- ERO evaluates and reports on the education and care of children and young people in early childhood services and schools.
Matamata College is a co-educational school catering for students from Years 9 to 15. At the time of this ERO review the school roll was 806. Twenty percent of these students are Māori and predominantly of Ngāti Haua and Ngati Raukawa descent. The college is located on an attractive campus with extensive playing fields.
Since the previous ERO review in 2012, a new principal has been appointed. Other developments include recent upgrades to the gymnasium, refurbishments to classrooms, and new science labs which have further enhanced facilities for students and teachers.
The school is committed to providing students with meaningful opportunities to develop their skills and talents, and to learn, achieve and gain meaningful qualifications. There are many opportunities for students to participate in sporting and cultural activities, and take leadership roles that contribute to the life of the school and community. Effective pastoral care networks further enhance the culture of care and support for students.
As part of the college’s ongoing commitment to improving outcomes for Māori learners, the principal, senior managers and teachers are involved in the Kia Eke Panuku initiative. This initiative is strongly focused on strengthening culturally responsive practices and teaching practice.
The school gathers a range of relevant and meaningful data on students’ progress, engagement and achievement, and in most cases this data is effectively used to implement initiatives that improve student outcomes. The senior leadership team and teachers’ participation in the Kia Eke Panuku initiative places a strong focus on culturally responsive teaching practices including the use of student achievement information to enhance outcomes for students. Teacher lessons are frequently observed, and receive critical feedback on the extent to which these practices are evident. The outcome of this process is providing direction for developing strategies that address the variability of teaching practice and outcomes for Māori students.
The principal works closely with Learning Area Leaders (LALs), who identify with their departments students who are achieving and are having success, and those students who are at risk of not achieving and need closer monitoring and support. LALs are expected to use data to effectively set targets for raising levels of achievement, and to identify ways to improve their response to students through ongoing review of NCEA courses. The principal and trustees maintain a schoolwide overview of trends and patterns of achievement, and use this knowledge to make informed decisions about resourcing, future goals and priorities.
Many students achieve high levels of academic success. National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) information for all students in 2014 showed that they achieved well in comparison to schools of similar profile and with schools nationally. A comparison between Māori students and their peers indicates the need to significantly raise the priority for improving the levels of achievement of Māori students to that of their peers. Particular attention should be made to improving the achievement of Māori boys and achievement at Levels 1, 3 and University Entrance.
The progress and achievement of Year 9 and 10 students is closely monitored through the schools junior certificate. Information from this certificate shows that a high proportion of students achieve at the expected level of The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC). The school has yet to make effective use of a wide range of standardised assessment information to make national comparisons about the progress and achievement of Year 9 and 10 students.
The curriculum effectively promotes and supports student learning. Students experience success in a range of cultural and sporting events and activities. Students with high learning and pastoral care needs are well supported through high quality teaching by the Totara Learning Centre team. They are able to fully participate in learning opportunities that provide appropriate challenge and support. There is an increased emphasis on future focused learning including the use of digital technologies, to enhance engagement and support teaching and learning. As a result of specific feedback from students, the senior leadership team plan to introduce new subjects to meet the needs of students such as Māori performing arts, agriculture and a modular English course.
Positive, warm and respectful relationships among teachers and students are evident across the school. Classrooms were generally calm and settled environments with some very good examples of teachers using a range of effective strategies to promote student engagement in learning. However, ERO also observed highly variable teaching practice where students’ were not being engaged in purposeful learning at their level of skill and understanding. It is important for teachers to ensure that they focus their teaching on addressing the learning needs of all students, particularly those at risk of not achieving. Greater accountability and monitoring of teaching by senior leaders is needed to strengthen the quality and consistency of classroom practice.
