- ERO evaluates and reports on the education and care of children and young people in early childhood services and schools.
Glentunnel School highly values its role as the central focus of a small community in rural Canterbury. The board, principal and staff strongly support the school to take a leadership role in a number of community events.
The school has high levels of community support and parent participation in the school. A home and school group is very active in contributing to increased resourcing for the school.
Since the July 2011 ERO review, a number of staff changes have been well managed by the board and school leaders. Playground development has also been undertaken to further enhance the attractive environment and extend the range of activities for students.
Significant roll growth in recent years is placing increasing pressure on existing teaching spaces.
Due to the school's location and limited access to early childhood services, a high proportion of new entrants to the school have no formal early childhood involvement. Leaders and teachers are involved in a local school cluster that is focused on continuing improvement to education provisions and practices in the area.
The principal and teachers have effectively addressed the recommendations made in the 2011 ERO report.
The school uses achievement information very well to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement.
Leaders and teachers use achievement information to maintain a strong focus on students’ learning needs and progress. This is most evident in the ways this information is used to:
Teachers know students’ learning needs very well. The school provides a range of additional support for children who need extra help with their learning. The progress of these students is regularly monitored. Students with particular strengths and abilities are provided with extension opportunities within and beyond classrooms.
Students benefit from the way teachers use achievement information to provide comprehensive reports to parents. This is helping to build positive learning partnerships and keep parents well informed about their children’s progress.
School achievement information against the National Standards in 2013 shows that achievement is highest in reading where most students are achieving at or above the National Standards. Progress over students’ time at the school is most evident in writing and mathematics, especially in Years 5 and 6. The majority of students in these year levels are achieving at or above the National Standards.
School leaders have recently sought feedback from parents about students’ reports. Most parents were very positive about the quality of information being received. A few stated that some language needs to be easier to understand. The principal and staff have identified that this is an area for ongoing improvement.
The school’s curriculum is highly effective in promoting and supporting student learning. Leaders and teachers make very good use of the local environment to build interest and engagement by providing a wide range of rich learning opportunities for students.
The school’s vision and values are strongly linked to community priorities and students’ learning interests and needs. The curriculum also effectively integrates the values and key competencies of the New Zealand Curriculum. Curriculum guidelines provide clear expectations for teaching and learning practices and priorities.
Teachers promote and support the high expectation that all children will achieve beyond their potential. In classrooms, students clearly benefit from:
Senior students benefit from increasing opportunities to develop their leadership skills. They told ERO that their support for younger students is important to them.
Children’s wellbeing is actively promoted and supported across the school and community. The relationships between teachers and students and among students strongly reflect the school’s key values of respect and caring for others. The principal and teachers are highly committed to students’ learning progress and achievement.
The principal and teachers have identified priorities for ongoing curriculum improvement. These include continuing to:
The school is making good progress with promoting educational success for Māori, as Māori.
Areas of progress since the last review include:
School leaders have identified, and ERO agrees, that the next steps are to:
The school is very well placed to sustain and improve its performance.
The trustees and school leaders are strongly committed to working closely together to achieve positive outcomes for students. They are focused on the achievement and wellbeing of students and the quality of their learning programmes and support provisions.
The board is well organised and trustees have a broad range of experience and expertise. Documented guidelines on roles and responsibilities support effective board practices. Very good self review processes are in place. A recent review of the appraisal system has led to improvements in this area. All trustees have participated in governance training.
Strategic and annual planning processes are effectively focused on support for students and continuous school improvement. The board receives high quality information about student achievement and progress. Trustees use this to make decisions about resourcing to support interventions aimed at further improving students’ learning programmes and achievement.
A particular strength of the school is the extent to which the board and principal use external expertise to support improvements at the school. This includes the principal’s involvement in an external appraisal programme and external support for curriculum development and professional learning. This is contributing to, and strengthening, ongoing improvements in these areas.
Trustees recognise that there may be value in more formally reviewing the effectiveness of their own governance practices.
Curriculum reviews could be further strengthened by ensuring that:
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:
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student achievement:
Glentunnel School uses its strong community links and attractive local environment to support students’ achievement and extend learning opportunities for them. Student wellbeing and achievement remain the key focus for the board, leaders and teachers. Ongoing improvements to some aspects of school planning and review will further enrich learning programmes and school practices.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.
Graham Randell National Manager Review Services Southern Region
7 July 2014
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Location |
Glentunnel, Canterbury |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
3352 |
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School type |
Contributing (Years 1 to 6) |
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School roll |
116 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 51% Girls 49% |
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Ethnic composition |
NZ European/Pākehā Māori Pacific Other Ethnicities |
75% 14% 6% 5% |
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Review team on site |
May 2014 |
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Date of this report |
7 July 2014 |
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Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review Education Review Supplementary Review |
July 2011 April 2008 June 2006 |
