Whangaparaoa School (Auckland)

Education institution number:
1571
School type:
Contributing
School gender:
Co-Educational
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
692
Telephone:
Address:

39 Ladies Mile, Manly, Whangaparaoa

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Whangaparaoa School (Auckland)

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 6 months of the Education Review Office and Whangaparāoa School 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 

Whangaparāoa School is on the Whangaparāoa peninsula in Auckland. The school caters for students in Years 1-6. The school’s ORCA values of Ownership (Rangatiratanga), Respect (Manaakitanga), Collaborate (Whanaungatanga) and Achieve (Ako) are used as the drivers to enable students to be the best they can be (Kia eke ki ngā taumata tiketike).

Whangaparāoa School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:

  • continually strengthen relationships with learners, colleagues, and parents
  • ensure tikanga, te reo and te ao Māori will hold special focus as part of our country’s dual heritage
  • maintain high achievement expectations for all learning areas, giving priority to literacy and numeracy
  • instil a growth mindset where next steps, better than before, trying things and being the best, we can be is important
  • advocate a safe and healthy environment where difference is appreciated, and all people are included and valued
  • draw upon our people and environment to innovate, inspire, and create opportunities to connect, challenge and empower our learners.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how the school can effectively continue to enhance the knowledge and practice of te ao Māoritikanga, and te reo Māori and embed culturally responsive practice within Whangaparāoa school.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to:

  • promote the educational success of Māori students

  • develop teachers’ knowledge and cultural competence of te ao Māori, tikanga, and te reo Māori

  • embed culturally responsive teaching practices to benefit all students.

The school expects to see increased teacher capability, a deepened sense of belonging for all students and te ao Māoritikanga, and te reo Māori embedded within the curriculum.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to embed culturally responsive practices:

  • existing quality teaching and learning

  • an adaptive and responsive curriculum

  • committed and collaborative staff

  • supportive Kāhui Ako, whānau and community

  • a culture of high expectations and continuous improvement.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise embedding and sustaining teachers’ culturally responsive teaching and learning strategies by:

  • engaging in appropriate professional learning and assigning resources and funding

  • forming a team of leaders and personnel to support implementation of the evaluation focus.

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.

Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

8 December 2022 

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

Whangaparaoa School (Auckland)

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2022 to 2025

As of May 2022, the Whangaparaoa School (Auckland) Board of Trustees 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 Whangaparaoa School (Auckland) Board of Trustees.

The next Board of Trustees 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.

Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

8 December 2022

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

Whangaparaoa School (Auckland)

Provision for International Students Report

Background

The Education Review Office reviews schools that are signatories to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020.

Findings

Whangaparāoa School has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code and has completed an annual self-review of its implementation. At the time of this review there was 1 international student attending the school, and no exchange students. 

International students at Whangaparāoa School integrate well within the school community. They are supported by their parents and receive quality education. Parents are notified of their child’s wellbeing, progress and achievement. The principal and office personnel are continually reviewing systems for coordinating and reporting on provisions in the Code for International Students.

Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

8 December 2022

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

Whangaparaoa School (Auckland) - 18/01/2017

1 Context

Whangaparaoa School is a large contributing school located on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, north of Auckland. The majority of children are Pākehā. Māori and Pacific children make up 14 percent and two percent of the roll respectively. A feature of the school is the strong sense of community pride and the friendly students. The school has a history of positive ERO evaluations. Since the 2013 ERO evaluation nearly half the staff are new, including two deputy principals and most recently the principal. While the school is still in a period of transition, the new leadership team is continuing to progress the next steps identified in the last ERO evaluation. External support and professional development in mathematics, writing, behaviour management and appraisal is supporting this work. The school is part of the Whangaparaoa Community of Learning with three other local schools.

2 Equity and excellence

The vision and valued outcomes defined by the school for all children are at the forefront of all decision making. The values are organised through the acronym ORCA, ‘Ownership/Rangatiratanga, Respect/Manaakitanga, Collaborate/Whanaungatanga, and Achieve/Ako’, and underpin the school's curriculum. The board, with the new principal, has recently reviewed the school's vision in consultation with the staff and community. The new vision, which sets the learning direction, is ‘Connect, Challenge, Empower’.

The school’s achievement information shows that at least 85 percent of all children achieve well in relation to the National Standards in reading and mathematics. Approximately 80 percent of children achieve well in writing. At least three-quarters of Māori children achieve at or above the National Standards. Māori achievement in reading is similar to that of all children. Pacific children achieve very well in all areas, as do most girls. Most boys achieve well in mathematics and reading.

