Ahipara School

Ahipara School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 18 months of the Education Review Office and Ahipara 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 

Ahipara School is located in Ahipara, Northland. It provides education for students in years 0 to 8. During the Covid pandemic and due to other contributing factors, school leadership and management have undergone significant change during 2021 through to 2023.

The school as an active member of the Te Manaiakalani cluster and the Kāhui Tai Kura o Te Hiku Kā hui Ako.

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

  • students’ learning- all students can access the New Zealand curriculum as evidenced by progress and achievement

  • student engagement- to increase student engagement with their learning

  • school organisation and structures- an ongoing focus on improving our facilities, resources, and systems

  • whanau and community engagement - positive learning relationships with whānau

  • personnel- teachers as leaders and learners provide students with highly effective educators whose primary focus is developing them as successful learners. Teachers supported to improve pedagogy, teaching, and learning and assessment practice which will lead to increases in student progress and achievement

  • school finance and property- financial and property management focused on enhancing teaching and learning

  • health and safety- health and safety practices to ensure the wellbeing of the Ahipara School community.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well the school is building schoolwide effective teaching and learning assessment pedagogy and practice informed by relevant and reliable assessment data.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to:

  • the school has had several new staff, as a result they are working towards schoolwide consistent approaches for teaching and learning

  • cater for students who need to make accelerated progress and achievement

  • increase learner agency to support students knowing their learning and to identify their next steps

  • build cultural assessment competencies through professional development in formative assessment, supported by best practice teaching and learning strategies.

The school expects to see assessment for learning practices explicitly evident in classroom environments and, teachers confidently and consistently using appropriate assessment to inform individual student’s learning, progress, and achievement requirements. This will be supported by:

  • teacher’s and student’s developing a shared understanding of the use of learning progressions

  • clear guidelines and processes to support the learning and achievement of all students

  • teachers working collaboratively through an inquiry focus on assessment strategies, including culturally responsive assessment practices with a focus for Māori learners, who need additional support

  • professional development in effective use of assessment strategies, including a focus for those students with diverse learning requirements.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to evaluate how well the school is building schoolwide effective teaching and learning assessment pedagogy and practice informed by relevant and reliable assessment data:

  • students participate and learn in caring, collaborative, inclusive learning environments

  • leadership builds effective collaboration at all school community levels

  • staff collaboratively promotes and enacts the school vision and values

  • the school uses internal and external expertise focused on continuous improvement and equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • collecting student voice to identify where they are in their learning and their next steps

  • using appropriate assessment teaching and learning strategies that inform individual student’s learning progress and achievement requirements

  • develop rubrics to support teacher’s pedagogical teaching and learning in effective assessment practices.

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

22 September 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

Ahipara School

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2023 to 2026

As of February 2023, the Ahipara 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 Ahipara School Board.

The next Board of Trustees 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 September 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

Ahipara School - 18/05/2018

School Context

Ahipara School caters for students in Years 1 to 8. The school has approximately 230 students. Māori students make up 76 percent of the roll, with 19 percent and a small number of students with Pacific heritage.Pākehā,

The school’s mission is to provide programmes that will enhance learning and achievement in every way. Valued student outcomes linked to the school vision include children becoming lifelong learners who are confident, connected, creative thinkers, and have a strong cultural identity. The vision is underpinned by the school values, which include perseverance, manaakitanga and excellence.

The board’s charter includes ‘success for all learners, highest quality teaching and learning, and community engagement’ in its strategic goals for 2018. School achievement targets have been set in reading, writing and mathematics.

Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:

  • achievement in reading, writing and mathematics

  • the support provided for children with additional learning needs.

Since ERO’s 2013 evaluation of the school teachers have participated in professional learning that includes writing, mathematics and formative teaching practices. Since 2016 the school has maintained a strategic focus on reviewing the school curriculum, and developing a graduate profile based on the school’s valued outcomes.

The school is a member of the Far North Community of Learning|Kāhui Ako (CoL) comprising 20 schools and 16 early learning services from the surrounding area.

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?

The school is continuing to develop its collective capacity to achieve greater equitable and excellent outcomes for students.

Longitudinal achievement information shows that most students achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics. These results are consistent over time. School achievement data show that more than three-quarters of girls and Pākehā children achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics. The achievement of the very small number of Pacific learners is monitored individually. Most Year 8 students leave the school achieving well in reading but not as well in writing and mathematics.

