Tikipunga High School

Tikipunga High School

Findings

On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO ‘s overall evaluation judgement of Tikipunga High School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Developing.

1 Background and Context

What is the background and context for this school’s review?

Tikipunga High School is a Years 7 to 13 kura situated in north eastern Whangarei. Most ākonga are Māori. There are a small number of students with Pacific heritages. Ākonga with high learning needs, generally up to 30 rangatahi, learn in Te Putahitanga (an assisted learning unit).

Much of the kura has been refurbished over the past seven years during the term of the current tumuaki. Most recently, with the support of whānau, local iwi and hapū, ‘Tauira’ the whare wānanga has opened. Deliberately positioned at the front of the kura, it provides a learning space grounded in tikanga Māori that can be used by all students and the community.

The kura has had two longitudinal reviews between 2015 and 2021. This report summarises the findings from the second longitudinal review which began in 2018. These reviews have focused on how well the kura has made progress towards creating organisational and other conditions necessary to improve valued student outcomes.

Over the course of the 2018 review ERO has maintained ongoing contact with the kura. The ERO team met regularly with the board, leaders, staff, parents, whānau and students. Discussions were held with the Ministry of Education (MoE) advisors, contributing school principals and others connected to the kura. Extensive in-class and other observations contributed to the findings.

School achievement information, board minutes and reports, and strategic and other planning has informed ERO’s evaluation process. ERO provided regular and detailed written and oral feedback about progress to help guide ongoing development. An ERO progress report was shared with the kura and the MoE in August 2019.

The 2019 ERO progress report noted positive developments in leadership for the senior leadership team (SLT) and the leaders of learning (LoLs). Important aspects of curriculum, assessment practices, teacher capability building, and pastoral care systems had improved. These developments were linked to the increasing use of feedback from ākonga, better communication about students’ learning with families and whānau and more student-centred and integrated learning programmes. The holistic support for student wellbeing was highlighted, along with improvements to career and education pathway planning.

This report affirms that progress in all of these areas has been sustained and built on, and that the identified priorities for development and conditions for supporting student success have been established.

2 Review and Development

How effectively is the school addressing its priorities for review and development?

Priorities identified for review and development

The terms of reference for this longitudinal review of Tikipunga High School are based on the key next steps and recommendations identified in the 2017 ERO review. These are to improve:

  • the quality of curriculum, teaching and pathways for ākonga success
  • the capacity to accelerate learning progress, lift achievement and improve valued outcomes for students
  • strategic and educational leadership, and communication and connection
  • internal evaluation and monitoring for improvement.
Progress
Progress in strengthening:
  • the quality of curriculum, teaching and pathways for student success
  • the capacity to accelerate learning progress, lift achievement and improve valued outcomes for students.

The kaupapa of putting ākonga at the centre, and living the values of manaakitanga and whakawhanaungatanga, are having a positive impact on student learning. Student wellbeing and success are supporting improved attendance and student engagement. Improved attendance has been largely sustained following the March 2020 COVID-19 lockdown.

Curriculum, teaching and pathways for student success in achieving valued outcomes

Increasingly, students experience good opportunities to learn and grow their confidence and sense of connectedness and identity. They value their relationships with teachers and talk about teachers knowing them and supporting their learning.

Students’ perspectives about their learning and their aspirations are helping teachers to design the curriculum and learning programmes. As a result, the curriculum is more responsive, relevant and meaningful. Students’ growing ability to talk about their learning, self-assess their work and monitor their own progress is giving them greater ‘ownership’ of, and responsibility for their learning and success.

Closer links between whānau, teachers and ākonga have been strengthened through student-led whānau learning hui and the kura commitment, and response to whānau and community, during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The kura focus on celebrating all students’ success is increasing their sense of identity and confidence in themselves. The 2020 end-of-year ‘praise giving’ demonstrated and celebrated the wide range of valued outcomes and student success.