Trustees and the senior leadership team have allocated substantial resourcing to support success for Māori as Māori. The newly appointed te reo Māori teacher has been given significant time to develop the curriculum and build on the strong links with whānau and iwi. These connections have increased the opportunities for whānau to share their educational aims and aspirations for the children. The new Kia Eke Panuku coordinator has been given additional time to coach and mentor teachers, and to build their capacity to provide effective academic support for students.
The Awhi mentoring programme was designed to develop positive relationships and a strong sense of belonging for a targeted group of Year 10 students. The outcome of this initiative has seen a noticeable increase in engagement and achievement as they progress through Year 11.
Other initiatives that promote success for Māori as Māori are the increased profile of kapa haka that is supported through timetabling, board resourcing and support from staff. The Year 9 Tūrangawaewae unit, along with increased bilingual signage to foster all students’ appreciation of Māori language, culture and identity, are further school initiatives.
The school has worked with Ngāti Haua and Raukawa to design and carve a waharoa to symbolise the working relationship between the school and iwi. The school has identified there is scope to further build relationships with iwi to develop a rich and meaningful curriculum that includes contextualised learning tasks. The iwi liaison representative on the board works closely with students at risk.
Currently, roll based and school leaver’s data shows a high variation of achievement and engagement between Māori students and their peers. A pivotal next step for senior leaders is to use this information as part of an ongoing review of school practices and initiatives designed to raise student achievement. The senior leadership team and trustees should also use roll based data to set achievement targets to improve the achievement and engagement of Māori students.
The school is well placed to sustain and improve its performance. The board of trustees effectively represents and serves the education and school community in its stewardship role. It has proactively sought feedback from staff, students and the community including whānau aspirations to inform self review and decision making. Trustees are committed to ensuring that students who need it most are well supported through specific resourcing, staffing and time allocation and funding for activities. This commitment is aligned with the schools’ vision of providing equitable opportunities for all students. The board has robust systems and processes that enable them to effectively undertake their governance roles and responsibilities.
The principal and senior leadership team work collaboratively and are highly focused on ensuring a supportive school environment that is enhancing student learning and wellbeing. To achieve this vision they are committed to leading school initiatives and building relational trust with students, staff, parents, whānau and the community. Teachers are committed to the ongoing development of their teaching practices, and to improving outcomes for students’, particularly Māori students.
The school has implemented a wide range of strategies to strengthen its communication and relationship with parents and whānau. As a result, students’ parents and whānau are increasingly aware of the full range of pathways, programmes and support that are available to make informed decisions at critical stages of transition.
The school 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 all aspects of the Code. ERO’s investigations confirmed that the school’s self-review process for international learners is thorough, effective and has resulted in ongoing development of the programme.
At the time of this ERO review there were seven international students attending the school.
The school has established useful systems that support the wellbeing of international students. Students receive good quality learning opportunities and are supported to participate in sporting and cultural activities. Their progress is carefully monitored and there is strong support for their well-being and pastoral care. Those international students who do not have English as their first language benefit from extensive opportunities to learn English in specialist classes.
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:
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student achievement:
ERO recommends that:
The senior leadership team review the effectiveness of initiatives and school processes, including accountability and monitoring of classroom practice to ensure a more cohesive and focused approach to addressing critical achievement challenges for Māori students.
The board and SLT develop an action plan to demonstrate how the school will address the recommendation identified in this report.
Many students achieve high levels of academic success. They receive a well-rounded education that is enriched by the wide range of co-curricular activities. A wide variety of learning pathways enable students to make meaningful responsible choices about their education. There is a well-organised, purposeful atmosphere for learning.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
|
Location |
Matamata |
|
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
124 |
|
|
School type |
Secondary (Years 9 to 15) |
|
|
School roll |
806 |
|
|
Number of international students |
7 |
|
|
Gender composition |
Boys 54% |
|
|
Ethnic composition |
Pākehā |
76% |
|
Special Features |
Totara Learning Centre |
|
|
Review team on site |
September 2015 |
|
|
Date of this report |
9 November 2015 |
|
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
July 2012 |
