Te Hapua School

Findings

Te Hapua School has made very good progress since 2014 under the leadership of the principal. Children are highly engaged in a responsive curriculum and achieving well. It is now time to re-establish a board of trustees that reflects the local community.

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

1 Background and Context

What is the background and context for this school’s review?

Te Hapua School is located beside Parengarenga Harbour in the Far North. It dates back to 1896 and has historical significance for the staff, children, whānau and community. All students are Māori and affiliate to the local iwi of Ngāti Kuri.

Catering mainly for children from Years 1 to 8, the school has two teachers and two classrooms. One room caters for children in Years 1 to 4, and the other for children in Years 5 to 8. When necessary, the school provides distance learning for a small number of Year 9 and 10 students. These older students have dual enrolment with Kaitaia College and Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu, the Correspondence School. At the time of this 2018 ERO report, the school had no Year 9 or 10 students.

ERO’s 2012 visit to the school was its seventh since 2000. The 2012 ERO report identified that many of the concerns highlighted in previous ERO reports had not been addressed. At that time ERO decided to undertake a longitudinal review, an approach that involved visiting and maintaining contact with the school to evaluate progress over a two year period. The school received significant support and guidance from the local Ministry of Education (MoE) to improve the school’s curriculum design and implementation, and the quality of teaching, leadership and governance.

In October 2013, the board of trustees was dissolved and a commissioner was appointed by the MoE. In July 2014, the commissioner, a Ngāti Kuri Trust Board representative, was directed by the MoE to establish a combined board of trustees for both Ngataki and Te Hapua Schools. After a period of leadership change and instability, the commissioner appointed a permanent principal to lead both schools, a role that began in Term 3, 2014. This experienced principal continues to hold a dual leadership role, dividing her time between both schools. A board of trustees has not yet been established to govern Ngataki and Te Hapua Schools.

ERO has continued to visit Te Hapua and Ngataki Schools from 2014 until the most recent evaluation visit in May 2018. During this time the MoE has provided professional learning support for teachers and the principal. ERO’s visit to Te Hapua School in November 2016 identified that good progress had been made in leadership, and that some progress had been made to improve the school’s curriculum design, and teaching and learning practices. No improvement was evident in governance.

Since that time, the school has continued to engage in significant, targeted professional learning to improve the school’s curriculum design and enactment, and teaching and learning practices. Te Hapua School’s teachers have partnered with teachers from Ngataki School to design a shared curriculum and further improve teaching and learning practices. This approach has involved teachers, children and whānau making weekly visits to each other’s schools for shared teaching and learning programmes.

During 2017, the principal worked with the MoE and the Kaitaia College principal to improve outcomes for Te Hapua students in Years 9 and 10. Prior to this time, one of the teachers at Te Hapua School was employed by Kaitaia College. This teacher had responsibility for supporting Year 9 and 10 students with their distance learning and accompanied them on weekly visits to Kaitaia College for onsite learning. This unsuitable employment situation is now remedied and the teacher is employed by Te Hapua School. It has allowed both teachers to teach the year levels that best suit their skills and experience.

2 Review and Development

How effectively is the school addressing its priorities for review and development?

Priorities identified for review and development

The priorities identified for review and development of the school’s curriculum and teaching and learning practices at the time of ERO’s 2015 longitudinal process included:

• developing teachers’ capabilities in assessment practices to support student achievement
• strengthening curriculum delivery and the use of effective teaching practices
• strengthening parents’ and whānau involvement in their children’s learning
• reviewing and improving the quality of educational provision and outcomes for students in the Year 9 and 10 class.

In addition, priorities identified for the school’s sustained performance and ongoing improvements included the principal and commissioner:

• strengthening understanding of governance roles and responsibilities
• initiating a thorough review of the school’s processes for meeting its legal obligations, including a review of its policy framework, and ensuring that the school meets legal requirements
• developing a charter in consultation with the community that takes into full account the National Education Guidelines and all statutory obligations
• developing a strategic plan that identifies the most urgent learning needs for all students and groups of students who are at risk of not achieving
• establishing robust performance management systems based on reflective practice for all staff.

