Kapiti School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report 

Background

This Profile Report was written within nine months of the Education Review Office and Kapiti 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 

Kapiti School, located in Paraparaumu, is a full primary school providing education for students in Years 1 to 8. The school curriculum is supported by four ‘drivers’ – strengths-based authentic learning; collaborative communication; whakawhanaungatanga and identity; and curiosity and innovation. Two classrooms have a focus on Montessori philosophy.

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

• To identify and address barriers to students’ access to the curriculum.
• To build engagement with the school community.
• To strengthen teacher capability to deliver the curriculum.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively the school has addressed barriers to accessing the curriculum for all learners.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is: 

• the KPS curriculum outlines a learner pathway which reflects the dispositions learners will require to thrive in the future
• feedback from several sources has identified barriers to students accessing the curriculum
• community engagement identifies a need to support successful outcomes for learners.

The school expects to see:

• teachers who are well supported to deliver the Kapiti School Curriculum in classrooms that are settled with students engaged in learning
• improved outcomes for students measured by achievement data and improved social connectedness across the school.

Strengths 

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to identify and address barriers to students’ access to the curriculum:

• a board and leadership team focused on addressing current challenges and restoring the confidence of the community in the school
• the strategic plan has a strong vision for the school and its students. It has been recently reviewed and refreshed for 2024 with four strategic goals – community, curriculum, capacity and communication
• the curriculum outlines pedagogical practices including what both teachers and learners will be doing.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• ensuring and monitoring student physical and emotional safety
• reducing barriers to accessing the curriculum.

ERO has concerns about

• expectations for learning environments to support effective teaching, prioritising support for those who are new to learning areas and new to the school
• the implementation of systems, policies and practices to ensure students are supported within a safe school environment
• systems and processes to effectively use, report and scrutinise wellbeing, progress and achievement information schoolwide.

Recommendation

The school should continue to focus on valued outcomes for learners while embedding effective evaluative practices in classroom practice, wellbeing, leadership and governance. To bring about the improvements identified, ERO recommended that the Ministry of Education provide support in relation to governance and leadership of learning and effective teaching, including the health, safety and wellbeing of children and staff.

The Ministry of Education is working alongside the school.

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

8 February 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