Whananaki School

Education institution number:
1127
School type:
Full Primary
School gender:
Co-Educational
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
30
Telephone:
Address:

Whananaki North Road, Whananaki

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Whananaki School - 03/04/2019

School Context

Whananaki School is on Northland’s east coast, alongside the Whananaki estuary. The school caters for students from Years 1 to 8 in three multi-level classrooms. The school continues to be an important part of the community with many families having long-standing and inter-generational connections. Approximately 39 students identify as Māori and whakapapa to the local hapū, Ngātiwai.

In 2016 a new classroom was completed in response to an increase in the school’s roll. The school has been proactive in responding to ERO’s 2015 evaluation report to improve outcomes for students.

The school’s vision is that “children are able to progress with confidence” and to be confident, connected, actively involved and lifelong learners. The board’s strategic goals are to increase the number of students achieving curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics.

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

  • overall achievement in reading, writing and mathematics and in relation to gender, ethnicity and year levels

  • student engagement, attendance and wellbeing

  • the whakapapa and specific needs of individual students

  • students’ knowledge of tūpuna and the local area, Te Whana o te Nanakia - Whananaki.

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?

The school continues to explore ways to show its effectiveness in achieving equitable outcomes for all its students. School data show most children achieve at or above curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics. Teachers know the names, numbers and needs of these students and those who need to make greater progress. Trends and patterns of student achievement over time are variable and influenced by the small percentage of students who remain at Whananaki from Year 1 to Year 8.

Teachers’ professional learning and development (PLD) and resourcing in digital devices and programmes, are having a positive impact on children’s engagement, motivation and confidence in learning.

Students achieve very well in relation to other school valued outcomes. Students:

  • are strong in their sense of identity and belonging in the school and community

  • demonstrate high levels of social competence and engage in tuakana/teina roles

  • relate respectfully with each other and staff

  • have pride in and speak confidently about their school

  • take on leadership roles and responsibilities in the school and community.

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

The school is responding increasingly well to those Māori and other students whose learning progress needs to be accelerated.

Staff continue to engage and build respectful relationships with whānau. They know the students as individuals and use strategies to develop the whole child while supporting their progress and achievement. Staff share information about how to further support students’ learning.

Teacher aide support is an integral part of teaching programmes. Teacher aides give students who need extra support, guidance and confidence to work at their own pace. Digital programmes are tailored to individual students’ needs. These programmes are contributing to accelerated student learning progress.

The school should now find more effective ways to monitor, track and record students’ progress in order to gather more explicit information on acceleration. This would help to identify effective teaching strategies to accelerate individual students’ learning.

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?

The school’s curriculum is inclusive and responsive, and strongly reflects the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) in the Whananaki context. It prioritises literacy and mathematics as foundations for learning. Technology is integrated into the programme through digital learning. Students are well engaged in authentic learning experiences in the local environment. Each week, the school celebrates students’ enactment of the key competencies and values of the NZC through the life of the school.

Students are confident and proud of their cultural heritage and the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand. A specialist teacher provides programmes for te reo me onā tikanga Māori in all classes. Teachers are immersed in this context to help build their capability. Students participate in pōwhiri, kapa haka and other events and activities. They are taken to significant local landmarks, and experience meaningful connections to Māori place names within Te Whana o te Nanakia - Whananaki. Ngātiwai Education assists the school with resources and local hapū knowledge.

Students engage well in their learning in settled classrooms and school environment. Respectful relationships and connections between students, teachers and whānau, support students’ confidence and progress towards their achievement. Purposeful parent help and teacher aide support assist students when required. Teaching approaches include differentiated learning and mixed-ability grouping.

Senior students have additional learning opportunities through outdoor education, local sporting facilities, and engagement with local business and technology at a nearby school. Close connections with secondary schools ease transitions for senior students.

The principal builds strong leadership within the concepts of whanaungatanga and manaakitanga. This approach leads to high relational trust and respect between whānau, parents and the school community. The principal is clearly focused on wellbeing, equity and positive outcomes for children’s learning. He involves students in the development of the local environment, particularly the estuary, which supports their learning and sense of belonging.

The board actively represents and serves the school. Trustees seek support and advice from external agencies, including the New Zealand School Trustees’ Association (NZSTA). They have undertaken training and are highly supportive of the school’s leadership. Trustees are collaborative and respectful of each other in their roles and responsibilities. They develop networks to enrich the curriculum and pathways for Years 7 and 8 students. Good succession planning is in place for the 2019 board election.

