Curriculum Delivery, Assessment and Reporting Policy
St Patrick’s Catholic School, Te Awamutu
Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Colossians 3: 23
RATIONALE
It is the policy of the St Patrick’s Catholic School Board to provide a Catholic Education within a Catholic environment, which focuses on the spiritual, cultural, academic, physical and social development of each student. Classroom practices deliver our localised curriculum that ensures coverage of the New Zealand Curriculum whilst prioritising the things that are important to our community.
PURPOSES
Through the Principal and teaching staff the Board will:
Implement learning programmes using the school’s local curriculum document which is based on the underlying principles, vision, values, key competencies and learning areas of the NZ Curriculum and the National Religious Education Curriculum
Monitor student progress against school expectations, analysing barriers to learning and achievement
Develop and implement strategies which will identify learning needs in order to overcome barriers to student learning
Assess student achievement, maintain individual records and report on student progress
Ensure that every student at the school is able to attain their educational potential in a safe and inclusive environment for students and staff
Ensure the school curriculum gives effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi
GUIDELINES
Teaching and Learning
Teachers will use the school’s localised curriculum and will employ a range of techniques, to develop programmes relevant to the learning needs of the students
Staff development will provide opportunities for teaching staff to be kept up to date with Curriculum changes as these are introduced and gazetted
Resources in each learning area will be maintained, monitored and developed with appropriate budgetary considerations
As part of the Board’s self review processes,core learning areas will be reviewed as to how effectively they are being delivered to students while maintaining the privacy of individual students.
Delivery of the Health Curriculum
The school will consult the community on the delivery of the Health Curriculum biennially as required by the Education and Training Act 2020.
Sex and Sexuality Education
When Health Curriculum topics involve any aspects of sexuality or sex education, parents will be informed and will have the option of having their child removed from class for those lessons. The teacher will not be required to provide substitute work for children being removed from their regular programme
Before lessons are delivered, a parent information evening will be held to share the school’s Statement for Sex and Sexuality Education (Appendix One), broad lesson overviews and resources
It is recognised that lessons may not always follow a strict plan and that the teacher may vary what is included as a result of student needs
The St Patrick’s Catholic School Sex and Sexuality Education programme will be developed by the teachers delivering the programme, using the school’s Statement for Sex and Sexuality Education, the NZ Curriculum, the Ministry of Education guidelines: Relationships and Sexuality Education: A Guide for Teachers, Leaders and Boards of Trustees, guidelines from Sacred Heart Girls’ College and St John’s College about what is covered in Year 9, and advice given from the Hamilton Catholic Diocesan Office
The Sex and Sexuality programme will be reviewed every two years
It is desirable (but not compulsory) that those teaching sex and sexuality education have completed the paper, Living Life to the Full through the Catholic Theological College
Learning and Achievement
Teaching staff will use the school’s localised curriculum progressions to monitor students’ progress and ensure that teaching/learning programmes are effective
Staff will identify learning barriers while monitoring student progress
Staff will seek collegial/specialist support to analyse learning barriers
Identifying Learning Needs
The SENCo will maintain a Special Needs Register and will report to the Board annually
Individual Education Plans (IEP’s), Student Action Plans (SAPs) and/or Behavioural Plans (IBP’s) will be developed and implemented as needed in consultation with teaching staff, specialist agencies and parents/caregivers/whanau
The Principal will ensure that application is made to the Ministry of Education and/or their agencies for financial and/or other assistance to meet the identified learning needs of specific students
The Principal will inform the Board when additional resources are required to meet identified learning needs
The Board will aim to provide requested resources through the budget review process.
Assessment and Reporting
Student achievement will be assessed for a variety of purposes and through a variety of methods
Student achievement data will be kept digitally on the school’s Student Management System (eTap) and is confidential to the individual student, teaching staff and parents/caregivers/whanau.
Teachers will make overall teacher judgements (OTJ) in regards student progress relating to the school’s localised curriculum progressions, using a variety of methods including; standardised and non standardised testing, teacher / student learning conversations and moderation of student’s work, and observation. Students are an integral part of this process.
Information on individual student progress and achievement will be shared with parents/caregivers/whanau through interviews, and written reports.
