Tamaki College

Findings

Tamaki College provides a caring and respectful learning environment. Classrooms are settled places for students’ learning. The curriculum provides different learning pathways that support students to make successful transition on to further education, training and employment. Developing more systematic evaluative inquiry, to determine what strategies and programmes are having the most positive impact on outcomes for students, will assist the college to continue sharpening its focus on lifting student achievement.

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?

Tamaki College caters for students from Years 9 to 13. For many students, generational connections promote a strong sense of family and belonging in the school. Most students have Māori or Pacific heritage. The board is presently working with the Ministry of Education to plan necessary property developments to accommodate a growing roll.

Tamaki College is a part of the Manaiakalani Community of LearningIKāhui Ako (CoL), comprising 12 schools in the Auckland suburbs of Glen Innes, Panmure and Pt England. The overall goal of the CoL is to change teaching and learning practice through the use of e-learning strategies that empower learners and their whānau, and to accelerate student achievement.

Since the 2014 ERO report, the priority for the college has been sharpening its focus on student achievement. This focus has resulted in changes to the way achievement information is used, along with changes to curriculum management and teaching practices. In addition, the senior leadership team has newly defined roles and responsibilities to target school improvement.

2 Learning

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

The school uses achievement information increasingly well to support its focus on raising student achievement. This information is being used to inform and underpin a range of new and worthwhile approaches and actions.

Senior leaders are placing greater shared responsibility on heads of department and teachers to improve student achievement. These expectations are reflected in recent changes to school systems and structures to support closer monitoring and scrutiny of student progress data.

Organisational structures have been introduced to increase the focus on students who are at risk of not achieving to their potential. Plans have been developed at department level identifying strategies to accelerate the achievement of these students. Achievement information is being used regularly by senior leaders to gauge the effectiveness of teaching practices and to identify relevant professional learning requirements.

Teachers use the school’s digital platform to share achievement information with students, and to promote students’ ownership of their learning. This gives students opportunities to make decisions about their learning and plan learning pathways. Through the digital platform teachers provide timely feedback to students which, in many cases, is supporting their learning well.

Leaders and teachers have also improved the ways they use achievement information to engage parents in learning conversations. Parents have easier access to relevant data and increased opportunities to discuss, in depth, their children’s progress. This is helping parents to participate in decision making at important transition points on their children’s educational journey.

The challenge for the school is to increase levels of student success in the National Certificates of Educational Achievement (NCEA) at Levels 1, 2 and 3, and increase the number of endorsements. A rise in literacy and numeracy achievement by students in Years 11 to 13 is encouraging. Greater urgency is required at Years 9 and 10 to build literacy and numeracy levels so that students are ready to gain success in NCEA at Years 11 and 12.

School information shows that student retention is increasing, with students staying longer and higher numbers of them gaining successful career training and meaningful employment. The school is working on different approaches to increase attendance rates across all year levels, as part of lifting achievement.

Tamaki College is a caring and respectful learning community. The school values of respect, integrity, success and responsibility, known as ‘RISE- The Tamaki Way’, are well embedded in the school. This is supporting good levels of student engagement in learning across the school. Classrooms are settled places for learning. The school’s strong pastoral care networks promote student wellbeing and provide a good foundation for learning.

ERO recommends that leaders and teachers continue to build their data literacy capability, and that of students, to support the school’s focus on raising achievement.

3 Curriculum

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

The Tamaki College curriculum is effective in engaging and promoting successful outcomes for all students.

As a result of effective ongoing review, the curriculum is responsive to student strengths, interests and aspirations. Students are provided with a variety of different learning pathways. In addition, they are offered relevant choices to support their successful transitioning through the school and on to further education, training and employment. School leaders respond to changing employment and tertiary study requirements by introducing new courses.

The school’s vocational pathways programme is a curriculum strength. It empowers students to seek qualifications and employment opportunities. Fifty percent of Year 12 students are involved in vocational learning opportunities, including those linked to Service and Trades Academies. Strong community involvement supports meaningful curriculum opportunities and vocational pathways for students. Subject departments are adapting learning opportunities to accommodate vocational pathways and support the school’s increased academic focus.

