59 Wood Street, Papakura
View on mapPapakura Activity Centre is one of 14 Activity Centres in New Zealand that cater for secondary school students (Years 9 to 13) who are at risk of disengaging from mainstream schooling, and at risk of low educational, social and vocational outcomes.
Activity Centres provide a specialised learning programme which will lead to increased attendance, engagement and achievement at school, social outcomes and successful transition rates. Registered teachers support students to increase their achievement and engagement in education guided by an Individual Learning Programme (ILP) which is responsive to the needs of each student. The ILP details the student’s learning goals and is developed in partnership with the student, teacher, parents/whānau and enrolling school.
A key component of the programme for activity centre students is to successfully transition back into the enrolling school or move on to further education or employment.
Papakura High School is the managing school for this activity centre. The school's board of trustees holds governance responsibility for the Activity Centre and is responsible for providing high quality educational service in a physically and emotionally safe learning environment.
This review is based on an evaluation of the performance of Papakura Activity Centre in relation to the terms of reference developed with the Ministry of Education. The terms of reference are:
The key evaluative question is:
Papakura Activity Centre opened in the mid-1990s and caters for up to 20 students for a period of 10 weeks. Most are Year 9 and 10 students, and at times the centre accepts students from Year 11. The centre operates from a purpose built facility in the Papakura township, and mainly caters for students from 5 secondary schools in the Counties Manukau and Franklin areas.
Currently, there are an approximately equal number of boys and girls enrolled from six different secondary schools. Most students are Māori, with a small number of Pākehā and Pacific students.
The director has led the activity centre for many years. She has strong ties to the local area and community. She is supported by another experienced teacher and three other part-time teaching staff.
Papakura High School continues to be the managing school for the activity centre. Since the 2013 ERO report, the principal and board chair are new to their roles. A longer-serving deputy principal maintains connections with the activity centre.
The 2013 ERO report identified many areas of good practice including very good quality teaching and learning practices, and strong relationships between staff and students. These good practices have been maintained and further improved.
The activity centre achieves positive outcomes for students.
Leaders make it clear that their overarching expectation is for students to return to their enrolling schools after 10 weeks in the activity centre. Most students return to their own schools. Where this is not possible, students are enrolled in other local schools, or attend other alternative education provision.
The activity centre promotes students’ social and emotional competence. There is strong recognition that this wellbeing outcome is a necessary precursor for learning. Most students attend regularly. Some students travel a significant distance to attend the centre. Students develop other key skills and values during their time at the activity centre. These include:
Students also learn about the value of manaakitanga and whanaungatanga, and consciously practise being kind, caring and considerate to themselves and others.
The director provides highly effective and active professional and pedagogical leadership for staff and students. The managing school board of trustees and the management committee provide sound governance.
The director ensures that staff have a clear vision for students to be successful and contributing citizens. She maintains strong connections with the enrolling schools, and makes clear the expectations for the support required for students while at the centre. Some enrolling schools have staff visit their students every week while they are at the activity centre. This is a good practice that supports students to remain connected to their enrolling school and helps their transition back.
The director appreciates the support provided by the managing school for staff and students at the activity centre. This support includes regular contact with the school’s senior leader and board chair, both of whom are on the management committee. The management committee, includes delegates from other enrolling schools. It meets regularly to support centre staff and to evaluate the impact of programmes for students.
Currently, there are no signed agreements between the managing school and Ministry of Education, or between the managing school and enrolling schools. The ongoing sustainability of the activity centre is dependent upon there being formalised agreements and strategic planning.
The board of trustees and centre director agree with ERO that key next steps for the activity centre include:
The selection and transition processes are very effective.
Selection of students into the centre is a collaborative process between the relevant staff of the enrolling school and activity centre working in consultation with families. Students and whānau are warmly welcomed into the centre in ways that are culturally appropriate.
Students are very well supported to understand expectations and centre routines, and to be part of activities. Expectations include students speaking and acting respectfully towards each other and adults, in the centre and in the community.
Nurses from the managing school regularly visit the centre. They welcome and assess the health needs of all new students. This very good practice ensures students receive the support they need to enhance their wellbeing.
Sharing daily meals provides good opportunities for students to learn relevant social skills and to have more informal conversations with each other and staff. Staff monitor how students and families/caregivers are experiencing their transition into the centre. The centre director meets with each student more formally as often as necessary during the school week.
Many students successfully transition back to their secondary schools. Some enrolling schools have staff who are dedicated to supporting students’ return. In these situations, the opportunities for individual success are greater.
The director and teachers maintain an interest in students’ lives and successes beyond their 10 week placement in the activity centre. Some ex-students keep in touch with centre staff directly or through whānau and community connections. These ongoing connections highlight the commitment that staff have to the young people in their community, and help promote opportunities for these young people to be successful.
