Kereru Park Campus

Kereru Park Campus - 05/08/2019

School Context

Kereru Park Campus is a full primary school for students in Years 1 to 8, and is situated in Papakura. The school’s roll has steadily increased over the past four years. Māori students make up 80 percent of the roll, and most other students have Pacific heritage. Students learn in rumaki Māori (Te Mahuri) or English medium/reo rua (Te Kotahitanga) classes. The school also hosts students and staff in a satellite unit of Rosehill School.

The school’s vision Tu Rangatira – Stand Tall, Stand Proud, Stand Strong, is complemented by the school’s values of aroha, manaakitanga, and rangatiratanga.

The board’s strategic focus areas are mana mokopuna, mana wairua, mana tangata, mana reo, mana tikanga, mana mātauranaga Māori, and mana ā kura.

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

  • achievement in reading/pānui, writing/tuhituhi, and mathematics/pāngarau for Te Kotahitanga and Te Mahuri learners
  • sports achievements
  • participation in cultural events and school wide programmes for students
  • attendance and engagement.

The board has managed multiple trustee changes, through a by-election and co-opting trustees to replace outgoing members. The current chair has developed useful foundation documentation for new trustees.

The school is a member of the Papakura Community of Learning | Kāhui Ako, the Kootuitui ki Papakura cluster of schools, and the Maori Achievement Collaborative (MAC) cluster.

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 working towards greater equity and excellence in student achievement and outcomes.

The school’s information indicates that over the past four years, the majority of students have achieved at their expected national curriculum levels in reading/pānui, writing/tuhituhi and mathematics/pāngarau. Writing is the current achievement challenge for the school.

2018 data indicate that students in Te Mahuri achieved better than in Te Kotahitanga. All Te Mahuri students have attended kōhanga reo where they are prepared for kura, however many other students have had little or no early childhood education. Disparity also continues between boys and girls in mathematics and writing. Senior leaders continue to strategise ways to bring greater parity between genders, and Māori and English medium/reo rua achievement.

Although increasing, the cohort of Pacific students is too small to report overall achievement trends and patterns. The school monitors the achievement of these children individually.

Teachers have opportunities to moderate assessments internally, and in the Kootuitui cluster. Senior leaders are planning for Te Mahuri to have similar opportunities with a cluster of rumaki schools, as has happened in the past.

Students achieve well in relation to the school’s broader valued outcomes. They demonstrate a:

  • sense of pride in their culture, language and identity in the school

  • keenness to take up leadership opportunities

  • high level of spoken te reo Māori and understanding, especially in Te Mahuri

  • growing sense of responsibility to manage their own behaviour.

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

The school is developing ways to accelerate student learning progress. Since the 2015 ERO review, Te Kotahitanga teachers have participated in professional learning related to accelerating literacy and mathematics progress. However, sustaining these practices and understandings has proved difficult due to staff changes, and their overall impact on teacher practice or student achievement is not yet evident.

The board has funded the employment of seven learning assistants to support teachers and students in class and withdrawal programmes. Good leadership oversees this resource and works to support students to make quicker progress.

One of the school leaders has developed very good processes that support the early identification of and provision for those priority learners with behavioural and/or additional learning challenges. She is proactive in accessing external support to help students better engage and learn. Whānau engagement has also improved as a result of these practices.

ERO recommends that senior leaders:

  • ensure that students have opportunities and skills to know and lead their own achievement progress

  • support teachers to plan deliberately for accelerated learning for all students who need this

  • identify the rates of acceleration annually, and set accelerated progress targets

  • measure and report the progress of students during their time at the school.

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 is at an early development stage for processes and practices to enable achievement of equity and excellence, and acceleration of learning.

The school has had a more deliberate focus on whakawhanaungatanga over recent years. The board, leaders and teachers create opportunities for building positive, reciprocal relationships with the whānau and school community. They actively seek perspectives from whānau. Wananga with whānau are valued and used to guide the development of the school’s new kaupapa/vision, which has led to other key frameworks being developed in the school.

A key feature of the school’s development has been the increased opportunities for staff to take on leadership roles. This was especially so in 2018 while the principal and deputy principal were on study leave for the year. There is good leadership potential evident in the current leadership team to guide teaching practice that better supports student progress. Leaders are thoughtful, collaborative, and adaptive as they guide changes and developments, while still pursuing the school’s vision. Change is paced well through a phased approach to developments.

A positive influence on student learning is the growing coherence of school developments and initiatives, building on the school’s revised kaupapa in 2017. Professional learning, both internally and externally facilitated, is helping to build greater consistency in relation to the kaupapa. Te Mahuri staff are mentoring Te Kotahitanga teachers to scaffold their use of te reo and te ao Māori. Most staff are fluent speakers of te reo, and other staff have good understanding of the language, which supports students’ cultural identity and language in the school.

Leaders value connections with external agencies and personnel that support the welfare of students and their whānau. They take advantage of multiple agencies, local school networks, Kootuitui and rumaki clusters to support their efforts to improve engagement and raise achievement levels. Leaders and trustees show strong commitment to professional learning and training.

