Kirwee Model School

The roll ERO recorded, and when

ERO writes a roll into each report it publishes: a count taken for that report, on the day shown, by the review team that was there. The Ministry of Education’s current roll for this school is 145 — the figure at the top of this page, and the one to use for how big the school is now. These are a different measurement by a different body, so they will rarely agree, and a difference between them is not a change in the school.

1. July 2018

   141

   Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 24 August 2018

This is one count taken for one report. It says what the roll was on that day, and nothing about how the roll has moved.

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 2 October 2024 — “School Evaluation Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.

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

Kirwee Model School provides for learners from Years 1 to 6 in the mid-Canterbury, Selwyn District. Mana whenua have gifted the name, Te Kura Tītoki . The school’s vision focuses on growing meaningful relationships, positive choices and a connected community.

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 of September 2022, the school has been evaluating how students’ wellbeing and learning benefit from a focus on building educationally powerful connections and relationships.

Expected Improvements and Findings

The school expected to see:

Responsive teaching practices and enhanced connections with whānau and families that support equity in wellbeing and achievement, particularly for boys’ engagement in learning.

Most boys are now engaged well in learning; their achievement in reading has increased as a result.

A ‘knowing the learner’ focus increasingly guides teachers to provide engaging literacy learning contexts.

Students regularly share their learning and achievements with their families via a digital platform.

The result of targeted professional development for teachers is a structured approach to teaching and learning in reading and writing.

Guiding documents that define and promote shared expectations for quality literacy practices, underpinned by current research and informed by staff, student, whānau and parent perspectives.

Leaders have continued to build clear connections between the curriculum and the school’s vision and values; the values have been unpacked collaboratively with staff to enrich a ‘discovery learning’ approach.

Leaders and staff maintain a strong focus on students’ developing literacy skills and knowledge and these are applied across the curriculum.

Whānau and parent connection to curriculum development is well-considered, fostered via newsletters and meetings so that a shared language of learning can be used at home and at school.

Other Findings

During the course of the evaluation, data analysis identified opportunities to promote accelerated progress for boys’ writing.

The greatest shift that occurred in response to the school’s action is the introduction of wellbeing surveys to hear student feedback and include their perspectives into decision making.

Part B: Current State

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

Learner Success and Wellbeing

Most students confidently participate in learning, make sustained progress and achieve well.

By the end of Year 6, almost all students achieve at expected levels in mathematics and most achieve at expected levels in reading and writing.

Strengthened teaching practices have supported the majority of Māori students to now achieve at expectations for writing, and a larger majority to achieve in reading and mathematics; ongoing improvement in teaching practice is a strategic focus.

Wellbeing data shows students’ have a strong sense of belonging; they are taught specific strategies to manage their feelings and emotions, build resilience and enact the school values.

Attendance data shows a small majority of students attend regularly; leaders identify there is more to do to further reduce absences and meet the Ministry of Education target for regular attendance.

Responsive leadership sets meaningful goals and targets and foster an improvement-focused culture.

Leaders have strengthened the school values through community consultation, that guide a positive school culture and help develop relational teaching approaches.

The senior leadership team make good use of research to grow high quality teaching practices across the school, that formalises a consistent approach to teaching reading and writing.

Leaders have implemented focused observations of classroom practice and provide feedback to teachers that promote enhanced teaching and learning outcomes.

Teaching approaches increasingly respond to students’ many different needs, interests and experiences.

Students benefit from collaborative teaching strategies that foster discovery learning, individualised planning and teaching assists learners with specific needs to successfully engage with the curriculum.

Targeted professional development supports successful implementation of new programmes and initiatives, focused on staff embedding explicit, affirming and responsive teaching practices.

Leaders continue to adapt and refine the local curriculum in response to research and best practice models; they increasingly use data that incorporates student and whānau perspectives.

Proactive schoolwide processes of reflection and review sustain and grow effective practices.

The strong alignment of the strategic vision, values, direction and goals provide a sound basis for guiding school improvement.

Trustees and leaders have set deliberate goals and actions to strengthen partnerships for learning with whānau and families, including with mana whenua .

Leaders’ evaluation capability in the school is growing and they are exploring ways to strengthen teachers use of data for responsive practice.

The board continues to broaden their understanding of governance roles and responsibilities, including accessing training with external facilitators; further strengthening internal review processes is likely to support ongoing improvement.

Part C: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

continue to review, refine and evolve the school’s curriculum with student and community input

explore additional strategies to promote regular attendance

prioritise accelerated progress for Māori students through enhanced teaching and learning practices, and partnership with whānau Māori

further grow and embed explicit, structured teaching approaches to accelerate the progress of those students not yet achieving at expectations in reading, writing and mathematics.

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

Within three months:

observe and analyse teaching across the school, offering personalised feedback and next steps for staff

continue to engage with mana whenua to discuss and plan the developing curriculum

refine strategies for supporting regular attendance.

Every six months:

gather and discuss student feedback on teaching and learning to inform improved teaching practices

continue to engage with whānau Māori and mana whenua to discuss curriculum development and partnership strategies that enhance equity in student outcomes

staff regularly collaborate to discuss improved practice and to analyse shifts in attendance and achievement data.

Annually:

engage with whānau and families, using their perspectives to enhance curriculum, teaching and learning, and in strategic decision-making

evaluate improvements in attendance and achievement to refine action planning

report to the community on schoolwide achievement and accelerated progress for groups of students.

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

improved attendance and achievement and equity in reading, writing and mathematics

teachers and leaders using data and feedback to collaboratively monitor, track and evaluate the impact of teaching adaptations on learning

a robust curriculum that guides effective teaching and learning, and upholds the school’s commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi

strong partnership with whānau and families, and mana whenua , to develop and enact the curriculum.

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

2 October 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

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →