Kinohaku School

Education institution number:
1778
School type:
Full Primary
School gender:
Co-Educational
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
10
Telephone:
Address:

22 Kawhia Harbour Road, Taharoa

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Kinohaku School - 04/06/2020

School Context

Kinohaku School is located 11km east of Tahaaroa at the southern end of the Kawhia Harbour. The school caters for children in years 1 to 8. At the time of this ERO review there were 20 students and 16 identify as Māori.

Since the January 2017 ERO report, the board have undertaken remodelling of classrooms and a multipurpose room has been added. Changes to local demographics have resulted in a roll decrease. Leadership and staff have remained largely the same with one new appointment of a principal release teacher.

The board of trustees has a mix of experienced and new members. The school operates a junior class, Years 1 to 3 and a senior class, Years 4 to 8.

The school vision of ‘harbouring success in every learner’ is underpinned by the values: ‘to be proud, responsible, respectful, confident and independent’. Staff have engaged in professional development relating to literacy learning, student agency, teacher inquiry and digital technology. School personnel have continued to review and develop their localised curriculum.

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

  • reading, writing, mathematics and science.

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?

The school is working towards achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for all its students. The 2019 achievement data shows almost all students are achieving at or above curriculum expectations in reading, and all are achieving in mathematics. In writing, most students are achieving at or above curriculum expectations. Māori are achieving as well as, or better than their Pākehā peers in reading, writing and mathematics.

Schoolwide data from 2017 to 2019 shows improvement in reading and minor fluctuations in writing and mathematics. There is some identified disparity for boys in writing in 2019.

2018 and 2019 school assessment data shows improved outcomes in science. Almost all students are working within curriculum expectations in this area.

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

The school is effectively accelerating learning for Māori and other students who need this. Achievement information shows most priority learners make accelerated progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Māori student achievement is accelerating at similar or better rates than their Pākehā peers. Students who are not yet at curriculum expectations, have individual plans and goals in place and are working towards achieving these.

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?

The principal is well supported by an experienced board who actively serve the school community in its stewardship role. Trustees are representative of a community that is committed to the sustainability of the school. Leaders and trustees consult widely to review and develop their school vision, values and strategic direction. Trustees are highly focused on improving student outcomes, and scrutinise information provided by leaders to inform decision making. School resourcing is focused on achieving equity and excellence for all students.

Effective professional leadership has established an environment to support equitable opportunities. Leaders are strongly focused on building relational trust in a collaborative environment. The strengths within the team are valued and utilised. Relevant professional learning and development supports improvement in teaching and learning. Ongoing evaluation and inquiry enables sustained improvement to support equitable outcomes.

Respectful and caring relationships create a culture focused on learning. Teachers use a wide range of effective strategies to meet the individual needs of a diverse range of students. Learners are encouraged to set goals and work towards achieving these independently. Additional support for individuals is accessed where necessary. Students with specific needs are identified, closely tracked and monitored to ensure their progress is accelerated. Teachers focus on building student strengths to foster confidence and a strong sense of identity and belonging.

Students benefit from a curriculum that is designed to respond to parent aspirations and student needs. The school is acknowledging and connecting with the rich Māori history, local environment, language and culture of the area. The school curriculum connects student lives, understandings and prior experiences. Authentic contexts for learning and opportunities for education outside the classroom are provided. Digital tools and online opportunities are integrated and support access to a differentiated curriculum. A wide range of reliable and valid assessment tools are used to measure progress and determine next steps for individual students. Learners are highly engaged in a relevant and broad learning programme.

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

School leaders have undertaken a comprehensive and collaborative review of the local curriculum. There is now a need to refine and document key priorities and communicate these to the school community. This should further inform and support strategic direction and continued learner success.

Priority should also be given to further enabling students to be self-managing learners through the understanding and use of learning progressions in key curriculum areas. This should promote continued positive outcomes, and acceleration for all who need this.

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 Children’s Act 2014.

4 ERO’s Overall Judgement

On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of Kinohaku School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.

ERO’s Framework: Overall Findings and Judgement Tool derived from School Evaluation Indicators: Effective Practice for Improvement and Learner Success is available on ERO’s website.

5 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

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

  • leadership that maintains high expectations for equity, excellence and acceleration
  • an environment that fosters students’ confidence, sense of identity and belonging
  • teaching that is focused on meeting the individual needs of students.

Next steps

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

  • refining key priorities within the local curriculum to ensure clarity and shared understanding
  • strengthening aspects of student agency to grow fully independent learners.

Areas for improved compliance practice

To improve current practice, the board of trustees should:

  • ensure at least one identified staff member attends restraint training.

Darcy Te Hau

Acting Director Review and Improvement Services

Central Region - Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

4 June 2020

About the school

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement.

Kinohaku School - 13/01/2017

1 Context

Kinohaku School is located 11 km east of Tahaaroa at the southern end of Kawhia Harbour. It is a primary school catering for students in Years 1 to 8. Children are learning in two classrooms, one for students in Years 0 to 4 and the other for students Years 5 to 8. The current roll of 34 children includes 24 Māori. There is a newly appointed principal who has been in the school for ten weeks. There is a long-standing board chair and a team of experienced and knowledgeable trustees.

2 Equity and excellence

The vision and valued outcomes defined by the school for all children are to be proud, responsible, respectful, confident and independent. The school's mission is 'together we will provide quality education that prepares our learners to succeed in life'.

The school’s achievement information shows that from 2013 to 2015 Māori student achievement has steadily increased in reading and writing. Achievement in mathematics is variable from year to year. In 2015 the proportion of students achieving National Standards was well above national comparisons. Almost all Māori students achieved in writing and mathematics.