The school reports that trends and patterns of achievement in reading, writing and mathematics are good and have remained relatively constant over time. School data show that Māori children's progress has accelerated. Long-term gains are evident in mathematics, and there have been recent gains in writing.

The leadership team is confident that teacher judgements about how well children are achieving against the National Standards are reliable. Teachers have regular opportunities to discuss their judgements with other staff and have access to a variety of tools to support them. Leaders have identified the need to review moderation practices using children's work from across the curriculum.

Since the last ERO evaluation the school has continued to use achievement information well to ensure that children whose learning needs accelerating are identified. The school has continued to provide additional programmes or external support for these children. Key actions have included regular internal evaluation to inform decision making and the strengthening of systems to ensure that accelerated progress can be more easily tracked, monitored and evaluated. 

3 Accelerating achievement

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

School leaders and teachers respond well to Māori children whose learning and achievement need acceleration.

School leaders have refined how they use data to identify Māori children who are at risk of not achieving. They are working to personalise the support provided for individual children at the class, team and whole school level.

The board has made several recent appointments to strengthen support for Māori children's language, culture and identity. One of the new deputy principals has specific skills, knowledge and networks to draw on to support teachers to develop their bicultural understandings. She is encouraging staff to use this information to get to know more about the children they teach, and their whānau. Kanohi ki te kanohi (face-to-face) opportunities are promoted to enhance relationships and learning partnerships with whānau.

School leaders have specific targets and plans to lift and accelerate Māori achievement and progress. Senior leaders recognise the importance of regularly evaluating the effectiveness of the actions and progress towards achieving these targets.

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

The school has a variety of effective processes and systems in place to accelerate learning for all targeted learners who require specific support.

Processes to help children transition to school have been recently reviewed. Respectful, inclusive practices ensure that children and their families are welcomed into the school and are well supported into learning programmes. Teachers contact the parents of identified target learners more regularly to keep them informed and share their child's successes.

Leaders and teachers use achievement information carefully to ensure that children who need additional support are placed in one of the many programmes available, or receive relevant support from external agencies. As a result of internal evaluation, leaders have introduced interventions to accelerate achievement in mathematics, and have provided teachers with relevant professional development.

Systems to help teachers to focus on target learners have been strengthened. Time is allocated at team meetings for teachers to share strategies that have successfully accelerated children's learning. Teachers have ongoing opportunities to develop reflective processes so that they can respond and adapt to children's learning needs more effectively.

School-developed 'learning progressions' in reading, writing and mathematics are supporting teachers to identify children's next learning steps and monitor their progress. These progressions are being adapted to make them easier for children to use. This should help children take more responsibility for their learning.

Strengthening evaluation should support teachers and leaders to make decisions about which strategies and interventions are the most effective in accelerating and sustaining progress over time.

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?

The school's curriculum and organisational processes are becoming increasingly effective in promoting equity and excellence for all children.

Within the last 18 months the board has appointed two deputy principals and a new school principal. Together they have revised the charter which sets a clear, strategic direction for the future. Information from ongoing consultation and review is promoting shared understandings of the school's strengths and next steps among the school's staff and community. This information has also contributed to a documented set of school-wide expectations, supporting greater consistency in practices to successfully accelerate learning.

Senior leaders, with teachers, are reviewing the curriculum to ensure that it builds on children's strengths, needs and interests. Priorities identified include:

  • further personalising learning through a more child-centred approach
  • developing a school-wide curriculum, with specific focus on strengthening the bicultural and local curriculum, integrated inquiry approach, the Arts and e-learning
  • building a sense of community responsibility for individual children's progress by enhancing opportunities for collaboration.

Senior leaders have undertaken a comprehensive evaluation of the teacher appraisal process. This, along with teachers' inquiry into their practice, has strengthened teachers' ownership of their professional growth and development, particularly in ways to accelerate the progress of target learners.

The principal is developing teachers' capability by growing leadership across the school. Team leaders are now released to work alongside teachers to support them to improve their practice. Staff members with expertise linked to charter priorities, have been appointed as curriculum leaders. Their role is to lead a team in developing and monitoring improvement plans. This should also benefit team leaders in their coaching role.

Children enjoy settled, focussed learning environments and actively participate in learning activities. Teachers use a variety of formative teaching strategies to engage children. Strengthening teachers' and children's use of assessment data to identify and monitor their next learning steps, should help children take greater ownership of their learning, progress and achievement.

Teachers have developed a te reo and te ao Māori curriculum that provides children with increasing challenge as they move through the school. Relationships and communication with whānau, and professional development for staff in te reo, tikanga, and te ao Māori, have been identified by leaders as key strategies to further support Māori children to succeed as Māori. 

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.

Whangaparaoa School is well placed to accelerate the achievement of all children who need it.

Trustees and school leaders have a clear vision for school development. School leaders are strategic, motivated and improvement focussed. They are growing staff leadership and have introduced processes that promote collaboration to accelerate learning and empower learners.

School leaders and trustees agree that next steps in school development also include:

  • reviewing the quality of achievement targets, and evaluating the impact of interventions on learner outcomes
  • continuing to engage whānau Māori as contributors to the school's strategic direction and partners in their children's learning.

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three 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

  • provision for international students.

7 Recommendations

ERO recommends that the school continues to implement its revised charter and improvement plans to empower learners and provide further opportunities for learner success. Trustees, leaders and teachers should continue to develop their evaluative capability to ensure that the school's improvement momentum is sustained. 

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

18 January 2017

About the school 

Location

Manly, Whangaparaoa

Ministry of Education profile number

1571

School type

Contributing (Years 1 to 6)

School roll

771

Number of international students

3

Gender composition

Girls 51% Boys 49%

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

British/Irish

Asian

African

Australian

Pacific

other European

14%

72%

4%

3%

2%

2%

2%

1%

Review team on site

November 2016

Date of this report

18 January 2017

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

Education Review

Education Review

March 2013

June 2009

March 2006

Whangaparaoa School (Auckland) - 22/03/2013

1 Context

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

Whangaparaoa School is a large Year 1 - 6 primary school located on the Hibiscus Coast, in northern Auckland. The board has plans for major property redevelopment to accommodate the significant roll growth the school is experiencing.

The 2009 ERO report commented positively on the school’s curriculum and learning programmes and the positive learning culture that had been established for students in the school. ERO recommended that teachers use assessment data more effectively to enhance student learning and that senior staff define and strengthen leadership roles in the school. Teachers and senior managers have an ongoing focus on these areas. Recent external professional learning and development is supporting the school's continued good progress.

2 Learning

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

Students have positive attitudes to learning. They learn within inclusive, respectful class environments with frequent opportunities to learn together with their peers. Students are increasingly involved in discussing the processes of learning and in identifying strategies that will help them to make progress. They are encouraged to set goals, assess their own progress, and take an active role in reporting to their parents. Learning progressions, expressed in child-friendly language, would help students to identify their own pathways to further improvement.

Teachers and senior managers assess student progress and achievement throughout the year. Well analysed information on school-wide achievement is reported to the board. This information indicates that the majority of students make good progress and achieve well overall. Patterns and trends in achievement at different year levels, and for Māori students, are identified and closely monitored. Senior managers have identified the need to review mathematics teaching programmes to raise the levels of achievement in this learning area.

Senior managers place a major emphasis on providing students with learning support and extension programmes, in addition to classroom programmes. The board provides generous funding for special programmes and for teacher aides to support student learning and progress. These programmes are well monitored to ensure that students progress sufficiently. Senior managers aim to build the capability of classroom teachers through sharing the good strategies and approaches used in these special programmes. The adoption of such teaching strategies in classrooms across the school has the potential to strengthen the quality of teaching and learning for all students.

The board sets appropriate targets for students who are achieving below the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Progress towards these targets is monitored throughout the year and is supported in classroom programmes and through teacher discussion within syndicates.

Teachers are continuing to develop their use of achievement information. They share the information with students, and plan programmes to meet their needs. Teachers have recently adopted a formal approach to inquiring into the effectiveness of their teaching. They are appropriately focused on evaluating how well their teaching is meeting the needs of those students who are not yet achieving National Standards.

Teachers are looking at ways, including within syndicates, that they can ensure that their judgments about students’ overall achievement in relation to the National Standards are valid and reliable. Further moderation across syndicates would help increase the reliability of teachers’ judgments.

3 Curriculum

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

The school’s curriculum offers a broad range of learning experiences that promote student engagement in learning, including the arts, sport, and education outside the classroom. The curriculum appropriately emphasises literacy and mathematics and school-wide themes foster collective learning and the sharing of information. Small group extension programmes are provided for students who are identified as gifted and talented as well as for those students who require additional learning support.

