Te Kura o te Tauawa Halswell 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 te Tauawa Halswell School is located in Christchurch and provides education for students in Years 1 to 8. Their vision, ‘learning to thrive’, recognises the integral relationship between academic achievement and wellbeing. The school values of ‘Manaakitanga, Kotahitanga, Manawanuitanga, Kaitiakitanga and Whanaungatanga’, are the foundation of their approach.

There are three parts to this report.

Part A: A summary of the findings from the most recent Education Review Office (ERO) report and/or subsequent evaluation.

Part B: 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 C: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle.

Part A: Previous Improvement Goals

Since the previous ERO report in August 2022, the school and ERO have worked together to evaluate the extent to which the implementation of a schoolwide, positive education programme, improved the wellbeing and engagement of all learners.

Expected Improvements and Findings

The school expected to see:

A continued strengthening of progress and achievement for boys in writing, Pacific, Middle Eastern, Latin American and African students.

• Middle Eastern, Latin American and African (MELAA) students now achieve at the same level as other groups of students in the school.
• Analysis of schoolwide progress and achievement information continues to show a disparity for Pacific students in writing compared to other groups of students. The school has an appropriate range of effective teaching practices and learning support in place for these students.
• There is increasing parity of outcomes in writing between boys and girls.

A continued strengthening of engagement, wellbeing and positive outcomes for learners.

• The student well-being data collected across the school has improved overall; analysis of data collected as part of the PB4L programme has shown a positive shift in student behaviour.
• Students participate and learn in caring, collaborative, inclusive learning communities.

A continued strengthening of staff wellbeing and job satisfaction.

• New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) workplace survey data and regular wellbeing surveys show high levels of staff well-being and job satisfaction.
• Leadership ensures an orderly and supportive environment that is conducive to student learning and staff wellbeing.

Other Findings

The greatest shift that occurred in response to the school’s action has been eliminating disparity for current MELAA learners in reading, writing, and mathematics. 

Part B: Current State

The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.

Learner Success and Wellbeing

Wellbeing and achievement outcomes are high and sustained

• Most students achieve at or above curriculum expectations in reading, writing and mathematics.
• The school continues to work on improving parity between groups of learners including boys in writing, and Māori and Pacific students in reading, writing and mathematics.
• The school is meeting all Ministry of Education targets for attendance in 2024; a large majority of students attend school regularly.

Conditions to support learner success

A highly collaborative leadership team guides and realises continuous improvement in learning outcomes.

• Action plans include focused and comprehensive learning priorities for teachers, that supports the strengthening of teaching and learning practices.
• Student achievement, wellbeing and attendance data are regularly analysed by teachers and leaders to identify areas of concern and to plan for improvement.
• Leadership consistently prioritises and plans for school improvement and for equitable and excellent outcomes, with a consistent focus on priority learners; outcomes for students at risk of not achieving are carefully tracked and monitored to determine the effectiveness of interventions.

Students see themselves, their identity and culture in a school curriculum that increasingly reflects local contexts. 

• Leaders and teachers are increasingly adapting teaching approaches to achieve more equitable outcomes for all learners.
• Teaching practices are relational and affirming, teachers consistently create a positive learning environment where respect, inclusion, empathy and safety are ongoing priorities.
• Leaders and teachers identify the learning needs of students and adapt teaching approaches to achieve more equitable outcomes for all learners.

Key organisational conditions that support learners’ success are well established.

• Strong and embedded evaluation practices guide continuous improvement.
• Strategically aligned professional development that is focused and in-depth supports the growth of teaching capability.
• Teachers and leaders identify the need to strengthen staff and students’ use of te reo Māori across the curriculum; ERO’s evaluation affirms this.
• A strong, strategically aligned focus schoolwide is improving wellbeing and engagement for students, staff and whānau.

Part C: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

• prioritise strategies that improve to strengthen teaching practices in literacy and numeracy for equitable outcomes in writing and mathematics for Māori and Pacific students, and for boys in writing
• ensure that all learners are consistently learning te reo Māori by developing a clear scope and sequence plan in line with Poutama Reo.

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

Within six months:

• complete an in-depth analysis of Māori and Pacific students’ needs, to more clearly identify barriers to learning and plan for improved outcomes
• access professional development in the science of mathematics and English learning to create shared expectations for consistent teaching
• establish baseline information and planning for teachers, leaders, and learners regarding Te Reo Māori progressions as set out in Poutama Reo

Every six months:

• leaders alongside staff, analyse student attendance, progress and achievement information in reading, writing and mathematics, and identify modifications for improvement; report to the board for feedback
• staff take planned action in response to emerging trends, with particular attention to those learners at risk of not achieving
• monitor target learners’ achievement and progress in relation to the tailored support they are receiving and take planned action in response to emerging trends

Annually:

• evaluate progress made in te reo Māori teaching and learning and identify the next steps using appropriate progressive frameworks
• analyse student achievement and attendance data to evaluate the impact of the change in teaching practice on students’ learning and take planned actions in response to emerging trends
• implement and review agreed effective teaching and learning approaches for English and mathematics.

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

• students and teachers participating in a progressive te reo Māori programme and building their te reo Māori capability 
• teacher practices that result in continued improvement in parity, particularly for Māori and Pacific learners in reading, writing and mathematics, and boys in writing
• continued improvement in engagement and wellbeing for all students
• improved and sustained high levels of achievement and 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

11 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