Fraser Crescent School

Summary

Fraser Crescent School in Upper Hutt, caters for 262 children in Years 1 to 6. Of the learners enrolled, 37% identify as Māori and 2% have Pacific heritage.

Experienced and newly elected members make up the board of trustees.Since the July 2014 ERO report, the roll has steadily increased. This has resulted in ongoing additions to staffing. A new deputy principal was appointed in 2016.

Teachers are regularly involved in a range of professional learning and development through external and internal initiatives to promote positive learner outcomes.

The school’s Fraser Values - Future Focused, Respectful, Active Adventurers, who are Striving for Success, Enthusiastic and Resourceful - are focus on supporting children’s learning and wellbeing and are well highly visible throughout the school. These valuesknown by them, staff and the community.

The school participates in a collaborative cluster of local schools with a focus on strengthening school developments, particularly student engagement.

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

The school is developing its capability to effectively respond to Māori and other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration. Sound processes are in place for identifying, tracking and monitoring student progress and achievement.

Data for 2016, indicated that many students achieved at and above in relation to the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. In comparison with outcomes for girls, disparity for boys in writing was evident. Teachers’ inquiries are focused on writing in 2017, in response to this identified need.

Student wellbeing is a key focus for trustees, leaders and teachers. Parents and whānau have flexible opportunities to meet with teachers, discuss their child’s progress, and gain knowledge about how they can support learning at home.

Key next steps include: strengthening target setting; monitoring and reporting of accelerated learning; improving the use of teachers’ inquiry and school internal evaluation.Trustees and leaders recognise the need to sharpen the focus on accelerating student progress.

The school agrees to:

• develop more targeted planning to accelerate progress for learners

• monitor targeted planning, improved teaching, and learners’ progress

• discuss the school’s progress with ERO

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 developing its capability to effectively respond to Māori and other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration. The school has yet to have a sustained upward trajectory of improved achievement for all students gender and ethnic .Achievement information, over time, indicates variable outcomes and disparities for differentgroups. Disparity between these groups has reduced significantly in 2016.

School achievement data for 2016, showed that the achievement of Māori learners was similar to that of their peers. School data also shows that a number of students have made accelerated progress.

Approximately two thirds of students achieve at or above the writing and mathematics National Standards. Slightly more students achieve at the expected level in reading. To achieve equitable outcomes, the school is taking a considered approach to reviewing boys’ achievement in writing.

Good systems are in place to support dependable teacher judgements in writing. The school has identified the need to strengthen moderation practices in reading and mathematics.Teachers know students well and use a range of assessment tools to identify, respond to and monitor individual learning needs.

School conditions supporting equity and excellence

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

School trustees, leaders and teachers have a strong focus on improving the wellbeing of children, particularly those at risk of poor wellbeing outcomes.Student engagement and learning is supported by well-promoted school values and respectful, reciprocal relationships between children and with teachers.

Learners have differentiated programmes that target their identified needs.Emphasis is placed on teachers working collaboratively to address the diverse needs of children at risk of poor educational outcomes.

Children with additional learning needs are well identified and appropriately supported. External agencies are accessed when required.

Trustees receive a range of useful school information to support decision making and resourcing.

Through ongoing curriculum review, leaders and teachers have developed clear guidelines for effective teaching practice and assessment. These include expectations for culturally responsive teaching practice. Developing learning area implementation plans that include relevant local contexts, is an identified focus for 2017.

Leaders are taking a strategic approach to enhancing meaningful learning partnerships with families and whānau. Parents and whānau have flexible opportunities to meet with teachers, discuss their child’s progress, and gain knowledge about how they can support learning at home. A specific initiative introduced in 2017 is aimed at promoting positive outcomes for targeted Māori students through learning partnerships.

The development of teacher capacity and capability is well supported by an appropriate appraisal system and externally facilitated professional learning and development.

Sustainable development for equity and excellence

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

School leaders, staff and trustees are further developing their understanding of accelerated progress. This should assist them to work towards achieving equity and excellence for all students. Trustees and leaders recognise the need to sharpen the focus on accelerating students’ progress.

ERO’s external evaluation affirms trustees’ and leaders’ identification of the need to continue to:

• refine school targets to focus on accelerating the progress of students at risk of not achieving

• focus teachers’ inquiry on effective practices to address the needs of target students

• regularly track, monitor and report the rate of progress of target students

• enhance internal evaluation to more effectively and formally analyse the impact and effectiveness of teaching programmes and initiatives on student outcomes.

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?

The school has capacity and capability to accelerate learning for all learners. However, disparity in achievement for boys in writing remains.

Leaders and teachers:

• know the learners whose progress and achievement need to be accelerated

• need to develop and implement approaches that effectively meet the needs of each learner

• need to build teacher capability to accelerate learners’ progress and achievement.

The school agrees to:

• develop more targeted planning to accelerate progress for learners

• monitor targeted planning, improved teaching, and learners’ progress

• discuss the school’s progress with ERO.

ERO will provide an internal evaluation workshop to support the school to develop effective planning and monitoring processes to support equity and excellence for all children.

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

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)

12 September 2017

About the school

Findings

Fraser Crescent School's curriculum supports students’ sense of belonging and wellbeing. National Standards information for 2012 and 2013 indicates an urgent need to improve achievement, particularly for Māori and Pacific students. Trustees and senior leaders have goals for improvement. Senior leaders need to lead change and monitor impact on student progress.

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?

