Schools
Click on the Townships below to read information about the local school.
Although not in our District, Rangiora High School located in the township of Rangiora, also offers education for pupils in the south and west of Hurunui.
Amberley School is a Year 1 to 8 primary school situated next to the Amberley Domain. There are lots of great things happening at our school. We have simplified the curriculum requirements so that we get on with our number one priority - quality teaching and learning. Our staff felt there was too much time was being spent on teaching and assessing non relevant information, and this took time away from working with individual students.
We decided that it was time to lift the curriculum into the new millennium and focus the children on the knowledge, attitudes and values to become productive future citizens. Our pupils all know about Amberley P.R.I.D.E. –Personal best, Respect, Integrity, Determination and Enjoyment.
Curriculum
Staff have written a new curriculum to inspire children and give them life skills to be future contributing citizens. We felt that it was important to look at not only what is important to teach but the whole area of how we teach it. Staff have spent time developing our 5 Teaching Beliefs. They are……
- Belief Point 1 -“We will deliver a curriculum that emphasizes the Foundation skills of Literacy and Numeracy.”
- Belief Point 2 - “We will have expectations of quality”.
- Belief Point 3 -“We will provide a positive learning environment”.
- Belief Point 4 - “We will provide powerful learning experiences
- Belief Point 5 - “We will encourage creative thinking”.
We have had over 500 teachers and Principals come through our school over the past couple of years getting a taste of the great things we do.
We have a strong emphasis on the 3R's, thinking skills, setting and achieving personal goals as well as Sport and Phys Ed.
Rather than outline here how we implement these strategies, it is easiest for prospective families to come and make an appointment with our Principal, Roger Hornblow, and view the school and classrooms. Needless to say, we are pretty excited about the curriculum changes and innovation at our school.
Environment
We currently have just over 200 pupils and 8 classrooms. We have a Hall, Special Needs Room and a great Library. We have large playing fields that are adjacent to the Amberley Domain where we use the Indoor Pool, Tennis and Netball Courts, the Pavilion (Basketball and Gymnastics), Rugby, Cricket and Soccer fields.
Staff
We have a balance of youth and experience amongst our 9 teachers. Come and visit so you can meet and be impressed by them
Because of roll growth we have an enrolment scheme. There is more information about this on our website.
Education Review Office
We have a history of very successful ERO visits. Read our latest report at the ERO website.
Located in Culverden, North Canterbury, the school is an Area School and as such, provides for the education of children from Years 1 – 13. It has a roll of approximately 270 students.
The schools vision is ‘To be the learning centre of the community where everyone strives to give nothing but their best’ and the mission is ‘Raising Achievement; Encouraging Excellence’. A three year Strategic plan has been adopted by the Board following community consultation and an Annual Plan has been developed for the school.
The school has two special features – its own Education Centre at Windy Point in the Lewis Pass and the
Hurunui Academy which offers NZQA approved courses for adults and students in the following areas:
- Outdoor Education. This programme is delivered under the guidance of SFRITO and takes advantage of the local environment that enables a wide variety of activities. Skiing and snow activities on the nearby Mt Lyford skifield, kayaking on the Waiau River, tramping in the lake Sumner National Park area and abseiling/rock climbing on the Windy Point rock bluffs are some of the many activities that feature in this programme
- Rural Skills. This programme leads to the National Certificate in Agriculture and utilises the local farming community where dairying, sheep and beef farming are practiced.
- Tourism and Hospitality. In conjunction with the Heritage Hotel in Hanmer Springs, this programme sees students gain a wide range of kitchen and chef skills designed to lead to employment in a growing NZ labour market
- Carpentry. Under the guidance of the BCITO, this course develops carpentry skills in those enrolled to enable them to move into areas of high vocational demand also
In addition the school delivers NZ curriculum programmes to students in Years 1 – 10 while NCEA is the basis for courses in Years 11 – 13 with subjects in Levels 1, 2 and 3 offered. Alternative courses for students with specific learning needs are developed where necessary and currently a programme called ‘Pathways’ is being developed for students at year 9 & 10 level.
Adult education classes are offered annually and these cover a wide variety of activities such as upholstery, carpentry, computing, aromatherapy and English as a Second Language.
The school uses Video Conferencing technology for both teaching purposes and communication between schools and administrators while it has recently upgraded its computer network and hardware.
A community library open Monday to Friday throughout the year, 9am to 5pm, shares its resources with the school and acts as an Information centre for visitors and as a Hurunui Council Service centre.
Many of the school facilities are shared with the local community in fact and in sport, all netball, tennis, swimming, cricket and squash facilities are based on the school grounds. The local rugby, polo and golf clubs are also located beside the school and the school enjoys cooperation with all these sports and their facilities.