The quality of the curriculum is continuing to improve. Closer links between the kura and contributing schools means that ākonga are experiencing better transitions into the school. There is increased continuity between students’ previous learning programmes and what is offered at the kura.

The kura has developed a strategic approach to lifting achievement in literacy and numeracy. External professional learning and development (PLD) has supported teachers to integrate literacy and numeracy skills and strategies across learning areas. As a result, students are experiencing more coherent learning programmes. This enables them to continuously and progressively build and apply key skills for learning. Digital and online approaches to learning have been expanded, and this supported the kura response to the COVID-19 lockdown.

Ākonga are responding positively to teaching approaches that are grounded in tikanga Māori. The use of ‘Tauira’ for daily karakia and waiata provides a strong sense of identity and belonging for students through te ao Māori. Tuakana/teina approaches designed to lift literacy achievement give students leadership and enhanced learning opportunities. This approach reflects the school value ako.

Professional learning about culturally responsive curriculum and teaching is giving teachers a way to work together and critique and grow their practice. Most teachers share the purpose of learning with students, and give them clear feedback and direction to improve learning. A continuing priority for LoLs is to improve the quality and consistency of responsive and formative teaching practices.

Students’ learning pathways are now being developed earlier and more strategically. Leaders, teachers and whānau are working more proactively with ākonga to ensure that students’ course and career choices and aspirations can be met. Students value the support they receive from the externally led ‘Navigator’ student mentoring programme and appreciate how it is helping them to maintain and develop their learning pathways.

The kura academies also offer good opportunities and pathways for ākonga who value practical learning experiences. Progress in career programming includes the development of a digital platform that helps track students’ career interests, linked to their course choices and achievement. These developments are likely to support more students to experience success in school and beyond.

Students in Te Putahitanga, most of them funded by the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS), see themselves as increasingly successful learners. Curriculum programmes help them to develop key life and learning skills. These students are included in activities and programmes across the school and this extends their learning opportunities and benefits their peers. 

Leaders have plans to undertake work towards establishing a localised curriculum grounded in te ao Māori. They should prioritise accessing MoE support to frame and guide their work with teachers, iwi, whānau and ākonga to carry out this development. Developing a localised curriculum that is seamless though Years 7 to 13 and across the learning areas should significantly enhance student outcomes.

Building capacity to accelerate progress, lift achievement and improve valued academic outcomes for students

Kura systems for assessing, monitoring and tracking student progress and achievement have markedly improved. This positive development, together with improvements to curriculum and teaching, has strengthened the overall capacity of the kura.

Assessment processes are well implemented. This is evident in teachers’ individual tuition of students and increasingly in their classroom planning and programmes. Teachers and LoLs design courses and implement initiatives to address student needs identified in their analysis of achievement information.

Students’ learning progress is carefully tracked and monitored in relation to curriculum levels, national expectations and achievement on the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) framework. Students who are achieving below expected levels have additional trajectory targets set and receive further targeted teaching and support. Leaders and teachers know each students’ specific learning needs and how well they are progressing.

Overall achievement results in the kura are variable, in part because cohorts are generally small and inconsistent within and from year to year. Achievement data in 2020 for Years 7 to 10, based on asTTle testing results in mathematics, reading and writing, show that over the course of the year there are positive lifts in achievement. Individual student data show many students make accelerated progress. Where this is not the case, teachers modify their programmes and additional support is provided.

National Certificates of Educational Achievement (NCEA) results show a markedly upward trend between 2018 and 2020. NCEA 2020 results for Year 11 and 12 are above national norms for schools of a similar decile band. The majority of students are achieving Level 1 and Level 2 NCEA. While University Entrance (UE) achievement results are below that of national norms for schools of similar decile, students who targeted achieving University Entrance (UE) gained the qualification in 2020.

Senior literacy and numeracy achievement results show improved achievement between 2018 and 2020 on the NZQA framework. The results indicate that 80% or more students gained the appropriate credits.

Progress in strengthening:
  • strategic and educational leadership and communication and connection
  • internal evaluation and monitoring.

The kura values of ako, manaakitanga, pono, tikanga and whakawhanaungatanga have been the foundation for improvement.

Improved leadership has strengthened the sense that ākonga, whānau and teachers have a shared purpose and mutual responsibility for student learning and success. A strong focus on students’ wellbeing and learning has provided the momentum for increased professional collaboration. Closer links to community and whānau have helped to generate a greater sense of positivity throughout the kura.

Alignment between strategic priorities, action planning, and monitoring and evaluation gives the kura community increasing clarity and assurance about the focus on enhancing student progress and outcomes. Strengthened connections with iwi, hapū, the education and wider community and whanau, support the kura focus on student success.

Strategic and educational leadership

The senior leadership team is providing effective strategic and educational leadership, and leadership capability is being built throughout the kura.

This is evident in:

  • a clear, shared sense of purpose and responsibility for improving outcomes for students
  • improved consultation and collaboration between senior and other school leaders and staff, and with iwi and whānau on strategic and development priorities
  • the growth of tikanga in the kura and the establishment of ‘Tauira
  • senior leaders engaging in joint appraisal that is more robust and targeted
  • delegation of responsibilities and clearer lines of accountability
  • building professional leadership capability and sustainable capacity
  • more reciprocal and proactive communication resulting in staff feeling they are “heard” and “responded to”
  • the principal’s leadership of the school’s response to the COVID-19 lockdown, which exemplified the school’s values and ensured that teachers, ākonga, whānau and the wider community had much needed practical and wellbeing support.

LoLs are increasingly empowered to work collegially to grow educational leadership across the kura. This professional support for LoLs is improving curriculum programmes and enhancing students’ opportunities to learn. 

This is evident in: 

  • improved communication, closer connection and clear lines of accountability between LoLs
  • increased opportunities for LoLs to be involved in, and contribute to decision making and agenda-setting
  • improved consistency of teaching programmes for students across learning areas.

The recent development of the Pou Arahi leadership role is further harnessing and building leadership capability in the kura. This role links curriculum and pastoral care and strategically connects ākonga, whānau, teachers, LoLs, SLT and external agencies.

Key features of this leadership initiative are:

  • proactive and restorative approaches designed to support student wellbeing and engagement with learning and teachers
  • significantly enhanced communication to provide better aligned, more cohesive support for students and teachers
  • an emphasis on being reflective and adaptive about strategies and programmes to respond well to student needs
  • that it is well supported by the SLT, welcomed by teaching staff and is beginning to impact positively on students.

The board of trustees prioritises and upholds the importance of te reo Māori me ona tikanga as the values of the kura. The board works well in collaboration with the principal and staff to ensure legal and statutory obligations are met.

Trustees are supporting the educational developments and improvements necessary to fully realise the kura vision, values and goals. They are focusing on lifting overall achievement with a specific focus on Māori achievement.

There are useful links between the board and komiti Māori. The board’s capability and capacity to provide the necessary stewardship, leadership and support has grown over the past three years.

Significant positive developments for the board are:

  • the way kaumatua and trustees worked with iwi, hapū and community in the development, naming and opening of ‘Tauira
  • the recent appointment of a new and energised chairperson and the recruitment of an experienced school trustee to support governance development
  • the trust built between board members and their transparency about decision making
  • the willingness and ability of trustees to have open and honest discussions, to field diverse viewpoints and build consensus
  • the ongoing commitment of trustees to learn with and from each other to help achieve valued outcomes for students.
Internal evaluation and monitoring

The school has grown its capability to use inquiry, evaluation and monitoring to continue improving. Senior and other leaders and teachers are now more systematically planning, assessing, evaluating and reporting on progress and outcomes for students.

This is evident in:

  • strategic and ongoing planning to improve assessment, achievement moderation and reporting
  • clear rationale and procedures for assessing student learning to inform teaching, and collating assessment information to track, monitor, evaluate and report student progress and achievement
  • shared understandings and vocabulary for teachers, ākonga and whānau about assessment, achievement and progress, (student-led whānau learning hui are helping to grow this)
  • increased and more timely use of contributing schools’ and other data available about enrolling students
  • relevant and specific progress and achievement targets being set for individual students and groups of students including trajectory targets
  • achievement information used systematically to evaluate the success, or not, of interventions and programmes designed to lift achievement
  • regular and useful reporting of monitoring and achievement information to the board.

A key improvement in relation to evaluation and monitoring is the connection and communication between Pou Arahi and LoLs. This recent development enables teachers and leaders to make links between student progress and outcomes, wellbeing and engagement. As a result, teachers can more readily identify patterns and trends, and are better able to respond to students’ individual needs in timely and supportive ways.

Overall improvements in evaluation practice are becoming embedded. LoL report formats are a particularly good example of evaluative thinking. They are framed to guide and support evaluation processes. This example of evaluation should be extended to other forms of reporting in the kura.

Given the ongoing growth in leadership, it would be timely to evaluate the impact leaders are having to improve outcomes for students. This would help to identify what is making the most positive difference for teachers and students. It would also give leaders guidance about what to prioritise in their roles and for their ongoing leadership development. In addition, the board should consider building its knowledge and capability to more systematically evaluate its own performance.

3 Sustainable Performance and Self Review

How well placed is the school to sustain and continue to improve and review its performance?

The kura has made significant and positive shifts in its learning and professional culture. Leaders’ and teachers’ capability and collective capacity has grown. Together with whānau and the community, they are now more consistently providing the educational and organisational conditions that support student wellbeing and success.

A number of key organisational systems have been established. Other aspects of kura operations will need to be further developed. Ongoing priorities to support the kura to make further progress include planned curriculum redevelopment, improving and maintaining the consistency and quality of teaching practice and focusing on internal evaluation to further build professional accountability.

Key next steps

Priorities are to:

  • continue the board’s focus on lifting overall achievement, and Māori ākonga achievement in particular
  • access external MoE support to facilitate the development of a localised curriculum
  • continue leadership development initiatives to build on the collective and individual capability of staff 
  • further embed systems for ensuring the consistency and quality of teaching practice
  • extend systematic internal evaluation to support continuous improvement and accountability
  • continue to build students’ role in their learning.

Board assurance on legal requirements

Before the review, the board of trustees 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:

  • board administration
  • curriculum
  • management of health, safety and welfare
  • personnel management
  • financial management
  • asset management.

During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student achievement:

  • emotional safety of students (including prevention of bullying and sexual harassment)
  • physical safety of students
  • teacher registration
  • processes for appointing staff
  • stand-downs, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions
  • attendance
  • school policies in relation to meeting the requirements of the Children’s Act 2014.

4 Recommendations

Recommendations, including any to other agencies for ongoing or additional support.

ERO recommends that the MoE supports ongoing leadership development initiatives and provides access to external facilitation to assist the kura to develop a localised curriculum.

Conclusion

On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO ‘s overall evaluation judgement of Tikipunga High School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Developing.

ERO’s Framework: Overall Findings and Judgement Tool derived from School Evaluation Indicators: Effective Practice for Improvement and Learner Success is available on ERO’s website.

Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region - Te Tai Raki

1 April 2021

About the school

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement.

Tikipunga High School - 12/10/2017

Findings

Tikipunga High School requires external support to build leadership and teaching capability to promote excellent and equitable outcomes for students.

ERO intends to carry out another review over the course of one-to-two years.

1 Background and Context

What is the background and context for this school’s review?

Tikipunga High School is a co-educational school for students from Years 7 to 13. The majority of students are Māori and a small number are from Pākehā or Pacific backgrounds. Over the past two years the school has experienced considerable changes to leadership and staffing, some due to promotion. This has opened up opportunities for promotion and new staff.

