Knapdale School

Education institution number:
3973
School type:
Full Primary
School gender:
Co-Educational
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
60
Telephone:
Address:

Knapdale Road, Gore

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Knapdale School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 15 months of the Education Review Office and Knapdale 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

Knapdale School is a small rural school near Gore. It provides education for students in years 1-8. A new tumuaki was appointed to the school in 2022. The school’s vision is to seek, to strive, to find and to never give up. The school’s values of Respect (Whakaute), Responsibility (Kawenga) and Resilience (Aumangea) play a major part in ensuring that there is a caring environment in which tamariki can learn.

Knapdale School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

  • that all tamariki progress in reading, writing and maths

  • to accelerate the rate of progress for students who are not able to fully access the curriculum at the appropriate level.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how Knapdale School can deliver a consistent and appropriate literacy program across the school and to understand to what extent these changes are improving learning outcomes for all students.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

  • that there have been variable trends in literacy achievement and the staff want to respond to ensure equity and excellence for all learners

     

  • the staff recognise the importance of supporting their targeted learners

  • the school want to support children with diverse needs to experience success in literacy

  • the Kāhui Ako has provided PLD support in literacy to support consistency of teacher practice.

The school expects to see:

  • review and assessment of existing and new practices with analysis and ongoing monitoring of the improvement actions

  • evaluation of the impact of the tumuaki, teachers and learning assistants on enhancing students’ learning, progress, and achievement in literacy

  • consistent implementation of literacy programmes across the school.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support it in its goal to improve outcomes for learners in literacy:

  • strong relationships with the parent and wider community that enhance learning partnerships

  • authentic learning that helps to embed a localised curriculum

  • a positive learning environment with well established respectful relationships that promote learner engagement.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • the strengthening of the literacy programme

  • embedding new learning and good practice in literacy schoolwide.

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

28 June 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

Knapdale School

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2023 to 2026

As of March 2023, the Knapdale 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

Further Information

For further information please contact Knapdale 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

28 June 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

Knapdale School - 21/05/2018

School Context

Knapdale is a small rural school near Gore offering education for children in Years 1-8. At the time of this review the school had a roll of 38. Children come from a range of cultural backgrounds.  A number of children are English language learners. Children learn in two multilevel classrooms.

The school’s vision is to inspire children ‘to seek, to strive, to find and not give up’. The school’s charter states that it aims to support children to develop: sound foundation skills in literacy, numeracy and critical thinking, the skills and dispositions for lifelong learning, academic success and acceptance and understanding of people from diverse backgrounds. 

To achieve these outcomes the school has identified the following strategic priorities: continuous improvement in student progress, achievement and engagement, community connections and collaborative teaching and learning with a focus on digital literacy. Specific targets have been set to accelerate the progress of any child not yet achieving at the school’ expected levels.

To know about the school’s achievement of its goals, leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:

  • achievement in relation to curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics
  • progress and achievement of children participating in targeted programmes to accelerate learning.

Since the school’s last ERO review in 2015, a new principal has been appointed and there has been a number of changes of teaching staff. The school has experienced some reduction in its roll resulting in a change from three to two classrooms. Teachers in the school participated in a Ministry of Education professional learning programme focused on raising achievement in mathematics in 2016 and 2017. The school has become a member of the Eastern Southland Kāhui Ako|Community of Learning (CoL) along with 11 other primary schools and two secondary schools.

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 children?

The school is effective in achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for most of its children.

School information for the last three years shows that most children achieve at the school’s expected levels in reading and writing, and the majority achieve well in mathematics.

The school is not yet reporting regularly on its other valued outcomes for children or on children’s achievement in the breadth of the New Zealand curriculum. ERO and the school agreed it would also be useful to report on the progress children learning English make over time.

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

The school is effective in accelerating learning for some children needing to make faster progress to achieve at the school’s expected levels.

Teachers have successfully implemented a learning intervention designed to accelerate children’s learning in mathematics. School information for the last three years shows that the school successfully accelerated the learning of the majority of children identified as needing to make faster progress in mathematics.

The school has not yet reported on children’s rates of progress in literacy, beyond individual reporting to parents.

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?

The school’s curriculum provides children with rich opportunities to learn across the breadth of the New Zealand curriculum. It responds effectively to children’s interests and needs and makes links to their lives beyond school. The school’s values are well embedded in teaching and learning programmes. They are supporting valued outcomes such as all children’s recognition and valuing of each other’s diverse backgrounds. Children have regular opportunities to contribute to each other’s learning in mixed-age and ability groups. Children whose first language is not English are well supported by teachers and other children to access learning alongside their peers.

