘Living above the line’ programme are highly evident and reinforced. School leaders are effectively leading the re-development of the documented school curriculum.
Students’ transitions into, through and out of the school are well considered and supported.
A strategic and coherent approach to building teachers’ professional capacity and capability is in place. A well-considered appraisal process, including observations and discussions about teacher practice, identifies areas of strength and informs ongoing development. Robust coaching practices have been implemented and are supporting teachers to promote positive student outcomes. Leaders and teachers are effectively assisted to build their capability through relevant internal and external PLD.
Leaders work collaboratively and effectively to create the conditions that promote the school’s valued outcomes. They have clear roles and responsibilities that utilise their strengths to promote and implement change. A strong focus on improvement is supporting teachers and learners to progress and develop their potential.
2.2 What further developments are needed in school processes and practices for achievement of equity and excellence, and acceleration of learning?
Leaders and teachers have identified the need to continue to document and implement the new curriculum and student inquiry process. ERO’s evaluation affirms this decision. This should have a clear focus on the local context and promote opportunities to acknowledge students’ culture, language and identity.
Comprehensive information is gathered to identify progress towards school goals. A key next step is to more explicitly identify desired outcomes and indicators of success linked to these goals. These should better support evaluation of the impact of actions taken, and inform decision making about next steps for ongoing improvement.
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 Children’s Act 2014.
4 ERO’s Overall Judgement
On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of Ohau School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.
ERO’s Framework: Overall Findings and Judgement Tool derived from School Evaluation Indicators: Effective Practice for Improvement and Learner Success is available on ERO’s website.
5 Going forward
Key strengths of the school
For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:
- the positive learning environment that is inclusive, values diversity and promotes student wellbeing
- high expectations for student participation, engagement and behaviour that help to promote positive outcomes for learners
- a strategic and coherent approach to building the professional capacity and capability of teachers
- leaders who work collaboratively and effectively to create the conditions that promote the school’s valued outcomes.
Next steps
For sustained improvement and future learner success, priorities for further development are in:
- continuing to review and embed the new curriculum and inquiry process
- using indicators of success more effectively to evaluate the impact of actions taken on outcomes for students.
Areas for improved compliance practice
To improve current practice, the board of trustees should ensure a suitable system is in place to support the timely review of policies and procedures.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services
Te Tai Tini Southern Region
26 May 2020
About the school
| Location | Levin |
| Ministry of Education profile number | 2933 |
| School type | Full Primary (Years 1 to 8) |
| School roll | 209 |
| Gender composition | Male 54%, Female 46% |
| Ethnic composition | Māori 26% NZ European/Pākehā 66% Other ethnic groups 8% |
| Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS) | No |
| Provision of Māori medium education | No |
| Review team on site | December 2019 |
| Date of this report | 26 May 2020 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review November 2016; Education Review June 2013 |