Kaitaia College

Kaitaia College - 07/06/2019

School Context

Kaitaia College provides education for Years 9 to 13 for students from an extensive rohe: Te Hapua in the north, Mangamuka in the south, Oruaiti in the east, and Pangaru, Pawarenga and Herekino in the west. More than 70 percent of the students are Māori and the remainder are primarily Pākehā. A significant proportion of Māori students whakapapa to the Muriwhenua iwi consisting of Ngāti Kuri, Te Aupouri, Ngai Takoto, Te Rarawa and Ngāti Kahu. Intergenerational connections of whānau, hapū and iwi, as well as strong ties to the community’s Dalmatian and European heritages, remain features of the school.

The principal leads a senior leadership team that includes two long-serving deputy principals and two recently appointed members. Many teachers and support staff have been employed at the school for a number of years and many have strong connections to the Kaitaia area. The school has a Services Academy on site and the alternative education facility, Waitomo Papakainga, is located close to the college.

Since ERO’s 2015 report, teachers have been involved in professional learning initiatives, particularly in literacy, cultural responsiveness and digital learning. Kaitaia College is a member of Te Kāhui Tai Kura o te Hiku, Kāhui Ako | Community of Learning (COL).

The school is guided by its whakataukī, “Kia pere tātou ki te kuaka, me tu whakahorohorotahi ki ō tātou tino kokiringa. Kia taea ae tēnei, ka angitu ake tātou ki ngā kapua teiteinga” and its values that promote Mahi Tahi, Manaaki, Hau Kainga and Integrity.The college’s strategic goals aim to provide a curriculum that is strongly connected to Muriwhenua and ensures students’ success in a range of areas.

Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, information about outcomes in:

  • academic progress and achievement for all students and groups of students

  • student engagement, wellbeing and attendance over time
  • student success and participation in sporting and cultural activities
  • progress against the school’s strategic goals.

The board of trustees, supported by Muriwhenua iwi, has managed significant property development to enhance the school’s learning environment. ERO’s 2015 report identified the need to improve curriculum design, the use of student achievement data, internal evaluation, health and safety, and teachers’ appraisal processes. School leaders and staff have responded well to these recommendations.

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?

Kaitaia College is working towards achieving equitable outcomes and raising achievement levels for all students. Teachers set global achievement targets in the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Levels 1 and 2. Targets are also set in literacy, numeracy and digital fluency achievement for Years 9 and 10 students.

National Certificate of Educational Achievement data shows that over the past three years, the majority of students gained Levels 1, 2 and 3. Achievement data indicate a positive upward trend at NCEA Level 3 and University Entrance for Māori students, with most of these students achieving NCEA Level 2. Literacy and numeracy achievement overall, show high levels of achievement. This achievement is better than or comparable to similar schools. The quality of achievement has improved with increased NCEA endorsements at Levels 1 and 3.

Years 9 and 10 student achievement in literacy and mathematics show an increasing number of these students make accelerated progress.

Most students achieve very well in relation to other valued outcomes, such as:

  • manaakitanga

  • building positive learning relationships with each other and their teachers

  • taking on leadership roles

  • expressing their cultural identity.

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

School leaders and teachers are increasingly effective at responding to students whose learning and achievement needs acceleration.

School leaders and teachers have taken positive steps to implement a range of strategies designed to accelerate students’ learning. More manageable assessment approaches to support deeper learning are being offered. Programmes are adapted to better meet students’ needs, respond to career pathways and increase learning engagement. There is a schoolwide focus on literacy across the curriculum, with targeted acts of teaching developing students’ subject specific knowledge.

Students with additional learning needs are well supported in Te Puna Aroha, the learning support facility. Provision for their learning has improved significantly with targeted resourcing, well-coordinated systems, and greater collaboration between teachers and external agencies.

The school is implementing programmes that increase opportunities for Māori and Pacific students to succeed. Staff have a strong focus on developing culturally responsive and relational teaching and learning practices to encourage greater engagement. Te Kuaka Mārangaranga, a Year 9 class bilingual programme enables students to learn in relevant, integrated and interactive contexts. Students’ progress is monitored and supported through their teachers’ collaborative planning.

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?

High quality school leadership supports equity and excellence. School leaders have a deliberate focus on improving outcomes for students through a well-planned approach aligned to the strategic goals.

Leaders and staff have established a positive culture of care and support for all students. Respectful relationships effectively empower students to engage in learning, build resilience, and enhance wellbeing.

