Our Learning

At West End School, everything we do is underpinned by our values. The values guide us in many ways;

• Through our daily interactions with one another. This extends to all staff, whānau and members of the wider community
• The way that we approach our mahi and our learning 
• Our mindsets - what we believe we can achieve
• How we view our place in the school/community 
• Our aspirations and subsequent actions

The values encompass principles from Te Ao Māori and enable us to take a culturally responsive stance as we map them onto everything that we do/say/learn etc. 

Our values drive the act of learning through a focus on whakamana, but also influence the content and context of the learning as seen in the Histories Curriculum, where we would use the value of Kotahitanga to drive learning around a sense of place (turangawaewae). 

We believe that everyone is capable of  learning, and that learning is an essential, innate, ongoing, and lifelong process. 

We believe that learners are unique.      

We believe that learning is profoundly influenced by social relationships. 

We believe that learning is significantly affected by emotions   

We believe that self-perception directly affects motivation and learning.  

We believe that learning is contextual.   
 
We believe that learning is complex and non-linear.     

 

Teachers share their passion for learning 

All interactions are seen as opportunities for teaching and learning

We demonstrate care for, and appreciation of, each learner

We recognise and respond to individual difference

We include and maximise the participation of learners of different abilities and backgrounds

We differentiate instruction through a relevant range of teaching approaches and strategies

We develop positive relationships with and between all involved in the learners’ learning

We provide a consistently safe, positive, and secure environment

We communicate positive expectations and confidence in the learners’ abilities

We acknowledge and celebrate progress

We acknowledge that environment and culture influence learning

We see the primary focus of assessment being to improve/enhance learning

Learners are given opportunities to reflect,  evaluate and share their learning

Assessment is inclusive. Assessment provides all learners with the capacity to demonstrate what they know, value, and are able to do

We provide timely, concise and honest feedback

We consider different contexts 

Learners note and use errors as a means of improving their own learning

Assessment includes the monitoring of learners’ emotional wellbeing