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

Senior leaders are currently leading the development of a localised curriculum underpinned by Te Marautanga o Aotearoa for the whole school. There are complexities to be worked through for Te Kotahitanga staff as they manage the assessment requirements of the New Zealand Curriculum alongside Te Marautanga. Senior leaders plan to develop an effective teacher profile linked to the school’s graduate student profile.

The school needs strong curriculum leadership oversight of teaching practice and student progress and achievement in literacy and mathematics. This would help to manage the dynamic of transience, curriculum change and to ensure sustainability of professional learning initiatives and developments.

ERO recommends that the school engage in externally facilitated professional learning related to accelerated learning. Student equity and excellence would benefit if this professional learning included facilitation for both Te Mahuri and Te Kotahitanga teachers.

The school needs to continue to develop the capability of leaders, teachers, and trustees to use evidence-based evaluation and inquiry to guide ongoing school improvements, and determine the impact of developments on student learning. The board acknowledges the value of surveying staff in these times of change to check their wellbeing and perspectives on developments.

Senior leaders and teachers should continue to develop partnerships with whānau that are more deliberately focused on supporting their tamariki to engage and achieve.

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 Kereru Park Campus’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Developing.

ERO’s Framework: Overall School Performance 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:

  • whakawhanaungatanga that enables positive, reciprocal relationships with whānau and the school community
  • developing leadership opportunities and capabilities that now show potential for guiding practices that promote student progress
  • growing coherence of systems and practices to guide teaching practice, and student learning and engagement
  • connections with external agencies and personnel that support the welfare of students and their whānau.

Next steps

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

  • externally facilitated professional learning related to accelerated learning
  • ensuring that students have opportunities and skills to know and lead their own progress
  • planning deliberately for accelerated learning for all students who need this
  • identifying the rates of acceleration annually, and set accelerated progress targets.

Area for improved compliance practice

To improve current practice, the board of trustees should ensure that all teachers hold a practising certificate or have authorisation from the Teaching Council to be employed at the school.

Steve Tanner

Director Review and Improvement Services Northern

Northern Region

5 August 2019

About the school

Location

Papakura, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

1424

School type

Full Primary (Years 1 to 8)

School roll

191

Gender composition

Boys 51% Girls 49%

Ethnic composition

Māori 80%
Samoan 10%
Cook Island Māori 4%
other Pacific 5%
other ethnic groups 1%

Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS)

No

Provision of Māori medium education

Yes

Number of Māori medium classes

3

Total number of students in Māori medium (MME)

55

Total number of students in Māori language in English medium (MLE)

136

Number of students in Level 1 MME

55

Review team on site

May 2019

Date of this report

5 August 2019

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review May 2015
Education Review February 2012
Supplementary Review June 2008

Kereru Park Campus - 29/05/2015

Findings

Students at Kereru Park Campus have a strong sense of belonging and benefit from the many positive changes to the school over recent years. They enjoy the school's caring and supportive learning environment. Strong links with its Māori community of Ngāti Tamaoho supports the school to provide learning through hapu tikanga.

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?

E māhorahora ana, ā, e māia ana ngā tamariki i roto i tō rātou kura. E tōtika ana te tiaki i te papa whenua me ngā whare. Kua whakawhanaunga atu ngā tamariki rātou ko ngā kaimahi. E hāpaitia ana e te kaiako ngā tamariki katoa i roto i tā rātou ako i te reo Māori me ngā tikanga a te Māori. E rumakitia ana ngā tamariki i roto i te taiao e rongo ana rātou i te reo Māori e kōrerotia ana i ngā wā katoa.

Kereru Park Campus in Papakura provides education for students from Year 1 to 8. Māori students make up 90 percent of the roll and have good opportunities to learn through their language and cultural identity. The school has four mainstream and two Rumaki classrooms. Long standing associations by whānau and families with the school contribute to a sense of belonging for adults and children. Students are comfortable and confident at their kura.

The board responded positively to its 2012 ERO report. Since then, the school has undergone some major changes. The board has appointed a new principal. Consultation for a new school name resulted in a change in focus that contributed to roll growth and the strategic appointment of new teachers. Innovative links with local hapu, Ngāti Tamaoho, included the co-option of a trustee to the board. The links promoted community wide curriculum planning.

The board has managed significant refurbishment and redevelopment of the administration block and some classrooms. The library is being used as a teaching space until the remaining outdated classrooms are repaired. The swimming pool, garden and play areas provide challenges for students of all ages as they go about their learning in the well maintained outdoor environment.

2 Learning

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

The school is improving how it uses achievement information.

Students are keen learners and enjoy positive relationships with each other and their teachers. There is a settled tone in classrooms where teachers and students work collaboratively. Students are ready to take a greater role in managing aspects of their own learning.

Most students at Kereru Park Campus are achieving below the national standards. The reliability of some of that data impacted on 2014 charter targets. After analysis, the board reviewed 2015 targets to better reflect what was happening with student achievement. A focus on the teaching of literacy and numeracy led to an improvement in student achievement. Students need more such targeted teaching to help them make the accelerated progress necessary to reach their learning goals.

