Brookby School

Summary

Brookby School is in a semi-rural setting south of Auckland. It caters for children from Years 1 to 8 and has a stable roll of about 120 children. The Māori roll has grown to 34 percent and Pacific children comprise six percent of the roll.

Since the 2012 ERO evaluation the board of trustees and the leadership team have changed. The deputy principal was appointed in 2015 and a new principal in 2017. It is important to the board that its members reflect the ethnic groups of its community and it is now seeking to co-opt Māori representation.

The board and senior leaders have continued to make progress in relation to the findings of ERO’s 2012 evaluation. The main focus of teacher professional development has been ‘learning through digital technologies’.

Achievement information shows that most children achieve very well in relation to the National Standards. Levels of achievement have remained stable in reading and mathematics since 2013, and have improved in writing. Disparity for Māori has been addressed in literacy and is reducing in maths. Disparity has widened for boys in reading and writing.

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

Brookby School provides effective support for Māori and other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration. School processes and actions are effectively helping to achieve equity and excellence for children. Processes and actions of particular note include support for teachers to take greater ownership of their professional learning, strengthening the curriculum so that children are highly engaged, and developing learning partnerships with parents/whānau.

Areas of school practice that could be further strengthened include aspects of stewardship, leadership and internal evaluation. Agreed next steps include children having greater involvement in decisions about their learning, and strengthening systems for knowing about the impact of programmes on the learning outcomes for children at risk of not achieving at the National Standards.

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

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?

Brookby School responds effectively to Māori and other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration. Teachers use a variety of assessment information to plan programmes that meet the needs of children and to identify those who could benefit from additional support.

Achievement information for 2016 shows that most children achieve very well, and that all Year 8 leavers achieve at or above the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Since 2013, overall writing achievement has lifted, with accelerated levels of achievement for girls. Achievement trends in writing and reading have not been as positive for boys.

Since 2013 Māori achievement in reading, writing and mathematics has improved significantly. In literacy they achieve as well as or better than other groups. Some disparity still exists in mathematics. Achievement outcomes are consistently high for the majority of Pacific children.

Other important achievement outcomes relate to the school’s rural character and the CARE values of citizenship, accountability, respect and excellence. These are reinforced and celebrated with children through the curriculum, and progress is reported to parents through the key competencies of the New Zealand Curriculum.

The school has very good processes for moderating the reliability of teachers’ judgements about children’s achievement. Its involvement in the Howick Coast Community of Learning l Kahui Ako (CoL) provides good opportunities for strengthening moderation processes in the senior school through collaboration with teachers from other schools.

School conditions supporting equity and excellence

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

School processes and actions are effective in helping to achieve equity and excellence for all children. This is most attributable to leaders and teachers building their professional capability and collective capacity. They have implemented curriculum and teaching strategies that are more responsive to individual learners, and developed good learning focused relationships with parents/whānau.

The focus on teachers taking greater ownership of their professional learning is contributing to equity and excellence. Teachers identify and strengthen practices that are most likely to accelerate children’s learning. This approach is having a positive impact on achievement, particularly for children most at risk of not achieving equitable outcomes. Teachers have regular opportunities to share effective practices.

Teachers provide positive learning environments and children engage well in learning programmes. The school-wide curriculum builds on children’s experiences and interests, provides meaningful contexts for literacy and numeracy development and allows children to learn from each other. The ‘inquiry model’ scaffolds children’s thinking and skill development, supporting them to become increasingly independent learners as they move through the school.

The school continues to strengthen positive relationships with, and seek input from, parents/whānau. The junior school is implementing the Mutukaroa Project. This is a collaborative process that deepens parent and school partnerships to benefit children’s learning. Many parents report that they find this collaboration very worthwhile, and the board is exploring ways to extend the project across the school.

School leaders consult with whānau Māori to share achievement outcomes and to discuss initiatives that might enhance outcomes for Māori children. This has resulted in the reintroduction of kapa haka and the inclusion of pōwhiri to welcome visitors. Developing a bicultural curriculum with the community would further support children to actively participate in Aotearoa New Zealand’s bicultural settings, and to know more about local Māori history. The board is planning to use the Ministry of Education’s resource, Hautū, to strengthen its evaluation processes.

Sustainable development for equity and excellence

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

Aspects of stewardship, leadership and internal evaluation could be strengthened, and include:

• developing consistency in effective teaching practices that enhance children’s ownership of their learning and accelerate learning for those at risk of not achieving equitable outcomes
• refining the goals and actions to be achieved in the school’s strategic and annual plans, allowing teachers, leaders and trustees to more regularly monitor, evaluate and report what is contributing most to accelerated progress
• strengthening evidence-based internal evaluation by recording information about the impact of professional development, programmes and initiatives on children’s learning, further supporting teachers, leaders and the board with their decision making.

Strengthening evidence-based teaching, leadership and governance to ensure a coherent focus on children whose learning and achievement need acceleration, should contribute to greater equity and excellence.

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?

Children 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:

• continue to develop a responsive school curriculum that supports students to have agency in their learning and decision making
• strengthen evidence-based internal evaluation, particularly in relation to accelerating learning outcomes.

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

Steffan Brough
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)

18 May 2017

About the school