Piripiri School

Piripiri School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 20 months of the Education Review Office and Piripiri School 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 

Piripiri School is a small rural school located in the Waitomo district, providing education for students in Years 1 to 8. The school appointed a first-time principal who began at the beginning of 2022.

Piripiri School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:

  • raise engagement and achievement by accelerating success

  • create a safe learning environment for ākonga

  • develop and implement an innovative local curriculum

  • enhance students’ sense of identity, language and culture.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well the school is accelerating learning and engagement for those students who need it.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to:

  • ensure all learners have opportunities to learn and achieve at the appropriate level

  • increase student engagement and self-direction in their learning

  • establish a culturally responsive curriculum that responds to students’ needs, strengths and interests

The school expects to see:

  • improved student achievement and engagement in learning

  • learning programmes that enable students to take increasing responsibility for their own learning

  • internal evaluation systems to improve student achievement.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its evaluation of how well learning and engagement is being accelerated for those students who need it:

  • a plan that clarifies goals to improve student achievement

  • leadership that prioritises the need to improve outcomes for Māori

  • school values that are well known, enacted and support the wellbeing of all learners.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • targeted professional learning to build teacher capability to respond to student learning needs

  • enhancing reciprocal partnerships to support culturally responsive learning opportunities.

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

28 February 2023

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

Piripiri School

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2021 to 2022

As of July 2022, the Piripiri School 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

Actions for Compliance

The board has identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:

  • provided access and facilities for persons with disabilities to and within buildings.

[Ss 117-120 and Schedule 2 of Building Act 2004]

The board has since not yet addressed the areas of non-compliance identified.

Further Information

For further information please contact Piripiri School Board of Trustees.

The next Board of Trustees assurance that it is meeting regulatory and legislative requirements will be reported, along with the Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report, within three years.

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

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

28 February 2023

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

Piripiri School - 20/10/2016

1 Context

Piripiri School is situated 30 minutes west of Waitomo Caves and is a full primary school catering for Year 1 to 8 students. Children participate and learn in a multi-level classroom. The current roll is 16 children including 9 who identify as Māori.

The teaching principal has established a collaborative approach to teaching and learning over the last five years. The teaching team include the teaching principal, release teacher and teacher aide. Staff have professional development opportunities and there are structures in place that support evaluation, inquiry and innovation.

A new board of trustees includes experienced and newly appointed trustees. There is a high level of whānau involvement in community events and school initiatives.

2 Equity and excellence

The vision and valued outcomes defined by the school for all children are to become empowered life-long learners. Children will:

  • learn the skills, content and strategies they need to succeed in the 21st century
  • have highly effective communication and interpersonal skills
  • be able to innovate, experiment and use knowledge to positively impact on the environment and the lives of themselves and others.

The school values its 'heritage, unique environment and celebrates achievements, while looking forward with anticipation and interest'.

The school’s achievement information shows that the majority of all learners are achieving at or above National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics, including most Māori children. The 2015 student achievement information showed that a small number of Māori children were below or well below National Standards for reading, writing, and mathematics. The school has identified that there is a need to focus on improving writing achievement. Children achieving below National Standards are identified, and the programmes implemented are aimed at accelerating their progress.

Since the last ERO evaluation the school has:

  • created and implemented the Piripiri School Māori Achievement Plan and a sequential te reo Māori programme
  • established year-on-year tracking of achievement of individual students against expected rates of progress
  • formalised the evaluation of intervention programmes for priority learners
  • focused on establishing a student agency approach
  • linked curriculum coverage planning with integrated topic approaches
  • developed an internal evaluation plan
  • increased the use of computer technologies to enhance student learning and progress.

3 Accelerating achievement

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

A majority of Māori children are making accelerated progress and benefit from effective teaching strategies. Personalised learning plans are being implemented for all children in 2016. Of those children who have attended Piripiri School since Year 1 all are achieving at or above National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Successful strategies that enable individual children's accelerated progress are well implemented, embedded and sustained across the school.

Staff respond effectively to all children whose learning and achievement needs acceleration. They demonstrate high expectations for achievement. Teachers make good use of well-analysed assessment information to identify each child's learning needs, prepare action plans for specific children and maintain an ongoing cycle of monitoring, review and evaluation. They use student achievement data, observations and anecdotal notes to make judgements about assessment and moderation of student's progress and achievement.

