Manukorihi Intermediate

Summary

Manukorihi Intermediate is built on an historic pa site in the rural town of Waitara, Taranaki. The school is beside the local marae, a significant place of learning and participation for students and their families. Sixty one percent of students identify as Māori.

Since the June 2014 review, the intermediate has experienced substantial roll growth. Staffing has remained stable. There have been significant changes of trustees on the board.

Staff professional learning and development (PLD) focuses on Accelerated Learning in Literacy (ALL) and Mathematics (ALiM). Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) underpins the inclusive culture focused on student wellbeing. The school is a Health Promoting School. A wide range of external agencies support student learning and wellbeing.

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

The school is increasing its effectiveness to respond to students whose learning and achievement need acceleration. Some students achieve well in relation to National Standards for reading, writing and mathematics. However, disparity of achievement is evident.

The school environment has a positive tone. Relationships are warm and respectful. Students experience a broad curriculum and have opportunities to learn in authentic contexts. There is a collective responsibility for, and a strong focus on, student learning and wellbeing. Continuing to enhance learning-centred partnerships with parents and whānau has been identified as a high priority by the school.

To enhance equitable outcomes the school needs to sharpen the focus to those learners whose achievement needs acceleration, develop purposeful evaluation and continue to strengthen understanding and implementation of an effective performance management process.

The school has capacity and capability to accelerate learning for all children. It has identified that improving overall rates of achievement and reducing in-school disparity are urgent priorities.

The school agrees to:

• develop more targeted planning to accelerate learning for children
• monitor targeted planning, improved teaching, and children’s 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 increasing the effectiveness of its response to students whose learning and achievement need acceleration.

Some students achieve well in relation to the National Standards for reading, writing and mathematics. In 2016, targeted interventions had a positive impact on raising student achievement in reading and writing. However, there has not been sufficient progress made in mathematics achievement. Overall, there is disparity between Māori and others, and girls and boys. The school has identified that improving the overall rates of achievement and reducing disparity is urgent.

Since the previous ERO report, the school has focused on improving overall teacher judgements about student achievement in relation to National Standards. Moderation practices have been strengthened and the school is now more confident about the dependability of assessment data. Enhancing judgements by including information from suitable standardised assessments should support more robust decision making.

School conditions supporting equity and excellence

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

Students experience a broad curriculum and have opportunities to learn in authentic contexts. A collective responsibility for, and strong focus on, student learning and wellbeing is a feature.

Trustees access further training to build their understanding of roles and responsibilities. A high level of trust between trustees and leaders is evident. The board receives useful information about student achievement to inform decision making about resourcing. Community voice is actively sought and valued to inform school direction. Continuing to enhance learning-centred partnerships with parents and whānau has been identified as a high priority by the school.

Leaders have successfully developed a collaborative, professional culture among teachers. Systems and processes have been enhanced and aligned to better support and inform decisions about student learning and wellbeing. A significant and successful school wide approach to build teachers’ confidence, capability and capacity has enabled a more appropriate response to students whose learning and achievement requires acceleration.

Positive and respectful learning relationships are highly evident in classrooms. Students are developing confidence in, and ownership, of their learning. A newly designed curriculum framework promotes richer and more meaningful opportunities for learning. Leaders and teachers are currently building a profile for effective teaching at this school. Incorporating the attributes of a successful learner should strengthen this. 

Sustainable development for equity and excellence

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

To enhance equitable outcomes the school needs to sharpen the focus on learners whose achievement needs acceleration. Extending trustees’ and leaders’ understanding and implementation of effective targeting for schoolwide improvement is a priority. Developing a clear line of sight to at risk learners should enable:

• trustees, leaders and teachers to better scrutinise data
• more effective monitoring, tracking and more frequent reporting of the progress and achievement of individual learners in relation to expected outcomes
• teachers to inquire more deeply into their practice to identify initiatives and strategies that have the most impact on accelerating students’ learning and achievement
• purposeful evaluation that supports sustainability of outcomes and effectively informs decisions about improvement.

An enhanced appraisal system that aligns to schoolwide goals and plans for improvement was introduced in 2016. Continuing to strengthen understanding and implementation of an effective performance management process is a key next step. This should include:

• collecting appropriate and sufficient evidence that shows how teachers are meeting the Practising Teacher Criteria

• clearly defining measureable goals that support teachers’ critical reflection of their practice

• embedding sound individual teacher inquiry that links to improving student outcomes

• meaningful advice and guidance focused on building capability.

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 children. However, disparity in achievement for Māori children remains.

Leaders and teachers:

• know the children whose learning and achievement need to be accelerated
• need to develop and implement approaches that effectively meet the needs of each child
• need to improve the school conditions that support the acceleration of children’s learning and achievement.
• need to build teacher capability to accelerate children’s learning and achievement.

The school agrees to:

• develop more targeted planning to accelerate learning for children
• monitor targeted planning, improved teaching, and children’s 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.

Alan Wynyard
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)

24 July 2017

About the school