Ponatahi Christian 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 

Ponatahi Christian School is based in Carterton, Wairarapa. It provides education for students in Years 1 to 13, in a special character environment. An acting principal was appointed at the start of 2024 to lead the school, together with the senior leadership team members, while the board carry out a recruitment and appointment process for a new principal.

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 senior students achieve well in National Certificate of Education Achievement (NCEA) Levels 2 and 3 (Level 1 NCEA is not offered); lifting engagement and achievement in external achievement standards is a priority.
• Most learners in Years 1 to 8 achieve at or above expected curriculum levels in literacy and mathematics; for Years 9 and 10, progress and achievement information is limited and not fully used.
• Leaders have developed and implemented a ‘Positive Behaviour Framework’ and this is beginning to have a beneficial impact on learner wellbeing and engagement.
• Regular attendance is higher than the Ministry of Education 2024 target.

Conditions to support learner success

• Leaders are beginning to set evidence-informed improvement goals and targets and action to improve student outcomes. 
• Leaders are starting to develop a more structured and coordinated curriculum, including clearly understood expectations for high-quality teaching.
• Leaders are beginning to build educationally-focused relationships with other education providers to support learner transitions and increase opportunities for learning and success.

• Learners have opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of The New Zealand Curriculum.
• The curriculum is beginning to reflect local contexts so that learners see themselves in their learning.
• Appropriate assessment information is beginning to be used to plan for, adapt teaching practice and report the progress and achievement of each learner.

• Leaders are beginning to use relevant internal and external expertise, including networking with other schools, to support capability building, improvement and innovation.
• Leaders and teachers are strengthening programmes and practices to promote learners’ wellbeing and engagement in learning. 
• The board represents, serves, and works with the school community to develop the school’s vision, values, strategic direction, improvement priorities and goals related to learner wellbeing, achievement and progress. 
• Leaders and teachers are beginning to understand their commitment to tangata whenuatanga and Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership.

Part B: Where to next? 

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• decide on and use assessment information for Years 9 and 10, that will give learners and their families an accurate picture of how well students progress and achieve and that they are set up for success in national qualifications
• develop a curriculum and strengthen teaching and learning to motivate, engage and meet the learning needs of all students; and that improves learner achievement and progress in literacy and numeracy, particularly those learners identified as at risk of underachievement
• raise the level of teachers’ and students’ expectations for attainment in external achievement standards in NCEA Levels 2 and 3
• continue to engage in learning about positive behaviour for learning, to ensure clarity about expected student behaviour, and build teacher and student confidence in restorative and relational responses to behaviour.  

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

Within six months:

• begin a review of Years 9 to 13 curriculum so that it provides a breadth of learning pathways aligned with learners' talents, interests and learning needs; Year 9 and 10 curriculum and assessment review will have an immediate focus on literacy and numeracy 
• school leaders and teachers carry out closer analysis of attendance, literacy, mathematics, NCEA achievement and progress data, and use information to plan actions for groups of students who are at risk of underachievement
• develop and introduce structured, and regular opportunities, for learners to provide feedback to school leaders about teaching and learning, curriculum and wellbeing 
• with staff and students, clarify the role of the wellbeing leader and develop and use a tailored student wellbeing survey that is relevant to their Years 1 to 13 school. 

Within a year:

• Years 9 and 10 literacy and numeracy assessments in place and yielding information that informs: responsive planning for targeted learning; students and parents about progress and achievement; reporting to the board for informed resource decision making
• Years 11 – 13 curriculum reflects changes made to meet the needs of all students, engage them and encourage them to aim for academic excellence 
• gauge the shift in engagement and lifted aspirations that staff and the senior students have, for realising learners’ potential and personal excellence within the qualifications they gain 
• teachers and students consistently use positive behaviour for learning strategies to foster positive learning relationships that demonstrate the core values of respect, diligence, integrity, fellowship and kindness.

Annually:

• analyse and use for all year levels, attendance, literacy, mathematics, NCEA achievement and progress data, and use the information to plan actions for groups of students, with attention to those at risk of underachievement
• analyse and use student feedback about teaching and learning, curriculum and wellbeing to inform next steps for addressing student wellbeing and learning, responding to learner goals
• analyse wellbeing and behavioural data, and other evidence, to know the impact of initiatives (behaviour framework, curriculum developments) and professional learning on learner outcomes and to know what is working and for who and make adjustments
• gather teacher voice about the quality of the professional learning and the impact on teaching practice; use this evidence to clearly identify next steps to enhance teacher confidence and practice.

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

• a broadened curriculum that motivates, engages and meets the learning needs of all students
• improved learner outcomes at all levels, with an increased percentage of learners gaining better results in NCEA external achievement standards, an increased percentage of students achieving at or above curriculum expectation in reading, writing and mathematics, and accelerated progress for students at risk of underachievement
• an embedded and sustained ‘Positive Behaviour Framework’, underpinned by well-aligned systems, structures and practices that supports improved wellbeing and achievement outcomes for learners.

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

13 August 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