Hira School

Education institution number:
3195
School type:
Contributing
School gender:
Co-Educational
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
57
Telephone:
Address:

800 State Highway 6, Nelson

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Hira School - 25/11/2019

School Context

Hira School in Nelson caters for students in Years 1 to 6 in a rural setting. The roll of 90 students has increased by a third since the June 2016 ERO report. Ten percent of students are Māori.

The school’s vision is to empower children to value their own skills and gifts and to become life-long learners who are resilient, responsible and caring members of their community. Values promoted are kotahitanga|getting on together, manaakitanga|kindness and respect, manawaroa|resilience, whanaungatanga|belonging, kaitiakitanga|guardianship and whakamana|self belief and agency.

Key goals in 2019 are to develop the curriculum and culturally responsive practice.

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

  • achievement in reading, writing, numeracy and in relation to schoolwide targets.

Professional learning and development in 2019 is focusing on culturally responsive pedagogy, mathematics and play-based learning.

Since the previous ERO review, the number of teachers has doubled.

The school is an enviro school and is part of the Kāhui Ako Ki Whakatū | Community of Learning in Nelson.

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?

Most students achieve at or above curriculum expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. This level of achievement has been consistent since 2016.

At the end of 2018 the percentage of Māori students achieving at and above expectations in reading was higher than for New Zealand European/Pākehā students.

More girls than boys are achieving at or above curriculum expectations in writing.

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

Current school data shows that most students below curriculum expectations are making accelerated progress, particularly in reading.

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?

Students benefit from a supportive, inclusive and positive learning environment. Teachers know individual children well. Relationships among students and staff are warm, caring and responsive. The tone in classrooms is relaxed and purposeful. Children are co-operative and confident, and can talk about what they are learning and why. They display a strong sense of belonging and ownership of their school.

Progress has been made in enacting a curriculum that supports learner engagement and agency, and reflects the views of the community. Students benefit from the range of authentic and interesting learning opportunities presented. Curriculum features include:

  • a strong environmental focus which includes planting trees and stream work; recycling initiatives are student-led

  • the play-based approach in the junior classes, to support learners’ engagement, collaboration, self-regulation and transition to school

  • improved communication with parents about children’s learning over time.

A ‘big picture’ document shows alignment between the vision and values, the enacted curriculum and current initiatives.

Parent and community input is regularly sought and valued to inform decisions about school direction. A range of useful strategies has supported the gathering of parents’ views.

Teachers use a suitable range of assessment tools, including nationally normed tests, to make overall judgements about learners’ achievement and progress. Specific initiatives are in place to identify and support students at risk in their learning. External specialist support is accessed for those with additional learning needs.

The board has a well-organised approach to their stewardship role. Meeting minutes are a good record of discussion, decision-making and actions taken. Trustees receive regular reports about accountabilities. Succession planning has been appropriately considered to support the induction of new trustees.

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

Through the strategic plan, trustees and leadership have identified priorities for development. ERO’s evaluation supports this direction. These include:

  • formalising the curriculum by
    • revisiting the vision, values and graduate profile to ensure they reflect community views
    • developing written guidelines to support consistency of teacher practice, shared understanding of expectations and balanced coverage of essential learning areas
    • continuing to develop the local curriculum.

This should support sustainability and consistency of practice, and understanding of expectations about teaching and learning.

  • strengthening the bicultural curriculum and acknowledgement of te ao Māori in stewardship through consultation with iwi and whānau.

ERO has identified the need for the school to increase the focus on tracking and regularly reporting the progress and achievement of those students achieving below curriculum expectations.

The school’s appraisal process should be strengthened by including a documented observation of, and feedback about, each teacher’s practice. In addition, feedback in relation to each Standard for the Teaching Profession should also be recorded.

Regular review is undertaken, including policy review, which emphasises consultation and collection of parent feedback. The process of internal evaluation is likely to be better facilitated through the identification of an evaluative question and indicators of success. These should support measurement of the impact of initiatives and strategies on outcomes for students and the identification of next development steps.

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 Children’s Act 2014.

4 ERO’s Overall Judgement

On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of Hira School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.

ERO’s Framework: Overall Findings and Judgement Tool derived from School Evaluation Indicators: Effective Practice for Improvement and Learner Success is available on ERO’s website.

5 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

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

  • a supportive, inclusive and positive learning environment that supports student wellbeing
  • authentic and interesting learning opportunities that promote student engagement.

Next steps

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

  • formalising the curriculum to enable documentation of clear expectations for teaching and learning
  • improving the school’s appraisal process to meet Teaching Council requirements
  • strengthening internal evaluation to better support ongoing development.

Areas for improved compliance practice

To improve current practice, some documentation relating to health and safety matters should be strengthened.

Dr Lesley Patterson

Director Review and Improvement Services Te Tai Tini

Southern Region

25 November 2019

About the school

Location

Nelson

Ministry of Education profile number

3195

School type

Contributing (Years 1 to 6)

School roll

90

Gender composition

Girls 45, Boys 45

Ethnic composition

Māori 10%
NZ European/Pākehā 79%
Other ethnic groups 11%

Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS)

Yes

Provision of Māori medium education

No

Review team on site

September 2019

Date of this report

25 November 2019

Most recent ERO reports

Education Review June 2016
Education Review June 2013

Hira School - 07/06/2016

1 Context

Hira School is an enviro school, focusing on sustainable environmental practice and building children’s knowledge through practical experiences. Te ao Māori is valued and well integrated into all aspects of school life.

Children benefit from strong community involvement in school, classroom activities and decision making processes. Many families have been involved in the school for a number of generations.

Since the 2013 ERO review, the school has had four changes in principal, the most recent appointment in 2016. There has also been a number of changes in board members. The majority of staff members are long serving and have a good knowledge of the children, their families and the wider community.

2 Equity and excellence

The vision and valued outcomes defined by the school for all children are clearly stated within its Māori values that encourage all children to demonstrate Manaakitanga (kindness and respect), Kaitiakitanga (guardianship), Manawaroa (resilience) and Kotahitanga (working and learning together). The school’s expectations are for children to value their own skills and gifts, and to be responsive and caring members of society.

The school’s achievement information shows that most children achieve at or above the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Māori children achieve as well or better than their peers in writing and mathematics but less well in reading.

Since the 2013 review, the school has improved its reporting against the National Standards.

3 Accelerating achievement

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

The school is making good progress in identifying, responding and accelerating the progress of Māori children who are at risk of not achieving equitable outcomes.

Leaders and teachers establish good relationships with Māori children and their families/whānau. They ensure they maintain regular contact with parents and whānau and involve them in decisions about their child’s learning, culture and wellbeing.

Teachers use a suitable range of assessment tools to make judgements about student achievement in relation to the National Standards. Children’s achievement information is collated and analysed. Programmes to meet the needs of those Māori children at risk of not achieving National Standards are recorded on a register. Teachers’ indepth knowledge of each child and use of a range of teaching approaches have resulted in a number of Māori children making accelerated progress. The next step is to review learning goals and programmes for individual children to ensure they address the specific learning needs. This should help teachers evaluate and report on the effectiveness of the programmes in accelerating achievement for individual children.

To further accelerate the achievement of Māori children, school leaders and teachers should consider more indepth reporting on children’s progress and achievement in other curriculum areas. This would ensure individual children’s strengths, interests and cultural knowledge are recognised.

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

The school responds to other children whose learning and achievement needs acceleration in the same way it responds to Māori children.

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 provides children with rich and vibrant curriculum experiences that engage them in meaningful learning. However, the curriculum document has yet to be updated to include the school's expectations for learning and teaching, bicultural inclusion and the integration of the New Zealand and local curriculum.

The school values of Manaakitanga, Kaitiakitanga, Manawaroa and Kotahitanga are well integrated into all aspects of school life. Teachers naturally include the values in their class programmes. Children regularly refer to how well they are applying the values within class and their interactions with each other in and beyond the school.

Te ao Māori is clearly evident in relationships, class programmes, school and social events. Children and teachers have a good knowledge of te reo and tikanga Māori. They regularly engage with the wider Māori community to extend their knowledge and ensure the appropriate Māori protocols are followed. Children are proud of their knowledge of te reo and tikanga Māori and confidently share it with others.

Strong, positive and affirming relationships at all levels are a feature of the school. Children are inclusive and understanding of others. Parents regularly participate in their children’s learning, school programmes and decision making for the school. Parents were actively involved in the development of the school strategic plan.

Children enjoy learning through a wide variety of experiences within the school and beyond. There is a strong emphasis on caring for the school and local environments. Teachers skilfully build on children’s interests and what they already know. Many opportunities are provided for children to practically apply their new knowledge and skills in a range of situations.

Children know about some aspects of their learning. However, there is potential for them to have more choices in their learning pathways.

The board used well-developed and inclusive appointment processes that support the culture and direction of the school when they appointed the principal. Carefully considered and planned leadership decisions, and the collaborative working relationships between the senior leadership team and teachers is allowing well-managed change to occur.

The recently completed strategic plan provides clear direction for school improvement in all areas of governance, management, teaching and learning. Plans are in place to regularly review and report progress towards achieving the charter goals.

The principal is working towards embedding a more robust appraisal process to ensure all the criteria for teachers to maintain their practising certificates are covered and the school strategic goals are met to a high standard.

A key next step for the school is to establish a robust process of school evaluation at class, school and board levels to ensure the quality of learning and teaching is recognised, and school systems are well implemented and improvements are ongoing.

5 Going forward

How well placed is the school to achieve and sustain equitable and excellent outcomes for all children?

Leaders and teachers:

  • know the children whose learning and achievement need to be accelerated
  • respond to the strengths, needs and interests of each child
  • regularly evaluate how teaching is working for these children
  • do not always or systematically act on what they know works for each child
  • have a plan in place but have not yet built teacher capability effectively to achieve equitable outcomes for all children.

Action: The board, principal and teachers should use the findings of this evaluation, the Effective School Evaluation resource, the Internal Evaluation: Good Practice exemplars and the School Evaluation Indicators to develop a Raising Achievement Plan to further develop processes and practices that respond effectively to the strengths and needs of children whose learning and achievement need to be accelerated.

As part of this review, ERO will continue to monitor the school’s Raising Achievement plan and the progress the school makes. ERO is likely to carry out the next full review in three 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

  • compliance with the provisions of the Vulnerable Children Act 2014 

Chris Rowe

Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Acting)

7 June 2016 

About the school

Location

Nelson

Ministry of Education profile number

3195

School type

Contributing (Years 1 to 6)

School roll

62

Gender composition

Girls 33; Boys 29

Ethnic composition

Pākehā

Māori

Other ethnicities

52

5

5

Review team on site

April 2016

Date of this report

7 June 2016

Most recent ERO reports

Education Review

Education Review

Education Review

June 2013

May 2009

June 2006