Runanga School

Runanga School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

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

Runanga School is a rural school 10 km north of Greymouth on the West Coast of the South Island. It caters for Year 1 to 8 learners from Runanga and the surrounding district. The school’s teaching approaches are aimed at being a blend of direct instruction, inquiry and play based learning. The school values of "Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Safe, Be a Learner" are embedded into the school culture though following the positive behaviour for learning (PB4L) philosophy, with an emphasis on positive nurturing relationships between learners and staff.

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

  • improve levels of engagement, behaviour, progress and achievement across the school
  • continue to develop a localised curriculum to meet the needs of all learners
  • embed a tailored structured literacy approach to improve learner achievement in literacy.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the impact of structured literacy on student engagement and achievement. 

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is: 

  • student achievement in reading and writing is variable
  • to survey students to better understand their attitudes to reading and writing
  • to measure the impact of professional development on building teacher knowledge and understanding in literacy. 

The school expects to see:

  • an improvement in reading and writing progress and achievement 
  • learners confidently using literacy skills to access all learning areas of the curriculum
  • better informed teaching and learning practice that will lead to clear and accurate schoolwide planning, assessment, and reporting.

Strengths 

The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to evaluate the impact of structured literacy on student engagement and achievement. 

  • Leaders and teachers know the students and their whānau well.
  • Stable teaching staff who plan collegiately and collaboratively to improve outcomes for students.
  • Tuakana teina relationships enable older students to support younger students.
  • Trustees are well informed and supportive of improving literacy outcomes.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise continuing to: 

  • monitor engagement and attendance 
  • build positive relationships between school and whānau to further enhance learning opportunities for all students
  • develop rigorous, formative assessment practices to better inform planning and teaching focused on the area of reading
  • strengthen the curriculum so it is more localised and cohesive using the already revised learning areas as a model.

ERO and school leaders have concerns about 

  • achievement levels in the senior classroom
  • strategic and annual planning focusing on outcomes for learners.

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

22 January 2024

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

Runanga School

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2021 to 2024

As of February 2023, the Runanga 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

ERO and the board have identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:

  • The board does not have the names and positions of staff who are trained and named as authorised staff members to use physical restraint [Clause 4]
    "Authorised staff member" means an employee of the school who is trained and authorised by the board to use physical restraint in accordance with the section [refer s99(4) Education & Training Act]

The board has since addressed the area of non-compliance identified.

Further Information

For further information please contact Runanga 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

22 January 2024 

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

Runanga School - 29/03/2018

Findings

Runanga School is moving ahead positively. The school has made significant progress since the time of the last ERO review in 2016. Improvements are very evident at governance, leadership, internal evaluation and health and safety levels to better support successful outcomes for all children. Support for children’s learning progress is more targeted. The commissioner, new principal and staff have worked very effectively to make needed improvements to systems and practices that support children’s wellbeing and learning. Some improvements are at an early stage of development. The principal and staff are aware of the need to consolidate improvements while continuing to best meet the needs of every child.

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

1 Background and Context

What is the background and context for this school’s review?

The ERO review of Runanga School in 2016 identified serious concerns regarding school governance, leadership and aspects of health and safety.

Since the time of that review, the board was dissolved and replaced in 2016 by a commissioner appointed by the Ministry of Education (MoE). A new principal was appointed at the beginning of 2017.

Since her appointment in 2016, the commissioner has been strategically and effectively focused on school improvement priorities at governance, leadership, health and safety, community and other levels. The new principal brings wide-ranging strengths to school leadership that are strongly focused on achieving positive outcomes for all students.

The commissioner remained in place until the end of 2017 when a newly-elected board was being established.  The MoE has enabled the commissioner to remain as a specialist advisor for part of 2018 to assist the newly-elected board to establish effective governance of the school.

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

2 Review and Development

How effectively is the school addressing its priorities for review and development?

