Kaikoura High School

Kaikoura High School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 24 months of the Education Review Office and Kaikoura High 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 

Kaikoura High School is located in the coastal township of Kaikōura and provides education to students in Years 7 to 13. The school is the managing school for the regional attendance service.

Kaikoura High School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to focus on building:

  • Rangatiratanga | leadership

  • Whai matauranga | curriculum, teaching and learning

  • Whanaungatanga | connections and relationships

  • Kaitiakitanga | stewardship.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well leaders and teachers are implementing key strategies and practices to improve equity and engagement outcomes for priority learners.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

  • the variability, over time, of student achievement outcomes at NCEA, particularly through gaps in literacy capability

  • the impact of local and national events on learner wellbeing, resilience and engagement

  • the school’s readiness to implement a revised, localised curriculum and changes to NCEA.

The school expects to see strengthened evaluation practices that help the school and its community know the impacts of key decisions on all learners’ achievement and engagement outcomes, and inform ongoing school improvement.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to promote better equity and engagement for learners:

  • collaboration with the community and Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura is enriching opportunities for learners to experience positive future pathways

  • targeted professional development is building teacher capability in culturally responsive practices for equity and engagement for all learners

  • an effective, targeted approach to acceleration of improvement in literacy for those students who most need this.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • building consistency of practice in teaching literacy across the curriculum to ensure all learners are able to access the knowledge and skills they need for success

  • strengthening school-wide practices that create a positive environment which promotes learner wellbeing, resilience and optimism

  • building capability for leaders and the board to better monitor and regularly report against targets for improvement of equity an engagement.

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.

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

26 May 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

Kaikoura High School

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2023 to 2026

As of March 2023, the Kaikoura High School Board 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 area of non-compliance during the board assurance process:

  • the requirement to obtain a Police vet for every person employed at the school every three years

[section 104 Education and Training Act 2020].

The board has since taken steps to address the area of non-compliance identified.

Further Information

For further information please contact Kaikoura High School, School Board.

The next School Board 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.

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools


26 May 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

 

Kaikoura High School

Provision for International Students Report

Background                                               

The Education Review Office reviews schools that are signatories to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020.

Findings

The school is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary an International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code and has completed an annual self review of its implementation of the Code.

No international students were enrolled at the time of the ERO review.

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools


26 May 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

 

Kaikoura High School - 12/07/2017

Findings

Students have benefitted from the significant improvements that have occurred at Kaikoura High School in the last two years. The school’s curriculum offers a broad range of meaningful learning opportunities to encourage students’ engagement in learning. School leaders are building a culture of respectful relationships within and beyond the school. They are strongly focused on monitoring and supporting the wellbeing of students and staff following the impacts of the November 2016 earthquake. 

Student achievement is a priority and the key next step is to raise the achievement of Years 7 to 8 students in relation to the National Standards.

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?

Kaikoura High School is a co-educational school for students in Years 7 to 15. The school has been significantly impacted by the November 2016 earthquakes, including a reduced school roll, changes to community facilities and accessibility to the township. During this time the school has been highly responsive to the challenges and has maintained a strong focus on monitoring and supporting the wellbeing of students and staff.

In July 2015 the Ministry of Education (MoE) appointed a Limited Statutory Manager (LSM) to the school to support the work of the board. This appointment continued until June 2016. A new principal was appointed at the start of 2016. There have been some changes in staff during this time.

The senior leaders and staff are developing a positive and inclusive culture across the school that is built on respectful relationships. There are clearly defined and structured pastoral care provisions. Senior leaders regularly seek and value students’ and staff opinions.

There have been significant developments and progress since the 2015 ERO review. These include:

  • an improved school culture
  • considerable curriculum development
  • improved leadership structures and relationships
  • development and implementation of a robust appraisal process.

The school is part of the Kaikoura Kāhui Ako | Community of Learning. This provides opportunities for some staff to work closely with teachers from other schools in the Kaikoura district. 

2 Learning

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

School leaders and teachers make effective use of achievement information to make positive changes to teaching and learning decisions for individual students, particularly at Years 11 to 13.

Teachers have an individualised approach to student progress and achievement. They make good use of achievement information to identify, support and closely monitor those students at risk of not making expected or accelerated progress. Teachers know individual learners well and have a focused approach to how best to support their identified needs.

The school’s achievement information shows that over the last three years achievement at all levels of NCEA has continued to improve. Growing numbers of students are achieving NCEA Level 1, 2 and 3. The school is now focused on increasing the number of merit and excellence endorsements.

