Amuri Area School

Summary

Amuri Area School has a roll of 326 children. This includes 44 Māori children and 5 Pacific children. There are also 37 Asian children attending the school. A number of students have English as a second language. The school roll has been increasing since 2014.

A new principal started at the school in 2015. There is a mix of experienced and newer trustees on the board.

The school is part of Tipu Maia Kāhui Ako|Community of Learning (Col). This Col includes local primary schools and some other area schools.

The school has made significant progress in addressing the areas for improvement identified in the 2013 ERO review.

How well is the school achieving equitable outcomes for all children?

The school is achieving equitable outcomes for most learners. The school is effective in responding to the learning of those Māori and other learners whose learning and achievement need acceleration.

At the time of this review the school has a wide range of effective systems in place to support the learning and wellbeing of learners. The curriculum is responsive to individual student’s learning pathways, interests and strengths. School leaders are making more purposeful use of internal evaluation to improve outcomes for students.

Learners are achieving well. The school demonstrates strong progress toward achieving equity in educational outcomes, supported by effective, sustainable processes and practices.

Agreed next steps are to:

• further develop school wide planning to support Māori learners success as Māori

• extend the use of internal evaluation in ways that identify and respond to disparity

• develop clearer systems for reporting to the board about the progress and acceleration of students learning to better inform school planning.

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

Equity and excellence

How effectively does this school respond to Māori and other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration?

The school is effective in responding to Maori and other learners whose learning and achievement need acceleration.

Overall, Māori learners progress and achieve well. This is particularly noticeable in National Standards for reading and at years 9 and 10, and all NCEA levels. Māori learners’ achievement in reading and writing has improved since 2014.

Achievement in mathematics National Standards is variable. The school has identified this as a target area for raising achievement for a significant number of children in 2017. It is also providing substantial support for students who are learning English as an additional language to achieve better literacy outcomes.

Reading and writing National Standards data, and Year 9 and 10 mathematics and literacy data shows some disparity in achievement results for boys. The school is addressing this.

Achievement at National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Level 2 is continuing to improve. Students at NCEA Levels 1, 2 and 3 generally achieve highly.

Students with additional learning needs and specialist support have individualised learning plans in place and make good progress to achieve their individual goals.

Teachers undertake a range of useful assessments to be well informed about students learning strengths and needs. At the classroom level, teachers know about the progress of individual students. Leaders now need to develop better processes to report to the board on student progress and acceleration of achievement to support school decision making.

The secondary school has robust processes for moderation. In the primary school teachers collaborate well to ensure the judgements they make about children’s achievement in writing are consistent.

As the result of a recent curriculum review, leaders and teachers have identified a need to extend assessment to include a wider range of the school’s valued outcomes for all learners, such as the school learning information.

School conditions supporting equity and excellence

What school processes are effective in enabling achievement of equity and excellence?

The school has a wide range of practices and systems that are effective in enabling the achievement of equity and excellence.

The school has effective pastoral care and support processes that provide for the wellbeing needs of learners and promote an inclusive school culture. Good use is made of community and district resources to access additional support and respond to learner’s needs.

School leaders deliberately promote a culture where student wellbeing and learning is at the centre of decision making. They actively encourage the development of leadership across the school to build internal evaluation capability and support sustainability.

The curriculum is responsive and adaptive to individual student learning pathways, interests, and strengths. Teachers plan learning experiences that effectively engage students in learning that is meaningful for them. The senior curriculum is well tailored to meet individual student needs and it offers a diverse range of opportunities. The curriculum is regularly planned and reviewed in consultation with students.

Leaders are strategic in their approach to raising student achievement and supporting student success and wellbeing. Planning is well considered and is a result of considerable student, staff and community consultation. Key areas of work are well resourced, roles and responsibilities are clear. A strong focus on being responsive to students needs is supporting the school to reduce disparity.

Māori student achievement and bicultural practice is well supported by an increased focus in the school curriculum and more targeted resources. Te reo Māori and bicultural practice is evident in school events and in the curriculum.

The school has improved its internal evaluation capability. A reflective culture and evidence based decision making is guiding all school improvements. Useful appraisal practices are helping teachers to reflect and receive feedback on their practice.

Teachers are increasingly working in collaborative ways to better support learners. They have an attitude of collective responsibility and care for the students who attend the school. Well targeted whole-school professional learning is supporting consistency in teacher practices and providing more continuity in the curriculum for learners as they move from one year level to the next.

There is a wide range of communication and consultation with students, individual parents and the community. The school responds effectively to feedback. The principal, school leaders and teachers value student voice to inform change and make improvements to teaching and learning.

