Te Awa School

Education institution number:
2691
School type:
Contributing
School gender:
Co-Educational
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
174
Telephone:
Address:

Te Awa Avenue, Napier South, Napier

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Te Awa School - 28/09/2018

School Context

Te Awa School is located on the outskirts of Napier and serves a wide geographical community. The roll continues to increase and Māori children make up 65% of the roll.

The vision and valued outcomes defined by the school are that all children experience and contribute to a caring and supportive school culture and have many opportunities to collaborate and learn together in a family-like environment. This vision is underpinned by the ‘KEEN Te Awa Kid, being: Knowledge/ako; Enthusiastic/whakawhanaungatanga; Empathetic/aroha; and Nurtured/manaakitanga’.

School goals are to promote Māori succeeding as Māori, effective teaching and positive schoolwide behaviour. Current school targets are to accelerate the progress of Year 6 and Pacific students in mathematics, improve wellbeing data, and increase attendance of all students at the start of the school week.

Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:

  • achievement in reading, writing and mathematics
  • behaviour and engagement
  • attendance.

Some families and trustees have long associations with the school. There have been a number of changes to staff and the leadership team since the 2015 August ERO report. The school has a long serving principal.

Staff have participated in professional learning and development (PLD) in mathematics and culturally responsive practice. Several programmes and initiatives are in place to promote positive behaviour and student wellbeing, including a board funded position of a school-based liaison officer who works with children and their families.

The school and its leaders are active members of the Matariki Kāhui Ako.

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?

Most students achieve at curriculum expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. These achievement levels have been sustained over time. In 2017, there was increased achievement for Māori students in writing. The school recognises boys achieve less well than girls in reading and mathematics.

There is evidence of high, improved attendance and engagement.

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

While many students, including Māori and Pacific, achieve well, the school recognises the need to continue to develop shared understanding and systems to identify and report accelerated progress for those students at risk in their learning.

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?

Staff and trustees demonstrate high levels of commitment to the learning success and wellbeing of all students and their whānau. Whanaungatanga and manaakitanga are effectively fostered throughout the school. Diversity is valued and inclusive practices are highly evident at all levels of the school. These approaches support families and children to develop positive, learning-centred relationships and a strong sense of belonging. Families are recognised as key partners in learning and they are welcomed and well supported to engage in school life.

Children participate enthusiastically and show enjoyment in learning. Their positive engagement is fostered through a range of deliberate strategies and caring staff. Children are well supported to collaborate and learn from each other through ako and tuakana teina approaches. Teachers provide opportunities for students to follow their interests and make meaningful connections in their learning.

Teachers work collaboratively to share information and strategies to enhance learning for children. They know their students and families well and are responsive to individual needs. The learning and progress of students identified for targeted action is carefully planned for and well monitored.

Teachers collectively build their professional practice through PLD and well informed discussion. They actively explore different approaches to teaching and learning to increase their effectiveness and enrich the curriculum. A newly revised appraisal process provides an increased focus on accelerating student achievement and supports teachers to reflect on their practice.

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

Strategies are in place to continue to build teachers’ cultural responsiveness and promote success for Māori learners. Next steps are to clearly articulate shared understanding of desired outcomes and whānau aspirations, and to collaboratively plan for development. The plan should clarify leadership and whānau contributions, and help to build on successful strategies for sustaining improvement.

Continuing to clearly document curriculum priorities and emphases, in consultation with families, should assist in defining expectations for responsive, localised teaching and assessment practice.

Senior leaders are well informed, highly reflective and provide well-considered direction for improvement. Ensuring leadership and stewardship roles and responsibilities are clearly defined and distributed should help to build the school’s capability to sustain equitable and excellent outcomes for children. This should be supported by a collaborative, systematic approach to internal evaluation to determine the impact of actions taken and to inform ongoing decision-making.

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.

Areas for improved compliance practice

To improve current practice, the board of trustees should ensure:

  • policies, procedures and processes are well known and developed to provide good guidance for robust practice in meeting all current and relevant legislative requirements.

4 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

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

  • a caring culture and practices that support positive, learning-centred relationships and a strong sense of belonging for children and their families

  • well-considered strategies that foster children’s positive participation and enjoyment in learning

  • high expectations for learner success that promotes engagement and learning

  • collaborative sharing of information that supports teachers to respond appropriately to students’ needs.

Next steps

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

  • refining the use of achievement information to better show acceleration for all learners at risk

  • continuing to develop curriculum priorities and documentation to define expectations for responsive teaching and learning

  • ensuring effective practices and improvements are sustained through well-defined and distributed leadership and stewardship roles, and a collaborative, systematic approach to internal evaluation.