Staff have established positive and respectful relationships with children, including successful learning-centre partnerships with parents and whānau.

Current initiatives are resulting in improved levels of engagement and confidence, especially amongst Māori and boys at risk with their learning. A recently developed Piripiri School Māori Achievement Plan has set an appropriate target focused on raising Māori boys achievement in writing. The evaluation of the effectiveness of these initiatives enhances strategic planning and helps with decision making about resources.

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’s curriculum, processes and practices promote equity and excellence for all children including Māori. Staff display a sense of urgency by maximising learning time and providing additional intervention programmes.

The Piripiri School curriculum is coherent, with useful guidelines that are well aligned to the school's vision and values. Its design and implementation is in response to children's learning needs, whānau aspirations and utilizes community resources. Children have many opportunities to engage and experience success in a range of sporting, cultural and artistic interests. While the school’s inquiry approach is increasingly integrating the Māori dimension of New Zealand’s cultural heritage, there is a need to include and strengthen the teaching of local Māori history.

Since ERO’s 2013 review, the school has implemented a range of new initiatives focused on accelerating the achievement of Māori students. The te reo Māori achievement expectations document provides a sequential programme across the school, and is used in conjunction with students' abilities, knowledge, and experiences.

The principal promotes a culture of learning for improvement. He is providing professional leadership focused on raising the achievement of children who are at risk with their learning.

Teachers and students collaborate to create purposeful and challenging learning opportunities. Children, in partnership with their parents and whānau, set learning goals and work with teachers to achieve them. A range of strategies are used by teachers to promote students’ active participation in assessment. The development of learning progressions, clearly informing student progress and achievement, should now be extended to reading and mathematics. Embedding these strategies should increase students’ understanding of their learning progress and next steps.

Internal evaluation is ongoing, and leads to meaningful changes, and involves input from parents, children and the community. The staff review and reflect on their practice and respond well to interests and strengths of children. A next step is to align the appraisal of teaching staff to the expectations established by the Education Council. In addition, teachers need to identify goals that effectively link to teacher inquiry and raising achievement of those children needing acceleration. There is a culture of critical inquiry developing with a focus on improving children's achievement.

A good balance of experienced and new trustees represent the diversity of the community and are well placed to provide effective governance. They are aware that continued access to professional development will provide a clearer understanding of the board's governance role, with a focus on raising the achievement of priority learners.

The board of trustees makes sound resourcing decisions to promote the school's vision for success. This includes the equitable provision of digital resources for students.

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.

Piripiri School's vision and values derive from a commitment to providing an inclusive and welcoming learning environment that supports equity and promotes excellence for all children. The school uses a range of tools, initiatives and strategies designed to promote acceleration for all students achieving below national expectations.

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

In order to improve practice, the principal and teachers need to better align their appraisal process to the Practising Teacher Criteria established by the Education Council, and in particular for the issue and renewal of practising certificates.

7 Recommendation

ERO recommends that the school:

  • Continues to embed teaching strategies for children to take greater responsibility for their learning and progress.
  • Ensures that appraisal of teaching staff by the professional leader of the school is based on the Practising Teacher Criteria established by the Education Council.
  • Strengthens the teaching and learning of local Māori history.

Lynda Pura-Watson

Deputy Chief Review Officer

20 October 2016 

About the school

Location

Piripiri, King Country

Ministry of Education profile number

1896

School type

Full Primary (Years 1 to 8)

School roll

16

Gender composition

Girls 12 Boys 4

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

9

7

Review team on site

July 2016

Date of this report

20 October 2016

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

Education Review

Supplementary Review

April 2013

June 2010

June 2008

Piripiri School - 24/04/2013

1 Context

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

Piri Piri is a small rural full primary school in the heart of King Country, catering for students from Years 1 to 8. The current roll is 17 of whom 13 are girls and 9 identify as Māori. While the student roll is higher than at the time of the last ERO review in 2010, the roll tends to fluctuate considerably as families move in and out of this rural area.

The school is situated in an attractive setting with bush, hills and streams immediately surrounding the site. The school’s rural setting, and strong support of the local community, provides additional opportunities for students to learn in relevant and meaningful contexts. Respectful and affirming relationships are evident among students and adults, and these contribute to a family-like atmosphere in the school.

The principal was appointed in August 2011, and he teaches the single class for three days a week. Board support for additional staffing allows the class to be split into senior and junior groups on the other two days of the week.

