Rotokauri School

School Context

Rotokauri School is located on the outskirts of Hamilton and provides education for students in Years 1 to 8. The school’s current roll of 207 includes 55 Māori students and a small number of students from a range of other cultures.

The school’s vision ‘together we grow’ places priority on ‘unity-kotahitanga, inclusiveness-manaakitanga and guardianship-kaitiakitanga.’ The school’s ‘REACH’ values encourage students to show respect and empathy, be active learners and show courage and honesty.

The school’s strategic goals focus on:

• students actively engaging in learning through curiosity and creativity
• creating effective learning programmes
• developing an inclusive school culture
• developing physical learning environments that reflect the mission, vision and values of the school
• effective governance.

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

• reading, writing and mathematics
• technology.

Since the 2017 ERO review there have been significant changes to personnel. All teachers and trustees are new to their roles. New senior leaders have been appointed while the principal has remained in her role. There has also been a significant property upgrade.

Leaders and teachers have undertaken professional learning and development in mathematics, Accelerated Literacy Learning (ALL), teaching as inquiry and Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L).

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 working towards equitable and excellent outcomes for all students.

The school’s data from 2018 shows that most students are achieving at or above expected levels in reading and the large majority are achieving in writing and mathematics. This pattern of achievement has continued over time. Data from 2019 shows approximately half of all students are exceeding expected curriculum levels in reading and approximately a third in writing and mathematics.

Māori students have improved in their overall reading achievement from 2017 to 2018 and are now working at comparable levels to their NZ European/Pākehā peers. Interim achievement data for 2019 shows significant improvement in writing achievement especially for Māori students and boys but significant disparity remains for Māori students in writing and some in mathematics.

Boys are achieving at significantly lower levels than girls in literacy and some disparity remains in mathematics. This pattern of disparity has continued in writing over time.

The school has also collected and reported on schoolwide achievement in technology. Data from 2019 shows that almost all Māori and other students are achieving at or above expected curriculum levels.

Students with additional learning needs are well supported and make appropriate progress in relation to their individual goals.

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

The school is accelerating learning for some Māori and other students who need this. The school’s analysed data from the end of 2018 to the end of Term 3 2019 shows approximately half of all Māori and other students at risk, made accelerated progress to reach expected curriculum levels in writing and approximately one third in reading and mathematics.

Leaders and teachers can also show effective acceleration for smaller groups of students as a result of specific school targeted interventions.

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 has a highly supportive and inclusive culture for learning. Students with additional needs are well catered for in classroom programmes and benefit from individualised planning and guidance. Effective liaison with a wide range of outside agencies supports students’ learning, health and behavioural needs. Teachers and teacher aides work closely together to improve outcomes for students.

The school’s curriculum enriches student wellbeing and engagement in learning. Students have many opportunities to participate in a variety of learning experiences and develop positive leadership skills. GATE (gifted and talented education) students are clearly identified and supported to achieve and excel in classroom programmes. A deliberate focus on values and traditions contributes to a strong sense of community for students and their families. Tuakana-teina relationships and a school-wide approach to building positive behaviours for learning promotes harmonious student interactions. Whole school kapa haka and bicultural contexts for learning enable a sense of pride and belonging for Māori students.

Teachers use deliberate strategies to enhance learning. Students at-risk of not achieving are clearly identified and differentiated planning supports their learning and achievement. A range of assessment tools is used appropriately to monitor and track individual progress and inform targeted planning and teaching. Learning is successfully scaffolded through effective questioning, learning intentions and adaptive teaching techniques. Regular communication with parents, families and whānau contributes to positive partnerships for learning. Warm and affirming relationships between teachers and students promote calm and settled environments for learning.

Leadership has established many high-quality processes and practices for continuous school improvement. Clear guidelines and expectations for effective teaching and learning have been developed to enable consistency of practices across the school. Professional learning is prioritised to build teacher capability and improve outcomes for learners. School-wide data is used effectively to track and monitor rates of progress and inform school internal evaluation. A strong focus on strengthening assessment practices through robust moderation and collaboration has improved the overall reliability of school data.

The school actively promotes a collaborative approach to improving outcomes for students. New school values have been developed in consultation with the parent community. Relationships with whānau and local iwi have been strengthened and are supporting raising achievement. The Board regularly consults with parents, considers students’ views and acts appropriately. Trustees are well informed on achievement information and able to make appropriate resourcing decisions to enable equitable opportunities to learn.

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

There is a need to develop a strategic and sustainable approach to ongoing school improvement. A current challenge for the school is the significant changes in the teaching team. Continuing to build teacher capability in implementing the Rotokauri School’s curriculum should further support improved outcomes for students and reduce disparity in achievement. Closer scrutiny of student achievement information is required to better inform and align strategic direction, targeted action and decision making.

Continuing to empower students in learning pathways is an agreed focus for the school. Useful frameworks have been developed to support students to understand identified goals in learning. However, there is a need to further strengthen formative assessment practices and students’ knowledge and reflection on their current learning and next steps, especially for those at-risk of not achieving.

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 Children’s Act 2014.

4 ERO’s Overall Judgement

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

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.

5 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

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

• leadership for learning that provides effective guidance and direction to improve outcomes for students
• teaching practice that is focused on raising student achievement and accelerating learning
• an inclusive culture for learning that supports the individual needs of students.

Next steps

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

• embedding school processes and practices to reduce disparity in achievement, especially for boys in all areas and Māori students in writing and mathematics
• student agency to grow fully independent learners.

Areas for improved compliance practice

To improve current practice, the board of trustees should:

• ensure that teachers and authorised staff are suitably supported and trained in physical restraint.

Phillip Cowie

Director Review and Improvement Services

Central Region

9 December 2019

About the school