Raumati Beach School

Education institution number:

2974

School type:

Full Primary

School gender:

Co-Educational

Definition:

Not Applicable

Total roll:

547

Website:

http://www.raumatibeach.school.nz

Telephone:

04 902 5596

Address:

Raumati Road, Raumati Beach

View on map

Raumati Beach School - 02/08/2018

02 Aug 2018

School Context

Raumati Beach School on the Kapiti Coast has students in Years 1 to 8. Of the 630 students on the roll, 10% are Māori.

The school’s vision, ‘Learning for life’ and its RICH values, ‘Respect, Responsibility, Resilience, Involvement, Curiosity and Having Fun’, are known throughout the school. The school is organized in four teams, Wharemauku iti, Wharemauku, Te Moana and Kapiti, to reflect each student’s learning journey.These names are derived from the local context and were developed with students, staff and the community.

School targets for 2018 are based on promoting student improvement in writing and mathematics for Years 2 and 3.

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

achievement in reading, writing and mathematics, mid and end of year, in relation to the levels of The New Zealand Curriculum
wellbeing
attendance.

Staff have been involved in professional learning in mathematics with an external provider during 2017 and into 2018.

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?

Achievement data shows that most students achieve at or above curriculum expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. Reading is a strength. Pacific students achieve highly in reading and mathematics. Rates of achievement for Māori are below their peers in writing and mathematics.

Writing is an area of concern, with declining achievement for all students. Growing disparity in this area is evident between boys and girls and Māori and their peers. The school is using the Progress and Consistency Tool (PaCT) for writing to support teachers in identifying areas of need for students, teaching and moderating writing.

Year 8 outcomes indicate most students leave school achieving at or above curriculum expectation.

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

The school is developing its effectiveness in responding to Māori and other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration. Data used by staff does not clearly indicate the extent of progress or allow for analysis of acceleration of students’ learning.

The school identifies students with more complex needs and supports their wellbeing and progress with a range of appropriate programmes and internal and external interventions.

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 are engaged within settled environments where instructional organisation promotes active learning. Their learning communities are characterised by respect, cooperation and teamwork. The curriculum design is responsive to the learning behaviours of students. A deliberate approach to developing their key competencies, combines with deepening understanding of school values. Connections involving the school and wider community provide opportunities to extend and enrich student learning. Their voice contributes to decisions about the broad curriculum.

Teachers have many opportunities to develop their professional practice and these are relevant and aligned to school priorities. The Kaitiaki (leadership) Team has a strategic plan that aligns school charter goals with teachers’ inquiries and appraisal, and is supported by appropriate professional development provision. A focused approach to develop middle managers as leaders provides them with a range of opportunities to lead learning and teaching.

Trustees are committed to ongoing school improvement. They seek relevant advice and resources to support them in their role.

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

The priority is to build on current strengths and achieve equity and excellence for all students. Leaders should clearly identify, focus on and monitor all students at risk of not achieving.

Target students are identified by teachers in reading, writing and mathematics and school information indicates some progress for these students. Further understanding of measures for progress and acceleration and more consistent monitoring of target students’ progress should strengthen school processes and improve outcomes for these learners.

Equity and excellence is likely to be achieved by maintaining the focus on all students at risk of not achieving and supported by:

developing greater understanding and use of data to identify and measure progress and acceleration, and using evidence to evaluate of the impact of teaching on learner outcomes
strengthening internal evaluation, to support leaders, trustees and teachers to know what is working well and what needs to change to improve outcomes for all children.

Te ao Māori is authentically reflected through the students’ participation in schoolwide practices. Leaders have identified, and ERO’s evaluation confirms, that a next step in association with whānau, hapū and iwi, is further development of te ao Māori within the curriculum.

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:

inclusive school and classroom environments that promote the purposeful engagement of students in learning
a curriculum that provides a wide range of learning experiences for students
strategic priority and practices that focus on developing teacher capabilities.

Next steps

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

targeted planning to accelerate learning
[ERO will monitor and discuss progress with the school]
internal evaluation processes and practices.
[ERO will provide an internal evaluation workshop for trustees and senior leaders]

ERO’s next external evaluation process and timing

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

Alan Wynyard

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)

Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region

2 August 2018

About the school

Location	Raumati Beach
Ministry of Education profile number	2974
School type	Years 1 to 8
School roll	639
Gender composition	Female 52%, Male 48%
Ethnic composition	Māori 10% Pākehā 85% Pacific 1% Asian 4%
Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS)	Yes
Provision of Māori medium education	No
Review team on site	June 2018
Date of this report	2 August 2018
Most recent ERO report(s)	Education Review June 2015 Education Review July 2011 Education Review June 2008

Raumati Beach School - 19/06/2015

19 Jun 2015

Findings

Students learn in an environment that supports their wellbeing as successful learners. The school is undergoing significant change to bring about improved outcomes for all students. Leaders are upgrading systems to sustain ongoing improvement and processes for curriculum and accountability.

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

1 Context

What are the important features of this school that have an impact on student learning?

Raumati Beach School provides education for 668 students in Years 1 to 8. It has an attached technology centre whose staffs are part of Raumati Beach School and who also cater for Years 7 and 8 students from other Kapiti Coast schools. The satellite class for students with high special needs is governed and managed by Mahinawa Specialist School and Resource Centre.

Since the July 2011 ERO review the school has undergone significant refurbishment and four additional classrooms have been built.