Fraser Crescent School is located in Upper Hutt and caters for students in Years 1 to 6. Of the total roll, 27% are Maori and 8% from Pacific cultures. A focus on ‘connecting today’s children with tomorrow’s learning’ is supported by a positive, inclusive and caring school environment.

Since the June 2011 ERO report, a new senior syndicate leader has been appointed.

Students, staff, families and whānau have a strong sense of belonging with the school. All cultures are valued for their uniqueness. Parents are seen as important partners in their children’s learning.

Student success, based on the ‘Fraser Values’, is regularly celebrated. Teachers support students in a diverse range of opportunities for learning and achievement within and beyond the classroom. They include leadership, sporting, cultural, arts and community activities.

2 Learning

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

Senior leaders and teachers need to strengthen their use of student data to make positive changes to learners’ progress and achievement.

National Standards assessment information for 2012 and 2013 indicates an urgent need to improve student achievement in reading, writing and mathematics, particularly for significant numbers of Māori and Pacific students. Improving student progress in writing is a target for 2014, as it has the most concerning levels of achievement. Reading and mathematics data shows that these areas also need to be targeted.

Entry data for five year olds shows a significant number of students enter school with low levels of literacy. Subsequent data from testing shows a marked improvement in literacy skill development for most of these students, including Pacific. However, overall progress for Maori students in this year group is minimal.

Some teachers use assessment information effectively to plan learning activities and track students’ progress. Consistent use of such good practices, evident in the school, should help teachers be more deliberate in their teaching in order to increase rates of progress.

Students with high needs have individual programmes that are planned with them, their families and whānau. They include goals based on each child’s specific needs. Transitions into and beyond the school for students with high needs is well supported through links with agencies, family and early childhood centres. The school community is very inclusive of these children.

Positive affirming relationships are evident in classrooms. Students learn alongside their peers. They are encouraged to become confident and independent learners. The school has a well-considered plan for inclusion of students with special and high needs. This is regularly reviewed to evaluate how well leaders and teachers are working with these students, their families and whānau.

Teachers have yet to have most Māori students achieving at expected levels in relation to the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. They have identified these students in target groups for specific learning support.

Pacific students identify with a diverse range of Pacific cultures. Senior leaders know that improving Pacific students’ achievement is a high priority. Some Pacific students are identified in the school’s 2014 writing target. Teachers are reviewing their knowledge and practices related to Pacific students’ language and cultural identities.

Reports to parents and regular education sessions provide useful assessment information about children’s progress in relation to the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Next learning steps and strategies encourage families and whānau to support learning at home. Face-to-face meetings give teachers, parents and whānau opportunities to discuss these reports.

3 Curriculum

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

The Fraser School curriculum is effective in supporting students’ sense of belonging and wellbeing. The ‘Fraser Values’ underpin teaching and learning programmes. They are visible and modelled in the school. The curriculum and ‘Fraser Quest’ home and school learning partnership enable students to follow special interests with their families and whānau. Students have a wide variety of opportunities to learn outside the classroom through environmental studies, leadership, sporting, and cultural experiences.

A review of the reading curriculum provides good recommendations to guide improvements in teaching and learning practices. The next step is to make sure that these ideas are put into practice to increase the consistency of effective teaching across the school. Particularly, that all teachers interpret and use student achievement information to plan programmes in response to students' different needs and strengths.

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

There are opportunities in the curriculum for all students to learn about te ao Māori. The board and school leaders have worked with whānau to develop an Action Group. This team has written a plan with goals and actions to engage with whānau. It is timely to put these ideas into practice to increase whānau voice and participation in their children’s learning. A wide range of school events and activities are encouraging whānau to connect with their children’s interests at school and home.

4 Sustainable Performance

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

The board and senior leaders have good vision and expectations for school improvement. Goals and priorities for improvement are identified. However, there is a need to develop a set of expected outcomes to enable progress against the goals to be measured. Action and ongoing review of effectiveness are needed.

Trustees receive reports that keep them well informed about student achievement and teaching and learning programmes. They use the information to make decisions about ongoing funding and resourcing.

Trustees, senior leaders and teachers value the relationships they have with the community. Parents and whānau are well informed about school events through newsletters, school and community events. Their contributions to programmes and other activities are appreciated.

Student transitions into and beyond school are based on good exchanges of information with local early childhood centres and schools. Families and whānau are respected as important partners in this process.

Senior leaders are responsive thinkers. Since the previous ERO review, a lot of documentation for managing the curriculum and building teacher capability has been revised. Implementation has started in 2014. It is too early to evaluate the impact of these changes.

The principal and senior leaders should lead and closely monitor how well the following are put into practice and embedded school-wide:

• use of student data to plan and review programmes to cater for all students’ needs and strengths, and to increase rates of progress
• regular monitoring and tracking of student progress during the year
• including Pacific students’ languages, cultures and identities in the curriculum.

Teachers work together, sharing information and discussing teaching practices that they consider improve outcomes for students. The next step is to use student assessment information as evidence to identify what works best, and what does not, to raise student achievement.

An action plan has been provided to ERO, by the school, to address areas for improvement identified in this report.

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

Fraser Crescent School's curriculum supports students’ sense of belonging and wellbeing. National Standards information for 2012 and 2013 indicates an urgent need to improve achievement, particularly for Māori and Pacific students. Trustees and senior leaders have goals for improvement. Senior leaders need to lead change and monitor impact on student progress.

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

Joyce Gebbie

National Manager Review Services Central Region

4 July 2014

About the School