Knighton Normal School

The same report — the board assurance report of 27 November 2023 — also sets out actions for compliance: the non-compliance ERO identified during that process. This is that section of the report in full, in ERO’s words.

The board has identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:

authorising an employee who is not a teacher, and who has been trained, to use physical restraint and providing a copy of this authorisation in writing to the employee [s99 Education and Training Act 2020, Education (Physical Restraint) Rules – rule 5]

reporting every incident of physical restraint to the Ministry of Education, completing a staff physical restraint incident report, placing a copy of the form on the student’s file and providing a copy to the student’s parents or caregivers [s99 Education and Training Act 2020, Education (Physical Restraint) Rules – rule 11]

obtaining a Police vet for every person whom the board appoints or intends to appoint to a position at the school before the person’s employment or engagement at the school begins. [s 104 Education and Training Act]

The board has since addressed the areas of non-compliance identified.

Read this board assurance report on ero.govt.nz →

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 674 — 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. November 2019

   720

   Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 16 March 2020

2. August 2016

   663

   Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 31 October 2016

We draw no line between these. Each was counted for its own report, years apart, by a different review team, and a roll moves between reviews for reasons none of these figures record — so the difference between any two of them measures nothing.

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 4 December 2023 — “Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.

Background

This Profile Report was written within two months of the Education Review Office and Knighton Normal 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

Knighton Normal School is located in Hamilton and provides education for students in Years 1 to 6. A new principal was appointed to start in July of 2021. A new associate principal joined the established senior leadership team in 2022. A special feature of the school is the three partial immersion classes in Te Hihiri , which provide learning in te reo Māori Level 2. The school draws from a richly diverse local community and has a long-standing relationship with the University of Waikato supporting initial teacher education.

Knighton Normal School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

to enrich and evolve learning

to engage our community

to implement effective planning for sustainability and growth.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively school programmes and practices are enabling accelerated learning and raising overall levels of achievement in literacy. Increasing rates of regular attendance is an ongoing priority for the school.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

the opportunity it provides to respond to school data to reduce the achievement gap between literacy and mathematics and enable success for all learners

the school’s commitment to supporting student progress by improving attendance and engagement in learning.

The school expects to see improved attendance and increased accelerated learning outcomes that raise school-wide achievement in literacy.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to improve student outcomes in literacy and attendance:

the school’s curriculum, vision and values that promote culturally responsive practices and positive levels of student engagement in learning

teaching and learning programmes that identify and respond to the individual needs of students and prioritise equitable opportunities to learn and succeed

collaborative leadership that promotes inclusivity, celebrates cultural diversity, and contributes to a sense of belonging for students and their whānau .

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

reviewing assessment practice in literacy to enable consistency and reliability of data and further inform targeted action for continuous improvement

strengthening internal evaluation at all levels to support responsive planning and ongoing inquiry into actions to accelerate learning and raise achievement in literacy

continuing to engage with parents and whānau to implement effective strategies to increase rates of regular attendance.

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

27 November 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

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →