"Inspiring Future Stars"
Curriculum Plan
January 2010 Version
Curriculum PrinciplesDevelopment of Key Competencies
The Khandallah School Curriculum describes how we will give effect to the NZ Curriculum. It is a living document which will evolve over time as we learn more about effective teaching and respond to the needs and aspirations of our students and community.
The Khandallah School Curriculum is seen in the interpretation of this plan within classrooms. The plan allows teachers and teaching teams to make interpretations based on their students’ needs and interests.
(foundations for curriculum decision-making)
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The Khandallah School Curriculum is underpinned by and consistent with the principles in the NZ Curriculum |
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New Zealand Curriculum Our curriculum is consistent with the NZ Curriculum |
Khandallah School Curriculum Our curriculum practice is underpinned by and consistent with the NZ Curriculum through performing the following actions. |
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High Expectations The curriculum supports and empowers all students to learn and achieve personal excellence, regardless of their individual circumstances. |
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Learning to Learn The curriculum encourages all students to reflect on their own learning processes and to learn how to learn. |
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Treaty of Waitangi The curriculum acknowledges the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and the bicultural foundations of Aotearoa New Zealand. All students have the opportunity to acquire knowledge of te reo Māori me ōna tikanga. |
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Community Engagement The curriculum has meaning for students, connects with their wider lives and engages the support of their families, whānau, and communities. |
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Cultural Diversity The curriculum reflects New Zealand’s cultural diversity and values the histories and traditions of all it’s people. |
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Coherence The curriculum offers all students a broad education that makes links within and across learning areas, provides for coherent transitions, and opens up pathways to further learning. |
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Inclusion The curriculum is non-sexist, non-racist, and non discriminatory; it ensures that students’ identities, languages, abilities and talents are recognised and affirmed and that their learning needs are addressed. |
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Future Focus The curriculum encourages students to look to the future by exploring such significant future-focused issues as sustainability, citizenship, enterprise and globalisation. |
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The Khandallah School Curriculum is underpinned by and consistent with the vision in the NZ Curriculum |
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New Zealand Curriculum Our vision is consistent with the NZ Curriculum |
Khandallah School Curriculum Our curriculum design is underpinned by our Mission, Vision and Strategic Goals |
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Confident Positive in their own identify Motivated and reliable Resourceful Enterprising and entrepreneurial Resilient
Connected Able to relate well to others Effective users of communication tools Connected to the land and environment Members of communities International citizens
Actively Involved Participants in a range of life contexts Contributors to the wellbeing of New Zealand – social, cultural, economic and environmental
Lifelong learners Literate and numerate Critical and creative thinkers Active seekers, users, and creators of knowledge Informed decision-makers |
Mission
Vision
Charter Goals
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(beliefs about what is important)
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The Khandallah School Curriculum is underpinned by and consistent with the values in the NZ Curriculum |
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New Zealand Curriculum Our values are consistent with the NZ Curriculum |
Khandallah School Curriculum Our curriculum design is underpinned by our values to be encouraged, modelled and explored. |
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Excellence By aiming high and persevering in the face of difficulties Innovation, inquiry and curiosity By thinking critically, creatively and reflectively Diversity As found in our different cultures, languages, and heritages Equity Through fairness and social justice Community and participation For the common good Ecological sustainability Which includes care for the environment Integrity Which involves being honest, responsible, and accountable and acting ethically Respect for self, others and human rights |
Excellence Cultural diversity Celebrating the multi-cultural nature of our school and importance of New Zealand’s bicultural community Success for all Striving for each individual to achieve to their fullest potential. Partnership Recognising the power of working together. Ecological sustainability Valuing the world we live in and recognising that we can make a difference Passion Enjoyment, energy and drive, creating a vibrant environment in which to learn, work and grow. People Recognising the value of our people Treating each other with respect, honesty and integrity. Innovation |
Teaching Practices which show how we model these values
 | Teachers will inquire into our practice and take the necessary steps to bring about excellence. |
| Teachers will be empathetic and encouraging, have high yet realistic expectations, acknowledge achievement. |
| Teachers will be welcoming, warm and friendly, accepting of all, effective listeners and communicators, valuing all ideas and people so we can all work together. |
| Teachers will be dedicated, motivated and believe that each student can reach his or her full potential. |
| Teachers will be positive practitioners who respect the values and ideas of all people in our school community. |
| Teachers will be environmentally aware, proud of our surroundings, model desired behaviours and attitudes. |
| Teachers will be diverse in our own teaching and values to enable us to cater for a range of cultural and social backgrounds. |
| Teachers will be motivated, continually questioning and self reflecting. |
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The Khandallah School Curriculum will create successful learners by develop competencies in combination |
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New Zealand Curriculum Five Major Competencies which we support students to develop |
Khandallah School Curriculum In our school we emphasise students’ development of the following |
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Thinking
Using language, symbols and texts
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Learning Competencies necessary for learning how to access, investigate, interpret, understand and use knowledge and skills. Thinking
Using language, symbols and texts
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Managing Self
Relating to Others
Participating and Contributing
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Personal-Social Competencies necessary for managing self, relating and participating Managing self
Relating to others
Participating and contributing
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Learning Programmes
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The Khandallah School Curriculum will include both Foundation and Rich Learning experiences |
The Khandallah School Curriculum will include effectively taught programmes consistent with learning area essence statements contained in NZ Curriculum
Literacy and Numeracy are foundation skills and will have priority in our school curriculum and classroom programmes.