Since the 2014 ERO report the board sought an external review of the Year 9 and 10 curriculum. As a result, senior leaders introduced initiatives to support student transitions into the school so that they are well engaged, early in their college life. Initiatives include an integrated curriculum approach in Year 9 that supports students to transfer skills to new learning situations. Also in 2017, the school moved away from streaming classes at Year 9 and introduced mixed ability classes. Senior staff and teachers are seeing an immediate, positive impact on learning for all students.

Learning experiences that reflect the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand are valued and increasingly visible in the curriculum. Te reo Māori is compulsory in Years 9 and 10.

The school’s inclusive and responsive practices support students with special learning needs well. The Whare Mānaaki unit is well resourced and caters for students with high learning needs. Teachers and learning assistants share a commitment to, and responsibility for all students’ progress. This coordinated approach helps students with special learning needs participate fully in appropriate learning programmes and school life.

Strongly ethical governance supports the curriculum. Financial decisions made by the board ensure all students have equitable opportunities to access all learning opportunities offered by the school.

ERO recommends school leaders establish a set of agreed school-wide expectations for teaching practices that accelerate learning progress for students as they transition through the school. These expectations would help teachers plan their programmes and evaluate the impact of their practices on student achievement outcomes.

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

Tamaki College effectively promotes success for Māori. The school welcomes all new students and staff and their families with pōwhiri on the school marae. Māori students are supported to be confident in their cultural identity. Māori representation on the board and guidance from kaumatua helps to ensure tikanga Māori is respected and sustained.

Raising Māori achievement is a priority for the board and school leaders. Several recent initiatives are supporting a stronger school focus on addressing the disparity in achievement for Māori. These initiatives include:

• the Tama Tu Tama Ora mentoring programme for identified Māori students at risk of not achieving
• Te Whānau Miro Year 10 tutor class, a culturally responsive and relationships' model used to engage with students and their whānau
• school improvement targets for Māori achievement.

It is too early for ERO to evaluate the impact of these initiatives. However, school leaders have put in place good systems for tracking, monitoring and evaluating the effect of these initiatives on raising Māori achievement levels. Senior leaders have also set an expectation that all departments will contribute to achieving the school’s improvement targets for Māori. 

4 Sustainable Performance

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

The school is well placed to sustain and improve its performance. Trustees provide sound governance. Board decision making is strategic and has a focus on improving outcomes for all students. Trustees are well informed about curriculum developments and student achievement. Very good relationships between trustees, school management and the community support the work of the board. The board makes good use of external advice. This helps trustees keep current and confident in their board role of stewarding the school’s focus on improving outcomes for all students.

The principal and senior leaders have increased the momentum for change to lift achievement. They have also established a clearer line of sight over the achievement of all groups of students. The range of approaches they are using to help lift achievement include:

• providing greater clarity of expectations for staff
• building collaborative approaches to improving outcomes for students through structures, such as the ‘change team’ and professional learning groups
• improving systems for staff appraisal and regular department reporting
• accessing appropriate professional learning and development and external support.

Trustees and school leaders make very good use of external review to evaluate the school performance and build internal evaluation capability. The outcomes of these reviews have provided clear rationales for improvement in curriculum design and teaching practice, and are helping to shape the school’s future direction.

ERO and school leaders have identified the following priorities to support the school’s journey in raising achievement for all students:

• strengthening the rigour and regularity of monitoring and reporting systems to ensure expectations are met
• developing a culture of systematic evaluative inquiry for improvement at all levels of the school.

Provision for international students

The school is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of International Students) Code of Practice 2016 (the Code) established under section 238F of the Education Act 1989. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code. At the time of this review there were two international students attending the school.

The school provides international students with a good standard of education. Students benefit from the school’s strong pastoral care systems and enjoy many opportunities to participate in school activities. 

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.

To improve practice the board should ensure procedures are followed for confirming police vets so that all staff vets are current.