ERO’s next external evaluation process and timing

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

Alan Wynyard

Director Review and Improvement Services

Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region

28 September 2018

About the school

Location

Napier

Ministry of Education profile number

2691

School type

Contributing (Years 1 to 6)

School roll

195

Gender composition

Male 52% Female 48%

Ethnic composition

Māori 65%
Pākehā 24%
Pacific 8%
Other ethnic groups 3%

Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS)

Yes

Provision of Māori medium education

No

Review team on site

August 2018

Date of this report

28 September 2018

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review August 2015
Education Review August 2012
Education Review August 2009

Te Awa School - 17/08/2015

Findings

Students learn in a collaborative environment where their wellbeing is a high priority. Ako, whakawhanaungatanga, aroha and manaakitanga underpin school life. Teachers work collaboratively to strengthen assessment and teaching practice. Next steps include: sharpening the focus on students at risk of poor outcomes and more strategically responding to Māori students and their whānau.

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?

Te Awa School, located in Napier South, is a Years 1 to 6 primary school. At the time of the review, 68% of the 156 enrolled students identify as Māori. Since the August 2012 ERO report, the school has experienced a roll growth of Pacific students.

Regular whole-school professional development led by the principal, seeks to improve teacher practice and student outcomes.

High expectations are set in the classroom, playground and the wider school environment. All aspects of the school are underpinned by the values of KEEN: knowledgeable, enthusiastic, empathetic and nurturing; together with: ako, whakawhanaungatanga, aroha and manaakitanga.

2 Learning

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

Progress in assessment practices is evident since the 2012 ERO review.

Teachers collect a wide range of useful data to identify students at risk of having poor educational outcomes. They use this information to decide on teaching programmes that best match the learning needs of each student. 

Since the previous ERO review, the school has developed a tracking and monitoring system called Stepping, Cobble and Paving Stones. This system makes explicit to students and teachers the expected steps towards achieving in relation to the National Standards.

A significant difference is apparent between standardised testing and teacher’s overall judgements (OTJs) about students' achievement in relation to National Standards. This needs further review. The review should include clearer guidelines about:

  • the weight given to standardised assessment results when making OTJs

  • gathering sufficient evidence for the purpose of assessment.

Trustees regularly receive student achievement information. They use this for target setting and to make decisions for resourcing. A next step is to strengthen target setting by focusing on students who are at risk of not achieving. Reporting progress against these schoolwide targets needs further development.

Leaders and teachers work collaboratively when moderating OTJs for reading, writing and mathematics. The principal leads professional discussions with teachers to help build their knowledge of the National Standards, share good teaching practice and improve the consistency and reliability of results.

A newly-developed inquiry process provides a useful way for teachers to evaluate the effectiveness of their own practice for targeted students. Strengthening this process should promote increased clarity about expectations for the accelerated progress of their target students.

Students requiring additional support are well identified and catered for through additional initiatives and programmes including the use of external agencies.

3 Curriculum

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

Learners participate and learn in a caring and collaborative learning community. The curriculum is underpinned by the school values of ako, whakawhanaungatanga, aroha and manaakitanga. The school’s curriculum is well aligned to the values, principles and key competencies of The New Zealand Curriculum.

Student wellbeing is a high priority at the school. Teachers maintain positive relationships with their students.

Clear expectations are in place to build consistency in teaching and learning across the school. The use of formative assessment practices, success criteria, modelling books, and exemplars of success is beginning to help students understand how they can make progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

The school is in the process of developing curriculum guidelines for literacy. Further development is needed to provide expectations for culturally responsive teaching practice.

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

Since the previous ERO review, the school has sustained its initiatives to promote educational success for Māori, as Māori. Increased whānau support and participation in school activities are evident.

There remains a need for a more strategic approach to ascertain what Māori success is for the Māori whānau. A key next step is for leaders to engage with Māori whānau to determine what success looks like for their children.

A te reo Māori teacher takes an active role in leading the te reo me ngā tikanga Māori programme in the school. Weekly timetabled te reo Māori and kapa haka classes provide opportunities for students and staff to build their language capability.

4 Sustainable Performance

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

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

Self review is a planned process that includes research, evaluative questions and identified next steps. A schedule of reviews is led by the management team. Leaders should widen participation in, and leadership of, school self review to have multiple perspectives and to build internal evaluation capacity.

The school has introduced a new appraisal system for teachers. There is a useful process for checking expected practice against the Te Awa indicators of the Registered Teacher Criteria, with some constructive feedback and feed forward. Stronger links between goal setting, teaching as inquiry and formal classroom observations are necessary.

There is a collaborative approach towards developing professional capability in the school. Parents, families, whānau and the community are welcomed and involved in school activities.

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 learn in a collaborative environment where their wellbeing is a high priority. Ako, whakawhanaungatanga, aroha and manaakitanga underpin school life. Teachers work collaboratively to strengthen assessment and teaching practice. Next steps include: sharpening the focus on students at risk of poor outcomes and more strategically responding to Māori students and their whānau.

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

Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central

17 August 2015

About the School

Location

Napier

Ministry of Education profile number

2691

School type

Contributing (Years 1 to 6)

School roll

156

Gender composition

Male 58%, Female 42%

Ethnic composition

Māori
NZ European/Pākehā
Pacific
Other ethnic groups

68%
24%
   5%
   3%

Review team on site

June 2015

Date of this report

17 August 2015

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review
Education Review
Education Review

August 2012
August 2009
August 2006