School Context
Kāpiti College is a large coeducational secondary school located in Raumati on the Kāpiti Coast. The roll of 1458 students includes 20% who are Māori and 2% who have Pacific heritage. The department established for International Students was catering for 65 students at the time of this review.
The college’s desired outcomes are to ‘innovate, inspire and engage’ students and for them to experience ‘personalised learning in a connected community’.
The construction of a large Performing Arts centre, in the planning stage at the time of the May 2016 ERO review is currently in progress. When built this should support a wide range of school and community-based arts programmes and performances.
The schools own Kāpiti Marae is situated on the boundary of the College campus.
Ministry of Education funding has been used to support Accelerated learning and curriculum development.
The board of trustees’ strategic goals are to:
- further develop curriculum provision for years 9 and 10
- raise achievement for identified individuals and groups
- ensure a safe environment where wellbeing and diversity are respected and valued
- promote an innovative and creative approach to strengthening teaching and learning
- increase engagement and involvement in the life of the school and community activities.
Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:
- achievement and progress
- attendance
- pastoral and wellbeing.
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 effectively and consistently achieves equitable and excellent outcomes for nearly all its students. Nearly all students achieve well in National Certificates in Educational Achievement (NCEA) at levels 1 and 2, and most students gain Level 3. Most students who aspire to acquire the university entrance qualification (UE) are successful.
Māori students achieve well, and at similar levels to all other students in the college at NCEA Levels 1 and 2. There is a slight disparity at Level 3 and UE for Māori and boys. Retention of students at the school through to year 13 is high. School collected data shows that nearly all leavers go on to further education, training or employment.
Learning information for years 9 and 10 show that most students are meeting school expectations for academic achievement and engagement.
Students with additional, high and complex needs are well catered for through a range of appropriate interventions leading to positive outcomes. They are well supported through positive relationships with external agencies and providers.
1.2 How well is the school accelerating learning for those Māori and other students who need this?
Students who are at risk of underachieving are clearly identified and planned actions are put in place that meet their individual needs and increase their rate of progress.
Assessment data collected when students enter the school in year 9 shows about a third or more are below expectations in literacy and lower in mathematics.
High levels of success at NCEA Level 1 and 2 indicate that in literacy and numeracy many, including Māori students, have made better than expected progress over time.
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?
The school curriculum is highly effective in delivering success for students. Curriculum design and enactment is responsive to their needs and aspirations. A broad range of learning experiences and opportunities are offered both in and outside the school. This includes a greater range of choices and pathways that enable all students to better access the curriculum and transition onto employment, training and further education. Leaders and teachers use digital devices effectively to enhance learning, maximise engagement and promote equity of outcomes.
The school is caring and inclusive, acknowledging and celebrating diversity. Learners’ wellbeing is valued and promoted. Properly considered systems and processes are in place to support students to thrive and be successful. Comprehensive wrap around support is available to all students.
Positive learning focused environments were evident in appropriately resourced classrooms visited by ERO. Students were highly engaged in learning. Respectful reciprocal relationships were evident. Students are collaborative and enthusiastic participants in activities. Student voice is valued, regularly gathered and contributes to ongoing development and innovation of the curriculum.
Te ao Māori and te reo me ngā tikanga Māori are well integrated through the curriculum. A range of processes and activities promote bi-cultural perspectives, give prominence to culture language and identity and enhance Māori students succeeding as Māori. There are long-established links with local iwi that support productive partnerships with parents and whanau.
Leaders and teachers have improved the use of learning information to inform teaching. They are gathering increasing amounts of data about students that provides a clear picture of achievement. An assessment tool has been developed that support the effective analysis of achievement data to establish trends and patterns. The tool has the capacity to track and monitor progress and rates of progress over time, particularly for students in years 9 and 10. Leaders are successfully increasing and maximising its use.
Leadership effectively promotes and supports teacher improvement and development. Time is given to build capacity to develop strategies that enhance learning. Teachers are actively encouraged to ‘innovate, inspire and engage’ students. Teachers new to the profession are reflectively assisted to become attuned to learner’s motivations and develop their response to learners needs.
Teachers work collaboratively to use knowledge, evidence and inquiry to increase the effectiveness of their teaching. The strengthened appraisal process is usefully supporting professional collegiality and dialogue that lead to improvement in practice. There is a supportive professional environment that is responsive to identified needs and is aligned to the schools strategic goals.
Leadership values and successfully establishes relationships and partnerships with parents, whānau and community that benefit student learning. A wide network of connections with community agencies provides additional resources as required.
Trustees demonstrate a strong strategic focus on improving equity and excellence in outcomes for all students, in particular Māori.
2.2 What further developments are needed in school processes and practices for achievement of equity and excellence, and acceleration of learning?
Evidence-based internal evaluation requires strengthening. Focussing on the worth and value of actions taken will better determine the impact on improving rates of progress, particularly for priority learners.
School wide targets for improvement are general and seek to increase a percentage of students achieving a threshold. Reframing targets to be more specific and focussed on the rate of progress for those students requiring accelerated achievement should promote improved outcomes and support more effective evaluation.
Leaders have identified a priority to continue reviewing and developing the curriculum, specifically for years 9 and 10 in line with the school and community’s vision aspirations to ‘innovate, inspire and engage’. ERO affirms this direction.
3 Other Matters
Provision for international students
The college is a signatory to the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students (the code) established under section 238f of the Education Act 1989. The school has attested that it complies with and meets all aspects of the code.
At the time of this review there were 62 international students who were effectively supported by an established and experienced team of staff. Both long term and short stay students are drawn largely from South East Asia, China and Europe.
Processes for transition and orientation to the school are well considered. Systems for identifying and responding to individual learning needs are effective. Students who set goals for academic achievement experience success in NCEA and University Entrance qualifications.
Care is taken to provide courses that respond to the aspirations and interests of students and their families.
Students pastoral and wellbeing needs are catered for within an inclusive environment that values diversity. Students are actively involved in the life of the school, participating in a range of sporting, cultural and social activities both in the school and the wider community. They share and celebrate their cultures with other students formally through planned events and informally in day to day interactions with their peers.
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 Vulnerable Children Act 2014.
5 ERO’s Overall Judgement
On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of Kāpiti College performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.
6 Going forward
Key strengths of the school
For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:
- an inclusive curriculum and that responds effectively to learning, well-being and cultural needs
- consistently high and equitable levels of student achievement in NCEA levels 1 and 2
- leadership that effectively promotes and supports teachers to improve and develop their practice
- positive relationships and partnerships that support student learning.
Next steps
For sustained improvement and future learner success, priorities for further development are in:
- strengthening internal evaluation to better determine the impact on improving rates of progress, particularly for priority learners
- ongoing review of the curriculum to better align with the school’s and the communities vision
- reframing strategic targets for improved outcomes for those students requiring their achievement to be accelerated.
Alan Wynyard
Director Review and Improvement Services Southern
Southern Region
2 May 2019
About the school
| Location | Raumati Beach |
| Ministry of Education profile number | 247 |
| School type | Secondary (Year 9 to 15) |
| School roll | 1458 |
| Gender composition | 51% Female 49% Male |
| Ethnic composition | Māori 20% NZ/European/Pākehā 66% Pacific 2% Asian 3% Other 9% |
| Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS) | Yes |
| Provision of Māori medium education | No |
| Review team on site | March 2019 |
| Date of this report | 2 May 2019 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review May 2016 Education Review June 2013 |