Titahi Bay North School

Titahi Bay North School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report 

Background

This Profile Report is the result of the Education Review Office and Titahi Bay North School 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 

Titahi Bay North School situated in Titahi Bay, Porirua provides education for students in Years 1 to 8 in Māori and English medium. There have been three changes of principal in recent time. The new principal, appointed to start beginning of 2024 and the board are supported by a commissioner, to effect a change programme for school operation and establish optimum teaching and learning conditions. 

Titahi Bay North School’s strategic priorities for learners are to:

  • design and deliver the school curriculum in both Māori and English medium
  • have their learning team nurture positive relationships with students and whānau
  • communicate, co-operate and have clear processes, procedures and practices in place for school operation.

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Titahi Bay North School’s website.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well improved school conditions, including leadership, teaching and learning practices impact on the wellbeing, progress and achievement of all ākonga

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to: 

  • improve the engagement, progress and achievement outcomes for all ākonga
  • facilitate greater use of achievement information to meet the needs of all ākonga
  • strengthen leadership and stewardship internal evaluation processes to support and inform ongoing school improvement.

The school expects to see:

  • schoolwide consistency in effective teaching, learning and assessment practices
  • continued improvement in teacher data literacy and assessment practice
  • leadership for learning, resulting in effective decision-making and resourcing that significantly improves the school’s performance and ākonga outcomes.

Strengths 

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to increase the wellbeing, progress and achievement of ākonga:

  • learners experience positive relationships with peers and staff
  • established school values that supports cultural capital and the mana of ākonga and whānau
  • engagement with external support to facilitate improvement in leadership and decision-making.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • improving schoolwide consistency in effective teaching, learning and assessment practices that result in improved achievement and equitable outcomes for all ākonga
  • reviewing assessment practices and use of reliable achievement information to inform planning and reporting, for improved outcomes for all ākonga
  • strengthening capacity for effective leadership, resulting in improved and sustainable school performance.

ERO has concerns about 

The urgent need to:

  • implement robust evidence-based systems and processes to enable the board and school leadership to effectively use, report and scrutinise wellbeing, progress and achievement information schoolwide
  • ensure governance and leadership understand legislative requirements to bring about and sustain school conditions that ensure the health and safety of all students. 

Recommendation

ERO recommends that the school continues to access the New Zealand School Trustees Association’s training for boards. This should provide support to understand roles, responsibilities and legislative requirements, focused on improved, sustainable outcomes for ākonga and embedding effective stewardship and leadership.

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all ākonga. 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. 

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

27 May 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

Titahi Bay North School

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2023 to 2026

As of December 2023, the Titahi Bay North School Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:   

Board Administration

No

Curriculum

No

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

No

Personnel Management

Yes

Finance

Yes

Assets

Yes

Actions for Compliance 

ERO and the board have identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process: 

  • reporting to students and their parents on the progress and achievement of identified students who are not progressing and/or achieving, or are at risk of not progressing/achieving or who have special needs including gifted and talented

  • in consultation with the school’s Māori community, developed and made known to the school’s community policies, plans and targets for improving the progress and achievement of Māori students

  • worked towards offering students opportunities for learning second or subsequent languages (Years 7-10)

  • complied with the requirement to adopt a statement on the delivery of the health curriculum, at least once in every two years, after consultation with the school community

  • provide anti-bullying programmes for students that include a focus on racist bullying, bullying of students with special needs, homophobic bullying, transgender bullying, sexual harassment and cyder safety

  • received assurance at intervals of not more than six months that a trial evacuation has occurred 

  • has documents showing that suitable human resource management practices are implemented, including for non-teaching positions, a safety check including Police Vetting has been carried out, original or certified documents are properly sighted, and the job/role descriptions are in place. 
    [Education and Training Act 2020; Children’s Act 2014]

The board has is taking steps to address the areas of non-compliance identified.

Further Information

For further information please contact Titahi Bay North School, School 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

27 May 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

Titahi Bay North School - 25/07/2017

Summary

Titahi Bay North School caters for students in Years 1 to 8. At the time of this external evaluation, 112 students were enrolled at the school with 64% identifying as Māori and 8% as Pacific. Te Whānau o Te Kakano, the rumaki Māori whānau within the school, supports 42 students in full immersion classes. Both The New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa guide the school’s local curriculum.

The school’s mission is Kotahitanga i te Matauranga; ‘Our future is learning together as one’. The values for Ngā Rumaki Auraki (English medium) are respect, environmental sustainability, inquiry and aiming high. Te Whānau o Te Kakano values are based on Te Whare Tapa Wha ‘Taha Wairua, Taha Tinana, Taha Whānau, Taha Hinengaro.’ These values underpin school culture. Promoting students’ physical and spiritual wellbeing is a key strength of the school.

Leaders and teachers have been involved in a wide range of professional learning and development programmes since the October 2014 ERO report.

How well is the school achieving equitable outcomes for all children?

