One of the things that makes Westmere School|Te Rehu unique is Ngā Uri O Ngā Iwi, our billingual and immersion Māori medium pathways. 

NUONI differs in some fundamental respects from other pedagogical models of Māori medium education. The rationale for our approach has evolved from the specific learning needs and realities of our urban students and the expectation that they will leave primary school equipped with the literacy and numeracy skills required to succeed at whichever Intermediate and Secondary they attend, recognising that in Auckland there are currently fewer immersion Māori options at these next levels.

The NUONI enrolment policy requires students to have attended kohanga or puna reo for two years or to live within a whānau where te reo Māori is spoken. This ensures that the New Entrant student will not feel disorientated by the practice of tikanga and use of spoken Māori within the classroom environment.

However it is at Year 1 that the difference in our pedagogical approach is most apparent, as our nohinohi students are taught to read and write first in English. This decision was made early on in the unit’s development when we realised there was a marked range in te reo oral language ability amongst new enrolments, despite tamariki having attended kohanga reo. The effects of intergenerational Māori language loss and English language dominance in wider society can account for much of this disparity. Since for the majority of New Entrants, English is their first language, it was felt that this should be embraced to launch tamariki on their literacy journey, while equally emphasising the importance of conversing in te reo to maintain understanding and develop oral language. If we had chosen to teach students to read and write first in te reo, then realistically we would have had to delay literacy instruction until most students oral language ability had grown and they had sufficient vocabulary to engage with texts and record their experiences. Parents in general did not favour delaying their childrens’ interest in literacy nor stalling the curiosity and love of learning which emerges when students start to unlock the building blocks of the written word.

Research has highlighted the benefits of building phonemic awareness (the ability to hear the distinct sounds in words) for reading and writing confidence and skill. This awareness can be undermined if two alphabet systems are taught at the same time. Young students can get very confused, hence the focus on learning the sounds of English initially and once achieved, usually by Year 2, proceeding to learn to decode the sounds of te reo Māori. We know that learning English phonics requires explicit, step by step instruction and as there are often exceptions to its spelling patterns and rules, daily practice is essential.

Another crucial reason for the pedagogical approach we take, was the realisation that a significant minority of NUONI New Entrant students are diagnosed each year with a variety of learning difficulties. Westmere has resourced its Learning Support Co-ordinator (SENCo) to work with NUONI teachers in implementing targeted interventions in English to support student learning and ensure progress for all. Diagnostic tools and programmes are only starting to be developed for students in immersion Māori education. By introducing an initial English literacy programme we are able to detect barriers to learning within the first year of schooling.

Our experience of developing bilingualism and biliteracy within NUONI is that those students who achieve the National Standards in English in their second year of schooling, will transfer these literacy skills to learning to read and write in Māori, while applying their developing understanding of te reo to learn to speak it with ever increasing confidence. Those students for whom learning to read and write is a more demanding journey will benefit from hearing te reo spoken around them, but will not have the added pressure of writing and reading in both languages during their teina years.

It is against the backdrop of te reo Māori revitalisation and the damning statistical evidence of Māori failure within the NZ schooling system, that NUONI has designed an approach which sets out to deliver high quality teaching in both languages. National Standards introduced a legislative expectation and auditing system to ensure schools deliver education which equips students for academic success. Other factors such as parental involvement in schooling also underpin success and these are discussed in the following sections of this prospectus.

At the end of Year 3 in the bilingual class, students and their whānau with the recommendation of teachers, can elect a bilingual or immersion option for their remaining three years at Westmere. Factors which are taken into consideration include achievement of National Standards and whānau support at home to develop the child’s te reo proficiency.

The Y4-6 pathway choice does not mean that tuākana students no longer interact with each other. Morning karakia and pānui, kapa haka, PE, sports teams , hui a-whānau, guest speakers, noho a-marae are just some of the opportunities they share to learn alongside each other. And of course there are break times.

A commonly held misconception is that students in NUONI do not cover the same curriculum areas as students in the Studios. Where a difference exists, it is in the incorporation of Mātauranga Māori, Maori knowledge, within every subject area or conceptual unit of study teachers plan. The section on Curriculum explains what this looks like.

Immersion education brings with it a second set of achievement criteria to meet, Ngā Whanaketanga Reo, the National Standards for speaking, reading and writing te reo Māori. Four days of the week are therefore set aside to deliver the curriculum in te reo Māori, drawing on objectives and criteria set down in Te Marautanga O Aotearoa, the Curriculum written for Kura Kaupapa Māori and Māori medium units. One day is allocated for teaching English literacy and in 2016, Tracey Taylor, fulfils this role. She collaborates closely with Matua Te Mete to ensure both their programmes consolidate student learning across a range of curricula e.g. features of writing genre, reading strategies, science and social science concepts .

The learner dispositions for a NUONI graduate regardless of the language pathway they have chosen will be included in the prospectus.