Staff identify and have a deep understanding of students’ various social, emotional and learning needs. They have the skills and dispositions necessary to engage well with young people.
Utilising a kaupapa Māori approach, staff ensure that students quickly settle and become secure in the activity centre environment. This culturally responsive framework appropriately supports students’ wellbeing and mana, and encourages them to be sociable and respectful with staff and their peers.
Leaders and teachers access relevant specialist health services for students, including nursing staff from Papakura High School. There are weekly visits with a local medical doctor. Students also have access to counselling that caters for their individual and whānau needs.
High staff ratios provide students with individualised care and attention. Staff set clear boundaries and establish routines for all students to create a settled and productive environment.
Specialised learning programmes meet the needs of each student very well.
Staff are successful in supporting young people to be more reliable and to manage themselves and their time. Most students improve their attendance patterns while at the activity centre.
Staff have high expectations for students to listen to and be tolerant of others' views. They promote group learning tasks, including challenging games, where students are encouraged to share their ideas and opinions. As a result, students develop confidence speaking in a group and the skills of critical thinking and problem solving.
Students are very settled, and actively participate in their learning. Teachers promote students’ literacy and numeracy skills in ways that are meaningful and interesting for these young people. These relevant and engaging learning programmes also support students to connect positively with their local community. As a result, students are building their sense of empathy and manaakitanga.
Health education programmes appropriately support students’ individual and collective wellbeing needs. Some of these programmes are run by outside agencies. Physical education programmes comprise team sports and other activities, such as waka ama, high ropes courses and other outdoor educational experiences. These experiences enhance students’ social skills and team spirit and promote their engagement, confidence and mindfulness.
Teachers are skilful practitioners. They expertly adapt programmes and approaches to meet the needs of their students. Staff use correspondence programmes offered by Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu (Te Kura) when appropriate for individual students. In most cases teachers plan and deliver their own effective learning programmes based on their in-depth understanding of students’ needs, strengths and interests.
Teachers have a very good understanding of internal evaluation as a tool for improvement. They regularly evaluate their practice and other centre operations, identifying strengths and future directions. This good practice ensures that improvements continue to be made to the centre, for students, whānau and staff.
Students are prepared for their future pathways very well.
Staff design individual learning programmes (ILPs) with a strong focus on student wellbeing and key competencies from the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC). This deliberate focus supports students to be positive citizens now and in the future. Students work with their teachers to set broad learning goals around numeracy, literacy and social interaction. The ILPs are regularly evaluated with students.
ERO recommends and the board of trustees and centre director agree that they work towards establishing meaningful, formal agreements with the Ministry of Education and enrolling schools to promote the ongoing sustainability of the service.
Furthermore that they work to develop future focused strategic planning to ensure ongoing improvements for the activity centre and ensure there is access to relevant, professional learning for leaders and teachers that aligns to teachers’ appraisals and to the vision of the activity centre.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
22 December 2017
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Location |
Papakura, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
6113 |
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School type |
Activity Centre |
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School roll |
20 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 11, Girls 9 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
16 |
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Review team on site |
August 2017 |
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Date of this report |
22 December 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Special Review |
January 2013 |
Papakura Activity Centre is one of 14 activity centres in New Zealand that provide alternative schooling for students in Years 9 to 11. Students are referred by their enrolling schools to activity centres because they are likely to benefit from a specialist programme that will meet their social and educational needs.
Once accepted at an activity centre, students remain on the roll of the enrolling school, and attend the centre for periods that vary in length depending on students’ readiness for a successful return to schooling.
The programme of learning for students at an activity centre should improve:
A key component of the programme is the successful and planned transition back into enrolling school or on to further education for activity centre students.
The host school’s Board of Trustees is responsible for the governance of this activity centre.
In June 2011, the Ministry of Education released, through regional Ministry offices, the Activity Centre Policy Toolkit (The Toolkit). [1] The Toolkit was produced as a result of a review of funding models for Activity Centres and Alternative Education commencing by the Ministry in 2010. The Toolkit is intended to guide centres with respect to their policies and procedures, and inform those associated with them about their roles and responsibilities.
This review is based on an evaluation of the performance of Papakura Activity Centre in relation to the terms of reference for this review. The terms of reference are:
Papakura Activity Centre is governed by the board of trustees of Papakura High School. It has a nominal roll of 20 students and there are currently 16 students enrolled. It caters for students in Years 9 and 10, mainly from five contributing/enrolling schools in the Manukau-Counties area. Students typically attend the centre for a maximum of ten weeks, with a review of progress at five weeks, and a plan for transition back to school, that usually begins at week seven. Students remain on the roll of the contributing/enrolling school.
