Karitane School

Karitane School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 15 months of the Education Review Office and Karitane 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 

Karitane School is a small, rural school located on Otago’s East Coast.  Students learn in two multi-level classes.  The school vision is A tatou tamariki, kaitiaki hei muri, Ako pai ai.  The school translates this as All children, guardians of the future, learn well.  This vision underpins the school’s values and curriculum which are based around education for sustainability. 

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

  • raise student achievement in literacy through the ‘Structured Literacy’ approach

  • honour the intent of Te Tiriti o Waitangi by meaningfully incorporating te reo and tikanga Māori into the everyday life of the school

  • strengthen capability in teaching, leadership, and learning support.

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

ERO and the school are working together to build teachers’ understanding and skills in implementing rigorous evaluation and to evaluate the impact of ‘Structured Literacy’ on raising student achievement and engagement in literacy. 

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is that the:

  • programme of ‘Structured Literacy’ is being introduced in 2022

  • staff and board want to be assured that the ‘Structured Literacy’ approach impacts positively on outcomes for students

  • school wants students at all levels to have strong literacy skills to access the wider curriculum

  • staff and board do not have a formal process to guide evaluation whilst being reflective.

The school expects to see:

  • the ‘Structured Literacy’ programme delivered consistently across the school and student achievement and engagement in reading and writing improving

  • that all adults will skillfully support students’ learning

  • an ongoing understanding of the impact the ‘Structured Literacy’ approach is having on students’ progress and achievement through effective evaluation.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support it in its goal to evaluate the impact of structured literacy for students to achieve success.

  • There are collaborative, reciprocal, learning-centered relationships at all levels of the school which contribute to strong relational trust.

  • Staff work well together to support teaching and benefit students’ learning.

  • The school curriculum is wide-ranging and responsive to children's interests and needs.

  • The school has close and supportive links with its community, including Kāti Huirapa Runaka ki Puketeraki which enhances their commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • strengthening teaching, leadership and learning-support to benefit students’ learning 

  • raising student achievement in literacy through the ‘Structured Literacy’ programme

  • implementing rigorous evaluation to ensure the focus on literacy teaching and learning is improving outcomes for learners.

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.

Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini                                                                                                                    

15 December 2022 

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

Karitane School

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2022 to 2025

As of June 2022, the Karitane School Board of Trustees 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 Karitane School Board of Trustees.

The next Board of Trustees 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.

Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

15 December 2022 

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

Karitane School - 06/08/2018

School Context

Karitane School is a small rural school located on Otago’s east coast. It has two multi-level classes with a roll of 21 students. The school vision is A tatou tamariki kaitiaki hei muri. Ako pai ai. This means: All children guardians of the future. Learn well. The vision is underpinned by nine values which include the key values of:

  • respect

  • wonder

  • creativity

  • confidence.

The school has close community links including with Kati Huirapa runaka and the marae. Since the last review there have been some changes in staff and members of the board. The targets stated in the 2018 annual plan are to raise student achievement in writing and reading.

The leader and teachers regularly report to the board school-wide information about outcomes for students across all aspects of their learning, including literacy and mathematics. The board also receive regular updates on curriculum development which is managed under the four themes of Papatuanuku, Rakinui, Takaroa and He tangata.

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 making good progress with achieving positive outcomes for its students. Overall student achievement for 2017 showed that most students achieved at or above the school’s expectations for mathematics, and the majority also achieved at or above the school’s expectations for reading and writing.

Some students need further support to lift achievement in writing and mathematics. The school has identified that there is disparity for boys and Māori children in writing, and for girls and Māori children in mathematics.

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

School data shows that teachers are effectively supporting priority learners to make accelerated progress with their learning. Priority learners are regularly identified and their progress monitored and tracked through individual classroom processes and school-wide systems.

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?

Relational trust throughout the school supports collaboration, risk taking and openness to change. The school is a central hub of the Karitane community. The strong sense of whanaungatanga helps build students’ sense of belonging. Caring and respectful relationships are highly evident.

Parents, whānau and the community are respected and valued partners in learning. The school proactively draws on local community members to enhance students’ learning opportunities, achievement, and to promote wellbeing.

The school’s broad, localised curriculum has been developed in consultation with the students, parents, whānau and the wider community. Teachers know the students well, and adapt programmes to cater for their individual needs. Students are motivated to learn and participate with enthusiasm in various projects, clubs and community events. They have regular opportunities to take part in local events and environmental and cultural activities.

