- ERO evaluates and reports on the education and care of children and young people in early childhood services and schools.
Students at Waimate Centennial School come from the town and surrounding farms. Many travel to school by bus. They benefit from the high expectation the school has that all students will experience success in their learning. Factors that contribute to student success include:
Students spoken to told ERO their teachers care about them and their learning. New students arriving through the year are made to feel welcome and included. These students are very well supported and quickly become part of the positive school culture.
The teachers and school leaders use achievement information effectively to make positive changes to students’ learning.
Teachers use learning information to:
School leaders use learning information to:
Trustees use progress and achievement reports to enable them to make well-considered decisions about resourcing, such as teachers’ PLD and staffing.
School leaders and teachers need to further develop the students' level of involvement in their learning as required by the school’s guidelines for teachers. ERO observed examples of very good practice, where students were very aware of their learning and what they had to do to make further progress. The school’s next step is to make these good practices common practice.
The school’s curriculum is very effective in promoting and supporting student learning. Students take part in a broad range of experiences across all learning areas.
The school’s curriculum focuses on developing the whole child. The values, skills and attitudes needed to be an effective citizen and learner are clearly defined in the Centennial Centurion model. Teachers are well supported by detailed guidelines for what to teach and how. School leaders closely monitor how well teachers implement the school’s high expectations for effective teaching and learning.
All students receive very good to high-quality teaching. Teachers know their students well and the learning strengths and needs within their classes. Teachers and the principal show a high level of urgency to support students to make the appropriate progress to reach expected standards. Achievement and progress reports show that those students needing to make more than one year’s progress within a year, did so in 2012. This accelerated progress was especially noted in reading and mathematics.
Teachers are using ICT effectively to engage students in and enhance their learning. The board has provided teachers and students with up-to-date ICT equipment. Trustees plan to increase this provision.
Teachers, leaders and trustees appreciate the importance of providing an environment that values the culture, identity and language of Māori. This is seen through:
The school has a culture of rigorous, critical reflection that means it is very well placed to sustain and improve its performance.
The school's systems to monitor, support and improve teacher performance are effective. They are closely linked to the PLD programme school wide and for individual teachers. They are responsive to the identified needs of students and teachers.
Teachers take responsibility for improving their own teaching practices and are well supported by the board and school leaders to do this. A positive feature of the school’s PLD is the exposure teachers have to new ideas and practices. The competent and knowledgeable professional leaders have a deliberate and purposeful focus on driving up the teaching practice within the school.
The school has a useful process to guide its reviews. Regular surveys of students and the community inform reviews.
There are logical links from strategic goals to annual and PLD plans, and to classroom programmes. Trustees find the annual plan a useful working document to guide their work.
School leaders and trustees recognise the need to review and refine the school’s planning and review processes. ERO agrees. This development should:
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 is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Graham Randell
National Manager Review Services Southern Region
28 August 2013
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Location |
Waimate, South Canterbury |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
3573 |
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School type |
Contributing (Years 1 to 6) |
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School roll |
141 |
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Gender composition |
Boys: 54% Girls 46% |
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Ethnic composition |
NZ European/Pākehā Māori Pacific |
86% 13% 1% |
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Review team on site |
June 2013 |
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Date of this report |
28 August 2013 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review Supplementary Review Education Review |
October 2009 October 2006 June 2005 |
