What is a Community of Learning?

A Community of Learning | Kāhui Ako is a group of education and training providers that form around children and young people's learning pathways, and work together to help them achieve their full potential.

Te Kura ō Matapihi is a member of Te Kāhui Ako ō Tauranga Moana The Tauranga Moana Community of Learning.

Stages of a Community of Learning

Communities of Learning | Kāhui Ako develop and change as they move through the following stages:

• Establishing: pre-approval, achievement challenges, recruitment and planning.

• Developing: shifting from cooperation to collaboration.

• Embedding: collaboration leads to collective impact.

• Fully functioning: collaboration is systemic, sustainable, self improving and connected beyond.

• Breaking down barriers

• Teachers from different schools in a Community of Learning talk about their experience of working together.

Sharing Best Practice

Sharing resources and facilities

Communities of Learning can use their collective resources to save money and time. The savings can be reinvested into teaching and learning, however the Community of Learning may choose.

Staffing

Staffing entitlements could be shared to reduce the cost of employing extra staff (schools will need to fill in a staffing transfer form).

Be flexible in how you allocate the Community of Learning teacher roles. For example, merge several within school teacher roles to create an extra across schools teacher role.

Consider sharing a specialist teacher to improve educational outcomes in a particular area.

Funding

Leveraging the group’s collective buying power to reduce costs for goods and services.

Avoid duplication of effort by sharing expertise and resources across your group.

Property and shared facilities

Start a conversation about sharing existing specialist facilities, such as laboratories, gymnasiums and swimming pools (sharing technology facilities requires a Memorandum of Agreement between schools and the Ministry of Education).

Discuss what your Community of Learning could achieve with its combined property funding eg, 5 Year Agreement (5YA) funding and resources.

Members of our Education Infrastructure Services property team could be assigned to work with your whole Community of Learning to develop coordinated property plans and provide support with infrastructure.

Health and Safety

A Community of Learning could share consistent health and safety policies and practice. These would be tailored to suit the needs of the Community of Learning.

Early learning in Kāhui Ako

Early learning representation in a Community of Learning can help meet the needs of children as they transition to school. As early learning services work closely with schools and other services in a Community of Learning, parents, family and whānau can be confident that their children are getting the best start to their education.