The board has effective processes to respond to and target additional resourcing to improve outcomes for at risk learners. It is using internal evaluation more purposefully to find out about the effectiveness of its governance and identify areas for board development.

Sustainable development for equity and excellence

The school has sound processes to achieve equity and excellence.

What further developments are needed in school processes to achieve equity and excellence?

Strengthening some school processes will further support the school to focus on achieving equity and excellence for all students. This includes:

developing clearer school wide planning to support the successful implementation of the range of work already being initiated to support Māori learners educational success as Māori

using internal evaluation in ways that identify and respond to in-school disparity in achievement outcomes, including incorporating culturally responsive practices to engage with the school’s community

developing clearer board reporting systems to ensure information about the progress and acceleration of student achievement better informs school planning.

The school has recently revised its curriculum document and has developed new curriculum initiatives in years 9 and 10 for 2018. School leaders are aware of the need to ensure systems are in place to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of these initiatives.

Board assurance on legal requirements

Before the review, the board 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 the following:

• board administration

• curriculum

• management of health, safety and welfare

• personnel management

• asset management.

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

• emotional safety of students (including prevention of bullying and sexual harassment)

• physical safety of students

• teacher registration and certification

• processes for appointing staff

• stand down, suspension, expulsion and exclusion of students

• attendance

• school policies in relation to meeting the requirements of the Vulnerable Children Act 2014.

Going forward

How well placed is the school to accelerate the achievement of all children who need it?

Learners are achieving well. The school demonstrates strong progress toward achieving equity in educational outcomes, supported by effective, sustainable processes and practices.

Agreed next steps are to:

• further develop school wide planning to support Māori learners educational success as Māori

• extend the use of internal evaluation in ways that identify and respond to achievement disparity

• develop clearer systems for reporting to the board about the progress and acceleration of student’s learning.

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

Dr Lesley Patterson

Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern

Te Waipounamu - Southern Region

4 December 2017

About the school

Location	Culverden
Ministry of Education profile number	308
School type	Composite Yr 1 -15
School roll	326
Gender composition	Boys 47% Girls 53%
Ethnic composition	Māori 13% Pākehā 71% Pacific 2% Asian 11% Other ethnicities 3%
Provision of Māori medium education	No
Review team on site	September 2017
Date of this report	4 December 2017
Most recent ERO report(s)	Education Review August 2013 Education Review April 2010 Education Review March 2007

1 Context

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

Amuri Area School is located in Culverden, North Canterbury. It caters for students from Years 1 to 13 from the township and surrounding rural areas. Teachers make good use of the school’s location to provide students with many varied outdoor education experiences. Eighty percent of students travel by bus.

The school’s staffing is stable. A new assistant principal, with responsibility for Years 1 to 8, was appointed at the beginning of 2013.

The school plays a central role in the community. It provides facilities, such as the library and skate park for out-of-school use. It also offers further educational opportunities for adult students to gain qualifications alongside senior students.

The student roll is affected each year by the movement in and out of the area of families working in the dairy industry. This contributes to increasing numbers of students with different cultural backgrounds attending the school.

The school provides a welcoming and inclusive environment for all students.

2 Learning

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

The school has made pleasing progress since the 2010 ERO report in using achievement information to improve students’ learning. This is most evident in:

• the closer monitoring of the progress and achievement of senior students (Years 11 to 13)
• the earlier responses made to senior students’ identified needs
• the way teachers across the school are using achievement information to personalise learning and provide additional individual or group support for students
• the quality of the reports to the board about achievement and progress of all students.

The introduction of electronic portfolios is helping students set specific learning goals, monitor progress and share achievement information with parents.

Levels of student engagement, identified in student evaluations of teaching programmes and other surveys, are mostly very good.

Contact with parents, for sharing student successes or discussing areas where more support may be needed, is regular and timely.

There was significant improvement in senior student achievement in all levels of the National Certificates for Educational Achievement (NCEA) in 2012 compared to previous years.

Most students in Years 1 to 8 achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics in relation to the National Standards. However, the progress made in writing in 2012 was less than expected. This has appropriately been chosen as an area for further development through targeted programmes in 2013.

Student achievement after the first two years at school shows that good progress has been made in reading and writing.

Most Māori students, across the school, achieve well. In 2012, Māori students as a group, in Years 1 to 8, achieved better than other groups of students in writing and reading.

Areas for development and review

Further improvements should be made to the way some achievement information is used. This includes:

• strengthening the annual targets, and associated action plans, to focus on groups of students most at risk of underachieving or those who are currently underachieving
• reporting to parents and students in relation to the National Standards twice yearly to clearly show students’ progress and achievement
• increasing the accuracy of teacher judgements about student achievement in relation to the National Standards
• sharing achievement information with students in Years 1 to 8 more often so that they are aware of their strengths and gaps in learning and how to make improvements.

