Te Totara Primary School

Education institution number:

577

School type:

Contributing

School gender:

Co-Educational

Definition:

Not Applicable

Total roll:

707

Website:

http://www.tetotara.school.nz

Telephone:

07 853 0039

Address:

31 Hector Drive, Rototuna North, Hamilton

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Te Totara Primary School - 31/01/2018

31 Jan 2018

School Context

Te Totara Primary School located in Rototuna North, near Hamilton city, provides education for students in Years 1 to 6. The school continues to experience rapid roll growth. Student numbers have grown by approximately three hundred since the last ERO review in 2013. The current roll of 812 includes 91 Māori students and a significant number of English language learners. The school has become increasingly diverse, with less than half of the school population identifying as New Zealand European/Pākehā. The school is a member of the Te Pae Here Community of Learning | Kāhui Ako.

The school’s fundamental belief is that the children are STARS, and this is captured in the school-wide vision of ‘Growing and Learning Together’. STARS stands for Smart decisions, Trying our best, Always learning, Respectful and Self-managing. These five key themes aim to guide learners to improve. The school’s charter articulates its commitment to growing achievement for learners, encouraging family and community involvement and growing infrastructure to support students, staff and the community.

Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, school-wide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:

reading, writing and mathematics
social sciences, science, technology and the arts.

Evaluation Findings

1 Equity and excellence – valued outcomes for students

1.1 How well is the school achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for all its students?

The school is achieving equity and excellence for almost all of its students. Their achievement data from 2014 to 2017 shows a consistent pattern with almost all students achieving at or above national expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. This data indicates that girls and boys achieve at comparable levels. In 2017, almost all Māori students are achieving national expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. This information shows that the proportion of Pacific students achieving at or above national expectations is slightly lower than other groups in the school. Data from 2015 to 2017 indicates almost all students, including Māori and Pacific, are achieving at or above the national expectations in social sciences, technology, science and the arts.

1.2 How effectively does this school respond to those Māori and other students whose learning and achievement need acceleration?

The school is highly responsive to Māori and other students whose learning needs acceleration. The school’s 2017 data shows that most Māori students made accelerated progress in mathematics and reading, with a small majority making gains in writing. This information shows that most other at-risk students made accelerated progress in reading. In writing and mathematics approximately half of these at-risk students made accelerated progress.

2 School conditions for equity and excellence

2.1 What school processes and practices are effective in enabling achievement of equity and excellence?

The board of trustees provides high-quality stewardship for the school. Trustees set clear expectations through their strategic approach to school development. The board receives extensive data from school leaders which they closely scrutinise to determine the effectiveness of programmes and to set ongoing school priorities. There is a commitment to generous financial provision for additional staffing, resources and initiatives that specifically focus on improving student outcomes.

Senior leaders provide effective leadership for learning. They have consistently high expectations for teacher performance and a planned approach to providing appropriate professional learning and development. There is a strategic focus on building leadership capability across the school. This approach maximises the use of teacher expertise and contributes to ongoing sustainability of programmes, and initiatives. The leadership team has worked responsively to strategically manage rapid school growth and cultural diversity to maintain high levels of student participation and achievement.

School-wide systems and processes are used effectively to track and monitor student achievement. Information is gathered and reported across a wide range of curriculum areas. The introduction of a shared teaching and learning document to closely monitor progress of all priority learners is ensuring a relentless focus on accelerating achievement. There are appropriate and comprehensive systems to respond to children with additional learning needs. These practices contribute to a coordinated approach to improving learning outcomes for at risk students.

Teachers have a highly professional approach to accelerating student achievement. They provide productive learning environments for all students. Teachers make good use of assessment information to inform their programme planning and targeted actions for individual and group teaching. They work cooperatively to share successes, challenges and effective strategies to accelerate progress for at-risk students. Teachers engage in deliberate acts of teaching that align learning tasks, school resources and home support. Respectful relationships and sharing of knowledge within and across school teams strengthens teacher practice.

Students experience a positive culture for learning. They have a strong understanding of the school values and are highly engaged in all aspects of the curriculum. The school values reciprocal learning opportunities with families and other community groups. Students are provided with equitable opportunities to learn from a rich curriculum that promotes well-being and belonging.

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

To further support equity and excellence, ERO and the school have agreed that teachers:

continue to strengthen practices that promote student ownership of learning
expand professional learning on strategies to support English language learners within their classroom programmes
broaden the range of evidence and consistently include reflections about the impact of their teaching on student outcomes

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.

4 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

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

the board’s strategic approach that focuses on equitable and excellent outcomes for students
leadership that sets and monitors high expectations for teaching and learning in an orderly and supportive environment that promotes student well-being and learning.

Next steps

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

improving teacher reflection on the effectiveness of their practice
promoting teaching strategies to strengthen students ownership of their learning.

ERO’s next external evaluation process and timing

ERO is likely to carry out the next external evaluation in four-to-five years.

Lynda Pura-Watson
Deputy Chief Review Officer

Te Tai Miringa - Waikato / Bay of Plenty Region

31 January 2018

About the school

Location	Hamilton
Ministry of Education profile number	577
School type	Contributing (Years 1 – 6)
School roll	812
Gender composition	Boys 51% Girls 49%
Ethnic composition	Maori 11% Pakeha 45% Chinese 13% Indian 9% Other Asian 7% Other European 2% Pacific 3% Other 10%
Provision of Māori medium education	No
Review team on site	November 2017
Date of this report	31 January 2018
Most recent ERO report(s)	Education Review March 2013 Education Review April 2010

Te Totara Primary School - 20/05/2013

20 May 2013

1 Context

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

Te Totara School opened as a new school in January 2008. The school continues to grow rapidly to provide for students from the new suburbs of north Hamilton. There are good systems in place to manage this growth and to introduce and support new families and teachers to the school. While the majority of students identify as NZ European/Pākehā, the student body is becoming increasingly multicultural.

