CLIFTON TERRACE MODEL SCHOOL

SCHOOL CHARTER AND STRATEGIC GOALS

38850381.doc Page 1 of 8
Introduction

Clifton Terrace Model School (CTMS) is a, small, full primary school (years 1-8) situated
about a 10-minute walk to the Wellington central business district. The size of the school
means that pupils are generally known throughout the school, and our teachers are
resourced to ensure every pupil receives an education focused on quality. We strive to
be innovative, versatile and successful in all that we do, from the warm, welcoming
environment to the approaches of our teaching and learning to our partnership with
families in the CTMS community.

As a model school we contribute to the training of student teachers, and the school and
community benefit from our ongoing commitment and contribution to teacher training.
For example, our teachers are required to be excellent teachers themselves and to keep
up to date with current teaching tools and techniques. This commitment also means that
our students have the opportunity to learn from a structured range of teachers within
the confines of a familiar environment. This latter benefit is consistent with our feeling
that learning is enhanced when everyone has the opportunity to work with a variety of
children and adults.

Shared decision making and shared management are fundamental philosophies of CTMS.
In alignment with these philosophies is the school’s co-principalship model, which we
believe fosters an environment of teamwork and cooperation. Our philosophy also
extends to the pupils: our effort demonstrates to pupils the benefits of a collaborative
approach to making decisions; in addition, the teachers and pupils collaboratively draft
an annual school agreement.

Finally, we believe all CTMS pupils should be encouraged to realise their own intellectual,
social, physical and creative potential. To this end, we encourage our pupils to take
responsibility for their own behaviour and learning, and we focus our learning and
development opportunities to teach self-confidence, leadership skills and group co-
operation. The success of our aims is evident as we travel out of CTMS to take
advantage of what city has to offer. When our pupils are out and about in Wellington,
they are recognised, and often receive compliments, for their pleasant and caring,
dispositions, self-management (i.e., good behaviour), curiosity, and intelligence. We are
proud of the fact that our pupils understand how they should conduct themselves in
different situations and that they are comfortable expressing their curiosity and
demonstrating their intellectual abilities. Overall, these successful outings provide
evidence that we are achieving our mission and our vision.
Mission

To inspire in each pupil a thirst for learning, drawing on the rich opportunities available
to a small inner-city school.

Ki te whakatenanta I te tamaiti ki te whai wahi mai I te matauranga me nga mea tino

angitu I nga kura pakupaku o nga taone nui.

Core Values
We love learning and discovery.

We respect relationships and cultures.

We hold in high regard self-confidence and leadership.

Vision
Our vision is to instill the core values in our pupils so that they:

Embrace learning and problem solving opportunities;

Interact well with a wide variety of people;

Feel good about themselves and lead by example.

 There are a number of approaches through which we uphold our values and
achieve our mission and vision. The approaches listed below are of particular
importance to the school and school community. Some approaches, such as
teaching safety and finding one’s way in the city, utilising learning
opportunities in the city, drafting the annual school agreement, having a strong
appreciation for the arts, holding clear aspirations for Year 8 students and
teaching Spanish, make CTMS unique. The approaches appear in categories
based on the CTMS visions, though some approaches could easily be placed in
more than one category.

Vision: CTMS pupils embrace learning and problem solving opportunities.

Approaches toward achieving this vision include:

• Providing a safe, trusting environment conducive to teaching and learning

• Sharing our community-wide excitement for learning
• Encouraging pupils to express their curiosity
• Celebrating individual academic success
• Recognising the arts as important to the development of the creative spirit
• Drafting the school agreement with the pupils (see copy on the website)
• Utililsing arts and educational opportunities in the city
• Offering opportunities for pupils to be innovative (and to take some risk)
• Placing an emphasis on constructive feedback
• Supporting student-led activities (such as artistic performances)

Vision: CTMS pupils interact well with a wide variety of people.