Conclusion

Tamaki College provides a caring and respectful learning environment. Classrooms are settled places for students’ learning. The curriculum provides different learning pathways that support students to make successful transition on to further education, training and employment. Developing more systematic evaluative inquiry, to determine what strategies and programmes are having the most positive impact on outcomes for students, will assist the college to continue sharpening its focus on lifting student achievement.

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

Violet Tu'uga Stevenson

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)

30 June 2017

About the School 

1 Context

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

Tamaki College caters for Years 9 to13 students in Auckland’s eastern suburb of Glen Innes. Most students are of Māori or Pacific ethnicity. The school is committed to promoting positive outcomes for its students and community. Many school leaders, teachers and support staff have worked at the college for many years and know students and their families well. For many students, generational connections promote a strong sense of family and belonging in the school.

Tamaki College is part of the Manaiakalani Trust that has been working in a cluster of schools since 2011. The Trust aims to increase student engagement in education through the use of blended e-learning strategies that promote improved learning and teaching capabilities for students and teachers through effective use of digital technologies.

The school continues to have good connections with its Pacific families and is increasingly working to strengthen its connections and consultation with whānau Māori to foster productive learning partnerships with all families.

Students enjoy positive relationships with their teachers, and many senior students have good opportunities for leadership. The school continues to provide multiple learning pathways for students. Alongside academic pathways, the school provides many vocational learning opportunities, including those linked to its Service Academy and the more recently established Trades Academy.

ERO's 2010 report noted the inclusive approach of the senior leadership team. The report also identified the need for school leaders and the board to improve strategic planning and self review. ERO also recommended that the school make better use of achievement data to improve student learning. Work in these areas has been undertaken and is continuing.

2 Learning

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

In the last few years the school has accessed Ministry of Education support to help senior leaders, heads of department and teachers make better use of student achievement data. This professional support is promoting teachers’ confidence about using data to plan learning programmes. It is also supporting senior leaders to set achievement targets for students at all year levels. The board receives comprehensive information about the progress and achievement of students from Years 9 to 13.

Since 2011 overall student achievement in the National Certificates of Educational Achievement (NCEA) has improved each year, with particularly notable gains made at NCEA Level 2 in 2013. Gains in student achievement have been stronger for Pacific than for Māori students at NCEA Level 1, but these differences are less evident at Levels 2 and 3. The number of students achieving literacy and numeracy requirements for NCEA certificates continues to increase and the school is particularly proud of students who achieve merit and excellence endorsements.

Data gathered by the Ministry of Education (MoE) also indicates that overall levels of student achievement in NCEA are accelerating at rates well above national averages for similar schools. MoE data also shows that students at Tamaki College achieve at similar levels to students nationally at NCEA Levels 1 and 2, and that Māori student success in NCEA Level 3 exceeds that of Māori nationally. However, further improvement is still required to lift overall student achievement to national levels for University Entrance and NCEA Level 3.

The school attributes these positive results to improved teaching and learning programmes, student mentoring initiatives, and students’ involvement in the blended e-learning programme.

School leaders and teachers use the school's own results from reading and writing tests to place students in Years 9 and 10 in learner support, mixed ability or extension classes. Meetings are also held between a group of Tamaki College teachers and teachers from schools in the local cluster of contributing schools to design and discuss the development and marking of student assessments. As a result, teachers are becoming increasingly confident about the validity of their assessment information.

Key next steps for the school include:

• promoting a school-wide strategic approach to further improve Māori student progress and achievement, including working more closely in partnership with students and their whānau
• using relevant achievement information provided by other schools about newly enrolled students to support decisions about class placements.

3 Curriculum

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

Tamaki College’s curriculum is focused on supporting students’ success. It has a strong focus on promoting academic and vocational pathways, including a Work Ready programme established through the Manaiakalani Trust.

Students have good opportunities to explore career options and senior leaders and teachers are continuing to adapt curriculum programmes to achieve a good match with students’ career aspirations and interests. A school café provides work experience opportunities for some senior students, and serves as a place for community members to learn about and use digital devices.