Effective teaching practices promote children’s problem-solving, confidence and engagement in learning. Children receive timely and specific feedback from teachers about how well they are progressing and their next learning steps. Teachers are mindful of adapting many assessment practices to enable children to show what they can do and to give accurate information about learning needs. Teachers undertake substantial inquiries into what works to promote positive outcomes for children and use this to inform changes to teacher practice. 

The school builds purposeful partnerships with parents and others in the local community to enhance children’s learning, achievement and wellbeing. Trustees, school leadership and teachers actively promote parents’ engagement and participation at all levels of the school. Teachers, parents and children participate in ongoing, reciprocal communication about children’s learning which enhances their understandings of curriculum goals and the teaching and learning process. This helps parents to constructively support their children’s learning at home. The school collaborates closely with nearby rural schools to enrich opportunities for leadership for senior students and to provide a range of curriculum opportunities. Members of the community are regularly invited to share their skills and knowledge as a part of learning programmes.

Leadership is working proactively to ensure effective practices and processes are well sustained.  This has included reviewing a number of the school’s systems to achieve greater efficiencies and supporting teachers to establish sound teaching and learning programmes.

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

The school’s curriculum guidelines should be reviewed and updated to ensure they are aligned with the school’s vision and valued outcomes for children. Changes in education, as well as to the school’s board, leadership and teaching team, mean that it is now timely to review how well the curriculum supports the school’s vision and develops shared expectations for how this will be implemented.

Processes and practices for identifying and responding to the needs of children needing to make accelerated progress need to be well documented. This will enable the school to better evaluate how effective it has been in supporting the progress and achievement for equity. Actions should include:

  • specific targets that identify all children needing to make accelerated progress
  • targeted teacher planning to accelerate children’s learning, which is regularly reviewed and evaluated
  • strengthened reporting to the board on the rates of progress all children make, but particularly for those targeted for acceleration.

Trustees need to build their capability to undertake effective strategic and policy review and evaluation. This should include a focus on improving their scrutiny of student achievement and progress information.

3 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. 

Areas for improved compliance practice

To improve current practice, the board of trustees should:

  • strengthen policies and procedures for the management of severe behaviour (including  for the use of restraint)
  • develop ways to monitor the wellbeing of children and staff.

4 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

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

  • the provision of a broad, rich curriculum that responds well to children’s interests, needs and cultural identity
  • purposeful partnerships with parents and the wider community that enrich learning opportunities for children
  • leadership practices that support school improvement.

Next steps

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

  • curriculum review and development that supports the enactment of the school’s vision and valued outcomes
  • strengthened planning, evaluation and reporting on actions to accelerate the learning of children whose progress needs to be accelerated
  • building trustees’ capability to undertake evaluation of the school’s performance against its priorities and goals.

ERO recommends that the school seek support from New Zealand School Trustees Association in order to bring about improvements in:

  • board internal evaluation and scrutiny of achievement and progress information. 

ERO’s next external evaluation process and timing

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

Dr Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern

Te Waipounamu - Southern Region

21 May 2018

About the school 

Location

Gore

Ministry of Education profile number

3973

School type

Full Primary (Years 1 to 8)

School roll

38

Gender composition

Girls:   23

Boys:  15

Ethnic composition

Pākehā:  27

Asian:      9

Other:     2

Provision of Māori medium education

No

Review team on site

March 2018

Date of this report

21 May 2018

Most recent ERO reports

Education Review:     May 2015

Education Review:     February 2012

Education Review:    September 2008

Knapdale School - 12/05/2015

Findings

Students benefit from a wide variety of rich and interesting learning experiences. They are highly motivated and have positive attitudes to learning. The mission statement of ‘seek, strive, find and never give up’ underpins students’ learning and the high expectations evident in the school. The three multi-level classes are kept low in numbers. The school is well led and governed.

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?

Knapdale School is a small rural school near Gore. Roll growth in recent years has led to an enrolment scheme where students attending the school must live in the area. Currently there is a mix of rural and town students while the scheme is being introduced.

Students show a strong sense of belonging at this school. Multi-level classes mean teachers know their students very well as people and learners. Mixed-age whānau groups add to a family-like atmosphere. An experienced and long-serving principal provides pastoral care and concern for students and their families.

Students in Years 7 and 8 regularly join with others from surrounding schools to extend and broaden their learning, develop leadership skills and prepare for their transition to high school.