Parents are kept well informed about their child’s achievement, progress and next steps for learning. The parents of students in Years 7 and 8 now receive regular reports about how well their child is achieving in relation to the National Standards.

ERO has identified, and senior leaders agree, that priority needs to be given to raising achievement in relation to the National Standards for students in Years 7 and 8 by:

  • identifying clearer goals and strategies to accelerate achievement
  • ensuring school charter targets are specific and clearly defined
  • extending moderation practices within and beyond the school.

Senior leaders have also identified that there needs to be a continued focus on raising Māori boys’ achievement in the senior school.

3 Curriculum

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

Significant development of the school’s curriculum is now effectively promoting greater student engagement in learning.

The school’s curriculum is coherent, has a holistic approach and clearly reflects the school’s vision and values. Teachers closely link learning and teaching to the Key Competencies and Values in the New Zealand Curriculum.

The student-centred curriculum at Year 9 and 10 is providing students with opportunities to select learning programmes that are meaningful and engaging. Students work closely with teachers and parents to develop individualised learning plans that meet their particular interests and needs.

A useful framework for departmental evaluation is helping teachers and school leaders reflect on how effectively the curriculum is meeting the needs of students. Students’ views about learning programmes are regularly sought, valued and responded to. They are provided with a wide range of learning experiences that reflect the local community and environment.

Senior leaders have developed a culture of high expectations for students and staff. Teachers are provided with well-considered and targeted on-going professional learning. There have been significant developments in the quality of teaching and assessing of mathematics in Years 7 and 8 as a result.

School leaders and teachers are proactively building educational partnerships with the community. They are effectively utilising the local community resources and personnel to support students’ learning and wellbeing. Improved provisions of Vocational Pathways, Gateway and STAR are creating broader options for senior students.

School leaders and teachers have identified that they need to continue to embed the new curriculum planning system to ensure a seamless approach across all areas of the school.

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

The school is effective in promoting Māori educational success as Māori.

Māori students are well supported by staff, who know them individually. They have a number of opportunities to hear and see their language and culture used and reflected in school practices and documentation. The principal, some staff and some of the students provide very good role models in the use of te reo and tikanga Māori. There is an ongoing need to continue to build the capacity and confidence of all staff in the knowledge and use of te reo and tikanga Māori.

The principal has been proactive in engaging with local iwi and Māori whānau. This is helping to raise the profile of Māori culture and Māori student achievement. The school’s information shows that there has been an improved engagement of Māori students over the last two years.

Senior leaders agree that their next step is to consider ways to work with the community to develop a Māori learning plan to support all Māori students to achieve educational success as Māori.

4 Sustainable Performance

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

The school is increasingly well placed to sustain and improve its performance.

The board and senior leaders have established well-considered strategic goals that are closely aligned with other key school documentation. Multiple voices have contributed to the development of future planning and direction. The school goals are widely known and understood across the school.

School leaders are beginning to establish conditions for inquiry and knowledge building for improvement. They are building a culture of collegiality in planning and professional development. Good use is made of individual teacher strengths. The newly established process for staff appraisal provides teachers with robust feedback from a number of sources to support their teaching practices.

Trustees bring a range of experience and expertise to the board. The principal keeps trustees well informed about student learning, achievement and school operations. The board has accessed external expertise to make positive changes to aspects of school operations.

Internal evaluation practices need to be extended across the school. Provision for regular board self review is necessary.

The board also needs to take greater responsibility for ensuring that all health and safety requirements are met and policies and procedures are streamlined and updated as required.

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

At the time of this review there were two international students attending the school.

The school provides an inclusive culture. There are good systems in place to ensure that international students are well supported. Their academic and pastoral requirements are personalised to meet their individual needs.

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.

Conclusion

Students have benefitted from the significant improvements that have occurred at Kaikoura High School in the last two years. The school’s curriculum offers a broad range of meaningful learning opportunities to encourage students’ engagement in learning. School leaders are building a culture of respectful relationships within and beyond the school. They are strongly focused on monitoring and supporting the wellbeing of students and staff following the impacts of the November 2016 earthquake. 

Student achievement is a priority and the key next step is to raise the achievement of Years 7 to 8 students in relation to the National Standards.

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

Dr Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Te Waipounamu)

12 July 2017

About the School 

Location

Kaikoura

Ministry of Education profile number

307

School type

Secondary (Years 7 to 15)

School roll

187

Number of international students

2

Gender composition

Girls: 51%

Boys: 49%

Ethnic composition

Pākeha
Māori
Pacific
Other ethnicities

51%
41%
1%
7%

Review team on site

June 2017

Date of this report

12 July 2017

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review
Education Review
Education Review

May 2015
January 2014
April 2012