Priorities identified for review and development

The 2016 ERO report identified the following significant areas for review and improvement:

  • governance
  • leadership
  • internal evaluation
  • student achievement
  • health and safety.
Progress

The commissioner has worked collaboratively within the school, and with the local community and external agencies to:

  • develop improved processes and systems for governance, including identifying reporting requirements and improving policies and procedures
  • improve relationships and consultation with the community
  • establish and maintain an advisory group to represent community voice, interests and needs
  • advocate for extra and ongoing resourcing and support for the school
  • work with the school and community to explore opportunities and set a positive direction for the school
  • expand the school’s involvement with the local Kāhui Ako I Community of Learning (CoL).

The professional leadership of the school has been significantly strengthened and is evident in the new principal’s strategic focus on:

  • student wellbeing, safety, learning and achievement
  • relationships across all areas of the school
  • building meaningful partnerships with the community
  • working collaboratively with staff to build the trust and conditions most conducive to successful outcomes for every child
  • increased engagement with the local and wider social and educational communities.

Staff told ERO that the school is now more settled and that they are positive and supportive of the school’s leadership.

The school is gradually expanding the range and use of internal evaluation. Progress is noted in the areas of:

  • curriculum review (at an early stage when ERO was onsite)
  • regular policy and procedure review, including a review of education outside the classroom
  • reviewing the school’s expenditure and budget
  • increasing inquiry into classroom teaching and learning practices, especially the regular, collaborative staff meetings, and coaching related to appraisal
  • more opportunities for community consultation and feedback.

The commissioner and principal have also undertaken a range of reviews since starting at the school in order to determine needs and priorities. For example, the commissioner has provided the community with consultation opportunities about charter and strategic planning development. The principal has met with all staff to identify their priorities for classroom and school-wide improvement.

Evidence provided by the school to ERO shows that the leaders and teachers know the wellbeing and learning needs of children well. They are strongly focused on using a variety of strategies to meet these needs, including regular use of external expertise and support.

The introduction in 2017 of a student management system is helping to improve and strengthen the analysis and use of learning data and other student information. This is supporting teachers to better track, monitor and respond to the wellbeing and learning needs of individual children.

Other deliberate strategies to improve learning outcomes for all children include:

  • the more focused use of data to inform programme planning and decisions, especially for students with higher learning needs
  • the introduction of targeted interventions to meet identified needs, especially in writing and mathematics
  • a shared responsibility across the school for the learning and progress of all children
  • improved reporting of student achievement to parents and caregivers
  • increased opportunities for parent involvement in their child’s learning
  • active engagement in the CoL’s professional learning focus on the moderation of writing.

Health and safety processes and procedures have been significantly improved. Key policies and procedures related to complaints, education outside the classroom and the physical and emotional safety of children have been prioritised and improved. Clear systems and policy review are now in place to ensure that policies and procedures are well implemented.

Minimising risk to children is a key priority of school leaders and staff and needs to be regularly monitored to ensure that a safe and inclusive environment is sustained for all students.

3 Sustainable performance and self review

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

The school has made significant progress since the last ERO review and is now well placed to sustain and continue to improve and review its performance.

The newly-elected board has been very well supported by the former commissioner who is now providing ongoing specialist support and advice. A programme of board training is in place for 2018. The framework for school governance processes and reporting has been substantially improved.

Significantly-improved relationships between the board and school leaders are promoting a more united focus on successful outcomes for all children. Communication and consultation with parents and the community are helping the community to be more informed and involved in planning and decision making.

Systems that promote greater transparency and accountability are now in place and are contributing to improving levels of trust within and beyond the school.

The improving use of internal evaluation (self review) is helping to clarify priorities for improvement and further development.

Key next steps

The board and principal should ensure that:

  • governance is robust, soundly focused on the school’s vision and goals for the best learning outcomes for every child, and maintains strong monitoring of health and safety processes and practices
  • internal evaluation is coherent across all levels of the school, and identifies what is having the greatest impact on children’s wellbeing, learning progress and achievement
  • there is continued development and review of the curriculum that includes student and community expectations, increased student ownership and agency in their learning, and alignment of the curriculum with the school’s unique setting, vision, values and goals.

