Ōhope Beach School

School Context

Ohope Beach School is located in Ōhope Village, east of Whakatane. It caters for students in Years 1 to 6, and has a roll of 245 students, 71 of whom identify as Māori. The proportion of Māori students on the roll has increased since the 2014 ERO review.

The school’s stated vision is to challenge and support their students to be the best that they can be (Ki te taki, ki te tautoko i o tātou tamariki, kia tae rātou ki o rātou na paingia). The school’s motto, ‘Dream, Believe, Achieve’ and PRIDE values - positivity, respect and responsibility, integrity, diligence, empathy - are well-known by the students.

Ōhope Beach School has a number of strategic goals for 2019, including to:

• foster student achievement (prioritising progress and achievement in numeracy and literacy)
• champion Māori culture
• use ICT effectively
• maintain high-quality staff.

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

• achievement in reading, writing and mathematics.

Since the 2014 ERO review, the senior leadership team and teaching staff have remained stable. The school has undergone substantial structural site work with the removal of the old classrooms and the creation of a large, new building in an innovative learning environment (ILE) style. In 2017 and 2018, this construction work had significant impact on school operations. As of 2019, all learning is accommodated in the new building which houses four classroom spaces with two teachers each, and one classroom space with three teachers.

The school is a member of the Whakatane Community of Learning (CoL)|Kāhui Ako.

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 achieving excellent outcomes for most students but is not achieving equitable outcomes for all.

The school’s achievement data for 2018 shows that most students achieved at or above expected national curriculum levels in reading and mathematics, and the large majority achieved at or above expected national curriculum levels in writing.

The school’s longitudinal achievement data shows patterns of ongoing disparity. Māori students achieved significantly less than their Pākehā peers, with disparity in reading, writing and mathematics. The level of disparity in reading and writing has increased over time. There is also increasing disparity in achievement between boys and girls in reading and writing. Boys are achieving comparably to girls in mathematics.

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

The school’s analysed achievement information shows that some at-risk students, including Māori, have made accelerated progress. The school has been most successful in the acceleration of students 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?

Teachers are responsive to individual student’s interests and needs. Use of the surrounding natural environment in authentic ways is a valued feature of the curriculum. Students benefit from a range of learning opportunities in the areas of sports, culture and the arts. Aspects of te ao Māori are integrated into the architectural design of the new building, and students have opportunities to be involved in kapa haka. Students are actively engaged in their learning and teachers use a range of information to plan for individual student needs. A number of interventions and programmes is available to support the learning of students who are at risk of underachieving.

Students with additional needs are well supported. A close working relationship with the resource teacher for learning and behaviour (RTLB) provides the special education needs co-ordinator (SENCO) with relevant access to external agencies and professional networks. The school’s strong, professional engagement with the Whakatane CoL is enabling shared professional development opportunities for teachers supporting students with additional needs. The SENCO develops individual education plans (IEPs) for a number of students to support positive learning and behaviour outcomes. Transitions into and out of the school for students with additional needs and their families are well supported by the SENCO and teachers.

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

Leaders and teachers have identified, and this evaluation supports, the following areas that require continuing development:

• ongoing support for the teachers in working within the innovative learning environment
• the management and use of student achievement information to track and monitor the accelerated progress particularly for Māori and boys at risk of underachieving
• regularly reporting to the board on the progress of at-risk targeted students throughout the year
• strengthening internal evaluation to determine the impact of interventions particularly for at-risk students.

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.

Areas for improved compliance practice

To improve current practice, the board of trustees have begun to implement:

• the review process for documenting discussions for ‘in-committee’ meetings

• the policy regarding safety checking of the workforce

• the process to receive reports at least once per year in relation to teacher registration and appraisal.

4 ERO’s Overall Judgement

On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO‘s overall evaluation judgement of Ōhope Beach School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is:  Developing – particularly processes and practices for accelerating the learning for at-risk Māori and boys.

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:

• teaching practice that is responsive to students’ wellbeing and learning needs
• responsive programmes and interventions that support students with additional needs.

Next steps

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

• ongoing professional development to support teaching practice in the innovative learning environment

• the management and effective use of achievement data to support accelerated progress and improved outcomes for learners who are at-risk of underachieving

• internal evaluation processes and practices to inform strategic planning with a focus on equitable outcomes for all learners.

Phillip Cowie

Director Review and Improvement Services

Central Region

14 June 2019

About the school