Senior leaders are focused on students and their learning. They promote a positive and supportive culture based around principles that guide adult and student thinking about education. These are referred to as the STARS, and form part of a galactic theme that is reflected in the names of the learning teams and their related buildings. The theme is also referred to in the inquiry approach model for teaching and learning that has been developed at the school.

The 2010 ERO report commented positively on the effectiveness of the school's curriculum in promoting student learning. Together with the school leaders, ERO identified some areas for review and development related to curriculum, leadership, and the success of Māori, as Māori. Significant progress has been made to strengthen the school’s performance in these areas.

2 Learning

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

The school has effective ways of knowing about how well students achieve in all areas of the curriculum. As well as knowing about student achievement in relation to the National Standards for literacy and numeracy, teachers also monitor student learning in the other areas of the curriculum. Teachers make informed judgements about student achievement in all learning areas of the curriculum.

A wide range of carefully selected assessment tools are used to ensure that teacher judgements in relation to National Standards are valid and reliable. The school has effective internal moderation systems that are soon to be supplemented by moderation with other schools. The achievement of groups of students is tracked as they move through the school to monitor the effectiveness of the curriculum.

Student achievement is reported in ways that enable students, families and teachers to support student learning. Individual student learning plans are developed in consultation with students and their parents. Teachers make good use of achievement information to design and implement programmes relevant to students’ learning stages.

Trustees receive useful information that helps them to make appropriate decisions to support learning and raise student achievement. Trustees know that students overall are achieving well, and they continue to set clear annual goals to raise literacy and numeracy levels across the school and to raise achievement for Māori students. Significant gains were made in 2012 against these targets.

3 Curriculum

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

The school curriculum successfully promotes and supports students learning. It provides access to all learning areas of The New Zealand Curriculum. Learning opportunities include sporting activities and the arts. School dramatic and musical productions and educational activities outside the classroom allow students to participate, be leaders, and succeed in many fields. The school is currently reviewing the extent to which students are able to participate in high quality visual arts programmes.

The board and senior leaders are aware of their obligations to the Treaty of Waitangi and are making good progress in addressing this principle of The New Zealand Curriculum. The current focus on supporting teachers to teach te reo Māori has been embraced by staff and good progress is being made in building their competence and confidence in te reo Māori.

There is a teaching focus on literacy and numeracy, and students are making very good progress. Other areas of the curriculum are taught using a school-based integrated inquiry model. The model supports students to develop learning approaches and skills that they can take into new learning situations.

Teaching successfully supports student learning. Relationships in classrooms are respectful and supportive. Wall displays reflect the current learning and provide prompts for students. Te reo Māori is visible and is beginning to be used within other lessons. Information and communication technologies are well used to support learning.

Teaching practices help students understand the purpose of lessons and encourage them to be aware of their next steps in learning. Students use teachers’ oral and written feed back to monitor their own progress and to focus on improvement.

Students with special needs are well supported. The special education coordinator ensures that students who need additional support are provided for and that teachers are designing programmes relevant to students’ needs. Progress is monitored to ensure that interventions are successful.

School leaders and ERO agree that teachers should continue to reflect and refine teaching practices that promote student independence and ownership of their learning. This could include further developing teachers’:

understanding of student engagement in learning and how teaching can support high levels of engagement
use of formative teaching practices, including developing success criteria with students.

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

The school is committed to promoting educational success for Māori, as Māori. There are high expectations for Māori students to succeed and achieve, and all teachers are expected to demonstrate their role in furthering Māori student achievement. The school successfully consults with parents of Māori students.

Māori students’ identity and language are supported. Opportunities to learn tikanga Māori include visits to marae and participating in pōwhiri for visitors to the school. The Ministry of Education booklet, Tātaiako: Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners, is being used to guide reflection on educational practices.

4 Sustainable Performance

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

The school is very well placed to sustain and improve its performance. During this period of rapid growth the school is maintaining a focus on student achievement. Trustees are clear about their roles. Self review is well planned and includes regular consultation.

The school’s strategic plan provides a clear direction for the school. The plan is based on the school’s good self-review information. Progress against the strategic goals is documented and monitored.

The performance management of staff strongly supports the improvement of teaching and learning. The appraisal system encourages teachers to reflect on their practice and to develop a professional culture. Appraisals are improvement focused, with clear links to relevant professional development.

There is good communication within the school community. Information and communication technologies are used to share information among staff, trustees and the community, along with regular newsletters and face-to-face contact. The senior leadership team is very accessible to students and parents.

Staff benefit from strong professional leadership. Learning and teaching is well monitored and supported. Senior leaders know the teachers well and understand how to build their capability. They respond quickly to new information and to adjust to new situations. They are successfully building leadership capacity among the staff.

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.

When is ERO likely to review the school again?

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.

Dale Bailey

National Manager Review Services

Northern Region

20 May 2013

About the School

Location	Rototuna North, Hamilton
Ministry of Education profile number	577
School type	Contributing (Years 1 to 6)
School roll	509
Gender composition	Boys 51% Girls 49%
Ethnic composition	NZ European/Pākehā Māori Indian African Chinese Middle Eastern Fijian Other European Other	60% 12% 6% 6% 4% 2% 2% 3% 5%
Review team on site	March 2013
Date of this report	20 May 2013
Most recent ERO report(s)	Education Review	April 2010