Achievement information for all other children from 2013 to 2015 is tracking upwards and is above national comparisons in reading, writing and mathematics. The 2015 data shows all other children achieved National Standards in reading and mathematics, and almost all in writing.

Teachers work collaboratively using a range of information. They use their professional knowledge about each child's learning to make sound overall judgements about achievement levels in relation to the National Standards. The school has identified that the next step is to continue to strengthen the reliability of these judgements by focusing on moderation processes, including external moderation with other schools.

Since the last ERO evaluation the school has taken the following actions to improve outcomes for children. The school has:

  • accessed professional development to build teacher capabilities to support students with high literacy and numeracy learning needs
  • undertaken extensive consultation with the community to review the charter and school curriculum
  • focused on data collation, analysis and reporting of students whose learning needs acceleration to the board of trustees
  • building teachers understanding and use of learning progressions. 

3 Accelerating achievement

How effectively does this school respond to children whose learning and achievement need acceleration?

The school's response is effective and enabling almost all children at risk of not achieving equitable outcomes to make accelerated progress. Teachers are making effective use of assessment information to inform teaching and learning to raise student achievement. They effectively identify students requiring support and highlight their needs, strengths and interests. They respond by planning individual teaching programmes to address any gaps in the child's learning and use their strengths to support individual development. Teachers continue to build their knowledge and confidence to target teaching and learning. As a result, more students are making accelerated progress. Teachers know children well and have close relationships with their parents and whānau. Parents are well informed to support their child's learning at home.

Teachers and the teacher aide cater for diverse student learning needs, and they effectively support and accelerate the learning of children at risk of not achieving equitable outcomes in specified areas of the curriculum. This support is maximising children's learning experiences. The principal has recently developed and implemented systems to document the outcomes of interventions and support programmes for individual children. The next step is to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions designed to accelerate student learning.

Teachers and the principal work collaboratively to track the ongoing progress of children whose learning needs acceleration. This information is reported regularly to trustees and used to inform decision making. The next step is to set specific charter targets that focus clearly on children whose learning needs acceleration. This should ensure that students at risk of underachieving are consistently prioritised.

In 2016, of the small number of children identified as at risk of underachieving all have made accelerated progress in reading, and almost all in writing. Mathematics continues to be an area for ongoing development.

4 School conditions

How effectively do the school’s curriculum and other organisational processes and practices develop and enact the school’s vision, values, goals and targets for equity and excellence?

The school curriculum is successfully enacting the school's vision, values and goals for equity and excellence. The curriculum has a clear focus on accelerating the progress of students who are achieving below expectations.

The board and school leaders undertook extensive consultation with children, parents, whānau, iwi and the wider community to review and develop the charter and school curriculum. They collated and analysed these perspectives to form the basis of the school's vision and values. These strongly reflect child and whānau aspirations for the future. In addition, leaders worked collaboratively with the Māori community to develop the 'Kinohaku Graduate Profile'. This document integrates the concepts and values of 'Tātaiako - Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners'.

The school's identified next step is to develop and implement this curriculum outline. The curriculum should also be aligned to the Māori Action Plan and include a historical perspective, and sequential te reo and tikanga Māori programme. Embedding aspects of language, culture and identity promote Māori success, and reinforce the bicultural nature of Aotearoa for all children.

There is effective use of multi-level, and multi-group teaching and learning. Teachers provide opportunities for intensive focus work with individual children and in small groups. Effective teaching strategies ERO observed were:

  • rich oral language to increase children's vocabulary and grammatical knowledge
  • repetition to support memory and retention of learning
  • a strong focus on phonetics to increase reading fluency
  • specific praise and affirmation to build motivation, engagement and confidence
  • strategies that cater effectively to children's different learning styles.

Children are happy and settled, and have a wide range of opportunities to experience success.

There are good examples of evidence-based teacher reflection that effectively targets children who require additional support. This encourages teachers to inquire into their practice, evaluate the effectiveness of strategies used and modify their approach as required. The next step is to consistently implement this reflective and evaluative process.

5 Going forward

How well placed is the school to accelerate the achievement of all children who need it?

Leaders and teachers:

  • know the children whose learning and achievement need to be accelerated
  • respond effectively to the strengths, needs and interests of each child
  • regularly evaluate how well teaching is working for these children
  • act on what they know works well for each child
  • build teacher capability effectively to achieve equitable outcomes for all children
  • are well placed to achieve and sustain equitable and excellent outcomes for all children.

Current strengths are:

  • trustees that are effectively focused on student learning, wellbeing, achievement and progress
  • leadership of learning that is successfully promoting equitable outcomes for all children
  • parents, whānau and the wider community who are actively involved in the curriculum, school activities and events.

The school recognises the need to better align school initiatives to focus more clearly on children at risk of underachieving. This includes aligning the teachers' inquiry and appraisal goals to clearly defined charter targets focused on children whose learning needs acceleration. The targets also need to be reflected in the Māori Action Plan to ensure continued success in achieving equitable outcomes for all children.

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

6 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 the following:

  • board administration

  • curriculum

  • management of health, safety and welfare

  • personnel management

  • 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

  • processes for appointing staff

  • stand down, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions

  • attendance

  • compliance with the provisions of the Vulnerable Children Act 2014

7 Recommendation

ERO recommends that the principal works with trustees, teachers and the school community to address the next steps identified by ERO. 

Lynda Pura-Watson

Deputy Chief Review Officer

13 January 2017

About the school 

Location

Kawhia Harbour

Ministry of Education profile number

1778

School type

Full Primary (Years 1 to 8)

School roll

34

Gender composition

17 Boys 17 Girls

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

21

13

Review team on site

November 2016

Date of this report

13 January 2017

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

Education Review

Education Review

June 2013

July 2011

July 2009