The principal has maintained the many effective practices identified in the February 2012 report. She has ensured that new staff are well informed about the school’s expectations. She has addressed the recommendations from the last report, and agrees that self review is still an area to be further developed.

2 Learning

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

Achievement information is used well to support students’ learning.

The school’s achievement data shows most students achieve highly in reading. Achievement is not quite as strong in writing but the principal and teachers have identified the need to raise achievement in this area, particularly for boys. This is a school target. Most students achieve well in mathematics. However, staff changes impacted on senior students’ achievement in mathematics in 2014. The principal is addressing this.

Students are effectively supported in the early years to make significant progress in meeting the National Standards.

Students have positive attitudes and some understanding about their learning. The systems and tools available to help more students take appropriate levels of responsibility for their learning could be more consistently used throughout the school.

Some students need to know better:

  • where they are at in their learning
  • where they are going
  • how they will meet expectations.

The principal and teachers use assessment information effectively to:

  • identify at-risk and high-achieving students
  • develop individual plans and provide relevant learning experiences for students needing extra help
  • track students’ progress and closely monitor individual students
  • inform their teaching, appraisal goals and professional learning and development.

The principal and teachers respond quickly to individual student’s needs by adapting programmes. These changes are designed to consolidate students’ learning and maintain the momentum of progress.

Trustees are well informed about student progress and achievement. They use assessment information well to make strategic resourcing decisions and further support students’ learning.

3 Curriculum

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

The mission statement of ‘seek, strive, find and never give up’ underpins students’ learning and the high expectations evident in the school. Students are highly motivated to learn. They told ERO that they enjoy and appreciate the topics for learning. There are strong and respectful relationships between students and their teachers.

The school’s well-developed integrated curriculum very effectively promotes and supports student learning. All learning areas are used as a base for mathematics and literacy learning. Students benefit from a wide variety of rich and interesting learning experiences. These include:

  • the use of local features, history and expertise to enhance learning
  • purposeful and relevant education beyond the classroom which is used as a catalyst for further learning
  • an enviro-school focus
  • year-long, school-wide topics of investigation which provide depth and broad coverage of the different learning areas
  • a Māori dimension.

Teachers display a sense of urgency for students to succeed and proactively create opportunities for students to learn. They make effective use of skilled teacher aides to assist individual students. Thoughtful use of intervention programmes enables students to be successful and make significant positive shifts in their progress and achievement.

Teachers work well together to plan programmes and share ideas. Detailed, useful guidelines set out the expectations for practice at this school. Teachers regularly reflect on their practices and discuss ways to improve what they do. Some of these discussions could be formally recorded as part of self review.

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

At the time of this review there were two Māori students enrolled.

The board, principal and teachers have sourced external expertise to help them deliver a more bicultural curriculum. The next step is to explore what success as Māori means at Knapdale School

4 Sustainable Performance

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

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

Students’ learning is well supported by the board and local community. Trustees strongly focus on improving students’ learning and helping all students to succeed. The school is able to keep classes small through generous funding provided by the board and Parent Teachers Association (PTA). The board and PTA also provide additional resources for student’s learning and for staff to attend relevant professional learning and development.

Parents’ views are sought on a range of issues. Their wishes are considered and feature in the local goals within the school’s charter.

The principal is a strong professional leader. She models high-quality practice for the staff to follow. The principal and teachers are focused on continuous improvement. A robust appraisal system contributes to this. Teachers reflect on their own practice in an effort to provide students, particularly those who need to accelerate their learning, with the best opportunity to raise their achievement levels.

The strategic and annual plan could better reflect the school’s key priorities. The strategic goals and intended actions need to focus on specific priorities for development rather than setting out the everyday business.

The school’s self-review processes need to be strengthened to give teachers and trustees a clearer picture of the quality of what is happening for students and what could be done better.

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 benefit from a wide variety of rich and interesting learning experiences. They are highly motivated and have positive attitudes to learning. The mission statement of ‘seek, strive, find and never give up’ underpins students’ learning and the high expectations evident in the school. The three multi-level classes are kept low in numbers. The school is well led and governed.

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

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern

12 May 2015

About the School

Location

Gore

Ministry of Education profile number

3973

School type

Full Primary (Years 1 to 8)

School roll

53

Gender composition

Boys 30

Girls 23

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

Other

2

47

4

Review team on site

March 2015

Date of this report

12 May 2015

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

Education Review

Education Review

February 2012

September 2008

July 2005