3 Curriculum

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

The school’s curriculum is highly responsive to students’ strengths, needs and interests.

The school’s vision of ‘nothing but the best’ is widely communicated and understood.

A positive culture, based on respectful relationships, and focused on students’ learning and wellbeing, benefits all students.

The curriculum gives priority to English and mathematics, with good coverage of all other learning areas during students’ time in the school.

School leaders and teachers continue to look for innovative ways to more effectively engage students and meet their needs. Significant changes to the senior timetable structure and programmes for students in Years 7 to 10 are having a positive effect on their learning.

Given the school’s rural location, learning pathways available to students are extensive. The modified timetable allows senior students to attend a range of programmes beyond the school without missing out on other key areas of learning.

Teachers are increasingly designing tasks that build on students’ prior knowledge and engage them in meaningful learning, often closely related to their lives.

Teachers work well together to develop and share teaching practices that are most likely to provide positive outcomes for students.

Areas for development and review

The school leaders recognise the need to more clearly define what students need to know and do in curriculum areas other than English and mathematics at some year levels, and how this will be assessed and reported to students, parents and the board over time.

The school’s curriculum guidelines and expectations should more clearly support teachers to integrate a bicultural focus regularly in their programmes.

The school’s curriculum has not been formally reviewed since 2008. It is now time for the board, school leaders and staff to review the curriculum to evaluate how well:

• recent changes and planned developments are reflected in the guiding documents
• it continues to meet the needs, interests and strengths of the students.

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

School leaders and staff are continuing to improve the way they meet the needs of Māori students and promote their success as Māori.

Some positive steps taken since the previous ERO review include:

• increased professional learning for staff
• appointing a teacher to lead developments in Māori education
• a progressive te reo Māori programme being introduced in junior classrooms in 2013
• several staff members, including the principal, studying te reo Māori
• providing an opportunity each year for the parents of Māori students to share their views and receive information about Māori student achievement.

Māori students have been surveyed to gain their views about being Māori at this school. This process also gave staff valuable information about the students’ knowledge and understanding of their Māori heritage.

The school’s kapa haka group is well supported and performs in the school and at local events.

Area for development and review

To further enhance these developments, ERO recommends that the school develops an action plan that identifies ways to strengthen links with the families of Māori students. The plan should also show how the school will continue to improve the presence, engagement and achievement of Māori students and promote their 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.

A focus on continuous improvement is a feature of the school’s leadership and governance.

School leaders have successfully managed a number of changes to programmes and operations. The ongoing support from the principal and other school leaders is highly valued by the staff. The principal recognises teachers’ strengths and actively promotes their leadership capabilities.

A well-targeted professional learning programme and a coaching and mentoring approach are helping teachers to extend their use of effective practices.

School leaders and teachers regularly seek and respond appropriately to the views of students and parents about student learning.

A systematic process for self review provides the board, school leaders and staff with useful information about all aspects of the curriculum and school operations. The findings of reviews are used to make ongoing improvements for the benefit of students.

The board makes good use of reports on achievement to make decisions about the best ways to continue to support students and teachers. The appointment of an additional teacher to help raise the achievement of a group of reluctant writers is an example of this.

Areas for development and review

The board’s strategic planning could be further strengthened by showing what the priorities and goals are for each year of the three year cycle. Identifying the desired outcomes for students would help the board to better evaluate how well these goals have been achieved.

Board members recognise the need to develop a process for reviewing the board’s own effectiveness.

ERO recommends that the board develops a better knowledge of all aspects of the school’s self-review processes and practices to ensure their ongoing use.

Provision for international students

The school is a signatory to the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students (the Code) established under section 238F of the Education Act 1989. The school has not had any international students attending the school since becoming a signatory to the Code in 2005. An international student is due to be enrolled at the school in Term 3, 2013.

The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code.

The school does not yet have self-review processes in place for evaluating how well it meets the learning and welfare needs of any potential international students. Developments in this area will be required in light of the planned arrival of a student in Term 3.

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.

When is ERO likely to review the school again?

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

Graham Randell

National Manager Review Services Southern Region

20 August 2013

About the School

Location	Culverden, North Canterbury
Ministry of Education profile number	308
School type	Composite (Years 1 to 13)
School roll	270
Number of international students	0
Gender composition	Boys 55%; Girls 45%
Ethnic composition	NZ European/Pākehā Māori Fijian Asian Other ethnicities	75% 12% 3% 6% 4%
Review team on site	July 2013
Date of this report	20 August 2013
Most recent ERO reports	Education Review Education Review Supplementary Review	April 2010 March 2007 June 2002