Approaches toward achieving this vision include:

• Promoting respect for others

• Guiding pupil’s understanding of appropriate behavior for different contexts
• Ensuring that pupils interact with all of the (full-time) teachers of the school
• Offering opportunities for pupils to learn from individuals outside of the school
• Creating situations where children work together, including across age groups
• Promoting inclusiveness
• Appreciating cultural differences within the school
• Teaching Te Reo Maori and Spanish
• Fostering conflict resolution abilities
• Working together with families as partners

Vision: CTMS pupils feel good about themselves and lead by example.
Approaches toward achieving this vision include:

• Valuing pupils for who they are

• Showing an appreciation for good conduct (e.g., self-management, honesty
• Teaching safety and navigation in Wellington
• Having pupils make presentations (within the school)
• Encouraging physical well-being through fitness and sport
• Giving pupils responsibilities within the school
• Providing opportunities for pupils to lead and to support others
Vision: CTMS Year 8 pupils hold clear aspirations about the skills and abilities they wish
to achieve to realize their future potential and to feel well prepared for Secondary School
and beyond.
Approaches toward achieving this vision include:
• Developing leadership capacity and capability by actively initiating
and leading interest groups important to them at CTMS and to their
wider community
• Attaining core curriculum knowledge and skills in the areas of
Literacy and Numeracy
• Having the ability to apply Literacy and Numeracy skills and
confidently accessing other learning areas using a variety of
communication and technology tools
• Valuing core environmental values of sustainable living practices
and are proactive in preserving our natural environment and
resources
• Valuing and contributing to our school ethos by interacting and
working with a range of age groups, ethnicities, gender groups and
diverse learners to achieve individual and collective goals
• Knowing themselves as learners within a global community by
showing resilience, honesty, creativity and the ability to make
considered choices
Activities towards developing aspirational skills and abilities include:
• Developing responsible, reliable and self managing capabilities
through the use of the Year 7 & 8 Student City Passports
• Developing Technological capabilities through participating in the
Mount Cook School Technology Programme
• Expanding personal knowledge and experience of the wider
community work environment, and developing social skills and
capabilities through the Year 8 City Work Programme experience
• Developing leadership capabilities, thinking and decision making
skills through participating in the ‘The National Young Leaders’
Conference’
• Developing leadership capability, organisational and problem
solving skills through leading the School Environmental/Health
Group
• Developing thinking, organisational and decision making skills
through Leadership opportunities on the School Student Council
• Leading and modelling to younger students positive learning
attitudes through ‘Buddy Teaching’ opportunities
• Developing skills of care and respect for personal spaces entrusted
to them as senior students through the organisation and use of the
Year 7 & 8 Common Room
• Developing Leadership capability through the active contribution
and development of the content and structure of our ‘School
Agreement’
Operational Planning

The purpose of this section is to identify the strategic goals we have decided to focus on
to support our mission and vision. We then identify the objectives we will work towards
in the 2010 school year to achieve these goals.

The following terms are used in this part of the document:

Strategic Goal – the long term outcome or big picture vision for the area.

Objective – the specific consequence of the strategic goal in the 2009 school year.

Strategic Goals

1) Student Achievement

o Goal – To inspire in each child a thirst for learning and the desire and abilities to
realize their intellectual, social, physical and creative potential.

o Objectives

o To use school-wide and classroom assessment data to provide quality learning

programmes.

o To utilize quality learning programmes which enable students to make

incremental gains in their learning.

2) Revised Curriculum

o Goal - To respond to the revised learning curriculum in 2009

o Objective

o To develop programmes as part of the implementation of the revised

curriculum

o To develop programme which support the values of the Charter

o To develop programmes which are relevant to the needs, aspirations and

abilities of CTMS students.

3) Teaching Team
 o Goal – To build and maintain a dynamic and collaborative teaching team

o Objective

o To develop stability in the teaching team in 2009

o To develop and maintain a comprehensive consistent education and

teaching approach

o To develop and maintain a continuing high standard of teaching and

professionalism

4) Financial Sustainability and Growth

o Goal – To support the schools vision related strategies and activities and to
improve financial sustainability by achieving fiscal growth

o Objectives

o To operate the CTMS sustainably

o To develop a strategy for creating financial reserves

o To provide financial support for the operational activity of CTMS

o To provide financial support for the Mission and Strategic Goals

o To have a Fund Raising Strategy which explains the principles of fund

raising for CTMS and how CTMS will implement it

5) Physical Environment

o Goal – To develop and maintain a comfortable and sustainable environment which

supports the schools learning programmes

o Objectives

o To plan and develop a multi purpose building

o To develop and implement + 10 building year plan

o ICT supports the learning programmes

o The wider school environment reflects the nature and focus of the school
through visual displays

o The wider school environment reflects the nature and focus of the school
through space usage
6) Community Partnership

o Goal – To strengthen the relationship between the Board and the community

o Objectives

o To plan Board communication with the community

o To improve Board communication with the community

o To improve engagement with the community on appropriate Board

matters