Kelston Intermediate

Findings

Kelston Intermediate School has strong connections with and commitment to whānau, aiga and families. Senior leaders guide the school direction effectively and teachers and students respond positively to their high expectations. The curriculum engages students well so that they develop culturally, socially and academically. Teachers are continuing to refine programmes to accelerate students’ progress and learning.

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.

1 Context

What are the important features of this school that have an impact on student learning?

Kelston Intermediate School in West Auckland provides education for students in Years 7 and 8.

The multi-cultural student roll is representative of the local community. More than 50 percent of students have a Pacific background with the largest number of students being Samoan and Tongan.

Māori students make up 19 percent of the school roll.

The learning culture for students and teachers is founded on values of respect, responsibility and engagement. This focus results in a strongly cohesive and collaborative school tone. Close relationships are evident between whānau, aiga and the school.

Māori concepts underpin the school’s ethos. Māori staff and students support the whole school, including the parents, to understand and participate in tikanga Māori. The school’s philosophy aims to support students to develop culturally, socially and academically and is captured by the phrase ‘We are Kelston.’

Classes consist of groups of students from both year levels. Most students have the same class teacher for their two years at the school. Specialist teachers provide additional expertise and opportunities in technology learning areas. Māori and Samoan language enrichment classes opened in 2016. Students from a range of different cultural backgrounds choose to be in these classes.

The board of trustees has been in negotiation with the Ministry of Education to progress property development. The anticipated improvements should provide students with enhanced learning facilities that will heighten staff and students’ pride in the school.

The 2012 ERO report commented on effective leadership, the broad curriculum and relationships between students and teachers as strengths in the school. These features have been further enhanced and continue to be evident in the continuing improvement of the school. Areas identified for development included greater student ownership of their learning, refinement of National Standards reporting and whānau engagement in their children’s learning. Good progress has been made in these areas. School buildings and playgrounds require improvement to provide a suitable teaching and learning environment for students and staff.

2 Learning

How well does this school use achievement information to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement?

Senior leaders and teachers know students and their whānau very well. They use achievement information deliberately to make changes that will impact positively on student engagement, progress and achievement.

Students have high self-belief as learners and are highly engaged in their learning. They confidently share ideas in conversations with their peers and adults. Students plan for their progress in relation to the school’s taumata. They are aware of the expectations for their year level and accordingly set goals for what they want to achieve. Students use comprehensive frameworks to support this goal setting and the subsequent self-evaluation process.

Senior leaders set learning and social targets for students. These targets are linked to the school taumata which describe cultural, social and academic levels of attainment. The learning targets identify expected achievement for both year groups. Students who are currently achieving well below the relevant standard are identified and accelerated progress is expected. Writing more specific student targets and defining the rate of progress expected would help the school when reviewing how successful initiatives have been for particular groups of students.

Leaders use school-wide systems to track and monitor students’ engagement and progress. Teachers particularly focus on those students who need to achieve at a better level in reading, writing and mathematics.

Senior leaders have established good systems and frameworks to guide teachers. Regular, planned professional conversations between teachers provide good opportunities for them to share effective practices and to reflect on their impact on student outcomes. Teacher collaboration and consistency of approaches are well established across the school.

Data provided by the school show that achievement for all students in relation to the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics is at a slightly lower level than other schools in the region and nationally. However Māori and Pacific students achieve at similar levels to Māori and Pacific students in the local region. Senior leaders have reviewed their processes to ensure school data is robust.

Students with special learning needs or who could benefit from close monitoring are well provided for. Senior leaders and teachers commit to promoting positive outcomes for these students. Effective systems provide holistic support for students who need additional help and guidance. This good practice focuses on caring about the whole student and their whānau.

Senior leaders and ERO agree that continuing to focus on teaching and learning strategies that result in accelerated progress for students who need to achieve better is a priority.

3 Curriculum

How effectively does this school’s curriculum promote and support student learning?

Senior leaders have developed a curriculum that is well aligned to The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) and fits the school community well. The curriculum highly values all students as culturally- located individuals who live and learn in a bicultural country. It promotes and supports student learning very well.

School values based on whakamanatia (respect), rangatiratanga (responsibility) and whakaanga (engagement) strongly influence what is considered worth learning. The school’s curriculum provides clear guidelines and expectations about how teachers will foster this learning. Social skills, cultural understanding, inquiry learning and critical thinking are all prioritised.

Students learn through an inquiry approach in all learning areas. Teachers integrate science and social studies into literacy and numeracy to make good use of time and to also provide meaningful learning tasks.

Students develop their own future-focused inquiries around a common theme. They have good access to digital devices to support their learning, to undertake research and for presentation purposes. Increasingly students and teachers are using e portfolios to plan for and evaluate the effectiveness of teaching and learning.

Specialist teachers provide good quality opportunities for students to experience and experiment with a range of materials. They implement the school kaupapa through their programmes. As a consequence the school direction is evident and consistent across all classrooms.

Additional groups provide opportunities for students to develop or pursue their interests. The focus on students developing their understanding of culture is promoted through cultural groups and indigenous studies.

How effectively does the school promote educational success for Māori, as Māori?

The school promotes educational success for Māori, as Māori, very well. The school celebrates Māori as tangata whenua and New Zealand’s bicultural heritage. Kaumatua, the principal and Māori teachers support other teachers well to fulfil school expectations around language, culture and identity for Māori students.

School and individual pepeha are prominent in establishing the school tone. Te reo Māori is used purposefully and incidentally throughout the day. Tikanga Māori is strongly evident in the schools planning, priorities and operations.

Tuakana/teina relationships are fundamental to the teaching and learning process. Māori students lead the powhiri tikanga through karanga, whaikorero and hariru. Students now have the added opportunity to learn through te reo Māori in the bilingual class.

Several staff speak te reo Māori and/or identify as Māori. They provide good points of contact for whānau. The wider school community has good opportunities to experience bicultural practices in meaningful and authentic ways. Māori students spoken to by ERO confirm a strong sense of belonging in the school.

The challenge for the school is to lift the academic achievement of Māori students, in line with the rich experiences and opportunities provided to promote Māori success, as Māori.

4 Sustainable Performance

How well placed is the school to sustain and improve its performance?

The school is well placed to sustain and improve its performance. There is a high level of commitment to the present students and the wider school community.

Trustees are experienced and representative of the community. They bring capability to their roles. Trustees are proud of their school and the improvements that have been embedded. Effective and trusting relationships exist between the board and the staff.

The school is led by highly professional school leaders. The principal provides strong leadership for the school. He is well respected and supported by the school community. The school leadership team works well together to ensure that school values and directions are promoted and embedded. They have established a very consistent learning culture across the school.

The school direction and values provide clear signposts for expectations and decision making. Teachers’ performance management process supports them to improve their practice through reflection and feedback. Teachers share their action research projects and contribute to internal professional development opportunities.

School leaders are closely involved in classrooms, with teachers and with students. This helps them to know what is happening for students as individuals and to provide support and guidance for teachers. Senior leaders provide good opportunities for teachers to develop leadership in their areas of strength or interest.

The internal evaluation of programmes and initiatives is ongoing and responsive. Parents, teachers and students have opportunities to contribute their ideas and suggestions. Trustees, senior leaders and teachers should continue to use the school’s self-review processes to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of programmes and initiatives in promoting positive outcomes for students.

The continued improvement of the school over time and the concerted focus on improving outcomes for learners are reflected in the board's agreement that ERO should return in three years. Agreed next steps for the board and senior leaders include developing a more evaluative approach to self review, continuing to find effective ways to lift student achievement and strengthening the board’s internal evaluation.

Board assurance on legal requirements

Before the review, the board of trustees and principal of the school completed the ERO Board Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklists. In these documents they attested that they had taken all reasonable steps to meet their legislative obligations related to:

• board administration
• curriculum
• management of health, safety and welfare
• personnel management
• financial management
• asset management.

During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student achievement:

• emotional safety of students (including prevention of bullying and sexual harassment)
• physical safety of students
• teacher registration
• processes for appointing staff
• stand-downs, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions
• attendance.

Conclusion

Kelston Intermediate School has strong connections with and commitment to whānau, aiga and families. Senior leaders guide the school direction effectively and teachers and students respond positively to their high expectations. The curriculum engages students well so that they develop culturally, socially and academically. Teachers are continuing to refine programmes to accelerate students’ progress and learning.

When is ERO likely to review the school again?

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years. 

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

23 May 2016

About the School