Kaharoa School

1 Context

Kaharoa School, located in a rural settlement north of Rotorua, provides education for children in Years 1 to 8. The school's roll of 212 includes 39 Māori students. Since the 2013 ERO review there has been a significant increase in the number of Māori children attending the school. At the 2016 elections, three new parent representatives were elected to the board of trustees and a new chairperson was appointed. Leadership has remained the same and there has been minimal changes to the teaching team.

2 Equity and excellence

The vision and valued outcomes defined by the school for all children are to develop the competencies of being a thinker, communicator, self manager, being friendly and having a can do attitude. These competencies are supported by the school's cornerstone values of respect, responsibility, duty, compassion, obedience, honesty, consideration and kindness.

The school’s achievement information shows that over the last three years approximately half of Māori students achieved at and above the expected National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. The proportion of Māori students achieving the standards is slightly below national comparisons for Māori and significantly below their non-Māori peers in the school. Overall school achievement levels are similar to national comparisons. Boys achieved at slightly lower levels than girls in reading and writing, and at comparable levels in mathematics.

The school is using a range of assessment tools to assist teachers to make overall teacher judgements in relation to National Standards. They work together to analyse students' work to support consistency of judgements particularly in writing.

Since the last ERO evaluation the school has accessed external professional learning and development for teachers to strengthen teaching practice and accelerate achievement in the areas of writing and mathematics. Teachers have worked with Ngāti Whakaue and key staff from a neighbouring secondary school to increase their understanding of local Māori history and places of significance. In 2016 a specific focus has been on strengthening teaching practices in the area of reading.

3 Accelerating achievement

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

The school has identified a need to respond more effectively to those Māori children needing to accelerate their learning. In response to the 2015 achievement data, school leaders have implemented a more intentional focus on accelerating the achievement of Māori children at risk of not meeting the expected National Standards in reading. This strengthened response is evidenced by:

• specific achievement targets for identified at risk Māori children in the school's charter
• teachers using assessment information to inquire into the effectiveness of their practice for accelerating the progress of Māori children in reading
• relevant professional learning and development for staff
• close monitoring of the progress and achievement of Māori children in reading by leaders and teachers.

Mid-year assessment data for 2016 indicates that approximately half of at risk Māori children made accelerated progress in reading.

School leaders acknowledge the need to embed and sustain these identified effective practices in reading, and continue to extend them to writing and mathematics.

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

The more intentional focus on accelerating achievement has been extended to other children whose learning and achievement needs acceleration. In 2016 specific targets for other children at risk of not achieving the expected standards were set in the school's charter.

School leaders should now consider implementing more systematic internal review of programmes and initiatives designed to accelerate children's achievement. To assist this process leaders should report more frequently to the board of trustees on the progress and achievement of targeted learners. This is likely to support trustees and leaders to more effectively evaluate these approaches and make evidenced-based decisions about ongoing resourcing.

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 targets for equity and excellence?

The school provides a broad and rich curriculum that is promoting processes and school-wide practices to improve the effectiveness of enacting the schools' vision, and reducing disparity through useful goals and targets being set. Appropriate priority is placed on literacy and mathematics. There are strong links with the community. Good use of the local, rural and natural environment provide many meaningful contexts for children. This interesting curriculum is contributing to high levels of children's engagement in learning.

The principal acknowledges the importance of strengthening the integration of Māori language, culture and identity in the curriculum. This is likely to further support the school's commitment to accelerating the achievement of Māori children.

The school's inclusive culture reflects the agreed valued outcomes for all learners. There are high expectations for senior students to model the school's values and they have many opportunities to develop leadership skills. The corner stone values are well understood and underpin the school's positive and supportive climate for learning.

School leaders are well informed and provide effective leadership of learning to build teacher capability. They model effective practice and work collaboratively with staff to take on new learning. Leaders make good use of current research and teaching approaches to support teachers' professional learning and development. Teachers receive regular feedback about the effectiveness of their practice. Leaders and teachers are committed to continuous improvement of teaching practices most likely to achieve equitable outcomes for all learners.

Leaders and teachers are continuing to develop and strengthen school-wide assessment practices. Teachers are making good use of relevant assessment information particularly for targeted children, to plan specific programmes for these learners. Leaders are closely tracking the progress and achievement of identified target children. These more deliberate approaches are beginning to impact more positively on children's learning outcomes.

School leaders are giving careful consideration of the ongoing implementation of learning progressions for reading, writing and mathematics. Fully embedding the use of these is likely to strengthen:

• teachers curriculum knowledge
• the validity and reliability of overall teacher judgements in relation to National Standards
• children's understanding of their own learning and next steps
• parents as partners in their children's learning.

There are increasingly high levels of Māori whānau involvement in the school. The school actively seeks the aspirations of whānau and use this knowledge to inform decisions about the school's curriculum. Māori and other parents are well informed about classroom programmes and school activities. There are many opportunities for parents and whānau to share their knowledge and expertise with children. Teachers are now well placed to build meaningful partnerships for learning, particularly with parents of children at risk of not achieving expected outcomes.

5 Going forward

How well placed is the school to accelerate the achievement of all children who need it?

Leaders and teachers:

• know the children whose learning and achievement need to be accelerated
• respond effectively to the strengths, needs and interests of each child
• regularly evaluate how well teaching is working for these children
• act on what they know works well for each child
• build teacher capability effectively to achieve equitable outcomes for all children
• are well placed to achieve and sustain equitable and excellent outcomes for all children.

This year, school leaders and teachers have implemented a planned and aligned focus on accelerating the achievement of Māori and other children who were achieving below the National Standards, particularly in reading. Key aspects of this plan include:

• setting specific charter targets for those Māori and other children at risk of not achieving
• regular monitoring of the progress and achievement of these children by teachers and school leaders
• professional development for teachers to support them to implement strategies that support accelerated progress
• ongoing teacher reflection about the effectiveness of their teaching in accelerating the achievement of at risk children.

To strengthen these approaches leaders and teachers should:

• implement practices that further support parents to assist their children's learning at home
• embed the use of learning progressions for reading, writing and mathematics.

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 Recommendation

School leaders should give priority to continue extending the effective approaches used to accelerating achievement in reading to the areas of writing and mathematics. 

Lynda Pura-Watson

Deputy Chief Review Officer

17 November 2016 

About the school