Makarora Primary School

Findings

Students at Makarora School receive a high-quality education. Students benefit from rich and varied learning experiences. All students achieve at or above the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics by the time they reach Year 3. This is maintained or improved on in the following years. The school is well led and governed.

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

1 Context

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

Students at Makarora Primary School receive a high-quality education. The teachers and trustees have high expectations for students to succeed in their learning. They want students to have the very best education and leave Makarora with the knowledge of how to learn and the desire to do so.

Students enjoy close, caring relationships with each other, their teachers and teacher aide. There is a strong family/whānau atmosphere within the school. Older students demonstrate tuakana-teina well as they support the younger students’ learning.

This very small school is isolated and students come from diverse family backgrounds. The school is set in the unique environment of the World Heritage Mount Aspiring National Park amongst mountains, native forest and alongside Lake Wanaka. The principal, board and teachers have created a curriculum that is designed to expand students’ world view and overcome the sense of isolation. Students knowing about their learning and taking responsibility for it is an important focus of the curriculum.

Recommendations from the 2012 ERO review to do with improving self review have been successfully addressed.

2 Learning

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

The teachers, students and board make very good use of student achievement information to ensure students are appropriately challenged and engaged in their learning.

All students achieve at or above the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics by the time they reach Year 3. This is maintained or improved on as students progress through school.

Students are very involved in assessment as part of their learning.

They use achievement information effectively to:

• know how well they are achieving
• determine their next learning steps in partnership with their teachers
• report to their parents about their learning (through 3-way interviews, e-portfolios and e-post cards).

Teachers use assessment information well to:

• confirm their judgements about students’ learning
• determine students’ next learning steps
• provide opportunities for learning so that students are motivated, interested and challenged
• identify learning gaps across the school and address these
• reflect on the effectiveness of learning and teaching programmes (especially in reading, writing and mathematics)
• inform the board and parents about student progress and achievement.

Trustees show a deep understanding of student progress and achievement, and patterns or gaps in achievement that may appear across the school. They use this information well when making resourcing decisions.

3 Curriculum

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

The school’s curriculum is highly effective in promoting and supporting student learning. The school vision is that ‘Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire’.

The curriculum is underpinned by Māori perspectives. Concepts of manaakitanga/caring, whanaungatanga/inclusion, rangatiratanga/respect, mahi tahi/working together and ako/a learning community, are strongly evident and shape the school culture.

The strategic goals form the basis of the curriculum. They are focused on learning and on students becoming independent, self-motivated, life-long learners.

Students benefit from rich and varied learning experiences. There is very extensive use of the local environment and beyond, and of experts from near and far. Students are highly motivated and engaged in their learning.

Very effective teaching and a settled class provide students with consistent opportunities for learning. Students have choice about what and how they learn. Their opinions are valued and responded to by the teachers. Students benefit from one-to-one attention from teachers and the skilled teacher aide who respond very effectively to their immediate learning needs.

All students learn about New Zealand’s bicultural heritage. Māori students experience many aspects of their culture, language and identity within the life of the school and their learning.

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.

The school has for many years enjoyed stable staffing and governance. Trustees attend training to support them in their roles and responsibilities.

The board funds extra teachers above entitlement to ensure that junior students receive one-to-one attention until they are able to work independently and effectively.

There is strong cohesion between the school’s vision, strategic goals, curriculum and planning which makes students’ learning urgent and effective.

The school’s review processes support the board, principal and teachers to think deeply about what they do and to focus on ongoing improvement. The strategic goals that guide the curriculum are reviewed on a three-yearly cycle. During this process, parent and student views and opinions are gathered, collated and responded to.

The next step for the principal and board is to deepen their reviews by including a more evaluative element by asking and answering “how well?” rather than describing what happens.

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.

Conclusion

Students at Makarora School receive a high-quality education. Students benefit from rich and varied learning experiences. All students achieve at or above the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics by the time they reach Year 3. This is maintained or improved on in the following years. The school is well led and governed.

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

Chris Rowe

Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Acting)

9 December 2015

School Statistics