Progress

Curriculum and teaching and learning

Teachers work collaboratively with each other, the principal, capable teaching assistants, and with their teaching colleagues from Ngataki School. They are well supported by their colleagues and external specialists to design a responsive and meaningful curriculum for children from both Ngāti Kuri schools. This collaborative approach includes partnering with whānau to enable children to experience a curriculum that is based in Ngāti Kuritanga.

Professional learning is having a strong and positive impact on building teachers’ confidence and their enjoyment of teaching. These improvements are creating a positive shift in the learning interactions between teachers, children and whānau. Staff are highly inclusive of children with special learning needs and value whānau specialist knowledge and understanding of their children.

Teachers use child-centred approaches that include facilitating and guiding children’s learning and thinking. These deliberate and effective acts of teaching include clarifying the purpose and outcomes for children. As a result, children are engaged in their learning. They display pride in the improved quality of their work, and are confident in themselves as successful and capable learners.

Learning programmes immerse children in te ao Māori, including scientific inquiry within the Ngāti Kuri rohe. These localised experiences support children, teachers and whānau to learn within and about their own environment. Importantly, they promote children’s pride in their language, culture and identity. Learning programmes enhance children’s critical thinking and problem solving skills. Field trips and using digital devices provide significant learning opportunities for children, staff and whānau beyond the local area.

Teachers are beginning to integrate reading, writing and mathematics effectively with other areas of the curriculum. Teachers’ use of standardised assessment tools and other professional learning is improving their analysis of children’s assessment information. They are improving the ways that they use achievement information to plan purposeful learning programmes, and to be flexible and adaptive in their practice. This improved practice includes useful strategies for the school’s priority learners.

The school’s information shows that the majority of children achieve at expected levels of the curriculum in reading, writing and mathematics. To further improve children’s writing skills and achievement, this core curriculum area is the current strategic focus for teachers’ professional learning.

Key next steps

Key next steps for the school include:

• continuing to enhance the curriculum design and implementation, and strengthen teaching and learning practices
• further improving teachers’ and children’s use of achievement information
• moderating children’s assessment information with teachers from Ngataki School
• promoting partnerships with whānau to support their children’s learning.

3 Sustainable performance and self review

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

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

Leadership and governance

The school is benefiting from the principal’s strong and capable leadership. Her collaborative approach is strengthening teachers’ and children’s resilience and their confidence to take learning risks, and to be effective leaders and learners. A well managed change approach, including open and honest communication, is building trust and mutual respect between teachers and staff and with the community. The school’s meaningful consultation is deepening learning partnerships with Ngāti Kuri whānau and is promoting an engaged and productive learning community.

In partnership with the Ngāti Kuri Trust Board, teachers and whānau, the principal has created a strategic vision and goals for both schools that are connected to The New Zealand Curriculum and to Ngāti Kuri expectations. Strategic goals are well aligned to teachers’ professional learning and to their inquiry-based appraisal. Internal evaluation is used purposefully to sustain and further improve outcomes for learners.

Key next steps

Key next steps for leadership and governance include:

• developing a framework for reviewing policies against current practices and legislation
• aligning the teachers’ appraisal system with current Education Council requirements
• continuing to strengthen internal evaluation to inform the school’s strategic direction and change for ongoing improvement
• evaluating, in partnership with whānau, how well the dual leadership role of the principal is working for both schools.

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.

In order to improve practice, the commissioner should support the principal by:

• authorising excursions out of the school that include an overnight stay
• consulting with whānau every two years about the delivery of the school’s health curriculum.

4 Recommendations

Recommendations, including any to other agencies for ongoing or additional support.

ERO recommends that the Ministry of Education work with the school and whānau to reconstitute a board of trustees that represents the school’s community.

Conclusion

Te Hapua School has made very good progress since 2014 under the leadership of the principal. Children are highly engaged in a responsive curriculum and achieving well. It is now time to re-establish a board of trustees that reflects the local community.

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

Julie Foley

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)

Te Tai Raki - Northern Region

3 August 2018

About the School