Kokatahi-Kowhitirangi School

Kokatahi-Kowhitirangi School

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 

Kokatahi-Kowhitirangi School is near Hokitika and Lake Kaniere on the West Coast and provides education for learners in Years 1 to 6. The school’s MARK values (Mahi, Artistic, Respect, Knowledge) align with its vision ‘To leave your MARK’.

There are two parts to this report.

Part A: 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 B: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle. 

Part A: Current State 

The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.

Learner Success and Wellbeing 

Outcomes are improving for most students.
  • Most students achieve at or above expected curriculum levels in writing and mathematics; a large majority of students achieve at the expected curriculum level in reading.
  • Outcomes are increasingly equitable for all groups of students.
  • Learners feel a sense of belonging and are connected to the school that is indicated through student wellbeing data information.
  • A large majority of students attend school regularly; although the school is yet to meet the Ministry of Education’s regular attendance target, leaders have identified barriers to attending school and are addressing these.

Conditions to support learner success

School leaders work effectively with teachers for high-quality teaching and continuous improvement to practice. 
  • Leaders have identified evidence-based strategic priorities with actions that further improve the progress, achievement and equity for all students. 
  • Professional development for teachers aligns with strategic goals to strengthen teacher practice and improve outcomes for all students. 
  • Leaders work collaboratively to build strong relationships with education providers and community groups to increase opportunities for learning and success.
Teachers use a range of evidence-based strategies and clear instruction to further improve outcomes for all students.
  • Teachers provide a school curriculum that provides meaningful learning and experiences, enhancing their engagement, and supporting them to gain sound reading, writing and mathematics skills.
  • Teachers use valid assessment information to inform planning for teaching and learning.
  • Teachers use relevant strategies, resources and agencies to reduce barriers particularly for students needing additional support; progress and achievement is regularly monitored to ensure improved outcomes for all students.
Leaders and teachers have established effective systems and processes to ensure high aspirations for students’ achievement, progress and wellbeing. 
  • Leaders and teachers network effectively with the community to access a variety of learning opportunities for students. 
  • Collaborative partnerships with Māori and mana whenua support teachers’ professional knowledge and students’ learning experiences.
  • The board effectively evaluates student data to identify strategic goals that increasingly meet achievement and wellbeing targets.
  • Leaders and teachers are proactive in creating an inclusive learning environment that reflects the school’s values and set goals to make sure that the learning and wellbeing needs of all students are met.

Part B: Where to next? 

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

  • measure, monitor and support student learning and achievement through developing the school’s curriculum with a focus on the future world and the MARK values
  • provide and evaluate professional learning for teachers to increase their capabilities
  • develop practices and learning opportunities that enhance the local environment so that students can contribute to the social, cultural, economic and environmental wellbeing of the community and area
  • sustain positive partnerships between school and home to improve learner engagement and regular attendance for all students.

The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.

Within six months:

  • leaders and teachers investigate learning opportunities for students to enhance the local environment and partner with the community
  • leaders and teachers refine and implement school-wide consistency in assessment practice
  • teachers embed te reo and tikanga Māori into classroom practices.

Every six months:

  • leaders review school-wide attendance processes and assessment practices to ensure they are relevant and used consistently
  • leaders continue to gather, analyse and respond to community and student voice to meet the aspirations and needs of the students
  • leaders review the effectiveness of strategies in place to increase regular attendance and report this to the board.

Annually:

  • teachers and leaders evaluate the impact of assessment processes on achievement and respond to further improve learning outcomes for students
  • leaders and teachers use community and student voice to plan and set strategic achievement, progress and wellbeing goals 
  • leaders evaluate and refine the impact of strategies used to increase regular attendance for all students
  • leaders revisit and set professional growth cycle goals to strengthen teacher capabilities.

Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:

  • sustained and effective assessment practices used by teachers and learners that contribute to improved progress and achievement outcomes for all students
  • improved regular attendance rates
  • strengthened teacher and students’ understanding and knowledge of the school’s MARK Values and students’ wellbeing enhanced
  • increased teacher capabilities that further improve and sustain high-quality teaching practices to improve student outcomes and incorporate the MARK values in learning.

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

23 September 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

Kokatahi-Kowhitirangi School

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2024 to 2027

As of March 2024, the Kokatahi-Kowhitirangi School 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 Kokatahi-Kowhitirangi 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

23 September 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

Kokatahi-Kowhitirangi School - 01/04/2019

School Context

Kokatahi-Kowhitirangi School is a rural contributing primary school (Years 1-6) near Hokitika in Westland. It has a roll of 41 students.

The school’s mission statement, ‘Intelligence plus Character’, is the essence of the school’s ‘Learn, Create, Share’ teaching and learning philosophy. The mission aspires to a quality, future-focused education in a caring rural environment, with an emphasis on literacy, numeracy and digital technologies immersion.

The school’s vision is to facilitate continuous improvement in skills and the environment. The vision aligns with quality learning to meet the unique needs of each child. The foundations for achieving the vision are the school values: Respect (Mana), Reciprocity (Ako), Resilience (Manawaroa), Resourcefulness (Ahuatanga), and Reflectiveness (Whaiwhakaaro).