Information on individual student achievement and progress will be kept in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020 and forwarded to school or specialist agencies as appropriate according to the privacy principles of the Act.
The Principal will report to the Board on student progress and achievement as per an annual aggregation plan, in general terms and in various formats, without divulging information that can be traced back to an individual student.
The school is committed to report to parents on their child’s achievement and progress in plain language at least twice per year,
Ratified: 29 September 2021
Reviewed: 26 October 2022
Appendix One
Statement for Sex and Sexuality Education
St Patrick’s Catholic School’s vision statement is: “Every child at St Patrick’s Catholic School will pray, play, create, learn and be happy.”
The delivery of the Sex and Sexuality Education programme falls into the area of student well-being which aligns with the phrase “be happy” in our the vision statement.
Our school’s Charter recognises our unique and consistent vision for learning. All aspects of the delivery of the Sex and Sexuality programme should reflect this vision and our school values of Love, Faith, Hope and Service. The programme should also reflect that this is a Catholic school and advice should be sought from the proprietor’s office when necessary.
Our Charter also emphasises the importance of whanau and community consultation. The Board will consult the community on aspects of the Sex and Sexuality programme every two years.
WHAT IS INCLUDED?
Our Vision for learning at St Patrick’s Catholic School states that for students learning should
Be fun
Include elements of choice
Encourage active engagement and self-direction
Involve creative problem solving
Drive collaboration
Encourage initiative and independence
To ensure that this vision permeates the delivery of the Health Curriculum, teachers will plan lessons but also allow these lessons to be shaped by student needs and feedback received from whanau.
At each level, lessons MAY include:
Level One: Year 1 and 2
Recognise and name body parts, including genitals
Basic concepts about reproduction
Body hygiene
Body safety, appropriate touching, strategies to keep safe (including online)
Expressing feelings and needs and how to stand up for themselves and others
Knowing who to trust and how to ask for help
The relationship between gender, identity and wellbeing
How to make and be a good friend
Level Two: Years 3 and 4
Human anatomy, how bodies change over time
Human reproductive processes
Consent - what it means in a range of contexts and how to give it
Naming and expressing feelings, managing feelings
Respecting and engaging positively with others (listening, taking turns etc.)
Differing personal identities (gender, ethnicity, language etc.)
Identifying gender stereotypes
Sex and gender (diverse gender and sexual identities)
Inclusive environments
Level Three: Years 5 and 6
Knowing about pubertal change and how it is different for different people
Taking collaborative action to ensure people are supported through pubertal change
Different types of relationships (friendships, romantic, whanau, team, online) and how these influence well-being
Consent, pressure, coercion and rights - how to stay safe
Strategies to address relationship challenges
Health and community services - how to seek help
Inclusive practices to support gender and sexual diversity
Critiquing social media and its effect on wellbeing
Level Four: Year 7 to 10
Pubertal change (including hormonal changes, menstruation, body development, gender identities)
Social norms around gender and sexuality
Planning to support their own and others’ wellbeing
Different approaches to conception, contraception
Managing intimate relationships (attraction, love, desire) and relationship changes
Rights and responsibilities, consent, informed choices, assertive communication
How school and community contexts link with gender and sexual identities and how to take action for inclusion
How to access help for themselves and others in the area of health and wellbeing
Connections between people’s wellbeing and social / media representations of relationships, body and gender
NOTE: Many of these topics may not be explicitly taught but may come up as questions from students. The Catholic Church’s teachings on these matters will be shared when appropriate.
HOW WILL IT BE TAUGHT?
Like all other curriculum areas, the delivery of the Sex and Sexuality programme will be aligned with our Vision for Learning. Delivery will consist of a variety of teaching methods to engage the students. These methods could include videos, inquiry learning, research questions, peer-share discussions, brainstorms, games and other activities.
The programme will be taught by our qualified and fully registered teachers. Advice is sought each year from the Hamilton Catholic Diocesan Office.
There may be times when teachers call on the expertise of outside agencies and experts such as the Public Health Nurse, other medical staff, period educators etc.
Assessment of this area of the curriculum will only occur informally to inform the teachers’ future planning and will not be reported to parents.
Before any Sex and Sexuality lessons are delivered, there will be a parent information evening which all parents will be invited to attend. Parents will also have the option to remove their child from these lessons.