In addition, the school has a Community centre with catering facilities and a gymnasium close by. Again, these facilities are shared by the community and the school.
All facilities are available for hire.
Contact with the school is welcomed especially by people who may be considering moving to this beautiful area of New Zealand.
For further details, contact the Principal, Neil Wilkinson at 03 3158 233 (School), 03 3158 992 (Home) or 027 2324 924 (Mobile). He can also be contacted at principal@amuri.school.nz The schools fax number is 03 3158 476. The school also has a website (www.amuri.school.nz) which contains more detailed information.
Broomfield School
Students are well supported in their learning at the school. The learning environment encourages them positively in their studies. They are well behaved and receptive.
Good relationships are maintained between the school and its families. Parents are supportive of the school. The principal and teachers communicate with parents in a number of effective ways. Weekly newsletters and the classroom notebooks keep parents informed and give them insight into the learning targets and needs of their child. Parents and students meet regularly with the teachers and discuss each child's progress. The use of sample books provides concrete examples and insights into the level of achievement for each student and enhances the home-school learning partnership.
The board has made funds available to develop information technology. Students in all classes have access to computers in their classrooms. The senior school students, in particular, have had excellent opportunities and have achieved success in extending and developing their skills in this area.
Cheviot Area School is a composite, co-educational school catering for year 1-13 students. It also has a wider role providing continuing education and facilities and support for community groups.
The school occupies an attractively landscaped site of 4.97 hectares. The site contains general teaching classrooms, specialist spaces and administrative areas, housed in 13 buildings. Specialist rooms include a library, science laboratory, art room, music room, gymnasium, kapa haka room, computer/technology centre and technical block.
| Principal: |
Mr Brendon Byrne |
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| Address: |
Motunau Beach Road, Greta Valley |
| Phone/Fax: |
03 314 3800 03 314 3809 |
| e-mail: |
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Greta Valley School is a small Y1 to 8 rural primary school in north Canterbury. The high quality relationships that exist between all groups associated with the school help to ensure that the principal and teachers are well supported in providing a good quality education for students. The staff works effectively as a team.
Teachers keep up to date professionally. The board supports them in this process by providing a generous budget for professional development. Recent focus areas for professional development have been te reo Mäori, literacy, information communication technology and assessment, library focus programme and health and physical education.
The teachers have collected information that indicates that the students are achieving at or beyond expectations for their age in reading.
Classroom programmes are planned to provide a range of varied and interesting learning opportunities. The reviewers observed high levels of on-task behaviour in all classrooms. Interactions between the teachers and the students are positive.
A resource teacher of learning and behaviour is based at the school. She has assisted teachers and the teacher-aide in developing programmes clearly targeted to meet the needs of those children requiring additional learning support.
The principal and teachers have made a number of changes in the area of assessment and reporting. A newly developed format for evaluating student achievement in the essential skills includes clear criteria on which students and teachers can make their judgements. Students are provided with opportunities to evaluate their own learning and set appropriate objectives. The challenge for the teachers is to develop procedures for using the information they collect to evaluate their teaching programmes more rigorously.
Useful statements about achievement are included on many of the samples in the students’ sample books. These portfolios of work provide parents with comprehensive information about their child’s progress.
The chairperson and principal provide good leadership for the operation of the board. The board has a thorough understanding of its governance role. It has undertaken comprehensive consultation with its community in formulating the strategic plan and in developing policies. The principal has reported to the board about reading achievement across the school. The report on certain aspects of written language provides a good model for using achievement information to focus future school-wide initiatives.
Hanmer Springs Primary School is a full primary school catering for students from Years 1 to 8. The school is set in the tourist resort of the Hanmer basin. The school is well resourced and has a good range of facilities. The current principal commenced duties in June 2002.
School records indicate that students achieve well in mathematics. Teachers plan and deliver well structured lessons. Classroom programmes involve students in a suitable range of learning experiences. The teachers link new learning to what students already know and can do. They are increasingly catering for students’ individual needs.
Class reading programmes place a suitable emphasis on developing students’ reading skills and achieve a good balance between reading for pleasure, providing instruction and reading to learn. Small group and individual teaching helps to cater for the varying abilities of students.
The board and the principal implement some useful self-review practices. The most effective practices are in curriculum review and the process used to update school policies.
The learning and working environment is a strength of the school. Supportive relationships exist among the staff, between staff and students and amongst students. Teachers emphasise key values in ways that actively promote good student behaviours and lead to a strong sense of community.
The principal has introduced several new initiatives, undertaken some useful reviews and reactivated the school’s performance management system during his first ten weeks in the school. He is building on existing school strengths to address emerging needs.
