Paremata 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

Paremata School, in Porirua Wellington, provides education for students from Years 1 to 8. The school vision, Attitude Determines Altitude, is underpinned by the school values of whakaute (respect), tuakiri (identity), aroha (empathy), kia ngangahau te ako (active learning), manahau (resilience), ngakau mohio ki te ae whanuia (global awareness).

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

Outcomes for learners are increasingly equitable and excellent.

• Most students achieve at or above curriculum expectations in reading, writing and mathematics.  
• Almost all Pacific students achieve at a higher rate than their peers in reading, writing and mathematics.
• The school has yet to improve the disparity in achievement for Māori students in writing; targeted interventions are in place.
• The majority of students attend school regularly; the school is not yet meeting the Ministry of Education 2024 targets for regular attendance.

Conditions to support learner success

Collaborative leadership is strengthening a culture for high quality teaching.

• Student information is regularly collated and well analysed by leaders to develop and drive improvement priorities for raising achievement.
• Leaders have a shared understanding of high-quality teaching and learning practices with a clear focus that promotes student success and sustained levels of achievement.
• Leaders regularly review how the curriculum connects to the local context to engage learners and improve outcomes.

Teachers effectively create collaborative learning environments where students engage in real-world learning opportunities.

• Teachers regularly work together to plan and deliver learning programmes that engage, challenge and promote students’ interests; developing consistency to teaching the wider curriculum is a next step.
• Teachers use a range of evidence-based, responsive teaching practices that accelerate the progress of targeted students.
• A range of assessment practices in reading, writing and mathematics have been strengthened so that teachers can identify specific learning needs and develop strategies to improve achievement outcomes.

Key school conditions that underpin successful outcomes are being strengthen and embedded.

• Parents and whānau are valued partners in learning; they are well informed and provided with increasing opportunities to support their child’s learning.
• Student achievement information is used consistently to inform decision making to improve outcomes.
• Leaders are taking steps to collaborate with whānau Māori and build authentic partnerships to develop the local curriculum and improve outcomes for their children.

Part B: Where to next?

• develop a schoolwide approach to teaching the local curriculum; incorporate community aspirations and student voice in this development
• strengthen partnerships with whānau, hapū and iwi that support improvement initiatives focused on excellent and equitable outcomes for their children
• continue to develop collaborative evidenced-based strategies to guide responsive teaching practice to meet the needs of students and improve progress and achievement
• strengthen and monitor processes that improve student attendance.

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

Within six months:

• review the local curriculum and approaches to teaching and learning, including gathering student voice, focused on engagement, progress and achievement outcomes for all learners
• engage with whānau, hapū and iwi to strengthen the design of the school’s local curriculum and partnerships in learning
• use data to measure the impact of targeted strategies for improving attendance

Every six months:

• review the impact of the local curriculum on learner outcomes; report progress and planned future actions to the board 
• collate and analyse student and whānau voice to further enrich the development of the localised curriculum
• continue to identify and promote teaching and learning strategies that have been most successful in improving learner outcomes
• track and monitor attendance information; identify what is working and adjust targeted strategies for ongoing improvement

Annually:

• use student voice to evaluate the extent of engagement in learning through the local curriculum  
• analyse schoolwide attendance, progress and achievement, including that of target students; use this data to report to the board, and to plan further improvement actions
• ensure strategic planning and annual goals are aligned with the school’s priorities, community aspirations and continue to promote positive outcomes in all areas for all students.

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

• a local curriculum that reflects community aspirations and promotes high levels of engagement, improved progress and equitable achievement for all students
• authentic partnerships with whānau, hapū and iwi that support improvement initiatives focused on excellent and equitable outcomes
• improved levels of attendance that meet or exceed the Ministry of Education’s target for regular attendance.

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

8 November 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