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Learning Programmes
The Arts, Science, Social Sciences, Technology, Physical Education and Health
| Learning in The Arts, Science, Social Sciences, Technology and Health will be through the inquiry, integrated, thematic approach based around "big picture" concepts. |
| Learning opportunities will be provided to enable rich experiences through breadth and depth of exploration, understanding and skill development around a key concept. |
| Our curriculum will plan for each strand within these curricula to be covered over time. |
| At least once, possibly twice over a six year period (the time a student spends in our school), each strand will become a major focus. |
| At other times supporting strands within each curriculum area will be connected within the key concept. |
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Science
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Students will
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Students will
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Students will
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Learning Programmes (related to health, wellbeing and cultural identity and heritage)
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Physical activity is essential for good health.
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Healthy Nutrition is essential for good health.
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Cultural Heritage Te Reo Maori is an official language of New Zealand and marks our identity as nation. By learning Te reo and becoming increasingly familiar with tikanga, Maori students strengthen their identities, while non-Maori journey towards shared cultural understandings.
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Language Learning The first language of each student will be acknowledged as important. Opportunities to learn a second language in after-school classes will be promoted and encouraged.
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The Khandallah School Curriculum will provide for connection between the strands in each learning area
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Learning Area |
Strands |
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English |
Listening, Reading, Viewing |
Speaking, Writing, Presenting |
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Mathematics & Statistics |
Number & Algebra |
Geometry & Measurement |
Statistics |
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Arts |
Understand Arts in context |
Developing practical knowledge |
Developing ideas |
Communicating and interpreting |
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Health & Physical Education |
Personal health and physical development |
Movement concepts and motor skills |
Relationships with other people |
Healthy communities & environments |
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Science |
Living World |
Planet Earth & Beyond |
Physical World |
Material World |
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Social Sciences |
Identity, Culture & Social Organisation |
Place & Environment |
Continuity & Change |
The Economic World |
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Technology |
Technological Practice |
Technological Knowledge |
Nature of Technology |
The Khandallah School Curriculum will provide for connection across learning areas
Priority will be given daily to learning literacy and numeracy (especially in years 1-4 and for students in years 5-6 who are at risk of underachieving). Regular physical activity and healthy nutrition will be promoted and encouraged.
Links between learning areas will be made through key concepts providing the "big ideas" for inquiry learning and key themes for promoting and practising the school values. The Arts, Science, Social Sciences, Technology, Physical Education and Health will provide context for the "big ideas" and be learnt through the inquiry, integrated, thematic approach based around "big picture" concepts. Specific Literacy and Numeracy skills will be taught and used to access learning in these curriculum areas.
The Khandallah School curriculum will plan for each strand within these curricula to be covered over time. Strands in English and Mathematics will be covered regularly. Strands in other learning areas will be covered in depth at least once, probably twice, over a six year period (the time a student spends in our school), as a major focus. At other times supporting strands within relevant curriculum area will be connected within the key concept.
We have started to develop a range of concepts to ensure that all learning areas and strands are covered over time. Refer Appendix 2.
Our curriculum will be responsive to local, national and world events to ensure that students are aware of, and think about their impact on people in their immediate environment, in New Zealand and the world beyond.
Environmental education will remain a key focus in order to encourage our students to think about the impact of their actions in the short and longer term.
Financial capability will be addressed specifically alongside rich learning contexts such as "Being Prepared".
The Khandallah School Curriculum will incorporate learning for the future through a range of learning contexts
Future focused issues of sustainability, citizenship, enterprise and globalisation will be
connected to and explored and promoted across learning contexts. Rich learning contexts in particular will incorporate relevant future focused issues. Refer Appendix 2
Development of Key Competencies
The Khandallah School Curriculum will develop the key competencies holistically and in partnership
The five key competencies are grouped into two sections – the learning competencies – Thinking; Using Language, Symbols and Texts; and the personal-social competencies – Managing Self; Relating to Others and Participating and Contributing.
