Season 3, Episode: 15 NZEEA Excellence in Student Attendance and Engagement U1-3 – Kaihere School
The Principals (Aotearoa | New Zealand)Summary
Nairi Harris, principal of Kaiheri School, shares her transformative journey in revitalizing the rural educational institution, which recently won the Student Engagement and Attendance Award at the New Zealand Excellence in Education Awards. Upon taking the role 18 months ago, Harris faced significant challenges, including an alarming attendance rate that had plummeted to 0% at times. She initiated a comprehensive cleanup and revitalization project, focusing on the school's physical environment, community engagement, and educational purpose.
Harris emphasizes the importance of creating a welcoming atmosphere, stating that the school had previously appeared neglected. She undertook extensive renovations, including landscaping and classroom organization, to foster a sense of pride among students. The school now boasts a regular attendance rate of 80%, a remarkable improvement attributed to her efforts in reconnecting with the community and enhancing the learning experience.
In addition to physical changes, Harris introduced new educational programs, including music and science classes, to engage students more effectively. She also implemented a no-device policy to encourage traditional learning methods, which has resonated well with both students and parents. The school's enrollment has nearly doubled, reflecting a renewed interest from local families who appreciate the school's commitment to a balanced educational approach. Harris encourages other rural principals facing similar challenges to engage with their communities and prioritize open conversations to understand their needs better.
Show Notes
In this episode, we visit Kaihere School, a rural school of 46 students on the western hills of the Hauraki Plains, where regular attendance in the term before Ngaire Harris started was sitting at zero percent. Eighteen months on, it's tracking at around 80 percent and the roll has nearly doubled. Ngaire talks us through her three-part plan of place, people and purpose: clearing nine horse float loads of rubbish out of the classrooms over the summer, reconnecting with the whānau and mana whenua who gifted the school its site in the 1940s, giving students a reason to walk through the gate, and a decision to take the school off devices. Hosted by Eleisha McNeill.
More from The Principals (Aotearoa | New Zealand)
In this episode, we speak with Melissa Bell, former principal of Maniototo Area School, secondary school winner of the New Zealand Education Excellence Award for Student Engagement and Attendance. We discuss how her rural kura lifted regular attendance from 51.5% to 82.5% in just two years, how family responsibilities in a farming community shape school attendance, and the flow-on effect the changes made have had on co-curricular participation and NCEA literacy and numeracy results. Hosted by Eleisha McNeill.
In this episode, we continue the conversation with Regan, Lysandra and Jess on the practical side of AI. We discuss policy, staff training, how to work with the risks rather than shut things down, what advice they would give a principal who is only just starting out, and what a principal's role might look like in 10 years. Hosted by Eleisha McNeill. Our guests are:
In this episode, we meet three tumuaki who are already deep into using AI in their kura. They share how their interest began, what they have built, and how AI is changing planning, assessment and reporting in their schools. We also discuss what it means to keep humans in the driver's seat. Hosted by Eleisha McNeill. Our guests are:
In this episode, we sit down with Professor Stuart McNaughton ONZM to discuss his book Building on our strengths: Improving education in Aotearoa New Zealand. Rather than focusing solely on the challenges facing our education system, the book argues that understanding and building on what we already do well is key to improving outcomes for all learners. We explore what those strengths are, how they translate to the everyday work of school leaders, and what tumuaki can take from the research to strengthen their own practice and their communities. Hosted by Eleisha McNeill. Our guest is Professor Stuart McNaughton ONZM, Professor of Education at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, and former Chief Education Scientific Advisor to the Ministry of Education.
In this episode, we celebrate an NZEEA win in the Quality Teaching and Instruction, Junior category with the team from Sommerville School, New Zealand's largest specialist school. We discuss the four pillars behind their award winning workforce strategy and the systems that have helped lift staff retention significantly over the past two years. Hosted by Eleisha McNeill. Our guests are: