Kahurangi School

1 Context

Kahurangi School was formed by the merger of Miramar South School and Strathmore Community School. It opened in February 2013 on the temporary site of the previous Miramar South School while the Strathmore Community School site was redeveloped. The school moved to their permanent site in Strathmore in Term 3, 2013.The school was established under the guidance of an establishment board (E-board). The principal joined this establishment group in October 2012. Following elections in Term 1 2013, three members of the Eboard were elected, along with three new trustees.

Kahurangi School caters for students in Years 1 to 8. The roll is currently 152, of which 33% are Māori and 34% are Pacific. The school celebrates more than 15 nationalities.

This is the school's first education review report.

2 Equity and excellence

The vision and valued outcomes defined by the school for all children are that learners will:

• be creative, energetic and enterprising
• seize opportunities offered by new knowledge and technologies
• recognise Māori and Pākehā as Treaty partners and value other cultures
• be confident, connected and actively involved lifelong learners.

The principles of Learning, Pride, Culture and Community underpin teaching and learning. They guide relationships and interactions across the school, with parents, whānau, aiga and the wider community.

The school’s achievement information shows that over the past three years there has been a gradual increase in the number of Māori students achieving at and above National Standards expectations. However, the high number of students who are achieving below National Standards remains a concern. Trends and patterns of achievement for Māori, Pacific and other students show that the school has yet to achieve equitable outcomes for all.

Appropriate charter targets are set for students whose progress needs acceleration. Māori learners are identified in these and class targets. The school uses a range of interventions to support these students' progress.

Since the ERO's new school assurance review in May 2014 the school has:

• developed and implemented a new school curriculum
• built a cohesive teaching team
• engaged in professional learning and development (PLD) to support teaching and learning
• continued to build partnerships with whānau, aiga and the community
• taken a measured approach in continuing to develop the environment as a learning resource
• begun to review the structures put in place when the school first opened.

3 Accelerating achievement

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

There is a relentless focus on accelerating the progress of students achieving below expectation. The school appropriately identifies Māori students whose progress needs acceleration. Thorough assessment processes and setting of annual and class targets for improvement supports this.

Leaders build teachers' confidence and capability through PLD including exploration of Tātaiako: Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners. Māori students' language, culture and identities are integrated through the responsive curriculum.

The principal has identified, and ERO agrees, that maintaining the urgency to accelerate learning for Māori students remains a priority. Leaders and teachers should continue to:

• build on established partnerships with early childhood centres
• facilitate successful transitions for students through the school and onto further education
• develop shared understanding of age-appropriate expectations as students' progress through the school
• closely track and monitor student progress to identify specific needs for individuals and respond through appropriate teaching strategies to accelerate learning.

The appointment of two middle leaders is an initiative to support building teachers' capability to promote the learning of students. Provision of relevant PLD should assist these leaders in their role.

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

The school responds well to other students whose learning and achievement need acceleration by using the strategies identified above. The identity, language and culture of Pacific students is valued and celebrated, and aiga are welcomed as partners in their child’s learning. Teachers appropriately support English language learners through well-planned programmes specific to their language development needs.

4 School conditions

How effectively do the school’s curriculum and other organisational processes and practices develop and enact the school’s vision, values, goals and priorities for equity and excellence?

The school's curriculum, processes and practices effectively contribute to promoting equity and excellence for students.

Experienced trustees purposefully govern the school. They are strategic in their thinking about ongoing improvements. The board receives useful detailed information about student achievement, school practices and operations. Trustees have a clear understanding about what is working well from a range of perspectives. Their decision-making and resourcing is responsive to student achievement, learning and wellbeing.

The principal has a considered approach to implementing change. She is a knowledgeable professional who shares and models effective teaching practice.

The curriculum clearly expresses a vision, principles and values that reflect the culture, identity and aspirations of the community. These are highly evident in practice across the school. Appropriate guidelines outline high expectations for teaching and learning and what success looks like. Te ao Māori and Pacific cultures are integral to school life.

Leaders and teachers engage meaningfully with families in partnership for children's learning. Trustees and staff are proactive in making connections with whānau, aiga and the wider community. They value their contributions, using these to inform strategic direction and priorities.

Parents are well informed about their children’s progress, achievement and next learning steps. Reporting to parents is usefully differentiated for:

• English language learners using the relevant progressions
• students in their first three years at school
• Years 4 to 8 students.

Leaders and teachers know students well. They demonstrate a collective responsibility for student learning and wellbeing. Relationships are trusting between teachers and their students. Students know and respond to well-established routines and organisation.

Teachers effectively use appropriate strategies to engage students in meaningful learning. Students work cooperatively and support each other. They know about the purpose, and are taking increasing ownership of their learning.

Students successfully take on a range of leadership roles. The concept of tuakana teina is highly evident across the school. The particular needs, strengths and interests of Year 8 students are well-planned for.

Performance appraisal and PLD are appropriately challenging and improvement focused. Teachers identify that it contributes to ongoing development of schoolwide consistency of practice. School leaders and teachers are highly reflective. They inquire into their leadership and teaching. Staff discuss, challenge and critique their practice. This is used to plan, determine next steps and inform changes to teaching and programmes.

5 Going forward

How well placed is the school to achieve and sustain equitable and excellent outcomes for all children?

Leaders and teachers:

• know the children whose learning and achievement need to be accelerated
• respond to the strengths, needs and interests of each child
• regularly evaluate how teaching is working for these children
• do not always or systematically act on what they know works for each child
• have a plan in place but have not yet built teacher capability effectively to achieve equitable outcomes for all children.

The school has the capacity to monitor and evaluate actions to accelerate achievement outlined in its achievement plans and targets. However, some improvement initiatives are in the early stages of implementation and disparity of achievement is yet to be addressed. School leaders recognise that internal evaluation is an essential part of improvement. Establishing and implementing clear processes should assist them to determine the effectiveness and impact of developments on outcomes for students.

Action: The board, principal and teachers should use the findings of this evaluation, the Effective School Evaluation resource, the Internal Evaluation: Good Practice exemplars and the School Evaluation Indicators to develop a Raising Achievement Plan to further develop processes and practices that respond effectively to the strengths and needs of children whose learning and achievement need to be accelerated.

As part of this review ERO will continue to monitor the school’s Raising Achievement Plan and the progress the school makes.

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

6 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 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.
• Processes for appointing staff.
• Stand down, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions.
• Attendance.
• Compliance with the provisions of the Vulnerable Children Act 2014.

7 Recommendations

ERO recommends that the school:

• continues a relentless focus on accelerating the achievement of Māori, Pacific and other underachieving students
• is vigilant about the responsiveness of teaching for each individual Māori student whose learning needs accelerating
• uses internal evaluation to ensure actions effectively accelerate achievement for all.

Joyce Gebbie

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central

30 May 2016 

About the school