- ERO evaluates and reports on the education and care of children and young people in early childhood services and schools.
Tai Tapu School roll at the time of this review was 269.
The majority of children have continued to achieve well and there has been an increase in those achieving above National Standards.
Since the last review the school has undergone well managed and well-communicated change with the development of its new learning spaces. This has resulted in some considerable shifts in practice. Teachers operate in collaborative teams and children have considerable input into their own learning.
The charter has been reviewed and aligns with learner outcomes, values, school goals, documents and practices. The gifted and talented programme has been adapted and embedded.
The school is achieving equitable outcomes for most children. Sound systems and practices operate to identify learners at risk of not achieving. Interventions and programmes are personalised and monitored for Māori children and other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration.
A comprehensive, data-driven wellbeing programme with clear school-wide targets and strategies is in place to improve equity for children.
A strong culture of collaboration and teamwork supports programme planning, assessment and tracking of all learners. Teachers have developed some good internal evaluation practices to enable them to identify areas for further improvement. Teachers make good use of specific professional development to promote equity and excellence.
The school has identified areas of disparity in achievement against the National Standards between girls and boys and for some Māori. Leaders have also recognised that while children achieving at and above National Standards have shown increased achievement, those performing below have shown little improvement. The school has implemented programmes and strategies to promote the learning and progress of these children.
Most children, including Māori, regularly achieve at or above National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics.
Children’s learning in mathematics has been significantly accelerated. The school has achieved improvements in the number of children moving from, at to above, in National Standards for reading and writing. Overall, girls’ achievement is higher than boys.
The school has recognised the need to improve the achievement of children below the National Standards. Writing is a major focus across all levels. A consistent approach to accelerating children’s reading progress is necessary.
Targeted learning support is provided for children who need additional assistance and the school has good examples of children making progress.
Collaborative teaching practices enable differentiated learning that is tailored to children’s needs and abilities. Teachers:
The strongly collaborative nature of teaching and learning and effective systems have helped to strengthen assessment and moderation processes. Leaders and teachers are yet to carry out moderation with other schools.
The board supports the provision of additional learning support and receives regular reports on children’s progress and achievement.
Tai Tapu School has a highly collaborative environment where children, parents and teachers work together to design programmes around children’s interests, abilities and needs. The school has a clearly articulated vision and embedded learner outcomes that are effectively reflected in school culture, documentation and practices. A comprehensive and explicit curriculum document clearly incorporates:
The teaching practices, environment and resources support children in their learning. The school carefully planned the transition to its new learning environment. Teachers have responded positively to the opportunities for different approaches to teaching and learning that this environment provides. A thorough parent education programme enabled parents to be involved in the transition process.
Equity and excellence are supported by all children being able to:
Children are focussed, engaged and settled. Relationships are respectful, and older children working with and supporting younger children (tuakana teina) is evident.
The school is well led and governed. Effective leadership has resulted in clear achievement-based targets, the alignment of strategic directions and practices, well-considered change management and a developing model of distributed leadership to further build capacity. Trustees are well informed and committed and have procedures in place to support sustainability. They are yet to carry out a board review.
The school uses internal evaluation to review its practices and to inform decision making. Wide and regular consultation is carried out with its community.
The school has established a relationship with the local marae and has sought appropriate advice in the planning of its environment. Bicultural practices are evident in school activities and in the classroom. This continues to be an area in which the school seeks deeper understanding to inform its practices and decisions.
The school has some sound processes to achieve equity and excellence.
Leaders and teachers need to:
strengthen and evaluate programmes and strategies to better accelerate the learning of students working below National Standards in reading and writing
evaluate how effective classroom and specialist support programmes are in achieving equitable outcomes for any children who are underachieving.
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:
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student safety and wellbeing:
Children are achieving well. The school demonstrates strong progress toward achieving equity in educational outcomes, supported by effective, sustainable processes and practices.
Agreed next steps are to:
continue to develop a planned, evaluative approach to all practices and programmes
further clarify and embed bicultural understandings and practices.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern/Te Waipounamu
30 August 2017
|
Location |
Canterbury |
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
3549 |
|
School type |
Full Primary |
|
School roll |
269 |
|
Gender composition |
Male 55% : Female 45% |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 4% Pākehā 94% Other 2% |
|
Provision of Māori medium education |
No |
|
Review team on site |
May 2017 |
|
Date of this report |
30 August 2017 |
|
Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review June 2012 Education Review June 2009 |
|
Education Review February 2006 |