Henry Hill School earns top technology status

A Henry Hill School pupil uses an Apple iPad to examine a praying mantis.

An apple a day, so the adage goes, keeps your body healthy. But now Henry Hill School has the stats to show that an Apple iPad a day keeps your brain sharp.

The Onekawa facility was recently named an Apple Distinguished School for 2017-18. Along with Richmond School, Henry Hill is one of only about 400 primary schools worldwide to bear this distinction.

The designation is official recognition for being an exemplary learning environment for innovation, leadership and educational excellence.

"Apple has acknowledged that we're doing some innovative and creative stuff here with their devices," says principal Jason Williams. "And that we're a model for the rest of the country in technological stuff."

Henry Hill was invited to apply to be an Apple Distinguished School after an Apple Education rep visited the school.

"She heard that we're pretty good, so she came and had a look," says Jason. "She was wowed."

The school has been using iPads for three years. What started as one classroom equipped with the technology has now expanded to the point where every pupil, apart from the New Entry class, has a device.

Jason says it's not a coincidence that, as the number of iPads increased, so did the school's National Standards data.

"We're in the high 80s across the board," he says. "In particular, our Maori students are achieving far higher than nearly every school in the country. So we now know our kids are learning and thriving."

The combination of devices and modern technology has shaped the school's approach to learning.

"Things are hands-on here," says Jason. "The Apple iPads allow the children to capture the learning by taking photos and video. Would you rather read a diary or would you rather see the video footage and real evidence?"

At Henry Hill School, he says, they understand that concentrating on future-focused learning is meaningless when the future has already arrived.

"It's about 'right-now' learning. The technology is here. We see that and we know our kids thrive on that, so we've made sure we've funded our school based on it."

Jason chats with a reporter in the school's former library, which has been transformed into a room now known as #flexzone.

Filled with Lego sets and flashing robotic spheres, it's also the perfect setting for pupils to gather for one of the STEM Pathways problem-solving activities the school holds for 45 minutes every Friday afternoon.

The magic of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) is that it encourages learning through the act of doing.

"Our belief is that, instead of telling kids to do things, you put them in situations where they have to do things," says Jason. "And then they figure it out. Otherwise, they're just doing things because we tell them to."

The pupils also learn it's OK to fail.

"That's where you build your perseverance and resilience, which are key values for us as a school," says Jason. "In the past, if kids failed, they gave up. We don't want them to give up. We want them to keep trying until they get it. This is our approach and it's bearing gigantic fruit for us."