The board implements functional governance practices and is supportive of its staff and students. The board recognises it needs to extend delegations and governance practices so that trustees are more actively involved in direction setting and self review. Trustees demonstrate a commitment and willingness to moving forward.
Hurunui College, situated in Hawarden, is a Year 1 to 13 area school serving the Hurunui and Glenmark Wards of the Hurunui District. It has a current roll of 280.
The management and operation of the school is based on William Glasser’s philosophy of the Quality School. This approach was introduced to the school in 1999 and provides a framework for fostering best teaching practice and encouraging students to take personal responsibility.
Senior students can choose from a wide range of vocational and academic courses. In addition, teachers make good use of CANTAtech and correspondence courses.
There are good relationships between the principal, staff and trustees. The chairperson competently leads the board and trustees understand their governance role. They are well informed about classroom practice and committed to improving student achievement.
The school provides high levels of support and guidance for the students. Students have the opportunity to take part in a range of extra-curricular activities and speak of their school with pride.
| Principal: |
Mr Neil Fraser |
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| Address: |
Old Main North Road, Amberley 8251 |
| Phone/Fax: |
03 314 8024 03 314 8017 |
| e-mail: |
leithfield@xtra.co.nz |
| Principal: |
Mr David Doake |
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| Address: |
Omihi Road, Amberley 8251 |
| Phone/Fax: |
03 314 5857 03 314 5867 |
| e-mail: |
omihi.school@xtra.co.nz |
Located in North Canterbury, this full primary school (Years 1 – 8) has a roll of between 15 and 20. Students receive a good quality education that promotes their achievement. Teachers use a variety of teaching strategies. The board had sound governance and management systems and has maintained high quality governance and management practices. Good relationships between the board, the community and the staff support ongoing developments. The community has high expectations of the school and is committed to providing students the best possible conditions for learning. The parents have annually committed themselves to raising sufficient money to assist in funding a second teaching position.
The vision, enthusiasm and optimistic approach of the principal set a positive tone for the school. The students receive good quality teaching that fosters their independence and helps them to assess their own learning and set achievement goals. Good use is made of the additional teaching time by using flexible approaches and team teaching methods.
The principal, in consultation with the community, has established priorities for the delivery of the curriculum. Literacy and numeracy are the main focus of teaching and assessment.
| Principal: |
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| Address: |
Sisters Road, Cheviot 8271 |
| Phone/Fax: |
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| e-mail: |
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Parnassus School is now closed.
Rangiora High School
Rangiora High School is a co-educational secondary school (Years 9 - 15) with a roll of around 1,120.
The board of trustees is provides a supportive learning environment for students. The board, principal and teachers work towards creating a teaching and learning environment that is perceived as safe and supportive by students, teachers, parents, the board and community. An extensive review of the school's behaviour management policy and practices has resulted in an improved learning environment for all students. Senior students are provided a wide range of good quality learning opportunities.
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Principal: |
Shannon Gibbons |
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| Address: |
71 George Street, Rotherham |
| Phone/Fax: |
03 315 6368 03 315 6368 |
| Principal Release Teacher |
Cheryl Barbara |
| e-mail: |
principal@rotherham.schoolzone.net.nz |
Roll 27 (Year 1 –6)
2 classes – Junior 12 (Year 1 – 3) and Senior 15 (Year 4 – 6)
Staff
Acting Principal and Senior Room Teacher — Shannon Gibbons
Principal Release Teacher – Ginny Macfarlane
Junior Room Teacher – Lorraine Richardson
BOT Chairperson – Hugh Robinson
Home and School Chairperson – Teresa Earl
Our Mission Statement and Vision
Our mission is to:
Provide an environment where children will learn to value themselves, others, their environment, and their heritage while achieving their full potential in all areas.
Our Core Values and Beliefs include:
- Social Skills
- Self Esteem
- Whole-child development
- Broader curriculum coverage
- Valuing selves and others
- Literacy and Numeracy
- Essential Skills
Unique Features
- Very active and supportive BOT and Home and School
- Unique small school in a community environment
- Small class sizes enables us to meet individual needs.
- Family atmosphere is encouraged with older children mixing with younger children frequently e.g. Buddy reading, house competitions
- Up-to-date and modern resources eg. 3 – 4 computers in each class
- Administration area has been upgraded
- Both classrooms are foyer have been repainted and new pin boards put up
- Large field area and playground with 2 shade sails
- Use of the local community pool
- Reliable bus service which welcomes children from the whole area.
ERO Comments (Confirmed Supplementary Review, June 2005)
- “Students in both classes receive high quality teaching. Teachers plan programmes that are related to the needs and interests and abilities of the students. They make excellent use of a wide range of attractive resources to make learning interesting and relevant.”
