Kaiwaka School

Education institution number:
1027
School type:
Contributing
School gender:
Co-Educational
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
128
Telephone:
Address:

33 Kaiwaka-Mangawhai Road, Kaiwaka

View on map

Kaiwaka School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within seven months of the Education Review Office and Kaiwaka School working in Te Ara Huarau, an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website www.ero.govt.nz

Context:

Kaiwaka School is in the Kaipara District of Northland and serves the local rural community. It provides education for children in years 1 – 6. A new principal was appointed in 2020. The school vision ‘nurturing children to fly’ underpins the work of the school.

Kaiwaka School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:

Strengthen te reo me ngā tikanga Māori and cultural capabilities amongst the school community:

  • Provide innovative and culturally responsive learning environment that will grow students’ success.

  • Provide teaching and learning programmes that encourage and support students to be critical thinkers and broaden their horizons.

  • Provide opportunities for greater whānau and community involvement with the school to enhance the wellbeing of all, creating a strongly connected community.

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Kaiwaka School’s website.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively the literacy programme is meeting the needs of all children?

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

  • school data shows that some students are not achieving at age appropriate levels

  • to monitor that the new literacy programme is meeting the needs of all students

  • to strengthen teacher practice in literacy.

The school expects to see:

  • competent and capable teachers of literacy

  • an effective literacy programme across the school

  • teachers effective use of assessment information to inform their next teaching steps

  • all students will make progress in their reading and writing.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate if the literacy programme is effectively meeting the needs of all children:

  • strong relationships between students and teachers

  • school board and staff focussed on being culturally responsive

  • leaders and staff committed to enacting the school’s vision.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • professional learning development in literacy for all teachers

  • resource classrooms to enable a successful literacy programme to operate

  • develop a shared understanding of learning expectations across the school that supports moderation of student achievement information.

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. ERO will support the school in reporting their progress to the community. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

19 May 2023 

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement.  educationcounts.govt.nz/home

Kaiwaka School

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2022 to 2025

As of November 2022, the Kaiwaka School Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:

Board Administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Personnel Management

Yes

Finance

Yes

Assets

Yes

Further Information

For further information please contact Kaiwaka School, School Board.

The next School Board assurance that it is meeting regulatory and legislative requirements will be reported, along with the Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report, within three years.

Information on ERO’s role and process in this review can be found on the Education Review Office website.

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

19 May 2023 

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home

Kaiwaka School - 11/10/2017

Summary

Kaiwaka School is located in the Kaipara district of Northland and currently caters for 127 children from Years 1 to 6. Māori children make up 45 percent of the school roll. Small numbers of Pacific and other ethnic groups also attend the school.

Since ERO’s 2014 evaluation, new members have joined more experienced trustees on the board. A new deputy principal was appointed in 2016, and the principal was recently chosen to lead the Twin Coast Community of Learning|Kāhui Ako (CoL). This provides opportunities for new leadership experiences within the CoL and the school.

Over the last three years the school has sustained good levels of children’s achievement in relation to the National Standards. Valued outcomes for children are targeted through the school’s strategic planning, professional development for teachers, and the involvement of parents in their children’s learning.

How well is the school achieving equitable outcomes for all children?

This school is improving its response to Māori and other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration.

The most effective aspect of the school in supporting equity and excellence is its culture which is underpinned by shared values. Leaders’ and teachers’ knowledge of learners, their whānau and the communitycontributes to responsive and positive learning relationships that support children in their learning. Professional learning is building the capability of the board, leaders and teachers and is contributing to school improvements.

A more explicit planning and professional development focus on children whose learning needs acceleration and on improving boys’ literacy would help to address in-school disparity. This focus would also help to lift overall achievement.

The school has capacity and capability to accelerate learning for all learners. However, disparity in achievement for Māori and/or other learners remains.

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

Equity and excellence

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

This school is improving its response to Māori and other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration. The learning and achievement of many children is being accelerated through classroom programmes and an increased range of interventions. The leadership team continues to focus on developing high quality teaching practices that support children who are at risk of not achieving the National Standards.

About 75 percent of children achieve the mathematics and reading standards, while achievement in writing is slightly lower. There is significant achievement disparity for boys, and a small disparity for Māori in writing. The school has strengthened the reliability of its processes for making teacher judgements about children’s achievement. This more robust approach is reflected in literacy achievement levels.