The development of these competencies in combination is fundamental to the development of the whole person because of their influence on the way we learn, live, work and contribute as active members of society. They are also the "key to learning" in every learning area. As such, their importance is undisputed. Partnership with families and community is essential for their holistic development.
The key competencies will be modelled, taught (explicitly and implicity) within context and practised in combination throughout the curriculum.
Through systematic planning, we will ensure that the key competencies are identified and built upon within learning programmes.
Through their development our aim is to encourage a sense of belonging and inspire confidence in students to participate in new and challenging contexts.
The Khandallah School Curriculum will be enriched through effective teaching pedagogy
Teaching and learning are complex processes. In co-constructing the indicators below, teachers have identified key components of each of the seven dimensions of effective pedagogy outlined in NZ Curriculum 2007. We acknowledge that some indicators are indicative of more than one dimension.
Creating a supportive learning environment
At Khandallah School, teachers
| Develop effective, professional relationships with students |
| Acknowledge and celebrate diversity so that each student feels supported and valued |
| Provide opportunities for students to work in pairs and small groups, co-operating, interacting and supporting each other in their learning |
| Acknowledge students’ efforts through positive reinforcement and specific feedback |
| Group students for instruction |
| Assign roles to students which encourage responsibility |
| Hold high expectations for student achievement |
Enhancing the relevance of new learning
At Khandallah School, teachers
| Motivate new learning by providing authentic learning opportunities |
| Use, display and refer to specific learning intentions and success criteria |
| Use WALTs (We are learning to), WILFs ( What I’m looking for), TIB (this is because) phases so that students can articulate what they are learning, what learning will look like and why they are learning it. |
| Enable students to direct their own learning. |
Providing sufficient opportunities to learn
At Khandallah School, teachers
| Promote a classroom management system which allows all children to learn. |
| Encourage co-operation and harmony within the classroom |
| Provide time for learning to occur (timetabling, practise, consolidation) |
| Prepare / plan for group teaching and resources |
| Provide opportunities for students to consolidate learning in the home environment |
Making connections to prior learning
At Khandallah School, teachers
| Direct discussion to relate learning to student’s personal life experiences |
| Revisit previous learning intentions to facilitate new learning |
| Encourage students to set and revise learning goals |
| Will integrate learning tasks across the curriculum |
Facilitating shared learning
At Khandallah School, teachers
| Encourage students to talk about their learning |
| Encourage students to engage in learning in pairs or groups |
| Encourage students to talk about their learning with parents, teacher and peers |
| Encourage family / whanau involvement in the learning partnership |
Encouraging reflective thought and action
At Khandallah School, teachers
| Use questioning techniques effectively |
| Encourage students to self assess by thinking about the quality of their work |
| Encourage students to think about the quality of their actions |
| Encourage students to think about their learning, relating it to previous experiences, making connections with prior knowledge and informing future applications. |
| Encourage students through reflective discussion to consider how thinking might have changed. |
Teaching as inquiry
At Khandallah School, teachers
| Use assessment data to identify strengths and next learning steps |
| Reflect on the outcomes of their teaching and the children’s learning |
| Adjust their teaching to bring about desired outcomes for all students |
| Use up-to-date research and collegial support to inform teaching decisions |
Learning supported by and facilitated through ICT has considerable potential to support teaching and learning approaches. It enables students and teachers to make connections and explore new learning environments; to engage in shared learning and to learn in their own way at their own pace.
With the construction of our ICT Suite we now have facilities to achieve our vision for ICT - To enhance achievement by integrating ICT within teaching and learning.
The Khandallah School Curriculum will enable links and connections between previous and current learning
Transitions between different learning environments both beyond and within our school are managed so that new experiences build on previous ones in a positive and constructive manner. Developing relationships which value the child and family are key from first point of contact to enrolling, class placement and beyond.
Transition to Khandallah School
In order to prepare new students for entry, processes have been put in place to welcome, inform and connect students and their family. These include prospective parent meetings, pre-school visits, new student orientation, parent information guidelines. Parent evenings, learning conferences, regular newsletters and the school web-site provide ongoing information. The Home and School plays an active role in connecting school and home, operating a classroom parent representatives system for creating links between families and disseminating information.
Transition within Khandallah School
Cohesion across the school is essential to ensure that each year of learning builds on the previous year regardless of syndicate or classroom. The Lead Team meets regularly to ensure processes across the school are streamlined. Regular professional learning for staff ensures that our high expectations for learning and progress are maintained. School wide focus regularly occurs through rich learning contexts. Syndicate planning is a collaborative activity. Classes in each syndicate regularly meet together for cultural and physical activities. A buddy system between older and younger classrooms operates. Regular school assemblies take place on a fortnightly basis.
