2024 Highlights, Celebrations and Next Steps for 2025

This document supports the Highlights and Celebrations 2024 page with the colorful images and information on it, providing more details. 

These are just some of our celebrations for the 2024 year. Like all schools, we continually look for ways we can improve. 

This document also links to some of our next steps in areas identified for improvement.

This document is a high level overview of achievement only.

Staff spend a significant amount of time looking at individual student achievement data, groups and larger cohorts such as year levels throughout the year.  They analyse what is working well and what areas need future focus. All teachers have specific target groups in their learning communities.

We celebrate our many ethnicities at OPS - we currently have well over 40. We acknowledge that within each of the Ministry of Education identified ethnic groups (Asian, Māori, Middle Eastern, Latin American/African, NZ European/Pakeha/Other, European, Pacific), there are many unique groups of ākonga.

 We recognise that in reality each ākonga may identify  themselves as being multiple ethnicities.

2024 School Achievement and Progress Data 

We share with whānau during the year information about their individual child’s learning.

The information below refers to the whole school or groups within our school.

‘Within the expected level’ refers to the New Zealand Curriculum level each ākonga should be learning and achieving at.

The 2024 achievement data was based on 463 ākonga, including ākonga with additional needs and English Language Learners.

Increased Achievement from 2023 to 2024

Overall achievement increased in Reading, Writing and Maths between 2023 and 2024.

To get this shift, there had to be accelerated progress ( more than a year’s learning/progress in a school calendar year) made by ākonga who were working below the expected level.

Expected and Accelerated progress

Our focus is ākonga making the expected progress of one year’s learning and progress each calendar year. This data excludes students who have not completed a school year or enrolled at OPS from Term 3.

When ākonga are learning below their expected level we aim for them to make accelerated progress - more than a year’s learning/progress in a school calendar year.

2024 Achievement and Progress Data Based on Gender 

This data achievement based on gender. 

2024 Achievement and Progress Data Based on Ethnicity 

This data shows that there are differences in achievement between ethnic groups. Part of our planning within our 2024 - 2025 Strategic Plans aims to address this - see more below.

Next Curriculum Steps

We will continue to focus on individuals and groups of ākonga (learners) who are not yet achieving at the expected level. While equity in achievement in different ethnic group is increasing, we need this to be an ongoing focus. Our staff identify and where possible minimise any of the many factors which impact achievement.

With a new ‘English’ and ‘Mathematics and Statistics’ curriculum now mandated by the government, these have to become our major focus areas in 2025. 

Our professional learning in Literacy from 2024 continues into 2025 with a focus on Spelling and Reading.

Our teachers have already started to use the new Maths curriculum. Not all aspects of the Maths curriculum have been finalised, however our staff will continue to work with what is available and respond as new information becomes available.

EPIC will continue to be a focus for our staff each year. We will continue to reflect and develop our understanding and resources to support staff.

Our Onehunga Primary School Strategic Plan 2024 - 2025 reflects groups of ākonga within our school who are not yet making the progress they should be. There is a specific focus on Māori and Pacific ākonga’s learning. 

Each year we develop an ‘Annual Implementation Plan’ which sets out how we are going to achieve the goals in our Strategic Plan. It’s a working document which a number of staff add to over a year.  You can see updates of our 2025 Annual Implementation Plan progress once a term on the Board of Trustees section of our OPS Website.

Highlights and Celebrations 

EPIC Environment

Our research based OPS principles support an Emotional, Physical and Intellectually Challenging Environment.  We believe that an EPIC environment supports wellbeing, learning and achievement and encourages attendance.

Every year we will build on our understanding and implementation of EPIC.

In 2024 we …

• Reviewed the concepts from a cultural responsiveness and made changes to ensure this was an integral part of EPIC rather than just inferred.

• Focused on building skills in collaboration for both kaiako and ākonga

You can find out more on our website

Attendance

In addition to our overall student achievement increasing, our focus to support and promote attendance was successful.

An increase of 9% of ākonga attending regularly - that’s approximately 40 more children attending over 90% of the time - missing fewer than 5 days across a term

Literacy Learning - Ākonga and Kaiako

Literacy Development - Structured Literacy Using the ‘Ideal Approach’ was one of our main focus areas in 2024. While the focus was ‘spelling’, we also saw a positive impact in reading and writing. 

Te Tiriti o Waitangi

A strong commitment from staff to grow their understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi to demonstrate commitment to tangata whenuatanga and Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership in the learning environment.

We worked with Dawn from Poutama Pounamu, deepening our understanding of Māori Metaphors and how these are connected to everything we do.

We have, and will continue our focus on

• actively worked to ensure that our plans, policies, and local curriculum reflect local tikanga Māori, mātauranga Māori, and te ao Māori.

• increased instruction available in te reo Māori and tikanga Māori.

• achieved some more equitable outcomes for Māori students  - see Ethnicity achievement

We are seeing more Te Tiriti o Waitangi  principles woven through all aspects of learning - with strong evidence in Inquiry Learning

• te reo Māori - Māori Language

• tikanga Māori - correct procedure, custom, habit, lore, method, manner, rule, way, code, meaning, plan, practice, convention, protocol - the customary system of values and practices that have developed over time and are deeply embedded in the social context . - Te Aka Māori Dictionary

• mātauranga Māori - Māori knowledge - the body of knowledge originating from Māori ancestors, including the Māori world view and perspectives, Māori creativity and cultural practices. - Te Aka Māori Dictionary

• te ao Māori. - the Māori world

Building  Relationships

Strong relationships focused on respect, understanding and learning play an important part of our school.

An increasing number of whānau involved with learning and our school…

• Grandparent and friends’ day started again with a very good turn out - a great way to connect with wider whānau and value the wisdom and experiences they share.

• Whānau engagement in sharing experiences and understandings as part of learning. 

• Whānau engagement in planning and being part of language weeks.

• High number of whānau involved with reporting and connecting events

Education Outside The Classroom (Year 5 & 6 Camp)

A very successful camp experience for a large group of 5 classes of Year 5 and 6 ākonga, staff and whānau

Many outdoor experiences which could not occur at school

All ākonga supported through challenges - physical, emotional, relational etc

A huge effort to find ways to support as many ākonga as possible to attend. All ākonga supported by ‘Village’ - adult camp volunteers, staff and other ākonga

Amazing fundraising support occurred prior to camp to ensure exciting and challenging camp experiences.

Friends of the School (FOTS)

Fundraising in 2024 supported OPS in a number of ways. The was a range of ‘fund’ and ‘fun’ - raisers over 2024 including discos, calendar art, Friday ice blocks, Mini Fair and fundraising lunches

• Grant applications made a significant contribution to our school and its operation - in particular our major 2024 project a Sports and PE shed.

• Our Local Four Square supported with ‘fundraising lunches’ and a discount code which raised money for books.

• Our big focus was a brand new Sports and PE Shed with funds raised from Beats By Bingo, our Colour Fun Run, and grant applications 

FOTS also supported with every Year 6 going to National Young Leaders Day, the Road Patrols going to  Rainbows End as a thank you, and supported with some ākonga attending school camp.

Leadership Development 

•  A strong focus on developing leadership in an increasing  number of staff 

• We have continued to focus on our leaders focusing on two key areas…

  • Delivering  an aligned result - across the Learning Community and school

  • Ensuring the success of those we lead.

• The start of a Learning Leader special project year - The Learning Leader focuses on a specific project or inquiry linked to our Strategic Plan for the year and another leader leads the Learning Community.