Findings
The school has a strong focus on improving student achievement and wellbeing. Class sizes are small. Teachers know students and their families well and they provide a good range of learning opportunities to engage students. Next steps include increasing student involvement in decisions about their learning, and more closely linking students' learning between the primary and secondary schools.
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?
Cheviot Area School caters for students in Years 1 to 13 from within the local township and the surrounding areas.
Classes are small, particularly in the secondary school, and this allows students and teachers to know each other well. A number of subject specialists in the secondary school also work in the primary area. This is providing primary school students with additional learning experiences in areas such as Spanish and Computing.
The school is building stronger relationships with the community. School events and work experience programmes for senior secondary school students are well supported by members of the wider community. The Māori community is becoming more involved in the school. This is helping to ensure all students participate in a bicultural curriculum.
The school is making good progress in meeting the recommendations in the 2012 ERO report, as well as building on the strengths it had at the time of that review. These are related to bicultural inclusion, embedding school values, and strengthening the school’s targets and assessment practices. The school is still developing processes for involving students in making decisions.
2 Learning
How well does this school use achievement information to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement?
The board, leaders and teachers are making good use of achievement information to monitor students' progress and to help them make decisions about suitable programmes to engage students.
Leaders and teachers have a good knowledge of the learning needs of individual students. They engage in robust discussions about ways to raise achievement. The board is kept well informed about student achievement and wellbeing. The trustees make good use of this information to help with resourcing.
Sound processes are in place for monitoring student progress in relation to the National Standards in Years 1 to 8, and NCEA in Years 11 to 13. The secondary school has made good progress on the management and moderation of NCEA assessments, including an increased focus on endorsements.
Students with special needs have their learning goals monitored closely through individual education plans.
The school makes good use of external agencies to help leaders and teachers improve student wellbeing and achievement.
Next Steps
While the leaders and teachers have developed the way they make reliable judgements about achievement in writing in relation to the National Standards, they now need to strengthen the moderation of reading and mathematics.
3 Curriculum
How effectively does this school’s curriculum promote and support student learning?
The school curriculum positively promotes and supports student learning in a number of ways.
The leaders and teachers provide a good range of learning opportunities that engage students and helps them develop good knowledge and understanding of the local environment.
Teachers know students and their families well. They maintain good communication with the families and aspects of student learning are regularly shared with parents.
Students in Years 1 to 8 achieve well, in relation to the National Standards, in reading and mathematics, and less well in writing. Students in Years 12 and 13 achieved good results in NCEA in 2014. Māori students achieved as well as their peers in NCEA, and in mathematics in Years 1 to 8, and less well in reading and writing in relation to the National Standards.
The primary school:
- has developed useful guidelines to support teaching in all learning areas
- places a strong emphasis on literacy and mathematics
- provides students with a well-planned range of interesting, engaging connected learning/topic studies
- effectively evaluates connected learning/topic study programmes
- provides good oral language programmes, particularly in Years 1 to 3
- Recent positive changes in the secondary school include:
- individualised student interest-based Gateway programmes
- regular meetings between the deputy principal and students to discuss their aspirations, what they need to do to achieve these, and progress to date
- introducing a diploma for Years 9 and 10 in 2015 to promote students’ motivation, work habits and service to others.
Areas of review and development
The school has identified and ERO agrees, the documented curriculum needs review. This includes:
- showing how students' learning is delivered seamlessly in Years 1 to 13
- identifying teaching practices that link with the school’s professional development programme and strategic direction
- providing a cohesive link between the school values, key competencies, principles, learning areas and other aspects of the curriculum, such as digital technologies.
ERO and the school agree that to further improve student engagement and understanding of their learning leaders and teachers need to:
- increase student involvement in school-wide and curriculum decision making, and increase independence and self-management in their learning
- implement vocational pathways, and provide a more deliberate approach to career education.
The board needs to strengthen the monitoring of student satisfaction with teaching and learning to address aspects noted in a recent wellbeing survey in an ongoing manner.
How effectively does the school promote educational success for Māori, as Māori?
The school is making good progress towards developing a more bicultural environment.
The school leaders have recently established a closer relationship with Māori whānau. These families are providing the school with knowledge and support to increase bicultural perspectives in school programmes and events.
A number of other initiatives have been undertaken. These include:
- surveying Māori students and actioning their suggestions for increasing bicultural prominence in the school
- celebrating te reo and tikanga Māori through regular community and school events
- proactively supporting teachers to increase their confidence and inclusion of te reo and tikanga Māori in their class programmes
- increasing visual representation of things Māori across the school
- recently completing a Māori development plan, that is likely to increase te reo and tikanga Māori in the school programmes.
The next step for the school’s leaders is to focus on what teachers would do differently to improve achievement outcomes for Māori students, particularly in the primary school.
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.
Trustees make good use of training to understand, review and improve outcomes for students. They are well supported by the principal who keeps them well informed about school operations, statutory requirements, and student progress and achievement.
The board makes good use of strategic and annual plans to determine the school's future direction and to improve student achievement and wellbeing. The goals and indicators are clear, and progress is closely monitored and reported at each board meeting.
Self review is effectively integrated into board and school operations. Reports on specific subject areas clearly identify what is going well, and where improvements should be made. Detailed action plans are closely monitored and reported to ensure there are positive outcomes for students.
The board and the senior leadership team work collaboratively to ensure the school’s strategic direction, goals and priorities are the focus for decision making and resourcing. The principal’s regular, high quality and detailed reports help to ensure the focus on school goals and student achievement targets is discussed, and further action taken if needed.
The school vision is reflected through its values and strategic direction. It is regularly revisited at assemblies and meetings.
The board and staff benefit from the principal’s clarity and knowledge about current trends in education and effective school leadership.
Trustees and school leaders work in a pro-active and strategic way to address the challenges of being in an isolated community. This is achieved through collaboration with other schools and education networks.
Teachers have many opportunities to engage in professional development. This supports them to inquire more deeply into how their teaching practices improve student learning and achievement.
Area of review and development
The board, principal and teachers should continue to strengthen the teacher’s appraisal process to ensure the school’s high expectations for learning and teaching are being met.
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
The school has a strong focus on improving student achievement and wellbeing. Class sizes are small. Teachers know students and their families well and they provide a good range of learning opportunities to engage students. Next steps include increasing student involvement in decisions about their learning, and more closely linking students' learning between the primary and secondary schools.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Chris Rowe
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Acting)
17 September 2015
About the School
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Location
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Cheviot, North Canterbury
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Ministry of Education profile number
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309
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School type
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Composite (Years 1 to 13)
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School roll
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186
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Gender composition
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Girls 55%; Boys 45%
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Ethnic composition
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Pākehā
Māori
Pacific
Asian
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77%
21%
1%
1%
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Review team on site
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August 2015
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Date of this report
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17 September 2015
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Most recent ERO reports
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Education Review
Supplementary Review
Supplementary Review
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September 2012
July 2009
June 2008
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