School leadership is promoting sustainable improvement. The principal skilfully enables collaborative and professional change to occur. High expectations for staff are appropriately balanced with strong levels of relational trust and systems for accountability. Senior leaders are well respected by students, parents and staff. They operate strategically with aroha to provide cohesion and consistency across the school.

The spirit of leadership is fostered in students. Students in Years 9 to 13 increasingly lead a variety of initiatives that include service, peer support, and sporting and cultural events. This enables students to contribute to the wider community and to develop their confidence and personal attributes.

The school’s curriculum is responsive to students’ individual strengths and talents, allowing them to flourish and excel in a range of learning areas. Students are connected and engaged in their learning. They experience a coherent curriculum that is increasingly relevant and authentic. Students benefit from learning opportunities with direct links to further pathways. A broad and rich curriculum design helps to extend and promote their success. Education outside the classroom, including overseas and national opportunities, broadens students’ learning experiences and often provides them with historical and cultural links.

Wellbeing values are actioned in the school’s curriculum. Students’ access to wellbeing support is promoted through highly effective and culturally responsive pastoral care structures, systems and processes. They participate in an increasingly progressive health curriculum that is responsive to their needs.

Positive and affirming relationships underpin student success. Open and collaborative relationships allow whānau/parents to feel they are valued contributors to their child’s learning. This inclusive relationship supports student wellbeing and learning.

Internal evaluation promotes equity and excellence well. School leaders and teachers collaborate in cycles of deep evaluation, inquiry and knowledge building. These established processes are purposeful, comprehensive, and drive school improvement.

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

To sustain and further support equity and excellence, the school leaders should continue:

  • aligning curriculum design and effective teaching and learning systems and strategies, to build teacher capability to accelerate learning

  • developing teachers’ capability to support students’ future pathways to success.

3 Other Matters

Provision for international students

The school is a signatory to theEducation (Pastoral Care of International Students) Code of Practice 2016(the Code) established undersection 238F of the Education Act 1989.The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code. At the time of this review there were no international students attending the school.

4 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 Vulnerable Children Act 2014.

To improve practice, the Board of Trustees should ensure policies are regularly reviewed.

5 ERO’s Overall Judgement

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

ERO’s Framework: Overall School Performance is available on ERO’s website.

6 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

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

  • effective leadership that has a focus on equity and excellence

  • a responsive curriculum that engages students in their learning

  • a supportive school culture that promotes students’ belonging, learning and wellbeing

  • robust internal evaluation that sustains ongoing improvement.

Next steps

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

  • aligning systems to support meaningful curriculum design and effective teaching and learning strategies
  • developing teachers’ capability to ensure that students reach their potential
  • consolidating strategies and approaches to accelerate student progress and achievement.

Steve Tanner

Director Review and Improvement Services Northern

Northern Region

7 June 2019

About the school

Location

Kaitaia

Ministry of Education profile number

3

School type

Secondary (Years 9-13)

School roll

868

Gender composition

Boys 51% Girls 49%

Ethnic composition

Māori 77%
NZ European/Pākehā19%
Other ethnic groups 4%

Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS)

Yes

Provision of Māori medium education

No

Review team on site

April 2019

Date of this report

7 June 2019

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review April 2016
Education Review November 2012
Education Review June 2009

Kaitaia College - 28/04/2016

Findings

Students, staff, trustees, whānau and iwi representatives have a strong sense of optimism and enthusiasm about the school’s new direction and leadership. The new principal, senior leaders, teachers and iwi representatives have engaged in a collaborative and inclusive process to improve student outcomes and manage strategic school improvement. 

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

1 Context

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

Kaitaia College has provided education for Year 9 to 13 students for over 90 years. More than 70 per cent of its students are Māori, of whom a significant proportion whakapapa to the local Muriwhenua iwi of Ngāti Kuri, Te Aupouri, Ngai Takoto, Te Rarawa and Ngāti Kahu. Inter-generational connections of whānau, hapū and iwi to the college, as well as strong links to the community’s Dalmatian and European heritage remain key features of the school.

Te Puna Aroha and Blomfield School serve students with special education needs and are sited at the school. The alternative education facility, Waitomo Papakainga is also onsite and Te Hapua School remains a satellite school of the college.

