Whangamarino School

1 Context

Whangamarino School is located near Okere Falls, Lake Rotoiti. Nearly all the children are tangata whenua of Ngāti Pikiao descent, and whakapapa to Te Arawa waka. In addition to the mainstream classes, the school has two immersion te reo Māori classes.

A new principal was appointed in 2013. For the past three years, the school has participated in a Learning and Change Network (LCN) with two other schools that surround Lake Rotoiti. This initiative has involved staff and students coming together for sports and academic events, sharing of good practice, and targeted professional development to further build teacher capability. Trustees have also funded new resources, modern classroom furniture and a range of digital technologies.

A strong sense of whanaungatanga is evident among trustees, parents, whānau, teachers and children, and this promotes a positive and welcoming school culture.

2 Equity and excellence

The vision and valued outcomes defined by the school for all children are to be confident, connected, actively involved lifelong learners and proud of their cultural heritage. The board, staff, whānau and hapū exercise tino rangatiratanga in order to protect the cultural identity of children at Te Kura o Whangamarino. The school’s motto 'kia pono ki to mahi, kia whai hua ai -tamariki will stand tall and be caring, honest in all aspects of their lives so they may achieve their personal best,' aims to provide equitable and excellent outcomes for all children.

The school’s achievement information shows that in 2015, the numbers of Māori children in the mainstream achieving below national expectations, increased compared with previous years. Out of 91 children, 41 achieved below in mathematics, 41 in reading, and 53 in writing. In reading and writing the number of boys below the National Standards was greater than the number of girls.

In the Rūmaki unit, a larger proportion of students are achieving at or above in Ngā Whanaketanga Rūmaki Māori. In 2014, an average of 80% of children in the Rūmaki achieved at or above national expectations in pānui, tuhituhi, kōrero, and pāngarau.

Since the last ERO evaluation the school has introduced a number of initiatives to build teacher capability in raising the achievement of children who are at risk of underachieving.

Teachers have engaged in:

• extensive professional development in mathematics and the introduction of more rigorous nationally referenced assessment tools
• professional development in writing, and moderation in conjunction with neighbouring schools
• sharing of ideas and strategies in reading using the expertise of reading recovery trained teachers and external advisors
• the use of pupil progress summary forms, data gathering and analysis, and teacher differentiated planning for priority learners.

The school has received a wide range of advice, assistance and guidance from the Ministry of Education (MoE) and other providers.

3 Accelerating achievement

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

The school has increased its effort in responding to Māori children whose learning and achievement needs accelerating. However, school-wide data indicates that the school needs to do more to accelerate the progress of those Māori children who are below in reading, writing and mathematics in relation to National Standards. School-wide achievement information shows that Māori children who remain at the school for more than two years are more likely to achieve at or above in reading, writing and mathematics.

Teachers are clearly identifying those children whose progress and achievement needs to be accelerated. A critical next step is for teachers to plan for the individual learning needs of each child who is below or well below their expected level.

School leaders have set charter targets that state that all tamariki below National Standards at the beginning of 2016 will make more than one year's progress, and be achieving at or above national expectations by Year 8.

Recent professional development initiatives include a strong priority placed on accelerating student achievement in mathematics, reading and writing in both the mainstream and rūmaki classes. More rigorous assessment and moderation processes are now in place.

Effective processes that support charter targets are:

• a range of formative and diagnostic assessments used to identify specific learning needs and next steps
• the assessment of and response to new entrant children’s learning and health needs on entry to the school
• the identification of children at risk of underachieving in reading, writing and mathematics
• strategies and interventions being implemented and shared amongst staff
• the allocation of resources, teacher aides, and outside agencies to accelerate children's learning and progress
• monitoring and evaluation of children's progress by teachers to determine whether interventions have been effective
• communication with whānau, whakawhanaunga days, and reporting on progress in assessment books and formal reports.

Information is gathered by the principal and shared with the board. However, the analysis of accelerated progress for priority learners has yet to be analysed, tracked over time, and evaluated for individuals and groups. 

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 priorities for equity and excellence?

Trustees strongly promote the school's vision and values for equity and excellence. They effectively allocate resources that promote positive classroom learning environments for children. They now need to use achievement information provided to them to evaluate the effectiveness of specific initiatives, programmes, interventions and additional staffing in relation to the school targets.

The school curriculum promotes whanaungatanga, self-efficacy and Ngāti Pikiaotanga. The use of te reo Māori is highly evident throughout the school. Children have many opportunities to engage in meaningful learning opportunities through a well-balanced curriculum that responds to parent, whānau and community aspirations.

The principal provides strong leadership for ongoing school development in further raising learning outcomes for children. He sets clear guidelines and expectations for staff and works collaboratively with senior leaders to build teacher capability. In addition, he accesses a wide range of professional development and maintains close professional relationships with other local schools. The principal now needs to improve the analysis, interpretation and use of the school's achievement data to ensure it identifies the needs for all groups of priority learners and evaluates the effectiveness of teaching practices that support acceleration.

Teachers maintain warm, positive relationships and interactions with children within settled classrooms. There is a growing emphasis on children taking responsibility for their learning and the increasing use of digital technology is enhancing engagement in learning. Teachers need to strengthen their planning and teaching as inquiry processes to further accelerate the progress of individual children who are achieving below expectations.

There are strong educational partnerships with parents and whānau in the rūmaki. School leaders and teachers are working to further extend opportunities for all families and whānau to be involved in understanding and contributing to solutions to school-wide achievement challenges.

5 Going forward

How well placed is the school to achieve and sustain equitable and excellent outcomes for all children?

Leaders and teachers:

• know the children whose learning and achievement need to be accelerated
• respond to the strengths, needs and interests of each child
• regularly evaluate how teaching is working for these children
• do not always or systematically act on what they know works for each child
• have a plan in place but have not yet built teacher capability effectively to achieve equitable outcomes for all children.

The next steps include:

• developing clear and comprehensive appraisal procedures using Practising Teaching Criteria in relation to the Education Council requirements
• senior leaders rigorously monitoring the quality and consistency of teacher planning, which includes the implementation of strategies for accelerating progress for priority learners
• developing and using a teaching as inquiry approach to evaluate the effectiveness of teacher planning and learning opportunities for children.

The principal's reports to the board need to include detailed analysis and interpretation of the progress and accelerated achievement of children in relation to the school targets. Trustees should further strengthen their understanding of their governance roles and responsibilities, including self review.

Action: The board, principal and teachers should use the findings of this evaluation, the Effective School Evaluation resource, the Internal Evaluation: Good Practice exemplars and the School Evaluation Indicators to develop a Raising Achievement Plan to further develop processes and practices that respond effectively to the strengths and needs of children whose learning and achievement need to be accelerated.

As part of this review ERO will continue to monitor the school’s Raising Achievement plan and the progress the school makes. ERO is likely to carry out the next full 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 Recommendations

ERO recommends that the school develop an action plan that extends the work already begun in building teacher capability in accelerating the achievement of children who are below National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. In addition, this work should align to teaching as inquiry process and the school's strategic plan for accelerating the learning of targeted students. 

Lynda Pura-Watson

Deputy Chief Review Officer

14 June 2016

About the school