Valued outcomes are for learners to ‘build learning power’ to progress and achieve, in a way that challenges them to become aware of learning behaviours, build learning habits and develop a powerful learning character.

Current strategic priorities are informed by the unique needs and identities of learners. The priorities are achievement, learning and character development, enhancing the future-focused curriculum and building effective, positive home-school relationships.

The school has made good progress in areas identified for improvement in the 2015 ERO report, including teacher appraisal, curriculum review, development of a Māori responsiveness plan and reporting student achievement.

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

  • reading, writing and mathematics
  • special/additional learning needs in relation to school targets
  • progress/accelerated progress in mathematics.

The school is committed to the Schooling Strategy goal of all students achieving their potential through the Manaiakalani Outreach programme, a 1:1 technology and digital immersion learning environment. It has also adopted the whole school initiative, Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L), to further support and manage learner behaviour.

The school is part of the Westland 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?

The school is effectively supporting the majority of students to achieve the school’s valued equity and excellence outcomes.

School achievement information for the last two years shows that:

  • the majority of students achieve at or above expected levels in reading, writing and mathematics
  • most students achieve at or above expected levels in reading, in 2017
  • there is disparity between boys’ and girls’ achievement in reading, writing and mathematics, with girls achieving higher in reading and writing in 2018.

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

The school has strengthened systems and processes to respond well to those students whose learning needs acceleration in literacy. Students with additional learning needs are identified, monitored and supported to make progress.

School achievement information for 2018 shows that the school has accelerated the progress of many Māori and priority groups of students whose learning is below expectations:

  • the majority made accelerated progress in writing
  • the majority made accelerated progress in reading.

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?

Capable, future-focused leaders and trustees work collaboratively to communicate and enact the vision, goals and valued outcomes for equity and excellence. Leaders are focused on a clear strategic vision for school improvement. This includes the alignment of teaching and learning philosophies with programmes of learning that are designed to meet the unique learning and wellbeing needs of all students.

Leaders regularly consult and communicate with the school community. They are very responsive to a range of formal and informal feedback to enhance equity and excellence. Greater emphasis is being placed on developing home-based learning support and learning-centred relationships with families/whānau. Links with the wider educational community are proactive and strong. Significant partnerships, expertise and resourcing are contributing to the ongoing achievement of the school’s valued outcomes.

Leaders and trustees identify, support and resource professional learning and development that is aligned with the school’s strategic goals and priorities. Strengthened teacher appraisal systems and processes, linked to teacher professional learning inquiries, are building the capability of teachers to support students’ progress and achievement. Professional leadership opportunities equip teachers with the skills to meet learning and wellbeing outcomes.

Improvement-focused practices are driving significant school initiatives for equity and excellence. The school utilises educational research to determine effective teaching and learning strategies to meet the learning and wellbeing needs of students. The implementation of specialist learning and wellbeing programmes is explicitly aligned to the school’s values, valued outcomes and strategic priorities.

The school has prioritised the development of a responsive and future-focused curriculum to meet all learner needs. Progress is supported by the school’s involvement in outreach and regional cluster initiatives. Curriculum integration and an emphasis on digital immersion technology learning strategies are encouraging students to personalise their learning and to collaborate and share with others. The wider curriculum is being strengthened by the school’s focus on cultural responsiveness, reflective practices and wellbeing programmes.

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

School leaders have identified, and ERO agrees, that the school needs to continue to:

  • develop culturally responsive practices that support and enhance Māori students’ achievement and wellbeing
  • develop and enhance bicultural understandings and practices, as an ongoing commitment to te ao Māori
  • consolidate and embed all recent school improvement initiatives, including future-focused strategies, and use evaluative processes to achieve equity and excellence.

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 ERO’s Overall Judgement

On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of Kokatahi-Kowhitirangi School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.

ERO’s Framework: Overall School Performance 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:

  • leadership that is collaborative and strategically focused to enact the school’s vision, values and valued outcomes
  • consultation and communication that is promoting learning-centred relationships with families/whānau, and prioritising strategies and resources to achieve equity and excellence
  • an integrated, future-focused curriculum that is designed to meet the unique learning and wellbeing needs of all children.

Next steps

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

  • strengthening culturally responsive practices that support Māori students’ achievement and wellbeing, including those students whose learning needs acceleration
  • enhancing bicultural understandings and practices, as an ongoing commitment to te ao Māori
  • consolidating, embedding and evaluating current improvement initiatives for equity and excellence.

Alan Wynyard

Director Review and Improvement Services

Southern Region

1 April 2019

About the school

Location

Hokitika, Westland

Ministry of Education profile number

3398

School type

Contributing (Years 1 to 6)

School roll

41

Gender composition

Boys 27 ; Girls 14

Ethnic composition

Māori 6

Pākehā 27

Other ethnicities 8

Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS)

No

Provision of Māori medium education

No

Total number of students in Māori medium (MME)

No

Review team on site

January 2019

Date of this report

1 April 2019

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review April 2015

Education Review May 2011

Education Review May 2008