Manurewa Intermediate

Education institution number:
1353
School type:
Intermediate
School gender:
Co-Educational
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
425
Telephone:
Address:

76 Russell Road, Manurewa, Auckland

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Manurewa Intermediate - 08/05/2017

Summary

Manurewa Intermediate caters for Year 7 and 8 children. The school is a source of considerable pride, influence and opportunity for its community and has a growing roll. Thirty-seven percent of learners are Māori and 45 percent have Pacific heritage. The school recognises and affirms the diverse identities, languages and cultures of children, parents, whānau and the community.

Since ERO’s 2012 evaluation, the school has sustained and continues to build on very good practices, with a holistic approach, to raising student achievement and developing lifelong learners. The school’s data show it is very effective in engaging students in learning and accelerating their progress in reading, writing and mathematics over their two years in the school.

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

The school’s processes and actions successfully help to achieve excellence and equity for children. This is mostly attributable to highly effective school leadership, strong engagement with the community, a responsive curriculum and effective teaching, and the meaningful use of internal evaluation.

There is an ongoing challenge for the school to continue lifting student achievement levels in relation to the National Standards. Next steps for the school to address this challenge, include working more closely with contributing primary schools to set agreed achievement ‘signposts’, and to moderate teachers’ assessment judgements.

Children are achieving excellent educational outcomes. School performance has been sustained over time through well-focused, embedded processes and practices. This school has successfully addressed in-school disparity in educational outcomes.

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.

Equity and excellence

How effectively does this school respond to Māori and other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration?

The school responds very well to all learners whose learning and achievement need acceleration.

Many children arrive at the school with low levels of achievement in literacy and numeracy. The school’s data show it is very effective at accelerating students’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics over their two years in the school. Relevant assessment and moderation practices underpin this good progress.

The school’s achievement information shows increasing levels of achievement in relation to National Standards. The school has successfully addressed previous in-school disparity for Māori. Since ERO’s 2012 evaluation there have been significant lifts in achievement for Māori students in reading and mathematics. The school is successfully reducing a disparity for boys in writing.

Learners benefit from a persistent approach to raising their achievement. For instance, specialist subject teachers contribute to the actions required for raising literacy and numeracy achievement, and they monitor progress and outcomes through targeted teacher inquiries.

Children are supported well to achieve the valued learning outcomes identified in the school’s charter and the New Zealand Curriculum. The school’s charter defines achievement as “the value added to the holistic wellbeing of every child at every opportunity”.

Children display a confident appreciation of themselves as learners, and are developing the skills and necessary mind-set to become successful lifelong learners. They learn to be socially and emotionally competent, resilient and optimistic about the future.

Children show confidence in their identity, language and culture. This strong cultural identity provides a bridge for many students in their learning. Children learn and achieve through culturally responsive teaching practices.

School conditions supporting equity and excellence

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

The school’s processes and actions very effectively help to achieve excellence and equity for learners. This is mostly attributable to:

  • highly effective school leadership
  • a deep commitment to strong engagement between the school and its community
  • a responsive curriculum, effective teaching and opportunities to learn
  • the building of professional capability and collective capacity that increases teachers’ knowledge, skills and adaptive expertise
  • use of internal evaluation, inquiry and knowledge building for improvement and innovation.

School leaders relentlessly pursue equity and excellence for all learners. They model optimism and authentic relationships that set learners up for success, wellbeing, citizenship and enhanced life experiences. Leaders maintain high expectations and levels of accountability for all staff and students in the school. Useful systems support an orderly and dynamic learning environment.

Leaders and teachers foster children’s confidence and skills to be active members of influence in school and in their wider community. There is collective ownership of and responsibility to live the school values “all the time, every time, all of us, everywhere”.

Children benefit from vigilant systems to ensure their wellbeing. The concept of aroha underpins school practices. Strong learning partnerships between learners, teachers and learning assistants support high levels of student engagement in learning. The school builds networks with external agencies to support equity of access to learning for all children.

The school’s curriculum emphasises the attributes for lifelong learning and citizenship. Children are involved in curriculum decisions and planning. Outdoor education opportunities and programmes for environmental sustainability are a feature of the curriculum. The school’s inquiry learning model has been strengthened and is working very effectively in the school’s specialist subject teaching model. Through integrated inquiry learning children have many opportunities to make links in their learning.

