Aberfeldy School - 22/05/2014

• On this page:

• 1 Context
• 2 Learning
• 3 Curriculum
• 4 Sustainable Performance
• About the School

1 Context

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

Aberfeldy School is a small rural school, approximately 30 minutes north of Whanganui. It caters for students in Years 1 to 8 and all travel to school by car or school van. Students enrol from a wide catchment area and come from a range of backgrounds.

The roll has increased since the March 2011 ERO report. This has resulted in extra classrooms being provided and other property developments. The roll is made up of 53% Māori and 47% Pākehā. Long serving staff provide stability and many families have an established connection with the school. There are strong links to local iwi and tikanga Māori is the basis of the school philosophy and ways of working. Enviro-school participation fits well with the school’s values and curriculum.

2 Learning

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

Effective use of students' achievement data is developing.

Teachers use a range of suitable tools to assess achievement and progress to support their judgements about achievement in relation to National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. National Standards information shows that Māori and boys are achieving at lower levels than other students and girls.

Schoolwide student progress is regularly reported to the board and used to inform strategic and annual goals. School annual targets for 2014 have been developed to raise student progress for particular cohorts in reading and mathematics. Writing is a focus for internal professional development to support teachers to more effectively accelerate student achievement in writing.

The school is working to address achievement issues. Professional development in 2013 and 2014 includes a focus on raising Māori student achievement, and increasing teacher knowledge about children’s learning.

Teachers are just beginning to use student achievement data to focus on students needing targeted support to accelerate progress. Teachers have still to develop a culture of reflection and professional dialogue through which to share and promote consistent, effective teaching practice and evaluate the impact of strategies implemented. Staff should action the school’s ‘teacher inquiry’ model and investigate how it can be used to support ongoing reflection about effectiveness of their practice in raising student achievement.

3 Curriculum

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

The school’s curriculum effectively promotes and supports student engagement in learning. It is clearly linked to The New Zealand Curriculum and has recently been reviewed by staff, who acknowledge this will be an ongoing process. Teachers use a range of suitable teaching practices to foster student learning. This includes getting to know the students and their interests well, to assist decisions about meaningful class programmes and learning activities.

Students are engaged in their work and fully participate in class activities. Learning environments are settled and interactions among adults and students are positive, respectful and supportive. The principal and teachers provide a highly inclusive learning environment for all students.

Clear curriculum guidelines give appropriate emphasis to literacy and mathematics, along with a focus on te ao Māori, physical activity and science. Te reo Māori learning is provided for all students by both internal staff expertise and an external provider. Digital technologies are available in classrooms to enhance teaching and learning. Teachers agree that it is timely, as part of ongoing curriculum review, to explore the effective integration of technologies into teaching and learning.

Teachers support and promote student wellbeing, an important part of school culture. Students identified as needing additional assistance are well supported by appropriate personnel and through in-class programmes.

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

Strong links with Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi, Ngaa Rauru and Morikau and Waimarino support student wellbeing and promote success for Māori, as Māori. Staff use a range of ways to consult and communicate with whānau, iwi and the wider community.

Māori staff and students take on leadership roles and act as positive role models. Tuakana teina relationships are evident. The school provides an inclusive environment for Māori students and their whānau. Māori students show a strong sense of pride and belonging.

Although the school curriculum describes schoolwide cultural perspectives and learning experiences with an expectation that Māori will succeed and achieve, teachers have yet to raise achievement for some students. Staff should continue to explore ways to accelerate the progress and achievement for Māori learners, considering Ka Hikitia: Accelerating Success and Tātaiako: Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners, and sharing the learning from individual professional development.

4 Sustainable Performance

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

School personnel require further support to develop self review capability, to sustain and improve the school’s performance. Trustees and teachers need to develop a shared understanding of the use of planned, robust review to evaluate the impact of decisions about school operations and teacher practice.

The current board is new. Trustees have accessed training and show growing awareness of their governance role. The principal reports to the board regularly on student achievement and progress against the annual targets. The principal’s involvement in a regional principals’ cluster supports her role as school leader.

Strong partnership and communication with whānau and the community reflect the ethos of the school.

The appraisal process, though completed for 2013, has not always been consistently carried out for teachers and support staff. The process requires strengthening to ensure it is robust and promotes continued improvement of teaching and learning. Teachers’ goals should link to school priorities, be supported by professional learning, and should include expected outcomes and actions.

Area for development

The board and teachers should improve practice in:

• self review
• teacher inquiry
• appraisal.

ERO recommends that the school seek support to devise a development plan, with actions and timelines, to provide a framework for addressing these key next steps.

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.

To improve practice, trustees should ensure that regular appraisal of principal and staff occurs.

When is ERO likely to review the school again?

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

Joyce Gebbie

National Manager Review Services

Central Region (Acting)

22 May 2014

About the School