Rangiora New Life 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

Rangiora New Life School is a co-educational school located in Rangiora and caters for students in Years 1 to 13. The school’s Christian character guides teaching and learning.

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

The school agreed in 2021 to evaluate the extent to which internal evaluation supports school processes and practices that lead to excellence and equity in student achievement outcomes.

Expected Improvements and Findings

The school expected to see:

• Consistent and coherent assessment and teacher practice across the primary and secondary school.
• Consistency in teacher practice across the primary and secondary parts of the school is reflected in high retention and ease of transition throughout the school.
   
• School self-review processes that are robust, comprehensive and contribute effectively to a continuous process of school improvement.
  • Processes for ensuring the quality, consistency and coherence of the school’s curriculum, assessment and student engagement have been strengthened.
  • Shifts in practice include closer monitoring of targets to increase learners’ attendance, engagement, progress, achievement, and Māori student success.
  • The school consistently uses internal evaluation processes to support improving outcomes for students.

Other Findings

The greatest shift that occurred in response to the school’s actions is the embedding of consistent monitoring and tracking of students who are at risk of not achieving at expected levels and supporting their acceleration through intentional teacher practice.

Part B: Current State

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

Learner Success and Wellbeing

Most students are engaged in learning, make positive progress, and achieve at the appropriate curriculum level.

• Positive, upward trajectories in progress and achievement outcomes for students in Year 1 to 10 are evident; attendance rates are high.
• Almost all students achieve the literacy and numeracy requirements for NCEA. The NCEA level 1 and 2 results are above national averages. Girls achieve NCEA at a higher rate than boys in levels 1 to 3 and University Entrance results could be improved. These areas are identified by the school as a priority for improvement.
• Students with additional learning needs are effectively supported to achieve their goals.
• Learners experience a school learning climate that is positive and underpinned by a schoolwide commitment to respectful relationships, pastoral care, and special character enhancement.

Conditions to support learner success

School leadership collaboratively develops and pursues the school’s vision, goals and targets for high and improved student outcomes and uses a range of evaluative evidence for the purpose of reviewing strategies for school improvement.

• Annual curriculum reviews and analysis of achievement data are regularly used to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching practice and are linked to the identification of next steps and teacher professional development to improve teaching and learning.
• School governance decisions, and an experienced learning support team provide support for students with additional learning needs to participate in the curriculum.
• The school’s special character and values continue to provide a strong foundation for leading teaching and learning.

Regular curriculum reviews support teachers to use innovative strategies to engage students in relevant learning contexts.

• Students have access to a rich, regularly reviewed curriculum which reflects Christian and local contexts.
• The outcomes of curriculum reviews and alignment with schoolwide professional development continues to promote effective practices for teaching and learning.
• Trustees receive regular reports on student progress and achievement that supports decision making for resourcing and improvement.

The school has effective systems, structures and practices to bring about success and improvement over time.

• Consistently aligned practices and systems across the junior and senior school support teaching and learning and promote collaboration.
• A collaborative transition approach, supported by sharing of student data and wellbeing information as learners progress through the school, has led to a high retention between the primary and secondary parts of the school.
• Strong partnerships with other schools, Kāhui Ako, Area Schools, Christian Schools, and the wider North Canterbury community enhance teaching programmes and teacher practice.

C: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• continue to identify target students, maintain the focus on accelerating learning, and monitor and address equity in NCEA results
• strengthen students’ connection with the special character of the school to continue to promote student engagement, attendance, achievement and wellbeing
• create pathways and connections with whānau and family to greater equip, encourage, and engage students in acting as tuakana tēina to further support student wellbeing
• continue with planned initiatives and evaluate these in an ongoing way to proactively respond to learner needs.

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

Within six months:

• consult with Māori and Pacific families on a one-to-one basis and in a hui setting to continue the focus on identifying, supporting and implementing responsive practices
• strengthen schoolwide data informed practices to support student wellbeing and attendance. 

Every six months:

• collect and monitor data to further support effective and consistent teaching practices, assessment for learning, student wellbeing and high student outcomes across the primary and secondary school.

Annually:

• leaders and staff, track and monitor the progress of each NCEA student towards reaching their agreed goals
• engage with whānau, families and mana whenua to ensure partnerships for developing programmes in te reo Māori, tikanga Māori, and the local curriculum and incorporate te reo Māori and tikanga Māori into teaching programmes.

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

• high levels of student wellbeing and attendance supported by responsive practice, and strengthened relationships with whānau and mana whenua
• te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and Mātauranga Māori is incorporated daily into teaching programmes
• iterative data informed teaching practices that promote continuous improvement in student outcomes.

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 May 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