Rangitīkei College

Rangitīkei College

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 18 months of the Education Review Office and Rangitīkei College working in Te Ara Huarau, an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website. www.ero.govt.nz

Context 

Rangitīkei College is located in the south Rangitīkei township of Marton where Ngāti Apa are mana whenua. The college is a co-educational high school catering for learners from year 9 to 13. The school has recently revised their pouwhenua to more purposefully re-establish, strengthen and celebrate their school culture.

Rangitīkei College’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are aligned with the achievement challenges of the South Rangitīkei kāhui ako:

  • building teacher and learner efficacy

  • developing and strengthening cultural revitalisation

  • developing a localised curriculum through place-based learning.

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Rangitīkei College’s website.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the extent that all learners are supported to achieve their aspirations through a responsive curriculum.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is that the school knows that a new approach to curriculum planning and delivery will help to engage learners and better support them to achieve their aspirations.

The school expects to see:

  • improved outcomes for all learners particularly in engagement, retention, achievement, and wellbeing

  • a collective responsibility where learner aspirations are supported through a responsive curriculum

  • culturally responsive teaching and learning that actively nourishes mauri ora

  • reciprocal learning-centred relationships with iwi, community, families and whānau that support the realisation of shared aspirations.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate the extent that learners are supported to achieve their aspirations through a responsive curriculum:

  • a shared vision that is understood and articulated through the school’s pouwhenua, providing a clear lens for decision making and ways of being

  • alignment of strategic intent to that of the South Rangitīkei kāhui ako to better ensure a community wide response to the achievement and wellbeing of young people

  • leaders who ensure a settled school environment that prioritises cultural connection, identity, language and belonging, to secure an effective platform for learning

  • committed teachers who increasingly offer culturally responsive learning experiences.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • consultation with a range of stakeholders to ascertain what learning should include at Rangitīkei College

  • continuing to build teacher capacity to sustain a culturally responsive learning environment that actively nourishes mauri ora

  • developing, communicating, and implementing a carefully considered plan to support the school community with curriculum change

  • ensuring that reciprocal learning-centred relationships support the realisation of shared aspirations.

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. ERO will support the school in reporting their progress to the community. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

22 September 2023 

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement.  educationcounts.govt.nz/home

This school has an alternative education facility that is located on school owned property across the road from the school.

Rangitīkei College

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2022 to 2025

As of July 2022, the Rangitīkei College Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:

Board Administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Personnel Management

Yes

Finance

Yes

Assets

Yes

Further Information

For further information please contact Rangitīkei College, School Board.

The next School Board assurance that it is meeting regulatory and legislative requirements will be reported, along with the Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report, within three years.

Information on ERO’s role and process in this review can be found on the Education Review Office website.

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

22 September 2023 

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home

Rangitikei College - 25/10/2018

School Context

Rangitikei College is a co-educational secondary school that provides for students from Marton and the surrounding rural area. Ngāti Apa is recognised as mana whenua. The roll is 302, and 33% identify as Māori with 8% as Samoan. The roll has grown by 40 students since the September 2015 ERO report.

The vision defined by the school is that through building relationships and personalising learning great futures can be created for all students. Key values to support the vision are based on REP – Respect (Whakaute), Excellence (Eke Panuku) and Participation (Whakaruru).

The board of trustees’ 2018 annual plan gives priority to raising ‘the active engagement and achievement of all students to attain their personal best and develop personal pathways beyond school’.

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

  • achievement within the New Zealand Qualifications Framework
  • progress and achievement in reading and mathematics in Years 9 and 10
  • progress and achievement in relation to school targets for Years 9 and 10 reading and mathematics, National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA)Level 3
  • for school leavers.

Since the previous ERO report, a new principal and deputy principal have been appointed. The recently revised charter gives priority to school improvement based on growing links with the community and a more relevant curriculum for students. Close liaison with and support from the community enabled the opening of an extensive artificial turf multi-sport area in November 2017. Both the school and community make extensive use of this facility. 

The school is part of the South Rangitikei 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?

Although some students achieve well, senior data needs to trend more positively to consistently align with at least national figures. Preliminary data for 2018, indicates improvement in overall NCEA achievement as a result of a range of actions.

Levels of success in NCEAs have fluctuated since 2014 and need to consistently improve at each level. There has been improvement in overall NCEA Level 2 data. Females continue to achieve more highly than males at NCEA Level 3 and Pākehā higher than Māori at NCEA Level 2.

The number of certificate endorsements gained is below national comparisons. Students in physical education regularly gain NZ Scholarships. In 2017, two students were successful in gaining this qualification, with one gaining an Outstanding Scholarship.

The percentage of students remaining to the senior school has continued to increase and is now similar to national figures. In 2017, 75% of school leavers had achieved at least NCEA Level 2. Māori leaver data shows attainment remains below their Pākehā peers.

Data is collated to show the achievement of Samoan students. Qualification success is variable. Many of these students are English language learners (ELL) and enrol at the school at senior levels. The recent introduction of Samoan as an NCEA subject has provided pathways for increased success for these students.

To increase the opportunities for individual learners to gain NCEA, target students are identified in Years 11 to 13. In 2017, less than half of these students achieved the NCEA level hoped for. Most of these students returned to school in 2018 to give themselves the opportunity to gain at least NCEA Level 2.

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

The school has mixed success in accelerating learning in Years 9 and 10 and increasing the likelihood of gaining senior qualifications for individual students at risk of not gaining these.

Reading and mathematics data collected for incoming Year 9 students indicates most learners require significant acceleration in their progress to meet curriculum expectation by the end of Year 10. School analysis of 2017 reading data indicates the majority of students below expectation accelerated their progress over the year. Māori and Samoan students are accelerated at similar levels to their peers. Leaders are building the use of mathematics data to show progress in the junior 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?

Leaders have made significant strategic changes to systems and programmes to better support equity and opportunity for learner success. The revised school charter, appropriately informed by consultation with the community, provides a future-focused vision for students. The strategic plan identifies relevant annual targets linked to improving student outcomes.

Strengthened processes and practices improve support for students to accelerate progress, be involved in meaningful pathways and gain relevant qualifications. There is a schoolwide focus on literacy to improve learning success across all curriculum areas. The implementation of the improvement plan is responsive to ongoing review and inquiry.

The ‘No Limits’ curriculum development provides greater opportunities for personalising learning. Choice and flexibility are linked to students’ changing interests and aspirations, particularly at senior level. All students have opportunities to work on self-led, meaningful learning projects. Learners are able to pursue greater understanding of and skills related to their areas of interest. Some Māori and Samoan students successfully use cultural knowledge as a vehicle for learning.

Curriculum development provides increased opportunity for learner success. A range of programmes and interventions is in place to more effectively promote success for specific groups of students. Student leadership of a range of activities is successfully promoted.Greater access to a range of part-time involvement in tertiary education or industry training and long distance learning extends pathways available for students.

More effective, learning-based relationships with parents, whānau and the community supports greater responsiveness to the variable and changing needs of learners. Fono contribute to initiatives that promote learning and engagement of Samoan learners and their aiga. Academic mentors build connections with students and families to promote learners’ wellbeing and success. Mentors appropriately identify students at risk in their learning, provide support and monitor progress.

Building teacher capability through collaborative practice promotes shared responsibility for improved student wellbeing, progress and achievement. Professional learning and appraisal of teachers is suitably aligned to student outcome priorities identified by trustees and leaders. Increased links with contributing schools enables greater knowledge and understanding of the learning strengths and needs of transitioning students.

An improved system for tracking senior student progress has been implemented. Years 9 and 10 assessment information is increasingly used to show individual progress over time. Curriculum and school leaders review of student outcomes is more focused. Student voice is a valued component of review. The principal leads internal evaluation that effectively contributes to improvement.

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

Strengthening the implementation of the recent developments in processes and practices that contribute to valued outcomes for learners is a continuing priority.

Trustees, leaders and teachers should more consistently make use of achievement information to:

  • effectively identify, track and respond to students requiring acceleration
  • more rigorously target, during the year, students at risk of not achieving qualifications
  • monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of teaching practice and programmes.

A significant number of students across Years 9 to 13 are identified as having additional learning needs. Appropriate individual learning plans support learners with the most complex needs. Systems being developed to share information with teachers should assist greater progress in learning. Progress for additional needs students, including ELL learners, should be reported to trustees to assist decision making about resourcing.

Leaders and teachers should collaboratively develop clear expectations and guidelines for effective teaching practice aligned to the recently revised vision for learning. The resulting indicators should also reflect culturally responsive practice linked to the local setting and the Standards for the Teaching Profession.

Some Māori students have demonstrated effective leadership and gained high levels of achievement and success. The board of trustees has committed to greater involvement of Te reo o Ngā Rangatahi (whānau) and iwi representation to extend the opportunity for genuine Māori voice in decision making. To improve outcomes for all Māori learners the school should, in collaboration with whānau and iwi, continue to promote the more meaningful inclusion of te ao Māori in teaching and across the curriculum.

As identified by the school, it is appropriate to further extend the focus on Years 9 and 10 literacy and mathematics development to ensure there is a base of foundation skills in place for all students. This should more effectively enable access to a range of learning pathways and better outcomes in the senior school.

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 Vulnerable Children Act 2014.

4 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:

  • developments in curriculum that support greater personalisation and relevance of learning for individual students

  • learning-based connections and relationships that support learner wellbeing and progress

  • building teacher capability through collaborative practices that promote shared responsibility for improving student outcomes.

Next steps

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

  • ensuring more rigorous tracking and monitoring of senior students learning and progress to improve outcomes in national qualifications

  • developing clear expectations for teaching to promote the recently redefined vision for student learning

  • further extending the focus on Year 9 and 10 literacy and mathematics learning to improve their access to a range of pathways in the senior school.

ERO’s next external evaluation process and timing

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

Alan Wynyard

Director Review & Improvement Services

Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region

25 October 2018

About the school

Location

Marton

Ministry of Education profile number

195

School type

Secondary (Years 9 to 15)

School roll

302

Gender composition

Male 51%, Female 49%

Ethnic composition

Māori 33%
Pākehā 57%
Samoan 8%
Other ethnic groups 2%

Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS)

Yes

Provision of Māori medium education

No

Review team on site

August 2018

Date of this report

25 October 2018

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review September 2015
Education Review January 2013
Education Review August 2009