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.

4 Recommendations

Recommendations, including any to other agencies for ongoing or additional support.

ERO recommends that the School Trustees Association continues to provide training for the board to build and consolidate high quality governance capability and effectiveness so that all children benefit.

Conclusion

Runanga School is moving ahead positively. The school has made significant progress since the time of the last ERO review in 2016. Improvements are very evident at governance, leadership, internal evaluation and health and safety levels to better support successful outcomes for all children. Support for children’s learning progress is more targeted. The commissioner, new principal and staff have worked very effectively to make needed improvements to systems and practices that support children’s wellbeing and learning. Some improvements are at an early stage of development. The principal and staff are aware of the need to consolidate improvements while continuing to best meet the needs of every child.

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

Dr Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern

Te Waipounamu - Southern Region

29 March 2018

About the School 

Location

Runanga

Ministry of Education profile number

3495

School type

Full Primary (Years 1 to 8)

School roll

51

Gender composition

Boys 23; Girls 28

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā

10
40

Review team on site

November 2017

Date of this report

29 March 2018

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review
Supplementary Review
Education Review

August 2016
July 2014
March 2010

Runanga School - 17/08/2016

1 Context

Runanga School has a long history of providing education for children in the rural area of the Grey District. The school is a central focus of, and shares its wide range of resources and facilities with, the local community.

The community is very supportive of the school and participates well in many events and activities. Community members share their expertise with the school to benefit children's learning.

In recent years the school's roll has fluctuated.

The commissioner appointed by the Ministry of Education in March 2013 completed his role in August 2014. A new board and principal were subsequently appointed. Two new teachers have also joined the staff.

The school is a member of the Māwhera Community of Learning.

The school has not yet addressed all of the areas identified for further improvement in the 2014 ERO report. There needs to be a greater sense of urgency about improving these areas. ERO also found other issues of concern about leadership, governance and relationships during this review that need immediate attention.

2 Equity and excellence

The vision and valued outcomes defined by the school for all children are to have "Loving to Learn: Learning for Life".

The school’s achievement information shows that Māori students who attend the school are achieving well. Other achievement information shows that students achieve better in National Standards in reading and mathematics. School leaders and teachers have made writing a priority for improvement in 2016.

Since the last ERO evaluation the school has put a system in place to monitor and respond to the progress of students' learning. Regular staff meetings provide ongoing opportunities for teachers and leaders to discuss and identify further support for priority learners. Teachers are encouraged and supported to track the progress and achievement of children in their classrooms. Parents are included in discussions about their children's learning. The leader with responsibility for assessment provides regular reports to the principal about students' learning progress.

3 Accelerating achievement

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

The school is not yet effectively responding to all children whose learning and achievement need acceleration.

Priorities for improving acceleration of learning include the principal and teachers:

  • developing a shared understanding of what accelerated progress looks like in their school
  • analysing achievement information and using this to effectively support children's learning progress.

Students with special learning needs receive a good range of support. Programmes for these students are well led and co ordinated by the leader with responsibility. She works closely with teachers to support students who are at risk of low achievement. Inclusive practices are promoted in classrooms.

Leaders and teachers use a national programme to promote positive and consistent approaches to the management of behaviour. While this is contributing to improved behaviour and more consistent practices, ERO found significant concerns about some behaviours and children's safety at the school. [Action 6.1]

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 needs aligning to the school charter, student achievement targets and the school's values and vision statement. [Recommendation 7].

The principal and teachers need to ensure all aspects of the curriculum:

  • link to the school's context
  • reflect the expectations of the school and community for learning and teaching
  • incorporate bicultural perspectives so they are visible across all learning areas.

Moderation practices for assessment are mostly internal. The school has yet to develop guidelines and expectations in place to promote and ensure that assessment decisions are reliable and consistent. To make decisions about progress and achievement of children against the national standards the principal and teachers now need to extend these processes to include discussions with similar schools.