The college’s long-serving principal retired at the start of 2015 and a new principal was appointed at the beginning of Term 2. He joined a leadership team that includes two long-serving deputy principals and one newer member. Many teachers and support staff have been employed by the school for a number of years and many are local to the Kaitaia area. Since ERO’s 2012 report, the school has been involved in a number of professional learning and development initiatives. These have been aimed at strengthening teaching and learning practices and improving student achievement.

ERO’s 2012 report recognised that broadened subject opportunities for senior students was further engaging students in their learning. It also highlighted the strong sense of whanaungatanga in the school. The report affirmed that the school culture was promoting students’ educational, cultural and sporting successes. The report identified ongoing concerns about the school’s systems for collecting, analysing and using student achievement information, particularly in Years 9 and 10. It also noted the low levels of achievement in National Certificates of Educational Achievement (NCEA) for Māori students and for boys in general.

These areas identified in the 2012 and earlier ERO reports continue to be challenges for the school, and are in the early stages of being addressed.

2 Learning

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

The school is improving its use of achievement information to inform teaching and make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement.

The board, school leaders and teachers use data to make decisions about and design initiatives to improve student achievement. These initiatives include school and marae-based wānanga and the Champions programme that are supporting targeted students to improve their levels of achievement, especially in NCEA.

Senior students’ access to academic counselling is increasing their understanding of their own learning. Senior leaders are currently reviewing the way teachers throughout the school manage achievement and assessment for students in Years 9 and 10. In particular, they recognise the need to improve the validity of this data.

The school’s NCEA achievement is comparable to similar types of schools throughout the country but lower than national levels of achievement. Since 2012 the school has achieved some good improvements in NCEA, Levels 1 to 3. This success includes an overall increase in NCEA Level 2, and other NCEA improvements for Māori students and boys in general. Despite this improvement, school-wide achievement for boys and Māori students remains a concern. The board and senior leaders acknowledge that it is urgent to address this historical trend of underachievement.

It could be useful for senior leaders to evaluate the extent to which Māori students are participating in learning programmes that engage and support their achievement, and that lead to meaningful qualifications and pathways.

The school has a number of examples of students achieving at high levels and receiving awards in music, drama, sports and cultural activities at both regional and national levels. Students are positive about the new principal’s leadership in the school. They have pride in their school and appreciate the varied opportunities for student leadership.

Key next steps that the board, senior leaders and teachers are beginning to address include: 

  • strengthening school-wide systems to improve the collection, analysis, evaluation, and reporting of achievement information
  • developing meaningful, roll-based achievement targets for students from Years 9 to 13 that prioritise accelerating the achievement of different groups of students, especially those who are underachieving
  • building teachers’ understanding and use of achievement information to inquire into their own practice and plan learning programmes. 

3 Curriculum

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

The school curriculum is becoming increasingly effective in promoting and supporting student learning.

Students have access to a broader and more student-centred curriculum. They have access to subject choices and vocational pathways that respond to their identified strengths, needs and prior learning. These learning opportunities include classes and courses in e-learning, Māori Tourism, Māori Performing Arts, trades and technology. A new services academy is planned to start in 2016 to complement these opportunities. The school’s self-review information shows that these programmes are impacting positively on students’ engagement and learning.

The school has adopted a deliberate and systematic approach to the teaching and learning of literacy, including the appointment of a literacy leader. This leader supports curriculum leaders to develop literacy action plans, build literacy strategies and target students with low levels of achievement in literacy. This cohesive, school-wide approach is beginning to have a positive impact in supporting students’ understanding of academic language and concepts.

School leaders are currently reviewing the school’s curriculum in consultation with external providers. They plan to develop, design and implement a more culturally responsive curriculum. The school is further engaging parents, whānau, iwi and the wider community through academic counselling and newsletters. This engagement provides a good foundation for finding out about the goals and aspirations these groups have for the young people of Kaitaia. Staff could also use the good learning from Kia Eke Panuku to develop school-wide teaching and learning strategies and expectations to accelerate Māori student achievement.

Senior leaders and teachers could enhance the quality of the school’s curriculum by reviewing it against the principles of The New Zealand Curriculum and further promote: 

  • modern and effective teaching and learning practices throughout the school
  • teachers’ inquiry into, and critique of, their professional practice
  • shared ownership, responsibility and accountability for improved student outcomes
  • learning programmes that are increasingly responsive to students’ strengths and needs, the local Kaitaia context, and to students’ language, culture and identity. 

