Te Kura o Tawatawa - Ridgway School

The same report — the board assurance report of 8 November 2024 — 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.

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

received assurance at intervals of not more than six months that a trial evacuation has occurred [Health and Safety at Work Act, 2025]

ensured all board members are eligible to be a board member [Children’s Act 2014, section 31 (1)]

safety checking of workforce: evidence of complete risk assessment [Children’s Act 2014]

provide appropriate career education and guidance for Year 7 & 8 students. [Education and Training Act 2020, section 103]

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 215 — 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. June 2019

   209

   Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 8 October 2019

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 8 November 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

Te Kura o Tawatawa - Ridgway School, is in southern Wellington and provides education for Years 1 to 8 learners. A new principal was appointed at the start of 2024.

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 learners achieve well and make good progress across the curriculum.

Almost all learners achieve at or above curriculum level expectation in mathematics, and most learners achieve at or above curriculum level expectation in reading and writing; the school has strategies in place to address disparity in achievement for Māori learners in reading, writing and mathematics.

Some target learners in reading, writing and mathematics make accelerated progress; learners who need to make accelerated progress are clearly identified, tracked and monitored.

Learners have a strong sense of identity and belonging.

Most learners attend school regularly; attendance meets the Ministry of Education 2024 targets.

Conditions to support learner success

Leadership is taking steps towards setting and working towards improvement-focused goals.

Leaders are beginning to plan and coordinate a consistently implemented curriculum to sustain learner engagement.

Leaders increasingly use relevant expertise to support curriculum development and innovation to provide engaging learning experiences for learners.

Professional development for teachers is becoming more aligned with strategic goals and achievement targets, focused on enabling evidence-informed teaching, monitoring and responding to learner outcomes.

Leaders and teachers are moving towards providing a responsive local curriculum and consistently high quality teaching practices.

Learners have a range of opportunities across the breadth and depth of The New Zealand Curriculum , with an increasingly consistent focus on reading, writing and mathematics.

Teachers are beginning to use a range of strategies to help learners develop the necessary skills to be independent in their learning.

Leaders and teachers are starting to use evaluative evidence to plan and implement actions for improved student engagement and sustained attendance.

School leaders are taking steps to establish and align systems and practices.

Whānau are becoming involved in decision making and their aspirations are more reflected in the curriculum.

The curriculum increasingly reflects t e reo Māori, te ao Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori with a commitment to strengthening consistent schoolwide practices.

Leadership structures are newly established and leaders are beginning to grow their evaluation capability.

Part B: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

review, and develop a school-wide curriculum and agreed teaching approach and practices that are consistent, responsive and engaging, integrating te reo Māori, te ao Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori

reduce the disparity in achievement for Māori learners in reading, writing and mathematics

engage in further professional learning that aligns with the development and implementation of the curriculum

increase the numbers of learners who can confidently demonstrate the skills, values and characteristics of independent learners.

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

Every six months:

analyse progress data and other evidence to measure the impact of professional learning on learner outcomes and report findings to the board to support next steps

leaders observe classroom practice and provide feedback to teachers to ensure all learners have consistency in learning and they can confidently speak about their learning

teachers gather and respond to learner voice to measure engagement

leaders and teachers communicate learner achievement, progress, attendance and engagement with whānau so that they are well informed and involved in their child’s learning.

Annually:

school leaders and teachers closely analyse attendance, achievement, progress and engagement information to implement and monitor the impact of curriculum delivery, to ensure engagement of all learners

gather evidence of the integration of te reo Māori, te ao Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori and sustainability in classrooms and school-wide contexts to identify further actions

review the school’s curriculum, including gathering whānau voice, to inform next steps to ensure engagement and outcomes are improving for all learners.

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

a cohesive, engaging curriculum, consistently implemented that responds to learner need and addresses disparity for groups of learners

learners who can confidently demonstrate the skills, values and characteristics of independent learners

higher levels of learner engagement, improved and sustained levels of attendance and achievement.

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

8 November 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 →