The school has restructured the senior leadership team to create two deputy principal positions. The deputy principal (curriculum) was appointed in 2012 and the appointment process for a deputy principal (administration) was underway at the time of this review. The school has reorganised the way it delivers whole school and targeted professional development, led by the senior leaders and professional learning group leaders.

The school has a positive reporting history with ERO. Progress has been made with the areas for improvement from the previous report.

2 Learning

How well does this school use achievement information to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement?

School leaders are aware that systems and processes for using achievement information effectively to raise student achievement require development. ERO and leaders agree that the next steps are to:

more explicitly identify appropriate strategies to respond to students’ needs, culture, strengths and interests
continue to develop shared understandings of who the learners at risk of poor outcomes are in order to better track, monitor and regularly report their progress at class, team and schoolwide levels
evaluate strategies, programmes and interventions, and their impact on the progress of target students
ensure teachers focus on accelerating learning for target students within class programmes.

School-reported data from 2014 shows that many students are at and above National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. The small number of Pacific students consistently achieve highly. Māori students achieve below their peers in the school.

School data analysis shows that the rate of progress made by students at risk of poor outcomes is insufficient and requires acceleration. Senior leaders are continuing to develop administrative, moderation, and analysis tools to provide clear, reliable, consistent assessment information that can be used to inform planning and teaching. This should include clearly documented guidelines for assessment.

A range of support options is available for students with diverse needs. The school is developing systems to enable shared responsibility for and understandings of referral processes for these students.

Teachers use student achievement data to differentiate their teaching. They increasingly inquire into the effectiveness of their teaching strategies. School leaders and ERO agree on the need to strengthen teacher inquiry processes and to ensure a more deliberate and focused approach to accelerating the progress of underachieving students.

The school’s National Standards reporting to parents in literacy and mathematics is responsive, reflective and future-focused. The breadth of the process is under review and should include reporting achievement across the learning areas.

3 Curriculum

How effectively does this school’s curriculum promote and support student learning?

The school’s curriculum appropriately promotes and supports student learning. It fosters students‘ social, physical and emotional wellbeing. Students have a variety of leadership and extension opportunities.

A range of deliberate teaching strategies contributes to a good level of student engagement in class activities. Where high levels of engagement were evident, teachers:

have strong, positive relationships with students
use a variety of questioning and listening strategies to involve students as self-directed learners
design creative, integrated programmes that respond to current events and student interests.

The school has recently placed emphasis on professional development to build students' social competencies. Students are settled and cooperative. Classrooms are organised with student work attractively presented. A positive, respectful tone is evident at all levels of the school.

The Raumati Beach School curriculum, developed in 2008, is undergoing a comprehensive review. ERO's evaluation supports the development of cohesive statements for teaching and learning across all levels. Aspects of the curriculum are being implemented through the Raumati Beach School RICH learning model: Capture, Develop, and Create, which is used to focus development.

The review has a significant focus on effective teaching practice. Indicators of quality teaching have been developed and trialled for shared and consistent understandings across the staff. Revised guidelines should include:

increased reflection of te ao Māori
the school’s local context
integration of digital learning and information and communication technologies
the principles of The New Zealand Curriculum.

Transition processes into and out of school are well-developed. Close liaison with secondary schools is strengthening students’ transition into Year 9.

How effectively does the school promote educational success for Māori, as Māori?

A team of teachers has led the development of an action plan linked to Ka Hikitia: Accelerating Success 2013-2017 and aimed at enhancing success for Māori learners. Planning includes a focus on Māori student achievement within the school’s charter and annual plan. While the school identifies that there has been improvement, initiatives are yet to significantly impact on Māori learner success.

Around half of the school’s Māori learners participate in kapa haka. Students speak enthusiastically of their involvement in this and in taiaha lessons.

As the school continues to review the curriculum there is a need to improve the response to Māori learners’ language, culture, and identity. Further professional development for leaders and teachers in relation to the Treaty of Waitangi, Māori language and culture should support this development.

4 Sustainable Performance

How well placed is the school to sustain and improve its performance?

School leaders recognise the need to further develop robust systems and processes to sustain ongoing improvement.

Self review is recognised as a tool for improvement. Leaders conduct a range of curriculum and achievement reviews. These provide useful information for making improvements. Developing a school framework for review should help improve understanding of how to evaluate school programmes and initiatives.

Trustees receive a range of information through detailed principal’s reports and charter updates. This contributes to their decision making.

Senior leaders are strengthening schoolwide leadership through roles for team leaders, professional learning groups, and student support.

The school is undergoing significant development and change. It is timely to develop a specific action plan for managing the expected changes to curriculum and teaching practices. Leaders are taking action to enable deeper analysis and interpretation of student achievement information. This should support evaluation of the impact of curriculum and specific programmes and initiatives for ongoing improvement.

Leaders identify that the appraisal process requires further development. This should include:

closer alignment with school goals and priorities at teacher, leader and principal level
continued development of observation and feedback to assist teachers' ongoing improvements to practice
links to improvement and outcomes for learners at risk of poor outcomes.

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

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

Joyce Gebbie

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central

19 June 2015

About the School

Location	Raumati
Ministry of Education profile number	2974
School type	Full Primary (Years 1 to 8)
School roll	660
Gender composition	Female 55% Male 45%
Ethnic composition	Māori Pākehā European Pacific Other ethnic groups	12% 76% 7% 2% 3%
Special Features	Attached Technology Centre Mahinawa Specialist School and Resource Centre Satellite Class
Review team on site	May 2015
Date of this report	19 June 2015
Most recent ERO report(s)	Education Review Education Review Education Review	July 2011 June 2008 July 2005