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

Māori students’ identity, language and culture are valued, fostered and celebrated in the school. The school’s recent involvement in the Kia Eke Panuku: Building on Success initiative is promoting a more strategic approach to promoting Māori student success. This initiative is complemented by the use of the Whare Tapa Whā, the model of health and wellbeing that is providing a framework and lens for school improvement. In addition, the board of trustees has recently formalised a partnership with local iwi, and engaged iwi in the recent appointment of the new principal.

Students and whānau appreciate the increased profile of kapa haka in the school and in the community. Along with sporting experiences it is encouraging positive outcomes and successes for students in taha wairua, taha tinana and taha whānau.

To further enhance these good developments in the school, the board and school staff could now collaborate with students, whānau and iwi to develop indicators that show what success for Māori should look like for students at Kaitaia College. Useful Ministry of Education resources that could support the board and school leaders to accelerate Māori success include; Ka Hikitia-Accelerating Success 2013 – 2017, the Measurable Gains Framework, Tātaiako – Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners and Hautū – a self-review tool for cultural inclusiveness of Boards of Trustees.

4 Sustainable Performance

How well placed is the school to sustain and improve its performance?

The board, senior leaders and staff have developed mechanisms to sustain the good practices identified in previous ERO reports. Senior leaders and the board of trustees have planned strategically to further improve overall school performance and to address key priorities for lifting student engagement and achievement. The roles and responsibilities of the senior leadership team are currently under review to better align with the new school direction. The leadership team plan to access external support to facilitate this process.

The vision of the new principal is being well supported by senior leaders, staff, students, whānau and iwi. He is promoting collaborative and inclusive relationships for working and learning. This approach includes partnering and engaging with local schools and iwi to build community responsibility for student success. Staff, students and the community are optimistic and enthusiastic about the new school direction.

Senior leaders are supporting middle leaders with appropriate professional learning to strengthen their leadership skills and understanding and use of self-review. In addition, the principal has introduced a framework for self-review that is promoting shared understanding at the senior and middle leadership levels. Together they are developing systems and processes to evaluate the impact of school-wide initiatives on improving student engagement and achievement.

The board of trustees is strongly committed to the school and are focused on improvement. Trustees have prioritised establishing iwi representation at the board level and are considering how to plan for succession. They are continuing to strengthen partnerships with parents, whānau, iwi and the Kaitaia community.

In order to further strengthen these positive developments, the board, principal and senior leaders recognise the need to continue: 

  • managing change using well-considered, well-paced and strategic approaches
  • strengthening the capability of trustees and staff to evaluate the impact and the quality of school-wide initiatives on promoting positive outcomes for students
  • refining performance management appraisal systems so that they meet the requirements of the Education Council and promote school improvement and accountability 

Provision for international students

The school is a signatory to the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students (the Code) established under section 238F of the Education Act 1989. No international students were enrolled at the time of the ERO review.

The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code.

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. 

ERO and the board of trustees discussed the following areas of non-compliance at the time of the review. In order to address these the board must: 

  • establish appropriate processes for excluding the public from confidential information and managing this information
  • ensure that risk management procedures for school trips and education outside the classroom are robust
  • develop and implement effective personnel policies and procedures within the guidelines prescribed by the Secretary for Education for the performance appraisal of teachers and ensure performance appraisals for all staff, including support staff, are completed annually. 

[Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, Public Records Act 2005; National Administration Guideline 5, EOTC Guidelines; s77 State Sector Act 1988]

In order to improve practice, the school should strengthen the documentation of all stand downs and suspensions according to Ministry of Education procedures and ensure that there is evidence of the support put in place for students on their return to school.

Conclusion

Students, staff, trustees, whānau and iwi representatives have a strong sense of optimism and enthusiasm about the school’s new direction and leadership. The new principal, senior leaders, teachers and iwi representatives have engaged in a collaborative and inclusive process to improve student outcomes and manage strategic school improvement.

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

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

28 April 2016

About the School

Location

Kaitaia, Northland

Ministry of Education profile number

3

School type

Secondary (Years 9 to 13)

School roll

851

Number of international students

0

Gender composition

Boys 52% Girls 48%

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

other

69%

27%

4%

Special Features

Te Puna Aroha Special Needs Facility, Blomfield Special Needs School, Waitomo Papakainga Alternative Education Facility, Te Hapua Satellite School

Review team on site

August 2015

Date of this report

28 April 2016

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

Education Review

Education Review

November 2012

June 2009

June 2006