An important feature of this Activity Centre, that encourages students’ commitment to the programme, is that they are interviewed and agree to attend, with the clear understanding that they will need to make changes in their behaviour.
The Papakura Activity Centre is located in the centre of Papakura. The centre environment is attractive and well maintained. Parents feel welcome and included when they visit the centre and are appreciative of the support they and their children receive. Centre staff maintain a focus on shared, holistic care of students. The director, the teacher and other staff in the centre are held in high regard by students, parents/whānau and the wider community. They are energetic advocates for young people and highly skilled in guiding them to develop the learning, social and life skills necessary for successful progress. Sharing food is a central feature of building strong relationships within the centre and with visitors. External agencies are included as appropriate to support students.
The centre and the host school communicate frequently about operations and students. The centre director reports to the Papakura High School Board of Trustees and a committee of representatives from cluster schools meet once per term.
Engagement of students in education is a priority of the centre. Since the previous ERO review, in 2009 progress has been made in assessment practice. Students’ levels of knowledge, their strengths and interests are assessed, using good quality diagnostic practice. This assessment is carried out by a knowledgeable practitioner and includes identifying the causes of disengagement. Student progress is measured by post testing and by observations and reflections recorded in individual portfolios. Teachers use the results of entry testing to design appropriate learning programmes and activities for individuals and groups of students.
The centre has established criteria that describe success for students who attend. These relate particularly to social and behavioural outcomes. Documenting the progress students make towards meeting these criteria would assist the centre to show the success and progress of individuals and groups of students. This information about student progress forms an important part of the process of self review.
Staff monitor attendance carefully and report the data to the enrolling school each week. There is a high level of attendance at the centre.
The centre continues to reintegrate students successfully into school. Of the 45 students who have attended the centre this year to date, 24 have returned to the enrolling school. Teachers work with staff from the referring school, and the process is well timed and monitored to facilitate successful outcomes for both the student and the school. Centre staff place significant emphasis on guiding students to modify their behaviour so that they can take advantage of the wider social networks and learning opportunities available in secondary schools.
Since the previous ERO review, the centre curriculum has been further developed. It is now based on an inquiry approach that reflects student interests, with emphasis on the development of the key competencies in The New Zealand Curriculum. This development has included students taking greater responsibility for their own learning. Teachers plan learning opportunities and activities that are relevant and challenging for students, including learning in the wider community. This wide range of new experiences adds significantly to students’ knowledge and social development. Students are enrolled in Te Aho o te Kura Pounamu-the Correspondence School (Te Kura) according to individual need.
All staff share a strong commitment to making a difference for students. Staff and volunteers have a clear understanding of the complementary skills they bring to the centre. They model open, transparent and respectful behaviour and set an expectation that students will behave in the same way.
Twelve of the sixteen students enrolled at the centre are of Māori descent. Kaupapa Māori underpins the centre’s philosophy and practice. Māori students are encouraged to know their whakapapa and curriculum planning includes provision of te reo me ona tikanga Māori. Principles of manaakitanga and whanaungatanga underpin the whānau-like culture of the centre.
Since the previous ERO review, considerable progress has been made in formalising and documenting centre operations. The director reports regularly to the host school principal and a sub-committee of the board of trustees. The physical environment of the centre has been improved and there are functioning policies and practices for managing safety on site.
Self review of teaching practice and student learning has been developed. Teachers reflect on the effectiveness of curriculum delivery and the implications for their practice. An important next step is to provide professional development for teachers across the cluster, to share ideas and strategies about teaching students at risk. Such shared professional learning is likely to benefit students who return to enrolling schools by engaging them more readily in their learning.
While the host school is well informed about the centre activities and student outcomes, there is no cluster-wide plan for the centre. A meeting of representatives of some of the schools in the cluster takes place each term and there is informal contact between the centre and enrolling schools when student progress is discussed. A more strategic approach to defining the relationship of the centre to all enrolling schools and the responsibility that all teachers have for students as they transition into and out of the centre is needed to improve outcomes for students.
ERO recommends that the host school board of trustees review the governance and operations of the centre according to the requirements of the Ministry Of Education’s Activity Centre Policy Toolkit.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Dale Bailey
National Manager Review Services
Northern Region
14 January 2013
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Location |
Papakura, Auckland |
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|
Ministry of Education profile number |
6113 |
|
|
Activity Centre roll |
16 |
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|
Gender composition |
Boys 8 |
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Ethnic composition |
NZ Māori |
12 |
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Review team on site |
October 2012 |
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Date of this report |
14 January 2013 |
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Most recent ERO reports |
Special Review Special Review Accountability Review |
June 2009 May 2005 May 2001 |
[1] The toolkit was released in draft form in June 2011. At the time of this review, only a few schools and centre staff had knowledge of this document.