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:
Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, school-wide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:
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.
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.
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.
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.
Leaders and teachers have identified, and this evaluation supports, the following areas that require continuing development:
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.
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.
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.
For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:
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
|
Location |
Ōhope |
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
1857 |
|
School type |
Contributing School (Years 1 to 6) |
|
School roll |
245 |
|
Gender composition |
Male 48% Female 52% |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 29% |
|
Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS) |
Yes |
|
Provision of Māori medium education |
No |
|
Review team on site |
February 2019 |
|
Date of this report |
14 June 2019 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review September 2014 |