Papamoa College

Papamoa College

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within eleven months of the Education Review Office and Pāpāmoa College 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 

Pāpāmoa College is located in the Western Bay of Plenty. The co-educational school caters for students from Years 7 to 13. An acting principal is leading the school until the new principal begins in Term 4 2022.

Pāpāmoa College’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

  • to further develop student learning through engagement, progress and achievement

  • to further develop effective teaching

  • to promote a safe and inclusive culture

  • to engage with parents, whānau and the community.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the effectiveness of strategies used to accelerate the progress of Year 7 to 10 learners in literacy, with a specific focus on learners who are not yet achieving at expected curriculum levels.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

  • the school recognises that progress and achievement in literacy needs accelerating for identified learners to ensure equitable outcomes

  • the school has already committed to building capacity in literacy learning and wants to evaluate the impacts of these initiatives

  • the school has identified the need for a cohesive and consistent approach to literacy learning from Years 7 to 10 to raise achievement.

The school expects to see:

  • improved outcomes in literacy for all learners especially the Māori and Pacific students, and those with additional learning needs, whose progress needs accelerating

  • robust systems and processes to support literacy teaching and learning

  • consistent approaches to literacy teaching and learning from Years 7 to 10.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support the goal of evaluating the effectiveness of strategies to accelerate the progress of Year 7 to 10 learners in literacy:

  • a strong relationship with local iwi who have contributed to a responsive and localised curriculum to facilitate literacy learning

  • a culture of care and empathy to support learners to learn

  • key leaders who bring strengths in literacy learning to support the growth in capacity of teachers

  • effective data gathering across Years 7 to 10 to inform teacher practice.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • establishing an evaluation team including key staff to focus on the effectiveness of literacy practice

  • gathering key data and insights from a range of stakeholders to inform next steps

  • investigating current practices in Years 7 to 10 with the view to aligning the delivery of literacy learning.

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.

Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

22 September 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

This school hosts:

Te Toka Āhuru Learning Support a satellite of Tauranga Special School.

Papamoa College

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2021 to 2024

As of September 2021, the Papamoa College 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 Papamoa College Board of Trustees.

The next Board of Trustees assurance that it is meeting regulatory and legislative requirements is due in December 2024.

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

Shelley Booysen
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

14 December 2021 

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

Papamoa College - 03/06/2016

Findings

Papamoa College provides a holistic curriculum that is responsive to the academic, social, cultural and pastoral needs of students. Students enjoy learning, interacting with peers and staff and participating and contributing to school life. School leadership, staff and trustees effectively lead and promote the vision of 21st century learning. 

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

1 Context

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

Papamoa College is located in a rapidly growing area east of Tauranga city. At the time of the previous ERO review in 2012 the school roll was approximately 600 students from Years 7 to 10. Since that time the school has experienced significant roll growth and now has a roll of 1044 that now includes Year 11 to 13 students.

Students work in large learning commons that are open, spacious and flexible learning spaces. Each common includes small spaces that allow for independent, quiet or small group learning. A new senior school building was completed in 2014 to cater for the increased roll, and there are plans to build more facilities to cater for further increases to the student population. The number of teaching and support staff has also increased in response to the growing student roll.

The college’s vision is to develop students as 21st century learners, and to create successful citizens who value relationships and community, and are committed to learning for life. Students learn values of risk taking, care and respect for others and the environment, and are encouraged to strive for excellence. The college is committed to providing students with meaningful opportunities to develop their skills and talents, pursue their interests, achieve success and gain meaningful qualifications. Students are encouraged to participate in sporting and cultural activities, and take leadership roles that contribute to the life of the school and community.

The foundation principal continues to ensure that the school’s vision, values, goals and high expectations for student success are promoted and that ongoing developments are sustained. The leadership team has effectively developed systems and processes that promote and support student learning and wellbeing. Experienced and capable trustees are highly supportive of the principal and the school. They promote close links with whānau and the wider community.

2 Learning

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

The school uses achievement information effectively to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement. The board and leadership team have set a clear expectation that high priority is placed on accelerating the progress and achievement of students who are below expected levels.

School leaders closely monitor the progress and achievement of individuals and cohorts of students. They use achievement information well to establish priorities, set targets, and guide decision making. The Leaders of Learning Commons (LLC) work with teachers in their areas to develop systems for monitoring students who are at risk of underachieving. A growing strength of the school is the collaborative sharing of information between leaders and teachers to inform planning for individuals and groups, especially target groups of students.

Teachers have developed a range of approaches to support and accelerate students whose learning is most at risk. They gather a wide range of relevant and meaningful information to measure students’ progress and achievement. A positive feature of the upper middle school is the development of assessment and moderation practices, including the use of overall teacher judgements (OTJs). This practice should support teachers to make more valid and reliable judgements about students’ progress and achievement in Years 9 and 10.

Trustees are very well informed about levels of student progress and achievement. They receive comprehensive information and reports from the principal and Learning Area Coordinators (LACs). Trustees use this information effectively as part of ongoing self review to make informed judgements and decisions about future resourcing.