Teachers closely monitor the learning of students with diverse needs. Teachers adjust learning programmes and their teaching style to help students who need extra support. The learning environment is managed in ways that encourage participation, engagement and agency in learning.

The board communicates effectively and appropriately with the school community. Trustees have a shared understanding of their roles and responsibilities, and work collaboratively to continually improve the school and ensure positive outcomes for students.

The principal and teachers are committed to ensuring the school’s vision is enacted. The school’s values are well-aligned with the key competencies that teachers see as essential to a balanced learning curriculum. The teachers are developing useful guidelines for integrating the key competencies into the teaching and learning.

Teachers share leadership responsibilities to promote links between learning programmes. This supports ongoing consistency. The principal’s collaborative approach to leadership means teachers are involved in decision making and work effectively together to design programmes and associated activities. They regularly reflect as a team on the progress and achievement of every child at the school to ensure a wide perspective on each student’s strengths and abilities.

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

The board, teachers and ERO agree that the key next steps are to:

  • develop the strategic and annual plan to better evaluate progress towards targets and goals, and show how these will be monitored and reported on over time

  • strengthen the Māori development plan

  • improve internal evaluation processes and practices so that teachers and the board are better informed when making decisions about future programmes and practices.

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 Vulnerable Children Act 2014.

4 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

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

  • quality of teaching and learning

  • localised, broad and varied curriculum

  • integration of the school’s vision and values into key school documents.

Next steps

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

  • strengthening strategic and annual planning

  • implementing the Māori development plan and further bicultural practices

  • strengthening internal evaluation processes and practices.

ERO’s next external evaluation process and timing

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

Dr Lesley Patterson

Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern

Te Waipounamu - Southern Region

6 August 2018

About the school

Location

East Otago

Ministry of Education profile number

3756

School type

Contributing (Years 1-6)

School roll

21

Gender composition

Boys: 10

Girls: 11

Ethnic composition

Māori 5

Pākehā 14

Other ethnicities 2

Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS)

No

Provision of Māori medium education

No

Review team on site

July 2018

Date of this report

6 August 2018

Most recent ERO reports

Education Review:  November 2015

Education Review: September 2012

Education Review:  August 2010

Karitane School - 03/11/2015

1 Context

What are the important features of this school that have an impact on student learning?

Karitane School is a small school with two multi-level classes. Teachers know the students and their families and whānau well.

Staff and students are very positive about their school. Teachers encourage older children to work and play alongside younger children in very caring and respectful ways. New students settle quickly. Parents are made to feel welcome and involved.

The school has well-established links with, and is well supported, by the parents and wider community.

A strong focus is placed on respect for the local environment and sustainable practices. Students benefit from a rich range of activities relevant to their local area with input provided by local and visiting experts. The school has a close relationship with Kati Huirapa rūnaka and marae.

The school has made good progress in addressing the recommendations in the 2012 ERO report to improve assessment practices and strengthen self review.

2 Learning

How well does this school use achievement information to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement?

The school makes very good use of learning information to make positive changes to students’ engagement, progress and achievement.

Students are engaged in and enthusiastic about their learning. They can talk about their overall goals, their specific goals for literacy and numeracy, and their next learning steps to achieve their goals. Teachers know students very well as learners and as individuals. 

A high number of students achieve at or above the National Standards in mathematics. Most students achieve at the standard in writing. Achievement in reading is slightly lower overall. As a result, school leaders and trustees have chosen reading as a priority for improvement in 2015. The principal and teachers have identified students who are yet to reach the appropriate expectation in reading, as well as writing and mathematics. They provide specific programmes and strategies to help these students make extra progress.

The principal works with teachers to monitor how well these tailored strategies are helping. The principal and trustees regularly discuss the outcomes of this monitoring.

Trustees receive reports about learning and overall achievement, for reading, writing, and mathematics. They consider the mid-year monitoring information in relation to the annual student achievement targets for the school as a whole. They ask useful questions about the impact of the strategies being used and the likelihood of meeting the targets by the end of the year. They explore what else could be done to further enhance students’ learning and progress.

3 Curriculum

How effectively does this school’s curriculum promote and support student learning?

The school very effectively promotes and supports students’ learning.

The school provides a rich range of experiences and opportunities for students that engage them in meaningful learning. The intention is for all Karitane School children to be guardians for the future and to learn well.