The school is well placed to improve and sustain equitable outcomes for all learners. Student achievement in relation to National Standards shows that achievement rates have increased for reading, writing and mathematics. Leaders have identified that accelerating boys’ achievement in writing is a focus in 2017. It would be useful for the school to explore further and address the reasons for any fluctuations and disparity of achievement evident over time.

A significant number of Year 1 and 2 students across the school are below expectations in the applicable National Standards or Ngā Whanaketanga Rumaki Māori (Ngā Whanaketanga). However, the school’s assessment information shows that progress for most is accelerated as learners move through the school. By the end of Year 8, most students achieve at or above in relation to the National Standards and manawa ora and manawa toa in Ngā Whanaketanga in all learning areas. Over the past three years, student achievement information shows a general trend of improvement.

Student achievement in relation to Ngā Whanaketanga Rumaki Māori indicates that over the past three years most students are achieving well in pāngarau, pānui, kōrero, and tuhituhi, with boys achieving better than girls in pāngarau.

To improve outcomes for students, leaders and teachers should continue to strengthen assessment practice, proceed with planned curriculum review and further develop internal evaluation approaches including teaching as inquiry. The school has identified that continuing to develop learning partnerships with parents, whānau and families is a key next step. ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.

Equity and excellence

How effectively does this school respond to Māori and other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration?

The school responds well to Māori and other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration.

School reported data for 2016, shows that most students in Ngā Ruma Auraki achieve at or above in relation to National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Reported data for Te Whānau o te Kakano shows that most students are manawa ora or manawa toa in pānui, tuhituhi, kōrero and pāngarau. Leaders have identified mathematics and kōrero as two essential learning areas where children’s learning and achievement needs acceleration.

Teachers use an appropriate range of assessment tools to collect data to identify those students whose learning requires acceleration. They analyse this information to inform learning programmes and teaching strategies.

Leaders and teachers actively engage with other schools to support their decisions when making their judgements about students’ achievement. They share knowledge with colleagues to assist them to make dependable judgements. Continuing to clarify and document the decision-making process should help teachers to make well-informed assessment judgments.

School conditions supporting equity and excellence

What school processes are effective in enabling achievement of equity and excellence?

The dual curriculum provides a clear direction for teaching and learning and that every child has the opportunity to learn, progress and achieve. The views of the community are sought and whānau aspirations promoted. Reflecting and celebrating Ngāti Toa Rangatira through a kaupapa Māori framework is highly evident in the learning programmes offered. The school has planned for ongoing reviews of the school’s curriculum as part of their continuous improvement approach.

A calm learning environment supports students’ learning, and their physical and spiritual wellbeing. Relationships between students and adults are positive and respectful. Teachers have high expectations, and use a range of effective strategies to encourage students to take responsibility for their learning. Students know what they are learning, and when and where to seek help or guidance.

Parents, whānau and the community are welcomed and active participants in school activities and events. Strong relationships with whānau, parents and families have been established. Leaders and teachers share and use information with whānau to help support their children. The school has identified that continuing to develop learning partnerships with parents, whānau and families is a key next step.

Leadership is collaborative and promotes ongoing improvement and student success. A comprehensive appraisal system supports teachers to build their capability. Key stakeholders have opportunities to contribute to this process. Their feedback is valued.

The board of trustees have had significant change of membership with long-serving trustees retiring and new members being elected and co-opted. The new board are active in accessing professional learning and development to further their knowledge and understanding of their roles and responsibilities.

Sustainable development for equity and excellence

What further developments are needed in school processes to achieve equity and excellence?

ERO and the school agree that trustees, leaders and teachers should further develop evaluation capabilities to assist with improving practice. Internal evaluation approaches should be supported by establishing clear measureable outcomes for accelerating student achievement. Consideration of the extent or progress towards these outcomes should strengthen the evaluation of the effectiveness of teaching and innovation strategies on promoting equity and excellence.

Teachers and leaders are building their capabilities through an inquiry and knowledge building framework to help develop and improve their practice. Continuing to build understanding and embed effective implementation of the teaching as inquiry framework should further support teachers identifying strategies that have the most impact on student outcomes.

Other key developments for ongoing improvement include:

  • further strengthening of moderation practices
  • continuing curriculum review
  • the ongoing development of learning partnerships with parents, whānau and families.

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

  • 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. 

Going forward

How well placed is the school to accelerate the achievement of all children who need it?

Children are achieving well. The school demonstrates strong progress toward achieving equity in educational outcomes, supported by effective, sustainable processes and practices.

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

Alan Wynyard

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)

25 July 2017 

About the school 

Location

Porirua

Ministry of Education profile number

3044

School type

Full Primary (Years 1 to 8)

School roll

112

Gender composition

Female 52%, Male 48%

Ethnic composition

Māori 64%
Pākehā 19%
Pacific 8%
Other ethnic groups 9%

Provision of Māori medium education

Yes

Number of Māori medium classes

Two

Total number of students in Māori language in English medium (MLE)

42

Number of students in Level 1 MME

42

Review team on site

May 2017

Date of this report

25 July 2017

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review October 2014
Education Review August 2011
Education Review September 2008