Raumati Beach School 15/07/2011
Raumati Beach School Education Review
1 Context 2
2 Learning 3
3 Curriculum 5
4 Sustainable Performance 6
About the School Location Raumati, Kapiti Coast
Ministry of Education profile 2974 number
School type Full Primary (Years 1 to 8)
Decile [ 1] 9
School roll 623
Gender composition Female 55% Male 45%
Ethnic composition NZ European/Pākehā 70% Māori 16% Other European 9% Pacific 3% Other ethnic groups 2%
Special Features Attached Technology Unit
Satellite Unit of Kapi Mana School, Porirua
Review team on site May 2011
Date of this report 15 July 2011
Most recent ERO report(s) Education Review June 2008
From: http://www.ero.govt.nz/Early-Childhood-School-Reports/School-Reports/Raumati-Beach-School-15-07-2011 © ERO 2010 Page 1 / 8 Raumati Beach School Education Review Report 15/07/2011
Education Review July 2005 Education Review May 2002
The Purpose of an ERO Report The purpose of ERO’s reviews is to give parents and the wider school community assurance about the quality of education that schools provide and their children receive. ERO’s reports are intended to be clear, concise, constructive and evaluative. An ERO school report answers the question “How effectively is this school’s curriculum promoting student learning - engagement, progress and achievement?” Under that overarching question ERO reports on the quality of education and learning outcomes for children and for specific groups of children including Māori students, Pacific students and students with special needs. ERO also reports on the quality of the school’s systems for sustaining and continuing improvements.
This report has been prepared in accordance with standard procedures approved by the Chief Review Officer.
[1] School deciles range from 1 to 10. Decile 1 schools draw their students from low socio-economic communities and at the other end of the range, decile 10 schools draw their students from high socio-economic communities. Deciles are used to provide funding to state and state integrated schools. The lower the school’s decile the more funding it receives. A school’s decile is in no way linked to the quality of education it provides
Disclaimer
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1 Context
From: http://www.ero.govt.nz/Early-Childhood-School-Reports/School-Reports/Raumati-Beach-School-15-07-2011 © ERO 2010 Page 2 / 8 Raumati Beach School Education Review Report 15/07/2011
1 Context What are the important features of this school’s context that have an impact on student learning?
Raumati Beach School (RBS) is a large, full primary school situated on the Kapiti Coast. Its reporting history with ERO indicates steady provision of good quality learning experiences for students. The physical amenities include a technology centre, the staff of which are employees of the RBS board of trustees. These teachers’ roles include service provision to other Kapiti Coast schools. Buildings also accommodate a unit for students with high special needs. This is governed and managed by Kapi Mana School. However, teachers are very much part of mainstream staff development, students wear the RBS uniform and see themselves as belonging to the school.
Since the 2008 ERO review there have been considerable changes in school operation. Leadership is promoted and shared within an open, collaborative and inclusive culture. A school curriculum has been developed to reflect current community aspirations and symbolise the physical features of the area. National Standards are being used. The physical environment has been extensively remodelled to support new ways of working with staff and students. Resources for teaching and learning are of high quality.
The school is a busy, productive place where relationships and interactions are positive and constructive. Students are friendly and happy.
2 Learning
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2 Learning How well are students learning – engaging, progressing and achieving?
Students are highly engaged, industrious learners. Achievement information shows they make steady progress in the assessed aspects of literacy and numeracy. Trend data indicates growth from entry at age five to Year 8. As students move up the school, numbers in the lower achievement bands reduce and overall year-group performance shifts upwards. Professional development in using assessment data for needs-based teaching and learning is contributing to this pattern. Cumulative reading data for students in the 2009 new-entrant group shows that, by early 2011, 96% had reached or exceeded expectation. The planned, continued emphasis on investigating and using data is likely to continue the upward trend and increase the percentage scoring in the highest achievement bands.
Overall student achievement in reading and mathematics/numeracy is very good. RBS students perform above national expectations and norms in the standardised tests used. Writing is not as strong. In 2011 teachers are continuing their learning in effective literacy practice to raise achievement and foster students’ skills for writing confidently across the curriculum.
Assessment understandings and processes are sound. Capability in using achievement information to drive programme planning has been growing over the past three years. Leaders work with their teams in investigating data and catering for diverse needs. Students at risk of underachieving are well supported to improve understanding, skills and achievement through carefully considered assistance. Students showing high ability are suitably challenged across the curriculum. Teachers and leaders monitor individual student learning closely and are quick to notice and respond to emerging patterns or weaknesses. Annual targets reflect data evaluation.
