Improving outcomes for our students

At the heart of all learning at Oranga School we hold high expectations that our students will be guided to develop a life-long passion for learning. We foster learning that enables our students to be critical and creative in their thinking, while being caring and connected to others in order to achieve success throughout all stages of their lives. 

Teaching and learning programmes are centred within rich pedagogy that motivates, engages and connects learners for success by creating classroom cultures that foster learning. Our teaching and learning programmes promote wellbeing, cultural responsiveness, and celebrates our diversity.

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Curriculum and Learning Opportunities

All students learn at different rates and bring to school a wide range of learning experiences and rich unique knowledge. We know that students learn best when they can;

• connect their knowledge with new learning

• have a clear understanding of what their personal learning goals are

• talk about what they and have done well

• identify their next learning steps

• plan how they will achieve new learning

The individual needs of our students are met through personalised differentiated learning programmes where teachers work alongside students and provide support and guidance through quality teaching processes.

To ensure our teachers plan for quality teaching and learning programmes, teachers take part in continuous professional learning and development to ensure they are up to date with modern teaching processes. Our teachers work closely together within their Year and Team groups and plan collaboratively to provide students with learning experiences and strategies to develop the skills necessary for lifelong learning.

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Our Curriculum

In the primary school years, achievement within reading, writing and maths are priorities as these develop critical foundation skills that everyone needs in order to be able to be successful throughout life.

 

At Oranga School all of our teaching and learning programmes work within the framework of the New Zealand Curriculum that guides our school curriculum. The New Zealand Curriculum identifies eight essential learning areas which include:

• English (Writing, Reading, Speaking & Listening)

• Mathematics

• Science

• Technology

• Social Sciences

• Learning languages (Te Reo)

• The Arts – Music, Art, Dance and Drama

• Health & Physical Education.

Teachers incorporate all of these curriculum areas into their teaching and learning programmes.

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Inquiry Learning

We use an inquiry approach to integrate the eight curriculum areas into our daily teaching and learning programmes for our students. Inquiry Learning is an active, student-centred pedagogy that enables children to experience the process of knowledge creation. Inquiry Learning is driven by students' curiosity about the world around them. It encourages connection, co-operation, and collaboration.

Each year we have a school wide Inquiry focus which provides pathways for knowledge development and opportunities to solve real life problems. Our students are encouraged to pose relevant questions, seek answers by solving problems together through designing research methods from a range of sources within their communities through shared and authentic learning experiences.

Essentially, Inquiry Learning can be defined as 'seeking for truth, information or knowledge and understanding' and is used in all facets and phases of life. To guide our students through Inquiry Learning we have developed our own inquiry model.

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The Oranga School Inquiry Cycle

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Key Competencies

Your child will develop a range of key competencies that they need to succeed in life.

 

Within the New Zealand Curriculum the key competencies are the capabilities people have, and need to develop, to live and learn today and in the future.

The New Zealand Curriculum identifies five key competencies:

• Thinking

• Relating to others

• Using language, symbols, and texts

• Managing self

• Participating and contributing

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Measuring Learning and Achievement

Using the New Zealand Curriculum and other key documents from the Ministry of Education, we have developed our own progression matrices to support us in making consistent and robust decisions about student learning. Teachers use reading, writing, and mathematics progression matrices to identify strengths and next steps personalised to each student.

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Measuring learning and achievement is on-going throughout the year within teaching and learning programmes.  Teachers use a variety range of approaches to compile a comprehensive profile of progress, areas requiring attention, and what a student’s unique progress looks like. Teachers collate a variety of evidence to form including; observing the process a student uses to complete a learning task, talking with the student to find out what they know, understand and can do, as well as using assessments, including standardised tools. Students use their individual student progressions to self-monitor their learning and with their teachers they identify areas for their next immediate learning steps and how they can achieve them.

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Latest ERO Report

You can read our latest and previous ERO reports here.

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