Papakowhai School is a great school!

Dear Parents/Caregivers

Papakowhai School is a great school!

Education Minister, Hekia Parata, visited Papakowhai School yesterday. The Minister had a brief window in her diary and asked Murray Williams, Regional Director MOE, for a good school to visit in the Porirua area.

We talked together about the high levels of achievement at Papakowhai, the transformational shift we have made with digital learning over the last 3 years and the professional development we are doing in writing that is seeing improvements in outcomes for our children. We also talked about the challenges of roll growth from Aotea. The Minister was particularly interested to hear about this and assured us that she would keep in touch and closely monitor how this was being managed.

The Minister also visited Kauri block and talked to children in our 3 BYOD classes. She was very impressed with the high levels of student engagement, the focus on learning and the confidence of the children to talk about what they were learning. It was a very positive visit.

We have also just received our very positive ERO report. This will be online to view on the ERO website in about a week’s time. Some of the headline quotes are:

·         Areas for review and development identified in the 2011 review have been purposefully progressed

·         Assessment involves comprehensive collection of data

·         Priorities to support achievement in 2014 have been identified

·         Most students achieved at or above in relation to the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics

·         Maori students made considerable progress in 2013. Pacific students achieve successful National Standard outcomes.

·         Parents are well informed about student progress and achievement

·         Students experience positive outcomes through their participation in the Papakowhai School curriculum

·         [There are] supportive and affirming relationships between teachers, parents, students and their peers

·         Students have a strong sense of belonging to the school

·         Senior leaders have a clear understanding of the effectiveness of teaching practice. Students are suitably engaged in the classroom. Examples of effective teaching practice clearly motivate student interest, match their assessed needs and demonstrate the effective strategies contained in the school’s curriculum statements.

·         Positive actions have occurred since the previous ERO report to support the inclusion of culturally responsive practice for Maori learners

·         Papakowhai School is well placed to strengthen its self-review and evaluation practice to sustain and improve its practice

·         No issues of compliance were identified

Kind regards

Mark Smith