- ERO evaluates and reports on the education and care of children and young people in early childhood services and schools.
Students work in a positive, inclusive environment that supports their wellbeing and engagement in learning. They experience a rich curriculum in which diversity is valued. School leaders promote good quality teaching and positive outcomes for students. The vision of "Exciting, Motivating, Positive" is enacted throughout the school.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.
Kenakena School is a coastal school in Paraparaumu situated on the historic Kenakena Pā site. The links to Te Atiawa ki Whakarongotai are valued. Of the 527 students, 15% are Māori and 3% are Pacific. The school roll is becoming increasingly multicultural.
The school provides a welcoming and inclusive environment for all students. The longstanding vision of “Exciting, Motivating, Positive” continues to be enacted. The positive findings in the August 2011 ERO report are sustained.
The high level of enrolments across the school continues. A new board of trustees was elected in 2013. Staffing is stable.
A positive, inclusive school tone effectively supports students’ engagement, progress and achievement and contributes towards their developing understanding and ownership of learning. Calm, settled classroom environments support students to persevere in their learning. Routines and school expectations are well understood by students.
The school gathers extensive achievement information. Each year, two student year groups are tracked and their progress reported to trustees, in addition to whole school National Standards information. Data shows that most students achieve at and above in relation to National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Writing achievement is lower for boys. Teachers are supported through professional learning for this writing focus.
School targets are consistent, with sub targets focused on specific needs identified through the analysis of schoolwide data. Outcomes are clearly reported to trustees. Over time data shows consistent outcomes for students, with significant improvements for Māori students. Students with diverse needs are supported effectively and their progress is well reported to trustees.
Parents receive written reports that clearly identify how well their child is achieving in relation to National Standards.
The school's curriculum effectively gives students access to a wide range of rich experiences. Teaching reflects the school’s expectations and promotes students' learning effectively. Teacher modelling and questioning supports students’ developing understandings.
An ongoing focus on curriculum review has resulted in the recent development of the Kenakena approach to mathematics and writing. Reviewing approaches to reading is a planned next step. Curriculum coverage is regularly monitored.
Moderation of assessment data promotes consistency of teacher judgements about student achievement across the school. While guidelines to teachers are clear there is an ongoing focus on improving processes to accurately assess student learning.
Leaders and teachers have developed an extensive, useful online resource for curriculum documentation. This is well organised and accessed by staff as they plan for their students.
Teachers' inquiry into the effectiveness of their practice is under development. A framework has been established and is consistently used across the school. A next step is to use analysed data to personalise teaching strategies to students’ individual needs.
Special needs students are well accepted by their peers. Their individual education programmes are planned and effectively monitored. The special education needs coordinator (SENCO) meets fortnightly with teacher aides to assist them in their roles.
Māori students are well supported to achieve. Teachers give priority to building strong relationships with whānau and acknowledge the strength of family in supporting their children. Staff know their students well. Survey information shows that Māori students are highly engaged in their learning.
Te ao Māori is promoted and valued. Local Māori history and stories are shared with students and the community. These contribute to the shared sense of pride that is evident.
Success for Māori has been a focus for review. Relevant research and networks have been drawn on to establish a shared pathway for ongoing success. The school is responsive to whānau aspirations. There are three Māori trustees on the board.
The school has an appropriate focus on developing teachers’ confidence and capability in using te reo Māori.
The school is well placed to sustain and continue to improve its performance.
The improvement focus of self review is clearly understood. Time is appropriately given to fully embed new practices. Review and development of new initiatives is well established. Reviews are collaborative and include multiple perspectives. These feed into ongoing improvement. Self review could continue to be strengthened through more formal documentation of evaluation.
School leaders have reviewed and strengthened the appraisal system. When fully implemented it should provide teachers with good feedback and direction.
The principal provides strong leadership, with a clear vision for the school and improving outcomes for students. The leadership team works to develop staff professionally and has effective systems for the smooth running of the school.
The new board is highly supportive of the school and its initiatives. Trustees access professional development and approach their governance role conscientiously. They are well informed about student achievement and any issues that arise. This enables them to make resourcing decisions focused on improving student outcomes.
Pastoral care of students is a feature. School personnel work effectively with parents and, where appropriate, external agencies to ensure needs are recognised and students are supported to better engage in their learning.
The school is a signatory to the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students (the Code) established under section 238F of the Education Act 1989. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code.
At the time of this review there were two international students attending the school, one who started during the time of the ERO review. There are clear systems and monitoring in place to ensure that students are well integrated into the school and that their individual education needs are met.
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:
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student achievement:
Students work in a positive, inclusive environment that supports their wellbeing and engagement in learning. They experience a rich curriculum in which diversity is valued. School leaders promote good quality teaching and positive outcomes for students. The vision of "Exciting, Motivating, Positive" is enacted throughout the school.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.
Joyce Gebbie
National Manager Review Services
Central Region
20 August 2014
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Location |
Paraparaumu Beach |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
2878 |
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School type |
Full Primary (Years 1 to 8) |
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School roll |
527 |
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Number of international students |
2 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 51% Girls 49% |
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Ethnic composition |
NZ European/Pākehā Maori Pacific South African Other ethnic groups |
70% 15% 3% 3% 9% |
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Review team on site |
June 2014 |
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Date of this report |
20 August 2014 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review Education Review Education Review |
August 2011 June 2008 November 2004 |