Brooklyn School (Wellington)

Brooklyn School (Wellington)

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 15 months of the Education Review Office and Brooklyn School (Wellington) working in Te Ara Huarau, an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website www.ero.govt.nz

Context 

Brooklyn School (Wellington)’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

  • prepare our tamariki for an extraordinary world ahead

  • connect and engage with our parents and wider community

  • grow our teachers as learners to develop their capabilities for teaching and learning in the future.

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Brooklyn School (Wellington)’s website.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the effectiveness of culturally responsive practice.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

  • to ensure that culturally responsive practice is authentically embedded in the school’s systems and processes

  • for leaders and teachers to engage with all parents as they focus on equity and excellence outcomes for all learners.

  • to support the school’s focus on continuous improvement.

The school expects to see an improvement for all children through greater equity of achievement outcomes.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal of increasing culturally responsive practice:

  • leadership and staff who collectively enact the school’s vision and values

  • continuing to improve and strengthen teaching capability using effective school-wide strategies to increase all learners’ progress and achievement.

  • teachers use culturally responsive and relational practices including a strength-based focus on learning and achievement through Brooklyn School’s active learner pathways

  • ongoing strengthening of meaningful connections with whānau, iwi, and community

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • embedding culturally responsive practices that will support learners' sense of identity and culture

  • encouraging all teaching staff learning te reo Māori in order to better support students

  • further developing the understanding and use of internal evaluation to determine the impact of initiatives for equitable and excellent outcomes for learners.

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. ERO will support the school in reporting their progress to the community. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.

Kathy Lye
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

28 March 2023 

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement.  educationcounts.govt.nz/home

Brooklyn School (Wellington)

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2022 to 2025

As of August 2022, the Brooklyn School (Wellington), School Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:

Board Administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Personnel Management

Yes

Finance

Yes

Assets

Yes

Further Information

For further information please contact Brooklyn School (Wellington), School Board.

The next School Board assurance that it is meeting regulatory and legislative requirements will be reported, along with the Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report, within three years.

Information on ERO’s role and process in this review can be found on the Education Review Office website.

Kathy Lye
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

28 March 2023 

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home

Brooklyn School (Wellington) - 23/05/2017

Summary

Brooklyn School, in the Wellington suburb of Brooklyn, caters for students in Years 1 to 8. There are currently 415 students, 7% of whom are Māori, 3% Pacific and 18% Asian. Trustees employ a teacher to support class programmes in te reo me ngā tikanga Māori.

There have been a number of new appointments to leadership roles and teaching staff since the 2014 ERO review. Major property developments are planned for several classrooms.

Recent professional development has focused on developing effective mathematics teaching practice through inquiry and exploring new teaching strategies. The school has recently participated in a Ministry of Education Teacher-led Innovation Fund (TLIF) project, in partnership with Massey University and three other schools. This project focused on developing effective co-teaching strategies to support learning.

The school has long collaborative associations with a cluster of local schools to support curriculum and school developments. It recently joined the Capital City Community of Learning.

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

Children are well engaged and show enjoyment and confidence in their learning. Overall, most achieve very well, particularly in reading. The school recognises there is disparity of achievement for some groups of children and teachers focus on supporting those who are at risk in their learning.

The school’s improved systems for tracking and sharing of achievement information support collective responsibility for students’ success. Ensuring systems and processes for setting, monitoring and reporting on targets should enable the school to better promote and demonstrate accelerated learning for students.

There is a wide range of effective processes and practices which foster equity and excellence. Trustees focus on improvement.

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?

Most students achieve very well, especially in reading. Substantial numbers of students achieve above the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics.

There is a clear focus on supporting students who are at risk in their learning. The school recognises that Māori and Pacific students continue to be over-represented in the group of approximately 60 students who require accelerated progress to reach the Standards in the three learning areas across the school.

Targets appropriately focus on raising the achievement of these cohorts and reducing disparity for boys in writing. There is evidence of accelerated progress for some learners. Ensuring systems and processes for setting, monitoring and reporting on targets should enable the school to better promote and demonstrate accelerated learning for students.

Most students are successful learners and participate positively in classroom programmes. Their needs are clearly identified, and progress and achievement are tracked school wide. There is a focus on supporting Māori students’ identity and additional strategies are being explored to review and support their sense of belonging.