In 2015 the school received professional learning support from the Ministry of Education (MoE) through the Student Achievement Function (SAF). This support, which ended early in 2016, focused on developing teaching practices to accelerate student progress.

Through 2017, the board has been managing long awaited projects to repair and refurbish school buildings. Planning to build a new marae at the front of the school site is now underway.

The 2014 ERO report identified concerns about school performance. Concerns included low student achievement, governance capability issues, ineffective teaching and curriculum, and lack of internal evaluation.

ERO decided to monitor the school’s progress through a longitudinal evaluation over two years. During that two year period ERO and the school collected evidence to evaluate progress made in addressing these concerns and this report summarises ERO’s findings.

2 Review and Development

How effectively is the school addressing its priorities for review and development?

Priorities identified for review and development

In April 2015, the principal and board agreed to address five broad improvement priorities during ERO’s two year longitudinal evaluation. These priorities identified through ERO’s 2014 review included:

  • improving and developing teaching practice, school-wide
  • developing and documenting a junior curriculum
  • developing capacity in evaluation and school self-review
  • building governance capability
  • increasing the school’s capability and capacity to analyse and use data for improvement.
Progress

While there has been some progress in most of the priority areas, overall there has been insufficient sustainable improvement.

Good progress has been made in developing teachers’ culturally responsive teaching practice. Previous development through the Te Kotahitanga and Kia Eke Panuku projects has provided a platform for this work over recent years. Current professional learning, supported by an external adviser, is focused on teachers working together to build cultural responsiveness.

Students now have greater opportunities to learn te reo Māori in Years 7 to 10. In addition, through consultation with the school community and local marae, five new school values have been agreed. They are: Ako, Manaakitanga, Pono, Tikanga, and Whanaungatanga. These values are promoted through visual representations as “pou” which have been designed to reflect the ‘story’ behind each value. The board and senior leaders remain committed to building on these developments and sustaining a strong focus on Māori language, culture and identity.

In the course of this review ERO was not given the school's evaluation of roll based achievement data, or of data for students not represented in the NCEA participation data. Such evaluation would provide valuable information and a better picture of school achievement for the board and community.

In 2016, overall student achievement stood at 60 percent for NCEA Level 1, 70 percent for Level 2, 55 percent for Level 3, and 28 percent for University Entrance. Positive shifts were made in Level 3 from 2015 to 2016. The school is now at National achievement averages for Māori students at Level 3. The school's strategic goal is to have 80 percent of students achieving NCEA Level 2 or above when they leave school.

In 2015, the school was provided with the assistance of a MoE Student Achievement Function practitioner (SAF).This was done to help teachers address the challenge of continuing patterns of students entering the school in Year 7 with low achievement in literacy and numeracy, and insufficient progress being made in Year 7 to 10. However, the school has little evidence to show about how the SAF work has been sustained in Years 7 to 8 and transferred to Years 9 and 10. The school is currently engaged in a second SAF project.

More systematic, deliberate and tailored actions at all levels are now necessary to help teachers accelerate student progress. ERO affirms the start that leaders and teachers have made to use the MoE’s Learning Progressions Framework as a coherent guide for implementing effective assessment and learning programmes in Years 7 to 10.

Students in Years 7 to 9 now have the opportunity to be part of the ‘I have a dream – Navigator’ initiative. This externally managed programme is linked to research carried out by the University of Auckland. The programme provides mentoring for students through their years at primary and high school. It aims to increase student engagement and success in learning. Senior leaders value and support this programme and evaluating its impact will be a priority.

The school is continuing to develop strategies to make positive shifts in NCEA achievement. The school's data management system is assisting leaders and teachers to increase their use of achievement data. It is also helping parents to have greater knowledge of their children's achievement. In 2017, whānau teacher and team leader roles were restructured with the aim of improving academic counselling for students.