The board of trustees brings experience and skills to their governance roles. Trustees manage the financial and property assets well to support their strategic priorities. The board responded positively and constructively to recommendations in the last ERO report, and have considerably strengthened the structure and documentation of their governance processes. After community consultation, the school adopted a vision summed up as ’Learn Connect and Innovate’.

2 Learning

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

Student achievement information is well used at all levels of the school to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement. The principal has developed and shared a detailed assessment and reporting schedule to guide programme planning, goal setting and reporting processes. Teachers make effective use of assessment information to form ability groups for reading, writing and mathematics, and to plan activities to meet identified learning needs. Students are expected to set learning goals that reflect their next learning steps linked to their current achievement levels. They also maintain individual portfolios that include relevant samples of work. These documents are shared with parents.

Trustees receive regular reports from the principal on student achievement in relation to National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. This information is analysed to show gender and ethnic patterns used to set annual targets, and to allocate resources to support identified strategic priorities.

Students in need of additional support are clearly identified as priority learners. Teachers are well supported by teacher aides to provide interventions for these students.

Achievement information at the end of 2012 shows that a high proportion of students are achieving at appropriate National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Girls are achieving particularly well, and Māori students are achieving at levels comparable with, or slightly below, their non-Māori peers.

The next step for the school is to strengthen the management of assessment information by:

  • developing the year-on-year tracking of achievement of individual and groups of students, against expected rates of progress
  • formalising the evaluation of the intervention programmes for priority learners.

3 Curriculum

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

The school’s curriculum effectively promotes and supports student learning. The community takes a broad and inclusive view of education and values positive social, cultural and sporting outcomes for students, as well as academic progress.

ERO observed high levels of student engagement. Classes were settled and learning was purposeful. Relationships among students and staff were respectful and affirming. The family atmosphere encourages students to take responsibility for themselves and each other, and to contribute to the life of the school. Students spoken to emphasised the safe and inclusive culture, and the opportunities to develop leadership and responsibility.

The principal completed a curriculum review during 2012, and identified the use of computer technologies to enhance learning and integrated approaches as areas for priority development. An emphasis on the core skills of reading, writing and mathematics is maintained, and staff professional development and resource purchases have supported these priorities. The principal sets a positive example of professional learning by his active involvement in the First Time Principals’ Programme and his contribution to rural school cluster groups.

Learning experiences are extended by monthly trips to Te Kuiti where students make use of the town library, and then visit other places of local interest. Students have taken leading roles in organising excursions to places of local conservation and environmental significance. The school also takes part in regular rural school events in the region.

The BOT, principal and ERO agree that areas for further school development include:

  • the use of the classroom environment to more effectively support students taking more responsibility for their own learning
  • linking curriculum coverage planning with integrated topic approaches
  • the effective use of computer technologies to enhance student learning and progress.

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

The new principal, staff and board are working effectively to promote educational success for Māori, as Māori. Classroom environments and school operations reflect a conscious effort to integrate Māori perspectives in the life of the school. Te reo Māori is used daily for karakia, greetings and basic instructions. Children are learning waiata which are used at pōwhiri. School leaders recognise that a next step is to adopt a more formal sequential programme for the teaching of te reo Māori.

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. The following factors support this judgement:

  • the board is well-informed and has established detailed strategic and annual plans focused on improving educational outcomes for students. Trustees support the principal and staff with professional development opportunities
  • the principal is providing clear and positive educational leadership for staff and the school community. He has successfully established positive relationships with other staff, students, parents and the wider community
  • there is a culture of high expectations among students and their parents
  • there is strong support and interest for the school from parents and the wider community
  • self-review processes are systematic, evidence-based and used to inform planning at all levels of the school.

The board of trustees, principal and ERO agree with the areas for further development already indicated in earlier sections of this report.

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.

When is ERO likely to review the school again?

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

Dale Bailey

National Manager Review Services

Northern Region

24 April 2013

About the School

Location

Piri Piri, near Waitomo in King Country

Ministry of Education profile number

1896

School type

Full Primary (Years 1 to 8)

School roll

17

Gender composition

Girls 13

Boys 4

Ethnic composition

Māori

NZ European/Pākehā

9

8

Review team on site

March 2013

Date of this report

24 April 2013

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

Supplementary Review

Education Review

June 2010

June 2008

June 2007