Teachers work hard for their students. In most classrooms students are focused on their learning. The school reports that students’ use of digital netbooks is increasing their motivation and engagement. Many teachers are becoming increasingly confident about using digital devices as tools for learning and some use it particularly well to provide learning opportunities that interest and challenge students. Digital technology also enables teachers to provide students with immediate feedback. It enables parents to have greater involvement in their children’s learning. ERO's findings, however, show variability in the quality of learning experiences that students receive. Further work is required to fully realise the school's investment in blended e-learning and to ensure teacher professional practice is of an overall high quality.

The school has health and pastoral networks in place to cater for students’ needs and to support their learning. Staff are currently involved in a professional learning programme aimed at improving students’ and teachers’ learning behaviours.

Next steps for the school include:

• continuing to evaluate how well teachers use digital technologies and other teaching strategies to promote student learning across the curriculum
• further promoting critical thinking and high levels of challenge for students across the school.

Senior leaders could also consider implementing a focused review of programmes and curriculum content for Years 9 and 10 students to evaluate the extent to which learning programmes are meaningful, interesting and relevant for students.

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

There are 127 Māori students at Tamaki College, making up about 27 percent of the school roll. The board employs 10 Māori staff, including support and teaching staff, and middle managers. The principal has sought to engage with the school’s Māori community and works collaboratively with the school's head of te reo Māori to promote this engagement. In the past few years, some Māori students have been amongst the highest achievers in the school and have held student leadership positions.

Since the 2010 ERO report, some of the Māori staff have worked together to develop strategic plans for promoting Māori student achievement and success as Māori. As a result the school has developed a Māori Achievement Strategy to support student achievement and success as Māori. While the strategy is still relatively new, its implementation has the potential to result in increasingly positive outcomes for Māori students.

The new board chair is Māori, has good links to the local Māori community, and supports the school well in building connections with the Māori community. Staff and senior leaders report that Māori parents have recently been more involved in the school through kapa haka.

A next step for the board is to formalise its approaches to consulting with the school’s Māori community and to continue to promote the school's Māori Achievement Strategy. The school should work in partnership with whānau Māori, students and staff to:

• ensure there is sustained school leadership to promote Māori student success, that involves all staff taking shared responsibility for the progress and achievement of these students
• continue to build and strengthen links with leaders and other members of the Māori community.

4 Sustainable Performance

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

The school is continuing to build its capacity to sustain and improve its performance.

The principal and senior leaders have longstanding connections to the school and a strong commitment to promoting ongoing improvement in its performance. Many members of the board are new and are learning their governance roles and responsibilities. Along with senior leaders and staff, the board of trustees is grateful for, and is making good use of, generous resourcing provided through the Manaiakalani Trust.

The school has improved and accelerated the achievement of many students in NCEA since 2010. External support has been well used to achieve these gains. The school engages in self review with these external support agencies to help evaluate the success of school improvement initiatives and programmes. These reviews provide timely and useful information about the effectiveness of work in progress and areas for further support and development.

An ongoing priority for the principal and board will be to ensure that the school has good capacity to sustain and independently manage its self review so that its work continues to be guided by high quality evaluative reviews and reports about all areas of school performance.

It would be also useful for the board to seek external advice about aspects of governance, including those relating to meeting and quality assurance processes, board documentation, and managing legal accountabilities.

Provision for international students

The school is a signatory to the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students established under section 238F of the Education Act 1989. No international students were enrolled at the time of the ERO review.

The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code.

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.

ERO identified three areas of non-compliance. In order to address these, the board of trustees must:

• consult with the school's Māori community, develop and make known to the school's community policies, plans and targets for improving the achievement of Māori students
• ensure the principal has an annually reviewed performance agreement that is used as part of the principal’s annual performance appraisal
• ensure that all teachers are appraised annually

[State Sector Act 1988, 77c; National Administrative Guidelines, 1(e), 3(a)].

To improve practice the board should also:

• ensure that education outside the classroom policies and procedures are followed, especially for trips that include overnight stays
• ensure non-teaching staff are appraised regularly and that appropriate police vetting procedures are followed.

When is ERO likely to review the school again?

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

Dale Bailey National Manager Review Services Northern Region

26 June 2014

About the School