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

The principal and trustees acknowledge that priorities include further development of a framework to guide and deepen internal evaluation. Using focused evaluative questions would help to build schoolwide evaluation capability. Next steps to support developments in the school include:

  • implementing the new strategic plan, with measurable indicators to show how effectively goals are being met

  • revising the school’s curriculum and assessment practices to align these more closely with the new strategic plan

  • monitoring and recording the effective teaching strategies that make a significant impact on accelerating student progress.

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:

  • strong relationships and connections with local and wider communities

  • a responsive and local curriculum

  • an innovative strategic plan that supports the future direction of the school.

Next steps

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

  • strengthening practices to guide robust internal evaluation

  • implementing the strategic plan, and evaluating the progress of annual and strategic goals

  • revising the school curriculum and assessment practices

  • identifying the teaching strategies that are most effective in accelerating student progress.

5 ERO’s Overall Judgement

On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of Whananaki School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.

Steve Tanner

Director Review and Improvement Services Northern

Northern Region

3 April 2019

About the school

Location

Northland

Ministry of Education profile number

1127

School type

Full Primary (Year 1 – 8)

School roll

61

Gender composition

Boys 36 Girls 25

Ethnic composition

Māori 39

Pākehā 19

other ethnic groups 3

Review team on site

November 2018

Date of this report

3 April 2019

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review December 2015
Education Review December 2012 
Education Review November 2009

Whananaki School - 03/12/2015

1 Context

What are the important features of this school that have an impact on student learning?

Whananaki School is on Northland’s east coast, close to the Whananaki estuary. The school caters for students from Years 1 to 8 in three multi-level classrooms. Tuakana-teina relationships are highly evident between students of different ages and year levels.

A welcoming approach and a focus on student wellbeing continue to foster students’ sense of belonging. Manaakitanga and whanaungatanga support the learning of all students in the inclusive culture of the school. More than two thirds of the students are Māori. Most of these students whakapapa to the local iwi, Ngātiwai.

The school is very well supported by its community. The principal and teachers are proactive in engaging with parents and have good knowledge of families’ aspirations and each child’s background and circumstances. Students and families are proud of the longstanding family connections with the school, with many generations of the same family attending as students. Local community events are very important to parents and the wider community continue to feature in school programmes.

A significant feature of the school is recent roll growth. The roll has doubled in the last year. An additional classroom and buildings upgrade are planned.

Whananaki School has a history of positive ERO reports. The school has responded positively to 2012 report suggestions relating to learning and curriculum areas. Areas of non-compliance in relation to reporting National Standards have been addressed.

2 Learning

How well does this school use achievement information to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement?

The school uses student achievement information well to make positive changes to learners’ engagement and achievement. Most students achieve at or above the National Standard in reading, writing and mathematics. External professional development in writing is making a positive impact on teaching practice.

Assessment schedules ensure regular data is collected and used to inform teaching. Use of a variety of appropriate assessment tools and internal moderation helps determine reliable overall teacher judgements. The principal has identified that extending internal moderation into other curriculum areas and seeking ways of using external moderation could contribute to more reliable overall teacher judgements.

Students are highly engaged, motivated, confident and articulate. They are keen to learn and respond well to the clear routines for learning. Students are increasingly taking a lead role in talking about their learning goals, including during parent/teacher conferences. It is timely to extend students’ discussion about their next learning goals to help them improve their own learning.

Teachers have positive relationships with students and know their students well. They encourage all students to see themselves as confident and capable learners. Students experience individualised attention and support through differentiated classroom programmes. Students who are underachieving are well supported by teachers. Teacher aides in each class are used to provide additional support to promote learning for students.

Parents receive useful information about student progress and achievement. Appropriate next steps included in student reports provide useful information to help parents to support their child’s learning at home. The school is continuing to refine their reporting to parents, particularly for students in their first three years of school.

ERO suggests, and the principal agrees, it would be useful for the board of trustees to receive achievement information more regularly and to:

  • refine achievement targets and link them more clearly to the National Standards
  • evaluate all targets to show the impact of teaching on student progress.

3 Curriculum

How effectively does this school’s curriculum promote and support student learning?