Patterns of academic achievement show that:

  • since 2011, a high proportion of students in Years 7 and 8 have achieved at or above the National Standards
  • the majority of students in Years 9 and 10 achieved at or above expected curriculum levels in English and mathematics in 2015
  • in National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Levels 1 to 3, students achieved at similar levels to their peers nationally
  • students have gained NCEA Levels 1, 2 and 3 Certificate with Endorsement, at higher levels than their peers nationally
  • Māori achievement rates in NCEA have improved over time but remain lower than other students in the school.

3 Curriculum

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

The school curriculum effectively promotes and supports student learning and strongly reflects the intent, principles, values and the key competencies of The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC). There is a strong emphasis on providing students with meaningful, authentic, andreal-life learning experiences.

An holistic curriculum is successfully delivered in response to the academic, social, cultural and pastoral needs of students.

Features of effective teaching and learning observed are:

  • collaborative and supportive classroom learning relationships where students are able to develop self-managing and independent work habits
  • high levels of openness, students' sense of belonging and extended interactions with peers and teachers
  • teachers who collegially plan, assess, and facilitate learning for students
  • an inquiry approach to integrate learning across the curriculum
  • an increasing use of digital technologies by teachers and students.

School leaders and teachers are exploring ways to further empower students to lead their own learning. A next step is for leaders and teachers to fully implement their e-learning plan and review their practice in relation to current Ministry of Education frameworks and criteria.

The organisation of the senior curriculum for students in Years 11 to 13 has been completed. Senior and curriculum leaders are in the process of reviewing how the curriculum design can best respond to the full range of learning pathways chosen by students.

Teachers have engaged in initiatives and professional development opportunities to enhance their practice. This has included the use of Ministry of Education contracts, external providers and expert teachers within the school. The school reports that some of the external initiatives have had varying levels of success and relevance for the particular needs of teachers and students.

The Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) has successfully developed a learning community approach to supporting students. She works closely with guidance counsellors, student mentors and external agencies to effectively coordinate a wide range of specialist student support services. The Learning Support Centre provides high quality support for individuals and groups of students with particular learning, social and behavioural needs. Support staff work closely with families to develop individual education plans to track progress and development of most at risk students.

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

The school has implemented a range of strategies and initiatives to promote educational success for Māori students. These include:

  • compulsory te reo Māori programme for all students in Years 7 to 9
  • opportunities for students to be involved in pōwhiri, karakia, kapa haka and waiata
  • examples of the integration of Māori history, knowledge and understanding in the curriculum including noho marae
  • guidance and support to trustees and leaders by whānau and the Māori representatives on the board including a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ngā Potiki
  • initiatives such as the Whangai programme and mentors to support students and their whānau.

The school recognises the need to improve levels of academic achievement of Māori students and is responding positively to this priority. In order to raise educations outcomes for Māori students, school leaders should review and further embed the principles of Ka Hikitia-Accelerating Success to:

  • strengthen partnerships with whānau and iwi to develop rich and meaningful curriculum
  • improve the engagement of Māori students
  • extend bicultural understandings and practices across the school.

4 Sustainable Performance

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

Papamoa College is well placed to sustain and improve its performance because:

  • trustees effectively serve the school community in their governance roles and maintain a strong emphasis on promoting positive outcomes for students
  • the senior leadership team has successfully established an effective school, and continues to be, strongly focused on, the ongoing growth and development of the school
  • staff demonstrate a professional and personal commitment to developing innovative practices to enhance educational outcomes for students
  • pastoral care personnel work collaboratively to effectively engage and support students and their families
  • parents are well informed about their child’s achievement and are encouraged to actively participate in the life of the school
  • there is strong use of achievement information to inform self review and decision making
  • students benefit from an inclusive and caring school culture and the many opportunities to contribute to school community initiatives.

The process of establishing a new modern learning school, while working within limited operational funding and staffing entitlements, has provided constant challenges for the board. The task of resourcing a school, and to design a curriculum that is responsive to the needs of its students, has required innovative thinking and approaches to solving problems and finding solutions. Some specialist class spaces require further expansion and development. The board has had to fund a number of additional teaching positions in order to deliver the full range of the senior curriculum. The board recognises that this situation is not sustainable in the long term and is working with the MoE to resolve these matters.

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

Papamoa College provides a holistic curriculum that is responsive to the academic, social, cultural and pastoral needs of students. Students enjoy learning, interacting with peers and staff and participating and contributing to school life. School leadership, staff and trustees effectively lead and promote the vision of 21st century learning.

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

Lynda Pura-Watson

Deputy Chief Review Officer

3 June 2016

About the School

Location

Bay of Plenty

Ministry of Education profile number

6963

School type

Secondary (Years 7 to 13)

School roll

1044

Gender composition

Girls 51% Boys 49%

Ethnic composition

Pākehā

Māori

Asian

Other

66%

25%

5%

4%

Review team on site

March 2016

Date of this report

3 June 2016

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

Special Review

September 2012

June 2011

February 2011