Te Kura o Tawatawa - Ridgway 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

​​Te Kura o Tawatawa - Ridgway School​, is in southern Wellington and provides education for Years 1 to 8 learners. A new principal was appointed at the start of 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

• Almost all learners achieve at or above curriculum level expectation in mathematics, and most learners achieve at or above curriculum level expectation in reading and writing; the school has strategies in place to address disparity in achievement for Māori learners in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Some target learners in reading, writing and mathematics make accelerated progress; learners who need to make accelerated progress are clearly identified, tracked and monitored.
• Learners have a strong sense of identity and belonging.
• Most learners attend school regularly; attendance meets the Ministry of Education 2024 targets.

Conditions to support learner success

• Leaders are beginning to plan and coordinate a consistently implemented curriculum to sustain learner engagement.
• Leaders increasingly use relevant expertise to support curriculum development and innovation to provide engaging learning experiences for learners.
• Professional development for teachers is becoming more aligned with strategic goals and achievement targets, focused on enabling evidence-informed teaching, monitoring and responding to learner outcomes.

• Learners have a range of opportunities across the breadth and depth of The New Zealand Curriculum, with an increasingly consistent focus on reading, writing and mathematics.
• Teachers are beginning to use a range of strategies to help learners develop the necessary skills to be independent in their learning.
• Leaders and teachers are starting to use evaluative evidence to plan and implement actions for improved student engagement and sustained attendance.

• Whānau are becoming involved in decision making and their aspirations are more reflected in the curriculum.
• The curriculum increasingly reflects te reo Māori, te ao Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori with a commitment to strengthening consistent schoolwide practices.
• Leadership structures are newly established and leaders are beginning to grow their evaluation capability.

Part B: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

• review, and develop a school-wide curriculum and agreed teaching approach and practices that are consistent, responsive and engaging, integrating te reo Māori, te ao Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori
• reduce the disparity in achievement for Māori learners in reading, writing and mathematics
• engage in further professional learning that aligns with the development and implementation of the curriculum
• increase the numbers of learners who can confidently demonstrate the skills, values and characteristics of independent learners.

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

Every six months:

• analyse progress data and other evidence to measure the impact of professional learning on learner outcomes and report findings to the board to support next steps
• leaders observe classroom practice and provide feedback to teachers to ensure all learners have consistency in learning and they can confidently speak about their learning
• teachers gather and respond to learner voice to measure engagement
• leaders and teachers communicate learner achievement, progress, attendance and engagement with whānau so that they are well informed and involved in their child’s learning.

Annually:

• school leaders and teachers closely analyse attendance, achievement, progress and engagement information to implement and monitor the impact of curriculum delivery, to ensure engagement of all learners
• gather evidence of the integration of te reo Māori, te ao Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori and sustainability in classrooms and school-wide contexts to identify further actions
• review the school’s curriculum, including gathering whānau voice, to inform next steps to ensure engagement and outcomes are improving for all learners.

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

• a cohesive, engaging curriculum, consistently implemented that responds to learner need and addresses disparity for groups of learners
• learners who can confidently demonstrate the skills, values and characteristics of independent learners
• higher levels of learner engagement, improved and sustained levels of attendance and achievement.

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