Tirimoana School - 31/08/2016

• On this page:

• 1 Context
• 2 Equity and excellence
• 3 Accelerating achievement
• 4 School conditions
• 5 Going forward
• 6 Board assurance on legal requirements
• 7 Recommendation
• About the school

Tirimoana School in Te Atatu is a primary school for children, Years 1 to 6. The school roll reflects its increasingly ethnically diverse community. The percentage of Pacific children has doubled in recent years. The recently elected board includes a good balance of new and experienced trustees.

The school is a member of Kokiri Tahi, the Te Atatu Community of Learning. This means that the school is working with eight other local primary, intermediate and secondary schools. The aim is to raise achievement across the community and improve children's and their families' transitions through the schools. The Tirimoana School principal has been appointed as the lead principal of the community, and five Tirimoana staff have been given community of learning roles.

2 Equity and excellence

The vision and valued outcomes defined by the school for all children are documented in the school's charter. Supporting children to become "confident, informed, reflective learners who embrace diversity and sustainability in order to fulfil their potential as members of society" is the school's mission. The key values of CARE ('Compassion, Act responsibly, Respect, Effort') are modelled and promoted by teachers and leaders. The long-established motto 'Discover Your Talents' continues to guide the curriculum and the opportunities offered for children to follow their interests.

The school’s achievement information shows that over the past four years most children achieve well in relation to the National Standards. Māori children's achievement has risen over that time in all standards and particularly in mathematics and writing. However, while achieving well, Māori achievement in mathematics and reading is lower than that of other children in the school. There is a disparity in Pacific student achievement across the national standards. Pacific children's achievement has lifted well in mathematics but continues to be variable in writing and reading. The school's data indicate that boys' achievement in writing and reading is lower than girls' achievement.

Kokiri Tahi has set targets to raise the achievement in writing of identified groups of Māori and Pacific students and boys across the schools in the community of learning.

Since the last ERO evaluation the school has continued to use evaluation well to ensure and develop the effectiveness of practices to support children's successful learning. Initiatives include:

• implementing 'Positive Behaviour For Learning' to support children's engagement in learning
• using the Progress and Consistency Tool (PaCT), professional learning, and moderation to further develop the reliability of teachers' assessment judgements
• introducing mathematics and literacy inquiry teams to track children's progress and mentor teachers to support this progress
• introducing a reception class for new entrant children to grow their readiness for learning
• professional learning focused on literacy and promoting the achievement of Māori and Pacific learners
• using a mathematics support teacher (MST) over the past four years to promote accelerated learning.

3 Accelerating achievement

How effectively does this school respond to Māori children whose learning and achievement need acceleration?

The board, leaders and teachers have been committed to accelerating the progress of Māori children at risk of not achieving national standards. They have taken appropriate action and there is good evidence of Māori children's accelerated progress.

The school charter includes specific targets to accelerate the progress of Māori children who are achieving below the standards. The charter includes an action plan to guide leaders and teachers in their efforts to accelerate the progress of these children.

Teachers, leaders and trustees make very good use of a wide range of achievement information to support Māori children to be successful learners. Assessment data are well analysed to identify children at risk of not achieving and are used to plan tailored programmes specifically designed to accelerate children's individual progress.

Māori and other children at risk of not achieving have access to many additional programmes and strategies to support their learning. These include before and after school programmes designed to address identified priorities in literacy and mathematics. Māori children also have after school opportunities to further develop their "agency as Māori learners". All of these programmes are well attended and highly valued by children and their whānau.

How effectively does this school respond to other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration?

The school demonstrates a strong commitment and acts appropriately to accelerate the learning of other children who are yet to achieve national standards. There is good evidence of children's accelerated progress.

The strategies and processes used to accelerate the learning of Māori children are used successfully with Pacific and other children. These include:

• the use of coherent and well linked plans to raise achievement and guide and coordinate leaders and teachers actions
• school charter targets that are relevant and aimed at accelerating learning progress so that all children can enjoy similar levels of success
• specific targets set to accelerate the learning of Pacific children who are achieving below the standards
• good systems for tracking the progress of these children.

Children's learning interests, strengths and needs are known and keenly followed by teachers and staff throughout the school. Leaders and teachers are alert to changes in children's engagement, attitudes to learning and assessment data. Teachers share collective responsibility for promoting children's success and accelerating their learning. They share teaching strategies and resources to cater for the learning needs of individual children and accelerate their progress.