Senior managers and teachers assess and report student achievement in relation to the National Standards. Parents receive plain-language reports twice a year. The first focuses on literacy and numeracy. The end-of-year report covers learning across the curriculum and development related to the specific dispositions and competencies outlined in school curriculum framework. The information parents receive is useful and forms the basis for discussions with the teacher.
Some literacy and numeracy data has yet to be collated and explored to show effectiveness and inform planning. This collation is for writing and to assess the overall impact of special programmes. No technology centre programme information is gathered to gauge levels of student interest, satisfaction and effectiveness.
How well are Māori students learning – engaging, progressing and achieving?
From: http://www.ero.govt.nz/Early-Childhood-School-Reports/School-Reports/Raumati-Beach-School-15-07-2011 © ERO 2010 Page 4 / 8 Raumati Beach School Education Review Report 15/07/2011
The achievement of Māori students is generally at the same level as that of non-Māori peers. The special needs register entries indicate that proportionally fewer Māori students receive learning assistance and almost the same proportion feature in extension or gifted and talented programmes. Māori students are represented in leadership roles and participate with interest in the wide range of curriculum activities.
3 Curriculum
From: http://www.ero.govt.nz/Early-Childhood-School-Reports/School-Reports/Raumati-Beach-School-15-07-2011 © ERO 2010 Page 5 / 8 Raumati Beach School Education Review Report 15/07/2011
3 Curriculum How effectively does this school’s curriculum promote and support student learning?
In the mainstream classrooms students receive a curriculum that is stimulating and responsive to needs and interests. Teachers plan programmes and lessons thoughtfully and teach them well. They are skilful at bringing together the major elements of the school’s curriculum framework to foster key understandings within well planned contexts. Learning strategies and activities are appropriately selected. Students are supported in their work with high quality resources and learning aids and use these independently with confidence. It is evident that progress is being made in achieving the school goal for good use of information and communications technologies as teaching and learning tools.
Technology Centre programmes provide students with experiences in following steps to explore matter or make a product. Plans do not show connections to key RBS curriculum components and contexts. Planning responsively for reinforcing interests and learning should be considered.
Classrooms are well organised and attractively presented. Displays have significance for students. Individuals are able to refer to them when speaking about their work, showing good understanding and ownership of learning and progress. Students are ready to use this knowledge of purpose and success in conversations with peers. This practice is visible in some rooms but it is not yet a consistent feature of assessment with students.
4 Sustainable Performance
From: http://www.ero.govt.nz/Early-Childhood-School-Reports/School-Reports/Raumati-Beach-School-15-07-2011 © ERO 2010 Page 6 / 8 Raumati Beach School Education Review Report 15/07/2011
4 Sustainable Performance How well placed is the school to sustain and improve its performance?
The school is well placed to sustain and improve its performance. There is substantial evidence of:
capable governance and cross-school leadership, including roles fostered among students
clarity and ownership of philosophy, vision and planning for students’ holistic learning and development
collaboratively formed expectations and guidelines for curriculum
a culture of team learning, using research and a range of evidence to guide reflection, monitoring and review
opportunities for the community to express opinions, have input into decision making, and be informed about learning and success.
There is cohesion and coherence across school documents and operation.
Planning for the future is appropriate. It builds on what is going well and targets what should be improved. Next steps are known to the board and staff. Developments are focused around extending curriculum understanding and implementation. This provides opportunity for reviewing the function of the technology centre in serving The New Zealand Curriculum, the RBS curriculum and the associated needs and interests of students. ERO also suggests that the school extend its research-based thinking and action to consideration of strategies known to be effective in promoting success for students identifying as Māori and Pacific.
Board assurance on legal requirements Before the review, the board of trustees and principal of the school completed an ERO Board Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they had taken all reasonable steps to meet their legislative obligations related to:
board administration
curriculum
management of health, safety and welfare
personnel management
financial management
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asset management.
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on students' achievement:
emotional safety of students (including prevention of bullying and sexual harassment)
physical safety of students
teacher registration
stand-downs, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions
attendance.
When is ERO likely to review the school again? ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.
Kathleen Atkins National Manager Review Services Central Region
15 July 2011
From: http://www.ero.govt.nz/Early-Childhood-School-Reports/School-Reports/Raumati-Beach-School-15-07-2011 © ERO 2010 Page 8 / 8