Senior managers aim to continue developing learning approaches that reflect The New Zealand Curriculum expectation that students will become actively involved, self managing and connected, lifelong learners.

A collaborative, evaluative approach to curriculum review could identify programmes that are helping students’ to be active and self-managing learners, and could also signal any issues that may impede their learning. Curriculum review could also help staff build shared expectations for teaching and learning and enable senior managers to monitor more systematically how effectively these expectations are being met. This approach would help to ensure that all students benefit from learning experiences that support them to gain the skills and confidence to be life-long learners.

Strategies that could be used more consistently to support student involvement in their learning include offering students greater opportunities to:

  • extend their thinking, inquiry and problem-solving skills
  • learn within connected contexts through integration of literacy and mathematics with the wider curriculum
  • use information literacy skills and learn through digital technologies
  • acquire te reo and knowledge about tikanga Māori through a progressive programme and meaningful curriculum contexts
  • contribute to planning and evaluating curriculum programmes.

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

The school’s commitment to increasing the use of te reo and tikanga Māori is based on the board’s charter goals of fostering students’ bicultural understanding and promoting Māori students’ confidence in themselves and in their cultural identity. The achievement and progress of Māori students is collated and reported separately to the board. School managers target the achievement of Māori students and set measurable goals to increase their success.

The principal has been instrumental in helping to establish a Māori whānau group. Whānau show a keen commitment to the school and to supporting the development of a school culture that values the Treaty of Waitangi. The group plays a key role in the school’s consultation with Māori whānau, particularly in developing the school’s charter goals.

Ministry of Education resources are used to guide practices that promote Māori language, culture and identity in the school. A lead teacher supports colleagues to better integrate te reo Māori and tikanga in curriculum programmes and to develop a sequential te reo and tikanga Māori programme across the year levels. A Māori focus area has been recently introduced to link with each term’s curriculum theme. A popular and capable kapa haka group leads pōwhiri with conviction and enthusiasm. These positive practices support Māori students to experience pride and success as Māori.

4 Sustainable Performance

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

The school is well placed to sustain and improve its performance. Appreciative and supportive relationships between the board and principal have helped them to manage significant challenges in relation to roll growth, property and personnel matters.

The board meets its governance obligations for monitoring school operations. Trustees are well informed about the school’s programmes and students’ achievements. Regular consultation and networking processes assist trustees to gain insight into community perspectives. Board members bring skills, experience and commitment to their roles in school governance and several have undertaken board training. Trustees could review the board’s performance in relation to school improvement and strategic direction. This review would provide useful information for the incoming board in 2013.

Senior managers have redefined their roles and responsibilities to strengthen their work as a leadership team. They are now better placed to evaluate the effectiveness of leadership, teaching and learning in the school. Evaluation should be evidence-based, focused on improvement and linked to the school’s vision, charter and curriculum goals.

There has been a significant shift in focus toward professional learning and practice within syndicates. Capable syndicate leaders know their teaching teams’ strengths and challenges. They are leading the development of a more reflective teaching culture. This development is linked to a recently introduced appraisal approach intended to promote teacher development and support improvements in students’ learning experiences.

While the principal recognises that some teachers have needed time and support to adjust to a more facilitative approach to teaching, he is committed to enabling students to take greater ownership of their own learning and progress.

Provision for international students

Whangaparaoa School is a signatory to the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students (the Code) established under section 238F of the Education Act 1989.

At the time of this ERO review, three international students were attending the school. The school offers both long-term and short-term stays for international students. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code.

ERO’s investigations confirmed that the school’s self-review process for international students is thorough. International students are well integrated into school life and report positively on their learning and social experiences. School programmes, English language support and pastoral care are efficiently organised.

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, the board of trustees should ensure that appropriate records are kept of minutes of meetings when the public is excluded.

When is ERO likely to review the school again?

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

Dale Bailey

National Manager Review Services

Northern Region

22 March 2013

About the School

Location

Whangaparaoa

Ministry of Education profile number

1571

School type

Contributing (Years 1 to 6)

School roll

728

Number of international students

3

Gender composition

Boys 53%

Girls 47%

Ethnic composition

NZ European/Pākehā

Māori

British/Irish

Australian

other Asian

Korean

Pacific

other European

other

70%

13%

8%

2%

2%

1%

1%

1%

2%

Special Features

Gifted Education Centre operates One Day School on site

Review team on site

September 2012

Date of this report

22 March 2013

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

Education Review

Education Review

June 2009

March 2006

November 2002