Senior leaders and leaders of inquiry teams have good processes for monitoring and promoting effective teaching and learning. Teachers are well supported to develop teaching practices that accelerate children's learning. Teachers take responsibility for children's progress and the progress of target groups in their class and this accountability is a key aspect of their performance appraisal.

4 School conditions

How effectively do the school’s curriculum and other organisational processes and practices develop and enact the school’s vision, values, goals and targets for equity and excellence?

Strong leadership and stewardship is guiding the school's curriculum and practices to support all learners to experience success. Evidence-based inquiry and evaluation guides school and teaching development and decision-making.

Senior leaders have high expectations of team leaders and teachers. These expectations are underpinned by a strong belief that children are all capable of experiencing and enjoying success. Senior leaders work collaboratively with teachers to ensure expectations and understandings are shared and shaping effective practices throughout the school. Leaders are highly reflective and adaptive. Professional capability is fostered well through the use external professional learning and internal expertise.

Children have opportunities to 'Discover their talents' through the broad curriculum programmes they are offered. These programmes include te reo Māori and other languages, music, environmental learning and kapa haka. Success in these areas is building children's confidence and supporting them to seek and experience success in literacy and mathematics.

The breadth of the curriculum is complemented by an appropriate emphasis on literacy and mathematics. Children whose home language is not English have access to additional programmes to help them gain fluency in oral and written English.

Curriculum programmes are responsive and show clear alignment to the principles and values of the New Zealand Curriculum. Children's languages, cultures and identities are acknowledged and valued. Leaders and teachers ensure that the curriculum is adapted to children's changing learning and social needs, and to the changing community aspirations for children's education. Children with special learning needs are well supported in the school's inclusive culture, and by leaders' and teachers' responsive and flexible approaches to their wellbeing and education.

Leaders and teachers are continuing to develop children's confidence, knowledge and capability to take ownership of their own learning. Children are encouraged to think and talk about their learning and achievement with their peers, parents, teachers and leaders. They have increasing opportunities to learn through inquiry, problem-solving and e-learning. Children also have many opportunities to take leadership roles in the school and in their class. This encourages them to take increasing responsibility for their own learning and progress.

Leaders and teachers establish good working relationships with families and whānau that are focused on fostering children's engagement and learning. Parents are well informed about their children's progress and achievement. They receive useful information and strategies to support children's learning at home.

Senior leaders are responding well to the growing Pacific community in the school. They are encouraging Pacific community connections and growing parents' confidence to participate and contribute to children's learning. Senior leaders are using good inquiry, evaluation and professional learning processes to build their understanding of Pacific children and their families.

Trustees have a strong interest in children's achievement and school curriculum developments. They demonstrate stewardship through their well-considered responses to achievement data and evaluation findings. For instance, the board funds key staff to take on roles that support children and their families, and to work alongside teachers to develop teaching capability. This is enabling these teachers to flexibily and quickly respond to children and their families and to emerging achievement data and inquiry findings.

5 Going forward

How well placed is the school to accelerate the achievement of all children who need it?

Leaders and teachers:

• know the children whose learning and achievement need to be accelerated
• respond effectively to the strengths, needs and interests of each child
• regularly evaluate how well teaching is working for these children
• act on what they know works well for each child
• build teacher capability effectively to achieve equitable outcomes for all children
• are well placed to achieve and sustain equitable and excellent outcomes for all children.

Tirimoana School is very well placed to sustain current effective practices and to refine and adapt these in response to children's learning needs and to the aspirations of families/whānau.

Senior leaders have identified relevant priorities for further development. These include:

• developing an action plan specifically aimed at supporting Pacific children to achieve at similar levels to other children in the school
• extending the team leader's role in accelerating children's progress
• further integrating e-learning into the curriculum and developing teaching practices that promote this.

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.

6 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 the following:

• board administration

• curriculum

• management of health, safety and welfare

• personnel management

• 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

• processes for appointing staff

• stand down, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions

• attendance

• compliance with the provisions of the Vulnerable Children Act 2014

7 Recommendation

ERO recommends that the school's good practices of reflection, inquiry and evidence-based evaluation continue to guide future curriculum developments to support children to be "confident, connected, actively involved, lifelong learners". 

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

31 August 2016

About the school