Targets are set to raise the achievement of Pacific learners. A next step is to develop strategic goals to promote strong partnerships with Pacific families and strengthen responsiveness to these learners through the curriculum.

Students with additional learning needs are well supported to participate in school life and to access the curriculum through inclusive practices. Well-considered, responsive provision is in place for these students, along with a collaborative approach to identification of needs and decision-making. A senior leader provides support for students, teachers and parents, and liaises with external agencies as appropriate.

Achievement information is appropriately used for intentional, targeted teaching of students. Deliberate strategies and improved systems have been developed for tracking and sharing student achievement and progress. These support teachers’ shared knowledge of the learner and foster collective responsibility for students’ success in learning.

A range of suitable assessment tools is used to inform teachers’ judgments about achievement in relation to the National Standards. There is some use of moderation for writing within and across syndicates. Robustness can be further strengthened by ensuring there are clear processes for regular moderation in each of the learning areas, and increased opportunities for external moderation.

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 effective processes and practices that foster equity and excellence.

Teachers care about and promote students’ success and their meaningful participation in learning. Students show enjoyment and confidence and are well engaged. They are effectively supported to collaborate, know about and reflect on their learning.

Curriculum design is coherent and aligned to The New Zealand Curriculum and the school’s vision for learning. Leaders and teachers work together to develop a shared understanding of an enacted curriculum which responds effectively to the needs, strengths and interests of children. Clear expectations are in place for the planning and assessment of literacy and mathematics.

Ongoing review of mathematics through externally supported professional development and inquiry is building a shared understanding of effective practice. Shifts in approaches to teaching and learning have resulted in improved student attitudes and engagement in mathematics.

Good relational trust is evident within a new team of leaders and amongst teachers. Leadership should continue to be developed at all levels to ensure a clear, cohesive approach to promoting equity and excellence, guided by internal evaluation and inquiry.

Professional learning opportunities and discussion, collaborative inquiry and an effective appraisal system support teachers to reflect on, share and improve their practice.

An improved range of communication strategies is in place to inform and involve parents in school life and curriculum developments. Teachers regularly share the learning and progress of each child with their families.

Trustees show commitment to undertaking their roles and responsibilities, and to improvement. They contribute a range of skills and expertise. Most are recent appointees who work collaboratively and are building a shared understanding of effective stewardship.

Coherence of vision and direction is evident. Trustees receive a range of useful and comprehensive information which they use to guide decision-making on school operations, practices and priorities. The board is clearly focused on providing improved communications with its local community.

Sustainable development for equity and excellence

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

Further refining of systems for promoting and evaluating the acceleration of learners at risk is required.

A process is in place to assist teachers to inquire into how their practice supports targeted learners. Continued development of this process to determine the effectiveness of teaching strategies should support this improvement.

The planned review of curriculum documentation should focus on providing improved clarity and alignment in relation to:

  • newly developed, shared understandings of effective teaching and learning
  • cultural responsiveness, including a clear vision for success as Māori and integration of local and te ao Māori perspectives
  • ongoing review and evaluation of the implemented curriculum.

Further development of meaningful relationships with parents and the wider community should enable:

  • a shared understanding of aspirations and increased opportunities for input into decision-making and curriculum, particularly for Māori, Pacific and other cultural groups 
  • enriched information for internal evaluation.

Developing clear systems and processes for evaluation in all areas of school operation should assist in sustaining improvements and guiding decision-making.

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:

  • ·refine systems for promoting and evaluating the accelerated progress of learners at risk
  • develop a strategic focus for increased responsive provision for Māori and Pacific students
  • enrich learning partnerships with families of all groups of learners
  • develop clear systems and processes for internal evaluation to sustain improvements and guide decision-making.

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

Patricia Davey
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)

23 May 2017

About the school

Location

Wellington

Ministry of Education profile number

2816

School type

Full Primary (Years 1 to 8)

School roll

415

Gender composition

Female 51%
Male 49%

Ethnic composition

Māori 7%
Pākehā 69%
Pacific 3%
Asian 18%
Other ethnic groups 3%

Provision of Māori medium education

No

Review team on site

March 2017

Date of this report

23 May 2017

Most recent ERO report(s)

May 2014
April 2011
February 2008