At the end of the school year, students visit their new teacher in their new classroom in preparation for the following year and to alleviate unnecessary anxiety over the holiday period.
Transition from Khandallah School
Students moving to our local Intermediate School are supported in the transition process through a formal orientation process which includes visits by the Year 6 students to Raroa Intermediate and visits from the intermediate school staff and student ambassadors. Cluster links are actively maintained through sport and teacher interactions to ensure familiarity and alignment where possible. Khandallah School actively participates in the following cluster networks:- principals, curriculum development, special needs, Literacy, Thinking, sport and Resource Teacher Learning and Behaviour.
The
Khandallah School Curriculum will enable us to identify the particular learning
needs of our students
The learning, behavioural, physical, medical and emotional needs of students will be identified through a range of processes. The names of identified students needing extra support and monitoring will be recorded in the Special Needs Register. This register and relevant education / behaviour programmes and progress will be organised, overseen and monitored by the Special Education Needs Co-ordinator. School-wide interventions in Literacy and Numeracy will be put in place where possible to enhance student learning outcomes. The leadership team meets to discuss special needs students at least once a term. The Resource Teacher: Learning and Behaviour service will be utilised to support students and teachers.
The Khandallah School Curriculum will use evidence based on student achievement outcomes to inform decisions at class, school and Board level.
Assessment for Learning
The primary purpose of assessment is to guide teaching and learning. Khandallah School is committed to making evidence-based decisions using rigorous analysis of student achievement data, including comparisons with national expectations and utilizing recognised assessment tools. (School Charter 2009)
At classroom level teachers and students make decisions on next learning steps based on evidence from the students’ day-to-day work, teacher observations and a range of formal assessment activities. Students are involved in co-constructing learning intentions and success criteria and give and receive formative feedback based on these. The aim is for students to make progress, sustain motivation and increase their confidence.
Reporting to Parents
Parents are vital partners in the learning process and receive information through formal reporting processes which include portfolios, three way learning conferences and formal written summaries. Informal sharing of information is encouraged through personal, email and phone contact. We aim to keep parents fully informed and to make contact when appropriate so that there are "no surprises" when formal written summaries are issued.
Self Review
Formal assessment activities are scheduled at a school-wide level. Results are collected and analysed so that the progress and achievement of individual students, groups of students and school wide performance can be monitored. Areas of strength and weakness are explored and areas for further development identified. Decisions on programme and teaching practice development and appropriate intervention and enrichment programmes are made based on this evidence.
Reporting to the Board of Trustees
Formal reporting of assessment results and a full analysis with recommendations are presented to the Board of Trustees at agreed intervals. The Board uses the information to monitor progress against the school’s strategic direction and make decisions for resource provision.
Reporting to the Community and the Ministry of Education
The Board provides regular reports on student achievement and school performance to the community through the end of term newsletter. The Annual Report, including Financial Statements and Analysis of Variance against annual targets are forwarded to the Ministry of Education on an annual basis. A summary of the Annual Report is prepared for distribution to the community.
National Standards
With the introduction of National Standards in 2010, school leadership, teachers and Board members will attend workshops before determining, with the community, how best to proceed by building on the excellent processes which already exist.
Performance Management
Performance Management processes operate annually and involve appraisal of teaching practice and attestation against the professional standards for teachers. Appraisal of teaching practice is formative in nature and linked to effective pedagogy which focuses on engaging students, meeting needs and improving learning outcomes.
Key Themes based on Values
The Khandallah School Curriculum will promote our school values through overarching themes
| "Doing things right: Doing the right thing" - Kia mahi tika; Kia tika mahi" |
Key Concepts for Rich Learning
The Khandallah School Curriculum will engage students in rich learning opportunities through identifying key concepts related to student needs and community aspirations
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Key Concept |
Curriculum Areas / Strands |
Key Competencies |
Future focused issues |
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Me and My Environment My Place in the World |
Health - Social Studies - Science - |
Managing self, Relating to Others, Participating and Contributing, Thinking |
Sustainability, citizenship, globalisation |
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What makes us kiwis? |
The Arts - Social Studies - |
Relating to Others, Participating and Contributing, Thinking |
Sustainability, citizenship |
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It’s a small world
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Science - Physical Education - Social Studies - |
Relating to Others, Participating and Contributing, Thinking |
Sustainability, globalisation |
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Being Prepared
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Health - Science - Mathematics - |
Managing Self, Relating to Others, Participating and Contributing, Thinking |
Sustainability, Financial capability, Enterprise |
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How does that happen? How does that work? |
Science - Technology - |
Thinking |
Sustainability |
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Celebrating Diversity |
The Arts - Physical Education - |
Relating to Others, Participating and Contributing, Thinking |
Globalisation |
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