Kiwitahi School

School Evaluation Report

Tēnā koutou e mau manawa rahi ki te kaupapa e aro ake nei, ko te tamaiti te pūtake o te kaupapa. Mā wai rā e kawe, mā tātau katoa.

We acknowledge the collective effort, responsibility and commitment by all to ensure that the child remains at the heart of the matter.

Context

Kiwitahi School, a rural school located near Morrinsville, provides education for students in Years 1 to 6. The school’s vision is to develop proud and resilient Kiwitahi learners who are equipped with the practical skills that reflect the community’s rural heritage and empower them to have successful futures. The board appointed a new principal who will begin in Term 4 2024.

There are two parts to this report.

Part A: An evaluative summary of learner success and school conditions to inform the school board’s future strategic direction, including any education in Rumaki/bilingual settings.

Part B: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle.

Part A: Current State

The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.

Learner Success and Wellbeing 

Most learners are engaged, make good progress and achieve very well.

• Almost all learners achieve at or above curriculum expectations in reading, and most in writing and mathematics.
• Learners express a strong sense of belonging and pride in their school and have high engagement in learning.
• The majority of learners attend regularly; the school is yet to meet the Ministry of Education’s target for regular attendance.

Conditions to support learner success

Collaborative and strategic leadership enhances learner success through quality systems and processes. 

• Leaders and teachers sustain high levels of relational trust with the school community through ongoing collaboration to achieve the school’s strategic vision.
• Leadership prioritises areas for strategic improvement through well-coordinated planning and regular evaluation of the curriculum to meet the interests and needs of all learners.
• Well-considered staff professional development is targeted, planned and implemented for improving and sustaining learner outcomes.

Learners experience a well-designed and meaningful local curriculum that provides extensive opportunities to learn across the breadth of The New Zealand Curriculum.

• Leaders and teachers have developed and implemented a relevant local curriculum that reflects the community’s rural context and equips learners with the skills needed for future pathways.
• Teachers use a range of responsive teaching practices that enable all learners to make progress in their learning.
• Te reo Māori and tikanga Māori are becoming integrated into the local curriculum so that all learners know and understand more about Aotearoa New Zealand.

Key conditions that underpin successful education are embedded and well-aligned.

• The board deliberately consults with the local community to develop a shared strategic vision that reflects parent and whānau aspirations.
• Parents and whānau are key partners in their child’s learning and actively participate in the life of the school.
• A strong culture of care for learners and staff contributes to a positive learning environment that supports wellbeing and success.
• Leaders and teachers utilise community resources effectively, including professional networks and local organisations, to implement school initiatives.

Part B: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

• increase the regular attendance of all students
• embed and refine the local curriculum to ensure all learners are equipped with the skills needed for their future pathways
• strengthen the use of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori so that staff and learners develop confidence in their knowledge and understanding of Aotearoa New Zealand.

The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.

Every six months:

• monitor rates of student attendance to know the impact of initiatives and inform further school actions
• review the progress made with embedding the school’s local curriculum to support future planning and action
• provide staff with professional development to improve the integration of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori in teaching and learning

Annually:

• review and report to the board on student attendance, progress and achievement to evaluate the impact of the refined local curriculum on learner outcomes and respond
• evaluate the progress of integrating te reo Māori and tikanga Māori in teaching and learning.

Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:

• more students attending regularly and improved and sustained high levels of achievement in reading, writing and mathematics
• a local curriculum that continues to engage all learners resulting in equitable and excellent outcomes
• learners and teachers confident in their understanding and use of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori.

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.

Me mahi tahi tonu tātau, kia whai oranga a tātau tamariki
Let’s continue to work together for the greater good of all children

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

16 October 2024

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