School leaders agree that gathering and analysing achievement data more effectively to form overall judgements about students’ progress and achievement in relation to the National Standards is a continuing priority. They are aware that the maintenance of effective teacher practice over time needs to be constantly reviewed and evaluated. Deepening teachers' understanding of teaching as inquiry by using specific and measurable targets could be a focus for future professional development.

The school is providing effective support for some students in literacy. Other identified students do not get this same support. The recent appointment of an experienced special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) should provide support for teachers to better plan for this group of students. The group includes students who are new learners of English.

The school reports to parents twice a year. The reports cover all aspects of learning but parents could be informed more about what is happening in the classrooms with teaching and learning, and about how to help their own children learn at home.

3 Curriculum

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

Some aspects of the curriculum promote and support student learning well. All class programmes place a significant emphasis on literacy and numeracy. Senior leaders are aware of the link between oracy and literacy and encourage teachers to plan to support the development of students’ listening and speaking skills.

The integration of programmes that reflect local hapu contexts is a feature of this school. Students benefit from meaningful real-life learning experiences that are relevant to them and that promote high levels of engagement. Students are positive about their learning.

The cohesion between Immersion, Rumaki and mainstream classes, Auraki, is very evident throughout the school. Students engage with their peers and teachers in te reo Māori and English. Engagement in classrooms is fostered through respectful relationships and the emphasis on the school values of integrity, confidence and excellence. Leaders are now linking school practices to better align with tikanga and kawa of Ngāti Tamaoho. The school is an extension of each student’s turangawaewae with the associated responsibilities of kaitiakitanga.

The principal has established expectations for the teaching staff with a focus on lifting student achievement. Teacher professional learning and development (PLD) to improve understanding about using achievement information to improve outcomes for students has been a major focus. School leaders and ERO agree it is timely to review how well the PLD is embedded in teaching and is impacting on student learning.

Teachers are encouraged to take on leadership opportunities. Now is a good time to redefine what is expected in leadership of teaching and learning and to align these expectations with teacher appraisal and the charter goals. Students also have leadership opportunities within their classrooms, their year levels and across the school.

The school’s curriculum is increasingly promoting the key competencies identified in The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC). Teachers are developing indicators to assess how well students are demonstrating these competencies in their learning.

The principal and ERO agree key next steps to add value to the schools’ curriculum include:

  • providing greater opportunities for students to increase ownership of their learning
  • exploring avenues to extend learning opportunities outside the school.

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

Kereru Park Campus effectively promotes Māori student success and success as Māori. Students are proud to be Māori. They have many opportunities to use te reo Māori, to learn and practise their culture and show and celebrate their identity. Each day different school hui provides students with opportunities to lead and celebrate their identity.

Teachers demonstrate a strong commitment to improved outcomes for Māori students. Most teachers speak te reo. Strong leadership in this area, coupled with very strong links to local hapu and the marae, and the deliberate partnership with parents and families/whānau, form a strong foundation to the success for Māori students in this school. The principal uses the aims and principles of Ka Hikitia – Accelerating Success 2013 – 2017, the Ministry of Education’s Māori Education strategy, to maintain the improvement focus.

4 Sustainable Performance

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

Kereru Park Campus is improving its capacity to sustain and improve its performance.

The board, principal and staff work collaboratively to set goals for school improvement based on strategic priorities and student achievement information. The new principal has initiated whole staff PLD. While there are some initiatives resulting in gains in student performance and achievement, the emphasis needs to shift to embedding and sustaining improvements. School leaders are beginning to use appraisal to monitor teacher practice.

The board has strong links with its Māori community. The blend of new and experienced board members undertakes training to keep current. Trustees are well informed by reports against charter goals and have a shared understanding of their roles in governance. They have self identified the need to continue to be proactive with community partnerships and to deepen their questioning around student achievement.

ERO recommends that other important next steps include:

  • further developing knowledge and confidence amongst the staff and the board in effective self-review practices
  • planning how to sustain some of the effective initiatives undertaken over the last three years
  • formalising an annual work plan that guides board operations and includes effective policy review
  • reviewing the teacher appraisal process to ensure it reflects a focus on student achievement, students knowing about their learning and the use of effective teaching strategies.

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.

Recommendations to other agencies

ERO recommends that the Ministry of Education consider providing support in order to bring about the following improvements:

  • deepening teacher understanding of teaching as inquiry
  • better using achievement information to promote student progress and student led learning
  • embedding PLD in teaching practices.

Conclusion

Students at Kereru Park Campus have a strong sense of belonging and benefit from the many positive changes to the school over recent years. They enjoy the school's caring and supportive learning environment. Strong links with its Māori community of Ngāti Tamaoho supports the school to provide learning through hapu tikanga.

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

Dale Bailey

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

29 May 2015

About the School

Location

Papakura

Ministry of Education profile number

1424

School type

Full Primary (Years 1 to 8)

School roll

101

Gender composition

Boys 51

Girls 50

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākeha

Tongan

Samoan

Cook Island

Indian

86

1

5

4

3

2

Special Features

Rosehill School Satellite Unit

Review team on site

March 2015

Date of this report

29 May 2015

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

Supplementary Review

Education Review

February 2012

June 2008

March 2007