Ridgeview School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

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

Ridgeview School is a small semi-rural school situated outside the township of Albany, North Shore, catering for years 1 to 6 students. The school vision aims to create confident, connected, life-long learners who demonstrate the school values of respect (manaakitanga), excellence (hiranga) and positive relationships (whanaungatanga).

Ridgeview School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

• co-construct a local curriculum that is responsive to local community and whānau aspirations to tautoko (support) ākonga to thrive
• build collaborative, reciprocal partnerships with our community
• build an awareness and understanding of responding to and upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi
• improve learning outcomes for all students particularly Māori, Pacific and children with learning and behavioural needs.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well the effective use of collaborative planning, assessment, analysis of learning data, and intentional teaching and learning through the local curriculum, supports authentic and meaningful progress and achievement.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

• to evaluate the impact of current school initiatives and practices 
• sound assessment information will inform and focus teaching and learning
• a responsive localised curriculum with whānau aspirations will enable the personalisation of learning
• authentic learning will improve the learning outcomes for all ākonga.

The school expects to see teachers planning collaboratively with intentional teaching and learning approaches that provide personalised learning for ākonga. The school aims to involve ākonga and whānau in learning that is meaningful to their histories and culture and inspires further curiosity and self-regulation.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to evaluate how well
the effective use of collaborative planning and assessment, shared access to and analysis of learning data,
and intentional teaching and learning through the local curriculum, supports authentic and meaningful progress and achievement:

• ākonga progress and achievement are becoming more equitable and all ākonga including those with diverse learning needs are tracked and supported
• foundation learning areas of the curriculum, including oral language, reading and writing, mathematics and science enhance learners’ access to the broad curriculum within a meaningful design
• learner wellbeing and safety and an inclusive learning culture are well promoted
• teachers work collaboratively, sharing their strengths and passions, to improve the impact of teaching on the learning and achievement of all ākonga.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• develop and implement a meaningful Inquiry Model that can be used in all curriculum areas to enhance learning
• plan and implement a curriculum that encourages and enables students to personalise and co-construct their own learning in a supportive learning community
• ensure a culture of inclusivity and personalised learning to recognise and respect the diversity within our school
• use our collaborative strengths to further develop and enhance our local curriculum and ākonga achievement.

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.

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

11 August 2023 

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