Tikorangi School

1 Context

Tikorangi School is situated north of New Plymouth on the outskirts of Waitara. At the time of this ERO review, 187 students from Years 1 to 6 attended the school. Approximately 26% of students identify as Māori and 2% as Pacific. Senior leadership and staffing are stable. The school has a play centre on site, operating two days per week.

Since the June 2014 ERO report, the school has continued to experience significant roll growth. In 2016, the school implemented an enrolment scheme. In 2017, the school is undertaking major building refurbishment.

2 Equity and excellence

The vision and valued outcomes defined by the school are for all children to learn in a modern learning environment, showing respect, resilience and who take responsibility for themselves, their learning, and the environment. The school aims to grow student’s appreciation of their local community and sustainability through involvement in the enviro school programme. In 2015, the board reviewed and reaffirmed their vision with the community.

The school’s achievement information shows that in 2015, many students achieved in relation to the National Standard in reading, writing and mathematics. Māori students achieve similar results to their non-Māori peers in reading. Achievement in writing is slightly lower and more defined in mathematics. Girls achieve slightly better results than boys in all three curriculum areas. School leaders have recently introduced a process to improve the monitoring of individual achievement and wellbeing information overtime.

Teachers gather an appropriate range of assessment information to support the dependability of judgements in relation to the National Standards. Data is shared between teachers to promote consistency. Participating in external moderation with other schools and developing guidelines documenting these shared expectations should further strengthen the dependability of National Standard judgements.

Since the last ERO evaluation the school has introduced a range of well-considered literacy and mathematics developments. Professional learning and development (PLD) for teachers has been aligned to these priorities and is a significant part of their teaching as inquiry process. 

3 Accelerating achievement

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

School leaders show a clear intent to strengthen systems and practices to more fully track, target and monitor Māori learners whose achievement needs accelerating. Currently, these students are included in annual achievement targets, many participate in additional learning programmes, and in some instances form part of teacher’s inquiry into their practice. Strengthening schoolwide achievement targets for Māori learners whose achievement needs accelerating is a purposeful next step. Making these learners explicit in classroom targets, linked to the teaching as inquiry process and observational feedback in relation to teacher practice should support improved tracking and targeting. Gathering and analysing student progress data regularly should also assist leaders to evaluate the impact of teaching on accelerating learning and usefully support trustee’s knowledge of their achievement priorities.

Parents and whānau receive appropriate opportunities to know about the achievement of their child. Written reports provide a useful range of information, including National Standard achievement overtime. Leaders have shared developments in the delivery of the mathematics curriculum with parents. They have participated in PLD to strengthen their knowledge of effective educational based relationships with Māori and Pacific families. Strategies have been usefully shared with staff and is promoting their thinking in relation to purposeful learning relationships. Continuing to consider and promote the active engagement of parents and whānau in meaningful partnership should support the school to raise Māori achievement.

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

The school is purposeful in responding to other learners whose achievement needs accelerating. Teachers gather an appropriate range of data to establish the learning needs of students. Learners receiving additional support in literacy and mathematics achieve good progress with many showing accelerated achievement. Teachers are highly reflective, working collaboratively to share strategies to facilitate student learning and engagement. External support is suitably accessed when teachers require specialist knowledge in relation to individual learners.

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?

Current and planned curriculum review is well considered. Leaders are collaboratively developing their depth of thinking and shared knowledge to underpin this review. To date, review of the school vision has been completed and initial consideration has begun informing changes to the mathematics programme. Ongoing development of the school curriculum should usefully provide a foundation document reflective of their localised priorities and provide a framework to inform evaluation practice.

Organisational processes and practices are well placed to strengthen the enactment of the school’s vision, values, goals and targets for equity and excellence. 

The school culture is welcoming and inclusive. Shared values between staff, students and families promotes a positive climate and tone.

Students participate in a wide range of authentic experiences acknowledging the significance of place-based learning and promoting the culture, language and identity of Māori students and their whānau. Community and staff strenths are used in building teacher capability.

Leaders show a clear understanding of the strengths of teacher practice. Developments to appraisal and inquiry processes have improved the focus on student learning and achievement. Teachers respond well in meeting the diverse needs of students. They use well-considered strategies to engage individuals in the classroom. Strengthening student involvement in the learning process and promoting student initiative and self-regulation (agency) is an ongoing development for teachers.

Senior leadership is cohesive and reflective. Development of their professional capability is well considered to promote the identfied priorities in the school. As a team, they consider change carefully. They are well placed to collaboratively lead ongoing development of the school curriculum to achieve equity and excellence for students.

Trustees purposefully govern the school. Roles and responsibilities are clear and succession of new trustees is well considered. They receive a useful range of assessment information during the year showing student achievement. Strengthening the commentary contained in these reports should ensure the board is better able to consider the impact of their resourcing in achieving their targeted priorities.

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 to the strengths, needs and interests of each child
• regularly evaluate how teaching is working for these children
• need to systematically act on what they know works for each child
• need to have a plan in place to build teacher capability to accelerate the achievement of all children who need it.

Leaders and teachers are collaborative and reflective in relation to their curriculum practices. ERO identifies and the school leader agrees that as part of their ongoing curriculum development it is timely to develop a greater knowledge and application of effective internal evaluation as these developments occur. Determining the purpose, structure and timing of evaluative inquiry should enable the staff to strengthen their knowledge of the curriculum practices and actions that promote equity and excellence for students.

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 more targeted planning to accelerate student achievement. Planning should show how processes and practices will 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 planning 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 and school leaders agree next steps include:

• strengthening schoolwide achievement targets for Māori learners and extend monitoring and reporting processes
• revising curriculum documentation to reflect current thinking and expectations
• continuing to develop partnerships with parents and whānau of students at risk of not achieving equitable outcomes
• further strengthening evaluative and inquiry capability. 

Joyce Gebbie

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central

16 February 2017

About the school