Key features of the curriculum are the strong connections made to local people and places. As a result, students develop a deep appreciation for and understanding of their local environment, and of their own identity within their community.

Teachers effectively integrate core skills and knowledge, and desired attitudes and values into students’ daily learning. They value the opinions of students and regularly seek their views to inform their planning. This enables them to identify interesting and meaningful focuses for learning.

Staff and students benefit from the school’s close proximity and relationship with Kāti Huirapa marae and rūnaka. As a result, they have frequent opportunities for rich learning of te reo and tikanga Māori, and te ao Māori from local experts.

Students show a strong sense of belonging to the school. They enjoy being at school with their teachers and with each other. In particular they appreciate the real-life challenges their learning provides and the expectation they will turn their learning into action to better their lives, and the world in and beyond school.

Next steps

Teachers and school leaders now need to:

  • develop achievement benchmarks for learning areas other than literacy and mathematics
  • develop curriculum guidelines for oral language
  • report achievement summaries for all learning areas to the board
  • ensure the key learning focuses and ‘action competencies’ are known and used by students.

How effectively does the school promote educational success for Māori, as Māori?

The school effectively promotes success for and as Māori.

Māori students are well supported and make good progress in their learning and achieve well. Their views and those of their peers, whānau and wider Māori community are regularly sought to inform programme planning and school direction. Their teachers are building their abilities to include Māori language, culture and identity in the daily learning and life of the school. This supports Māori students well and develops all students’ understanding of New Zealand’s dual cultural heritage.

Staff and students benefit from the close relationship built with the local Kāti Huirapa rūnaka. This includes a rich array of learning in and beyond the classroom from local experts, such as:

  • weekly lessons about te reo Māori and kapa haka from positive role models
  • familiarity with marae protocols and local Māori history
  • authentic opportunities to apply their learning at marae-based events
  • access to local knowledge and areas of significance to their learning.

Next step

The school has identified the need to more fully integrate the te reo Māori programme into the ao Māori domains within the school’s curriculum, particularly the focus on the environment and sustainability. This could also include considering how the school’s core values reflect te ao Māori.

4 Sustainable Performance

How well placed is the school to sustain and improve its performance?

The school is well placed to sustain what is going well and improve its performance.

Professional leadership in the school is strong. The principal works collaboratively with all staff members to provide effective leadership of the curriculum and school as a whole.

Trustees have gathered the ideas and opinions of the school community and used this information to determine the school’s strategic direction. The board and principal discuss learning information to set annual priorities with a focus on improved student outcomes. They monitor progress during the year towards achieving these outcomes.

Trustees have made good use of training in their governance roles to help develop a good understanding of what they need to do as stewards of the school’s future. They plan to build on their current understanding by seeking more information and training for their role. The board has placed a priority on ensuring sustainable practices for the school’s future.

Trustees are well informed about the curriculum, students’ achievement and wellbeing. They have sound practices for monitoring health and safety.

The next step for trustees is to strengthen the ways they scrutinise the work of the school in achieving valued student outcomes. This should include clarifying:

  • how reviews they carry out will focus on the impact of programmes and initiatives on desired student outcomes
  • what a policy or procedure will be reviewed against before carrying out a review
  • how best to record the outcome of evaluative discussions to enhance sustainable review practices.

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:

  • board administration
  • curriculum
  • management of health, safety and welfare
  • personnel management
  • financial management
  • asset management.

During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student achievement:

  • emotional safety of students (including prevention of bullying and sexual harassment)
  • physical safety of students
  • teacher registration
  • processes for appointing staff
  • stand-downs, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions
  • attendance.

Conclusion

Students are engaged in and enthusiastic about their learning. Learning is well linked to the local environment and sustainable practices. Most students achieve well in writing and reading, and particularly well in mathematics. They benefit from a rich and varied range of learning experiences in and beyond the classroom. Students’ wellbeing, and learning strengths and interests are well supported in a highly inclusive school culture.

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

Chris Rowe

Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Acting)

3 November 2015

About the School

Location

Karitane

Ministry of Education profile number

3756

School type

Contributing (Years 1 to 6)

School roll

25

Gender composition

Boys: 15

Girls: 10

Ethnic composition

Pākehā 18

Māori 7

Review team on site

September 2015

Date of this report

3 November 2015

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review September 2012

Education Review August 2010

Education Review June 2007