Te Akau ki Papamoa Primary School

School Context

Te Akau ki Papamoa Primary School is located in Papamoa near Tauranga. It caters for students in Years 1 to 6. The current roll of 653 students includes approximately 35% who identify as Māori. The school vision is ‘Leading me to lead my learning.’ The attitudes of curiosity, integrity, empathy, perseverance and open-mindedness are promoted as well as the skills of questioning, problem-solving and collaborating. The 2019 Charter set out a number of key result areas across a range of school operations including student achievement in literacy, mathematics, te reo Māori, physical health and wellbeing, and digital technology.

Since the 2014 ERO report an experienced principal and senior team continue to lead the school. The board of trustees also has stable and consistent membership.

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

• reading, writing and mathematics.

The school is part of the Tauranga Community of Learning (CoL)|Kāhui Ako.

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 achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for most of its students.

In 2018 most students were achieving at or above expectations in reading and writing. Almost all students were achieving at or above expectations in mathematics. These very high levels of achievement in reading and mathematics have remained stable since 2015 for all groups in the school, including Māori. They have improved slightly in writing. In reading and writing Pākehā students achieved at higher levels than their Māori peers in 2015, 2016 and 2018. They are achieving at equivalent levels to Māori in mathematics. Boys were not achieving as well as girls from 2015 to 2017 in writing but were achieving at equivalent levels in 2018.

Students with additional learning are well supported and make good progress against their individual learning and development goals.

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

The school effectively accelerates the progress of those Māori and other students whose learning and achievement need this.

In 2017 and 2018 most students who were at risk of underachieving made accelerated progress in reading and mathematics. In 2018 nearly all students who were at risk made accelerated progress in writing.

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?

Highly effective leadership collaboratively develops and pursues the school’s vision, goals and targets for equity and excellence. Leaders draw on evidence of student progress and achievement to inform decision making and evaluation within a culture of continuous improvement. Leaders build relational trust and effective collaboration at every level of the community to increase opportunities for student learning and success. Teachers and other staff feel well supported both professionally and personally which encourages innovation. High expectations have contributed to high levels of consistent, quality teaching in almost all the modern learning spaces and individual classrooms. Leaders contribute to the wider education sector both nationally and internationally, particularly in the area of digital technologies.

Very effective classroom practice supports and promotes student learning. Teachers know their students and whānau well as people and as learners. They have developed warm and nurturing relationships where students experience a strong sense of belonging. Teachers effectively identify students learning needs. They are highly effective in responding to these needs using a range of culturally responsive teaching strategies. Group learning is used flexibly to facilitate students’ learning from each other. Cooperative group learning whereby the learning of each individual in the group is the responsibility of all, is visible in most of the modern learning spaces and individual classrooms. Strong support for oral language underpins writing programmes. The language, culture and identity of Māori students is maintained and enhanced so that Māori students are enabled to succeed as Māori. All spaces are very well resourced, and provide a wide range of tools and strategies to support literacy and mathematics learning. Environments are attractive and inviting and celebrate student learning. Teachers’ highly effective use of digital technology to enhance learning and engagement is used nationally and internationally as an exemplar of best practice.

Teachers manage learning in ways that support participation, engagement and agency in learning. Teacher and students co-construct challenging but realistic learning goals. Students regularly monitor their progress against these goals and share them with their parents and whānau. Students regularly reflect on their development of the attitudes and dispositions that support learning. An inquiry learning approach in most learning spaces and classrooms allow students to follow their own interests in learning.

A strategic and coherent approach to building professional capability and collective capacity is highly evident. A range of both school-wide and individual opportunities for professional learning and development, (PLD), means the school is able to address its strategic goals while also addressing each teacher’s improvement needs. Careful and deliberate teacher placement promotes the sharing of new knowledge throughout the school. A robust teacher appraisal system also facilitates ongoing teacher improvement.

The school and community engage in reciprocal, learning centred relationships. The highly effective use of digital technologies engages parents as partners in their children’s learning. The school proactively identifies and draws on community resources, including local iwi, to enhance student learning opportunities, achievement and wellbeing.

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

ERO’s evaluation found systems for responding to priority learners could be further strengthened by:

• developing a more coherent approach to the collation and use of student progress and acceleration data. This would include strengthening the measurement of progress and acceleration at the teacher level and its use at the strategic level, particularly for setting and evaluating school-wide targets
• creating a sequential framework, aligned to iwi aspirations, for the teaching of local iwi history.

3 Other Matters

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 20 international students attending the school, including 0 exchange students.

The school effectively meets its obligations to look after the pastoral needs and respond to the educational aspirations of its international students and their families. A particular feature of the programme is the proactive support the school provides for the parents of international students.

4 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 Children’s Act 2014.

5 ERO’s Overall Judgement

On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of Te Akau ki Papamoa Primary School’sperformance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Strong.

ERO’s Framework: Overall Findings and Judgement Tool derived from School Evaluation Indicators: Effective Practice for Improvement and Learner Success is available on ERO’s website.

6 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:

• leadership that promotes and progresses a vision of equity and excellence for all students
• learning partnerships and relationships with teachers, students and their whanau that supports effective responses to pastoral and learning needs
• capacity building that ensures a spread of new knowledge and expertise across the whole school.

Next steps

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

• developing a more coherent approach to the collation and use of student progress and achievement data so that trustees, leaders and teachers can more effectively monitor individual student progress and evaluate programmes of teaching and learning
• developing a sequential framework for the teaching of local iwi history in order to continue to improve students’ sense of identity and belonging.

Phillip Cowie

Director Review and Improvement Services

Central Region

1 November 2019

About the school