Leithfield School Te Kura o Kowai

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 6 months of the Education Review Office and Leithfield 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

Leithfield School is located in North Canterbury and provides education for students in years 1 to 8. The current principal was appointed in 2021. The school’s name ‘Te Kura o Kōwai’ and associated narrative has been gifted by mana whenua Ngāi Tūāhuriri. A recently completed building project provides flexible learning spaces, named to reflect the cultural narrative. Learning is supported by the school’s RISE values: Respect, Involvement, Self-management, Excellence.

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

• Ako - refine our local curriculum so that it is responsive to the needs of all ākonga

• Whanaungatanga - maintain authentic positive relationships to enhance learning and wellbeing

• Kaitiakitanga - empower ākonga to preserve and protect our people, culture and environment.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the impact of the school’s continual improvement strategies, including strengthening approaches to schoolwide literacy, for equity and excellence for all learners.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

• the school, with its community, has a renewed vision and strategic direction for continual improvement in teaching and learning, inclusive practices and sustainability

• leaders have identified a school wide approach to literacy teaching and learning as a priority.

The school expects to see evaluation used consistently and collaboratively to inform and support equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to build the use of evaluation to support targeted improvements in learner outcomes:

• its undertaking to provide professional learning for all staff in building competency in the use and teaching of te reo Māori at appropriate levels and progressions

• teachers’ use of collaborative practices and shared moderation to support the teaching and learning of all students, and to know the impact of these strategies

• embedded conditions and practices that promote wellbeing and enhance outcomes for learners

• leadership collaboratively enacts the vision and values and refines improvement priorities to promote equitable and excellent outcomes.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• building collective capacity (by leaders, teachers, students and whānau) to do and use evaluation for improvement and innovation, especially in strengthening literacy outcomes

• refining its curriculum provision to refresh and strengthen responsiveness to its cultural narrative and community aspirations.

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

7 June 2023

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