The Accelerated Learning in Literacy (ALL) programme helps leaders and teachers to inquire into the effectiveness of their practice. They work together to build their expertise in teaching writing. This intervention supports the learning needs of children who are at risk of not achieving.

Teachers provide learning activities that actively engage children. There is a deliberate focus on children whose learning needs to be accelerated. Thoughtful consideration is given to adapting the programme to meet the needs of groups and individuals. There is good support for children with additional learning needs.

The school’s curriculum strongly emphasises social skills and values. Children achieve well in these areas. They also develop positive attitudes and confidence in their own cultural heritage and the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand.

School conditions supporting equity and excellence

What school processes are effective in enabling achievement of equity and excellence?

The most effective aspect of the school in supporting equity and excellence is its culture that supports learners. Whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, mahi tahi, and ako are a significant part of this culture. The school’s SHARE values (share, helpful, aroha, respect, encouragement) are well known and promote an inclusive learning environment for children.

A well-established feature of the curriculum is the emphasis on promoting children’s cultural identity. Some children and teachers learn and use te reo Māori. A Māori language specialist provides in-depth programmes for children in te reo Māori me ōna tikanga and local Māori history. This programme helps teachers to continue to strengthen their bicultural practices and supports children’s learning.

Māori leadership is promoted and valued through pōwhiri, karakia, mihi, and waiata. Children and staff demonstrate pride in the symbolic importance of maunga Pukekaroro. The maunga and other significant landscape features are proudly recognised in the school’s pepeha and in the school’s waiata.

Leaders and teachers are building trusting relationships with whānau, parents and the community to support children’s learning. Teachers are proactive in contacting parents and whānau about their children’s learning and wellbeing. Children, parents and whānau feel supported through the development of effective learning-centred partnerships with the school. Whānau are involved in the ‘reading together’ programme, which supports learning at home. Children’s achievements are celebrated.

Focused professional learning for teachers is aligned with school goals for student achievement and helps to build leadership capability. Staff meetings involve professional discussions that focus on achievement. There is further potential for professional development through the CoL interactions and networks.

The board has a positive, collective agreement about what is valued in children’s education. Trustees participate in training to help them meet their responsibilities. Developing their ability to scrutinise data and to set meaningful targets and improvement goals is a priority. The board has a commitment to CoL membership and has actively participated in its formation. Trustees see it as an opportunity to help them improve outcomes for children in this school.

Sustainable development for equity and excellence

What further developments are needed in school processes to achieve equity and excellence?

The school has made progress towards improving writing achievement for Māori children and others. However, a clear focus is required on improving boys’ literacy. An improvement focus would include:

  • focusing the school’s charter targets more explicitly on children whose learning needs acceleration
  • continuing to develop learning partnerships with parents, whānau and the CoL
  • professional inquiry into strategies for improving boys’ literacy and lifting overall student achievement

Other developments to enable all children to learn about the bicultural foundations of Aotearoa New Zealand should include:

  • ensuring the curriculum document reflects and guides culturally responsive practices
  • strengthening teacher capability in te reo and tikanga Māori.

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

  • 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.

To improve current practice, the board of trustees should review personnel policies to ensure they reflect current legal requirements.

Going forward

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

The school has capacity and capability to accelerate learning for all learners. However, disparity in achievement for Māori and/or other learners remains.

Leaders and teachers:

  • know the learners whose progress and achievement need to be accelerated
  • need to develop and implement approaches that effectively meet the needs of each learner.

The school agrees to:

  • develop more targeted planning to accelerate progress for learners
  • monitor targeted planning, improved teaching, and learners’ progress
  • discuss the school’s progress with ERO.

ERO will provide feedback and resources to support the development of more targeted planning.

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

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

11 October 2017

About the school

Location

Kaiwaka, Northland

Ministry of Education profile number

1027

School type

Contributing

School roll

127

Gender composition

Boys 52% Girls 48%

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā
Pacific
other European
other

45%
39%
7%
5%
4%

Provision of Māori medium education

No

Review team on site

July 2017

Date of this report

11 October 2017

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review
Education Review
Education Review

January 2015
December 2011
October 2008