The school’s curriculum effectively supports and promotes student learning. A holistic approach to learning enables students to participate in a rich variety of learning opportunities. The school provides a broad curriculum based on all areas of The New Zealand Curriculum.

Whananaki school values and the school’s vision “our children are able to progress with confidence", are evident in teacher practice and students learning. Key competencies underpin the school vision and connect to a broad integrated curriculum.

A school priority focus on promoting oral language supports student learning and achievement. Classroom environments provide rich prompts to extend students’ oral language. Classrooms are a learning community, focused on positive relationships, team work and cooperation. An emphasis on literacy and mathematics is evident in all classrooms.

Students have access to a wide range of resources and digital tools to support their learning. The principal is considering ways of using digital devices and e-learning in ways that further extend student learning.

The school’s community is reflected in curriculum documentation, content and resources. The language, culture and identity of students are celebrated. Sporting and cultural events provide opportunities for students to connect with wider communities. Parents appreciate the variety of diverse opportunities for learning outside the classroom.

Students benefit from multi-level classrooms, and opportunities to work with children of different ages. Leadership roles and responsibilities are shared among all students within the school. Students initiate and take responsibility for supporting and guiding teina. Māori students have many opportunities for leadership roles.

Appropriate planning is in place to support career planning and pathways for Year 7 and 8 students. Good processes are in place to assist Year 8 students’ transition to high school.

The school’s curriculum plan provides a useful framework to guide aspects of assessment and planning at different year levels. Staff and parents/whānau are effectively consulted about the curriculum. Teachers work collaboratively to share planning and classroom strategies to improve teaching practice.

ERO suggests, and the principal agrees, that next steps in curriculum development are to strengthen:

  • the coherence between curriculum expectations, planning and assessment practices
  • curriculum and planning evaluations to help identify the impact of teaching programmes on student learning.

How effectively does the school promote educational success for Māori, as Māori?

The school promotes educational success for Māori children as Māori effectively. They are well engaged in learning, in school activities, and are achieving and progressing well. Te ao Māori is naturally integrated into the curriculum. Continued partnership between the school and the Ngātiwai Education Trust Board is evident.

Māori students take pride in the recognition and acknowledgement of Māori values and value the opportunities to learn te reo Māori, participate in pōwhiri and proudly lead waiata and haka. The strong focus on successful kapa haka offers increased opportunities for Māori students to celebrate and enhance their language, culture and identity.

Tikanga is evident in school events and special occasions in ways that are well considered and suited to the school’s context. Home and school partnerships are strong and whānau feel well represented by the board of trustees within the school.

Leadership ensures that community and cultural resources are integrated into relevant aspects of the school curriculum. The school proactively identifies and draws on community resources and expertise to improve learning opportunities.

4 Sustainable Performance

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

The school is well placed to sustain and to continue to improve its performance. The board is made up of experienced and newer trustees with a range of skills. Trustees are representative of the wider community, and effectively govern the school. Trustees support the principal’s future direction and work cohesively to contribute to the school’s vision. They have a commitment to improved learning outcomes for all students and they have trusting and positive working relationships with staff and the community.

The principal is highly accessible to staff, students and parents and models relational and responsive leadership. Professional development is targeted and strategically planned. Experienced staff have built community and whānau partnerships. A strong values-based culture, led by the principal, positively impacts on student engagement and learning.

Processes are in place to guide regular self review. Teacher appraisals have recently been reviewed with an increased focus on gathering evidence. The school is now in a good position to improve teachers’ evaluation of progress against their goals. The principal agrees to strengthen the appraisal process to encourage teachers to inquire into the effectiveness of their teaching on student 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.

In order to improve practice the board should ensure in-committee processes are recorded in their meeting minutes.

Conclusion

Whananaki School caters for students from Years 1 to 8. Manaakitanga and whanaungatanga are very evident in the school culture. The school’s mission and vision “our children are able to progress with confidence” places children at the centre of learning. Trustees are committed to improving learning outcomes for all students.

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

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

3 December 2015

About the School

Location

Whananaki, Northland

Ministry of Education profile number

1127

School type

Full Primary (Years 1 to 8)

School roll

66

Gender composition

Boys 37

Girls 29

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

African

Samoan

Cook Island Māori

38

23

2

2

1

Review team on site

August 2015

Date of this report

3 December 2015

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

Education Review

Education Review

December 2012

November 2009

July 2006