- “The classrooms are bright and well organised with displays of high quality student work”
- “Students are developing independent work habits through inquiry-based learning”
- “Students are motivated and on task, enjoying their learning”
- “Parents strongly support the school. Staff maintain effective links between school and home. Parents are welcome to visit at any time, and there are regular meetings, sports days and other school events”
- “Staff foster a family atmosphere with an emphasis on working as a whole school. Weekly buddy reading and leadership opportunities for senior students provide such opportunities”
- “Shared planning of topic studies across both classes adds to this whole school emphasis and develops staff teamwork”
- “Board meetings are efficient. Trustees have a good understanding of their governance role and are increasingly confident in carrying it out”
| Principal: |
Mrs Mary Kimber |
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| Address: |
11 Montrose Street, Waiau |
| Phone/Fax: |
03 315 6027 03 315 6437 |
| e-mail: |
waiau-school@xtra.co.nz |
Waiau School is a rural Year 1 to 6 school located in North Canterbury. The school has well maintained buildings and attractive, spacious grounds. It experienced a significant roll increase in 2001.
Good quality teaching is in in all classrooms. Teachers deliver well developed programmes in each of the essential learning areas. Interactions between teachers and their students are positive. Teachers consistently model desirable and constructive behaviours for students. The students feel valued by their teachers.
The school culture values and supports learning and achievement. Teachers encourage students to take responsibility for their learning. Students are helped to set individual learning goals and work consistently towards achieving their goals. The individual learning needs of students are recognised, addressed and monitored within the classrooms.
The principal is providing strong, professional leadership to the teachers and students. She is a successful team builder and is dedicated to the welfare of both students and staff.
The trustees govern the school effectively and have a clear understanding of their governance role. They have good self-review systems that include regular consultation with the school’s community. The relationships between the board members, school staff and community are positive.
| Principal: |
Ms Helen Penfold |
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| Address: |
23 Princes Street, Waikari |
| Phone/Fax: |
03 314 4250 03 314 4350 |
| e-mail: |
waikari@xtra.co.nz |
Waikari is a rural school situated in the Hurunui area 10-minutes North west from Waipara. It caters for students in Years 1-8 and has a warm and positive character. It has small class sizes and effective teachers.
After a roll decline last year and the resignation of the principal a new principal was appointed in Term 2, 2003. Helen Penfold (the new Principal) is playing a critical role in promoting school improvement. She communicates effectively and actively supports the work of the Board of Trustees. Helen has successfully gained the support and respect of the board, staff, students and the community.
LEARNING ENVIRONMENT:
Students enjoy a positive learning environment within the classrooms that acknowledges their success, effort and achievement. The teachers have created an environment for students that focuses on promoting their achievement and learning.
STUDENT WELLBEING:
Students feel safe and valued in the classroom. The teachers have developed supportive relationships with the students. They use positive approaches to managing student behaviour. The teachers promote a culture of respect within the classrooms.
QUALITY OF TEACHING:
Needs-based learning programmes accommodate the diverse learning needs of the students. Students learn in contexts that are relevant to their everyday lives. Teachers share learning outcomes with students and routines within the classrooms are well established and focussed on learning and achieving.
The school's new principal and the board work together effectively towards meeting common goals. Open communication, supportive relationships and mutual trust are the basis for the relationships between board, principal and staff.
The school publishes a weekly community newsletter that includes a message from the principal. This newsletter is very positive and often inspirational. It has been very well received by the whole community.
| Principal: |
Di Officer |
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| Address: |
Loffhagen Drive, Waipara |
| Phone/Fax: |
03 314 6814 Fax 03 314 6815 |
| e-mail: |
waipara@xtra.co.nz |
Waipara School, catering for Year 1 - 8 students, is a three teacher school nestled in the heart of the Waipara farming and viticulture area in North Canterbury. Waipara village is situated at the junction of SH1 and SH7, seventy kilometres from Christchurch.
The school enjoys fabulous support from the parent body, who assist in many different ways : providing transport for school trips; supporting classroom programmes; • fundraising and participating in community consultation. This active parental support greatly enhances the work of the staff, Principal and Board of Trustees.
In the Education Review Office's ( ERO) latest report, June 2004, it was commented that the Waipara school students experience well planned learning opportunities in all areas of the New Zealand curriculum. The quality of teaching is very good across the school. Teachers focus on the needs of their students and how they can help them in becoming independent learners. ERO add that the Board of Trustees and Principal work cooperatively to maintain a well resourced and pleasant learning environment for students. The Principals works actively to support teachers and to ensure that students receive high quality education.
The Waipara School community are very proud of their school and achievements. A family atmosphere and positive school culture prevail as we go about our daily business. We welcome your interest.
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