There is good visibility of te ao Māori in the school. The school uses Māori tutors to support its bicultural programme. Children have opportunities to hear and speak te reo Māori and learn about tikanga Māori. Kapa haka has been re-introduced at the school.

Children have increased access to digital technologies since the 2014 review. Improvements have been made to the school's capacity and infrastructure to meet these increasing demands. Leaders are aware that the next steps are to strengthen ways of using digital technologies as tools for learning.

The previous board has not had full control of governance since the commissioner completed his role in 2014. As a result, there has been a breakdown in some relationships within and beyond the school. This is impacting on children's learning and behaviour. The board needs support to resolve these issues. [Action 6.2 and Recommendation 7]

Trustees' roles and responsibilities are not clear. The board needs to:

  • develop clear governance guidelines [Recommendation 7]
  • undertake regular training to build knowledge and expertise in effective governance practices that benefit all children
  • ensure that effective internal evaluation/self-review is in place across all areas of the school's operations and programmes, including governance, professional leadership and financial management
  • ensure complaints procedures are followed
  • effectively manage professional leadership and personnel and employment issues. [Action 6.4].

A new appraisal system was introduced in 2015. This is helping to build teacher reflection and collaboration. The board and principal need to ensure that all staff are appraised, and appraisals signed off annually and reported to the board.

The board has not been kept well informed about employment issues and has therefore been unable to resolve these.

During the review ERO became aware that a number of board policies and procedures were not being followed. No police vetting has been in place regarding school camps and swimming. In a number of instances, serious incidents have not been reported to parents and, where appropriate, teachers. Health and safety polices need to be followed to ensure the board meets its legal obligations. [Action 6.2, 6.6 and 6.7]

5 Going forward

How well placed is the school to accelerate the achievement of all children who need it?

Leaders and teachers:    

  • have not yet adequately built their knowledge of the children whose learning and achievement need to be accelerated
  • have not yet adequately established necessary conditions to effectively accelerate learning and achievement
  • are not well placed to achieve and sustain accelerated achievement for all children who need it.

ERO intends to carry out a process of ongoing evaluation to support development over the course of one-to-two 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
  • the school’s policy and procedures in relation to the application of
    the Vulnerable Children Act 2014.

Actions

ERO's onsite investigations identified a number of serious concerns about governance, professional leadership and health and safety practices at the school. Actions are as follows:

6.1. The board must provide a safe physical and emotional environment for all children [National Administration Guideline 5 (i) - National Education Guidelines]

6.2. The board must assume full governance of the school. Information provided to ERO shows that the governance practices of the previous board and some trustees placed the school at considerable risk [Good practice, Human Rights Act 1993]

6.3. Procedures for managing personnel and employment issues must be followed. [National Administration Guidelines 3; 1993 National Education Guidelines; s 77A State Sector Act]

6.4. Management and documentation about education outside the classroom must be improved. Appropriate procedures are not clearly identified, understood and followed [National Administration Guideline 5 (i) - National Education Guidelines]

6.5. Procedures regarding documenting and reporting serious incidents must be followed. [National Administration Guideline 5 (i) - National Education Guidelines]

6.6. Police vetting must be completed [Vulnerable Children Act 2014; Education Act 1989, Section 78CB].

7 Recommendation 

ERO recommends that the Secretary for Education considers intervention under Part 7A of the Education Act 1989 in order to bring about the following improvements to:

  • governance and management
  • student achievement
  • building school and community relationships
  • further develop the school's curriculum. 

Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern

17 August 2016 

About the school 

Location

Grey District

Ministry of Education profile number

3495

School type

Full Primary (Years 1 to 8)

School roll

69

Gender composition

Boys 37; Girls 32

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā

14
55

Review team on site

July 2016

Date of this report

17 August 2016

Most recent ERO report(s)

Supplementary Review
Education Review
Supplementary Review

July 2014
March 2010
June 2006