Raroa Normal Intermediate

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 

Raroa Normal Intermediate is in Wellington and provides education for students in Years 7 and 8. The school encourages all learners to aspire to achieve.

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, achieve positive outcomes and many make accelerated progress during their two years at the school.

• Most students achieve at or above expected curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Disparity for Māori learners on entry to the school is largely addressed within the first year. 
• Students at risk of underachievement are quickly identified and targeted interventions are put in place to accelerate learner progress.
• Almost all students are attending regularly, the school exceeds the Ministry of Education 2024 target. 

Conditions to support learner success

Strategic leadership drives improvement through effective systems and processes. 

• A wide range of evidence is used to plan, monitor and evaluate strategic actions to improve learning and wellbeing outcomes for students.
• Clear expectations for high-quality, evidence-informed teaching by leaders; teaching practice is monitored through professional growth cycles.
• Leaders provide appropriate and consistent support to grow beginning teachers and are establishing systems to develop school-wide leadership capability.  

Quality teaching practices ensure students experience meaningful and intentional learning.

• Students have purposeful opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the New Zealand Curriculum and increasingly experience teaching that is responsive to their individual learning needs.
• Teachers prioritise learners gaining confidence to learn in a secondary school, they provide direct instruction so that students become independent learners; consistency across the school has been identified by leaders as a key focus.
• A range of good quality assessment information is used to plan for the progress and achievement of each learner and adapt teaching practice as required. 

The school has well-aligned systems, structures and practices which underpin successful conditions for learning.

• Leaders and teachers take part in professional growth in line with the school’s strategic priorities to effectively support the achievement and progress of all learners. 
• The school is increasingly giving effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi through partnerships with Māori and is beginning to integrate te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori throughout the curriculum.
• Leaders and teachers recognise and value the identities, languages and cultures of learners; learner wellbeing is supported through a wide range of providers.
• The school has an embedded and sustained understanding of evaluation for improvement. 

Part B: Where to next? 

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• implement a consistent approach to teaching that responds to individual learning needs across the school so that all learners make expected progress, and those at risk of underachievement make accelerated progress 
• formalise systems to support team leaders to further develop strategic leadership skills which enhance teacher capability for consistent high-quality, evidence-informed teaching to improve learner outcomes
• establish clear expectations for leader and teacher use of te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori in classroom programmes and develop internal capability to lead and embed cultural practices
• increase the number of learners who can clearly and confidently explain how they learn best, their next learning steps and personal successes.

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

Every six months:

• school leaders and teachers closely analyse achievement, progress and attendance information for all learners, to use tailored programmes to accelerate progress and attendance of identified learners 
• school leaders observe classroom practice, provide feedback and coaching about consistent teaching practice to best meet the needs of all learners
• gather student feedback about how they learn best and their understanding of being independent learners, and make adaptations to teaching as required

Annually:

• leaders and teachers analyse achievement and progress data, and other evidence, to know and report on the impact of professional learning on learner outcomes
• teachers engage in targeted professional learning about teaching to meet individuals’ needs
• leaders gather evidence to evaluate outcomes of targeted professional learning and growth of internal capability of te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori 

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

• the agreed approach to intentional learning design consistently used by all teachers; high-quality, evidence-informed teaching for improved learner outcomes for all learners
• increased use of te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori in classroom programmes and internal capability to lead culturally sustainable practice
• learners who can clearly communicate their strengths and needs as an independent learner and show confidence and positivity towards learning
• sustained high rates of 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

23 September 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