Kaitoke School (Wanganui)

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 

Kaitoke School (Wanganui) is located south of Whanganui and provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. The vision is to ‘inspire and empower lifelong learners’ and is underpinned by strong foundations of hauora.

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 

• The majority of students are achieving at expected curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Achieving equity for groups of learners, particularly for Māori learners and boys in writing, is an identified priority for the school.
• Students with additional learning needs are known, have targeted support and progress well within an inclusive learning environment.
• The majority of students attend school regularly, but attendance rates are not yet meeting the Government target; close monitoring and support is provided by leaders and teachers to improve the attendance of learners.

Conditions to support learner success

• Strategic planning and improvement goals, developed in collaboration with the community, board and staff, have clear measures of success and are focused on promoting equitable and excellent outcomes for all students.
• Leaders have implemented effective systems to identify and monitor support for learners with diverse needs.
• Leaders support and facilitate the ongoing improvement of teachers and support staff capability through professional development aligned with strategic priorities; teachers and staff are well supported to continually develop their practice.

• Teachers know students well and work together to provide purposeful, well-paced learning opportunities for all learners to engage, inquire and apply new learning.
• Learners have a curriculum that increasingly reflects local contexts; students experience a wide range of activities within the school environment.
• Teachers develop mutually respectful relationships with learners; effectively supporting engagement, wellbeing and achievement.

• Students needing additional in-class learning support are identified and provided with effective assistance, contributing to a positive and inclusive environment that progresses learning.
• Leaders and teachers increasingly align schoolwide planning, assessment and reporting practices to better inform teaching and learning.
• The board effectively manages and strategically plans for school resourcing that supports high quality teaching and learning.

Part B: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• continue to strengthen the use of achievement information that enables teachers to refine and tailor learning programmes for improved progress and achievement, particularly for Māori students and boys in writing
• continue professional learning for teaching writing so that all teachers have a shared understanding of high-quality practice
• continue to evaluate the impact of improvement strategies, including teacher professional development on student progress and achievement outcomes
• continue to implement effective strategies that improve regular attendance rates.

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

Within six months:

• develop a professional development plan focused on improving teaching practices in writing that will accelerate learner outcomes
• review and develop a schoolwide evaluation approach that identifies the extent to which professional learning, and other initiatives, impact on improved learner outcomes and attendance

Every six months:

• use progress and achievement data to evaluate the ongoing impact of strategies and professional development on achievement for target groups of learners and those at risk of not achieving in writing
• continue to review and report on the effectiveness of changes to teaching practice, through teacher observation, student feedback and student outcome information
• review the effectiveness of strategies to improve regular attendance

Annually:

• continue to analyse, evaluate and report schoolwide progress and achievement information to the board to strategically plan actions that will continue to improve learner outcomes
• evaluate and report the ongoing impact of professional development and strategies on student achievement outcomes in writing
• collectively review and analyse achievement information of target learners to identify initiatives that have been most successful in accelerating progress and achievement, particularly in writing
• evaluate and report the effectiveness of strategies and approaches that support high levels of attendance.

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

• consistent, effective and responsive teaching, learning and assessment practices schoolwide
• improved equity of outcomes for all learners, particularly in writing
• learners attending school regularly.

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

Sharon Kelly
Acting Director of Schools

14 March 2025

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