The school's developing ‘Teaching as Inquiry’ process is a worthwhile strategy. Teachers' inquiries are becoming more deliberately focussed on individual student’s progress and achievement. This should make teacher inquiries increasingly useful in helping teachers to accelerate student achievement. It also aligns with initiatives by the newly appointed team leaders who are taking a more systematic approach to building the reflective capability of staff.

Staff have participated in professional learning about restorative practices. This focus should continue in order to sustain decreases in the number of student stand-downs and suspensions.

Key next steps

Senior leaders recognise that priorities to improve student outcomes include:

  • implementing more systematic evaluation and targeted planning to accelerate the progress of individual students in Years 7 to 10
  • improving the Year 7 to 10 curriculum and teaching practices to accelerate learning in literacy and mathematics
  • better evaluation and reporting of student achievement for Years 7 to 13
  • building students’ sense of agency and ownership of their progress and learning pathways
  • evaluating the extent to which students gain relevant NCEA credits to support their individual curriculum pathways.

3 Sustainable performance and self review

How well placed is the school to sustain and continue to improve and review its performance?

The school is not well placed to address the concerns raised in this report, and requires continued support from the MoE and ERO.

There is insufficient evidence that internal evaluation is being promoted and used by school leaders to guide school improvement and sustain progress.

Good progress has been made in building the school’s governance capability. The board is appropriately using the New Zealand Trustees’ Association (NZSTA) information and resources to guide board policies and practices. Trustees value NZSTA training opportunities that have helped to strengthen their understanding of the board’s role in stewarding the school.

Early in 2017, the board employed an external consultant to carry out a review of leadership across the school. This review has yet to be finalised by the board and shared with staff. The report contains valuable information which has the potential to contribute to improving aspects of school leadership and culture.

ERO affirms the very recent actions taken to increase the effectiveness of the school’s educational leadership through focussed professional development and external appraisal for senior leaders as individuals, and as a leadership team.

Key next steps

Leaders must ensure that systems more purposefully increase professional capability and sustain, embed and evaluate change initiatives. Development priorities include:

  • improving educational and strategic leadership
  • growing the internal evaluation capacity of leaders, teachers, students and the board
  • systematically evaluating and monitoring progress towards the school charter, annual and strategic goals through the year
  • evaluating the effectiveness of internal communication and the management of students’ pastoral care and discipline.

Board assurance on legal requirements

Before the review, the board of trustees 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:

  • board administration
  • curriculum
  • management of health, safety and welfare
  • personnel management
  • financial management
  • asset management.

During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student achievement:

  • emotional safety of students (including prevention of bullying and sexual harassment)
  • physical safety of students
  • teacher registration
  • processes for appointing staff
  • stand-downs, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions
  • attendance.

To improve current practice leaders and the board should:

  • improve monitoring of student attendance in classes and programmes
  • continue developing, documenting and evaluating a systematic careers education programme for Years 7 to 13 students.

4 Recommendations

Recommendations, including any to other agencies for ongoing or additional support.

ERO recommends that the Ministry of Education now provide further support for the school to:

  • Lift and accelerate progress and achievement in Years 7 to 10
  • strengthen leadership capability throughout the school
  • build internal evaluation capacity at all levels of the school.

Conclusion

Tikipunga High School requires external support to build leadership and teaching capability to promote excellent and equitable outcomes for students.

ERO intends to carry out another review over the course of one-to-two years.

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

12 October 2017

About the School

Location

Tikipunga, Whangarei

Ministry of Education profile number

14

School type

Secondary (Years 7 to 15)

School roll

319

Gender composition

Girls 54% Boys 46%

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā
Pacific
Asian

83%
12%
4%
1%

Special Features

High Needs Facility – The Centre

Review team on site

May 2017

Date of this report

12 October 2017

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review
Education Review
Education Review

December 2014
September 2011
November 2008