Achievement is not as strong for boys and Māori children in writing and mathematics. Some disparity is also apparent for Māori learners in reading. Over the last three years the pattern of disparity with these groups of children, has not changed.

The school’s commitment to inclusion is evident in the recent increase in the number of children with identified learning and behaviour needs. Some of these children have additional funding and an individual education plan. Their progress and wellbeing are monitored closely by the Special Education Needs Coordinator (SENCO) and specialist teacher who liaise regularly with classroom teachers, parents, whānau and external agencies.

Students achieve well in relation to other school valued outcomes. These include children who:

  • are confident, friendly and demonstrate a sense of belonging at school

  • demonstrate the school values of manaakitanga and respect for each other

  • take greater ownership of their learning through goal setting and knowing about their next learning steps.

Current strategic review has resulted in a graduate profile that states a set of valued outcomes for children. Leaders plan to design a set of measurable indicators to help them evaluate the achievement of these outcomes. 1.2 How well is the school accelerating learning for those Māori and other students who need this?

The school has some evidence that they are successfully accelerating learning for those Māori and other students who need to make accelerated progress.

The board has set schoolwide achievement targets in reading, writing and mathematics, and for year level groups. School information shows varying success in meeting these targets. Achievement levels have remained steady over time. Improving the school’s focus on target groups, such as boys and Māori, could provide a greater sense of urgency for accelerating their progress.

The SENCO, leaders and teachers work collaboratively with parents, external agencies and in-class teacher aides to provide appropriate support for children identified as requiring additional learning support. The school has evidence that these children make good progress from participating in targeted learning programmes.

School leaders and teachers are reflective, and focus on making improvements to help promote equity and excellence. Teachers have well documented improvement plans to accelerate children’s progress. Teachers regularly monitor the progress of all learners who are most at risk of not achieving. The school’s information indicates that children make good progress, with some making accelerated progress.

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 inclusive culture enables children’s learning in many ways. Children experience a culturally responsive curriculum. The local environment and whakapapa is reflected in attractive murals displayed around the school. Events such as pōwhiri promote Te Rarawatanga, and foster learning opportunities that enable students to achieve success as Māori.

School leaders build relational trust and effective collaboration at every level of the school community. The board works with the community to develop and refresh the school’s vision and strategic direction. The principal and board engage with the wider community including iwi, hapū and professional networks. Parents value the school’s strong sense of community, and the relationships they have with leaders and staff.

The recent review of the school’s curriculum has focussed on fostering children’s ‘learning to learn’ strategies. Teachers are involving children in assessment activities, including setting learning goals and next steps.

Professional learning encourages leaders and teachers to individually and collectively take responsibility for improving their professional practice. Robust appraisal processes help teachers monitor and evaluate the impact of their teaching practice on student outcomes.

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

The board, leaders and teachers should consider how they might continue to improve their collective capacity to use evaluation effectively. Increasing the level of scrutiny and evaluation of achievement information, particularly for those students most at risk, will help with resourcing decisions and identifying next steps for improvement.

Achievement levels in reading, writing and mathematics have been consistent over several years. ERO endorses school leaders’ intention to take a more deliberate approach to improve practices and processes, particularly in the teaching of writing. Developing and monitoring a planned approach could help accelerate the progress of those students at most risk of not achieving.

The board and leaders acknowledge the important role parents/whānau have in learning partnerships. The principal has identified specific programmes, about to be implemented, that will provide a new focus for deepening learning partnerships with parents/whānau of children at risk of not achieving.

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:

  • leadership that builds effective collaboration at every level of the school community

  • culturally responsive learning environment for all children

  • leaders and teachers who are committed to professional learning and improving their capability.

Next steps

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

  • increasing the level of scrutiny and evaluation of achievement information particularly for those students at risk of not achieving

  • deepening reciprocal learning partnerships with parents/whānau with a focus on accelerating student progress

  • targeted planning to accelerate learning and achievement, particularly in writing. ERO will monitor and discuss progress with the school.

ERO’s next external evaluation process and timing

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

Julie Foley

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)

Te Tai Raki - Northern Region

18 May 2018

About the school

Location

Ahipara

Ministry of Education profile number

1000

School type

Full Primary (Years 1 to 8)

School roll

227

Gender composition

Boys 55% Girls 45%

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā
other

76%
19%
5%

Provision of Māori medium education

No

Review team on site

March 2018

Date of this report

18 May 2018

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review
Education Review
Education Review

October 2013
December 2010
May 2007