The high quality physical environment and learning facilities send a powerful message to children and the community that they are valued and able to achieve well. The learning environment is thoughtfully designed to affirm and celebrate children’s interests and identity, and to extend their learning experiences.

A professional culture is actively nurtured by school leaders. Multi-layered professional support is resulting in teachers delivering the curriculum very well. Staff benefit from relevant professional learning, and high quality mentoring and coaching. Teaching and support staff share a strong commitment and sense of social purpose to ensure equity and excellence for all learners.

Internal evaluation is systematic and coherent at every level of the school. Children, teachers, leaders, board and community participate in evaluation activities that contribute to changes in thinking and actions for ongoing improvement. School leaders are enhancing internal evaluation by including indicators of effective practice into review frameworks.

Sustainable development for equity and excellence

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

The school is very well placed to sustain its current good practices and continue to make ongoing improvements that impact positively on all children’s learning.

Next steps to help the school with the challenge of continually raising levels of achievement include working more closely with contributing primary schools to set agreed achievement ‘signposts’ and moderate teacher assessment judgements.

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 excellent educational outcomes. School performance has been sustained over time through well-focused, embedded processes and practices. This school has successfully addressed in-school disparity in educational outcomes.

Agreed next steps are to:

  • continue to provide opportunities to develop children’s critical thinking skills
  • develop working relationships with contributing schools.

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years. 

Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

8 May 2017

About the school 

Location

Manurewa, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

1353

School type

Intermediate (Years 7 and 8)

School roll

773

Gender composition

Boys      51%
Girls       49%

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā
Samoan
Tongan
Cook Islands Māori
Indian
Fijian
Niue
South East Asian
other

  37%
    4%
  20%
  10%
    9%
    6%
    3%
    3%
    3%
    5%

Provision of Māori medium education

No

Review team on site

March 2017

Date of this report

8 May 2017

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review
Education Review Supplementary Review

  December 2012
  January 2010
  February 2009

Manurewa Intermediate - 10/12/2012

1 Context

What are the important features of this school that have an impact on student learning?

Manurewa Intermediate is a large multicultural school catering for students in Years 7 and 8. Since the 2010 ERO review there has been significant change in the ethnic makeup of the school roll. At that time, 48% of the roll were Maori and 38% Pacific. The situation is now reversed with Pacific students making up the major group in the school. A feature of the school is that the board and staff are strongly representative of the diverse community that the school serves.

The principal, board chair and senior leaders have continued to focus on school improvement since the last ERO review. Continued upgrading and refurbishment of school buildings and grounds have resulted in a high-quality, attractive and motivating learning environment for staff, students, parents and the community.

The principal, board and staff have been extremely responsive to the two recommendations made in the last ERO report and there has been significant development in the areas of Pacific education and teaching practice. There has been considerable ongoing professional learning and development with staff related to improving teaching practice, with an emphasis on literacy and inquiry learning.

Self review is integral to all aspects of school operations and the information is used to continually improve student engagement, progress and achievement.

A key feature of the school is the provision of an inclusive, safe environment, which acknowledges and values the identity and cultures of the diverse makeup of staff, students, parents and community members.

2 Learning

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

School leaders recognise the need to progress students towards higher levels of achievement. Student achievement is very well used to make positive changes to students’ engagement, progress and learning. Data is being used increasingly, and effectively, to make significant improvements to the levels of student achievement over their two years at school.

Students make accelerated progress in reading, writing and mathematics over one year, as well as during their time at school. This is particularly applicable to those students who start well below expectations.

There is a strong belief that all students are capable learners. Teachers have high expectations that they will be successful. The school considers all students to be priority learners, and recognises and values students for who they are with their culture, identity and languages.

There is a deliberate approach by school leaders and teachers to ensure assessment information related to National Standards is valid and accurate. This information is being used to inform future planning for individuals and groups of students, as well as school initiatives to improve achievement. Students know about their achievement levels and the progress they are making, and share this information with parents at student-involved conferences.

Targets set for student achievement are responsive to cohorts and groups of students. These targets are becoming progressively more specific to ensure that they identify and address the diverse learning needs of all students. Effective programmes are in place to support students with special learning needs and abilities.

Teachers know students well and use the achievement information they have to effectively plan classroom programmes that motivate and challenge students to be actively engaged and successful in their learning.

The school has identified through its self review, and ERO agrees, that the next steps to further improve learning opportunities for students are to:

  • embed the inquiry learning model
  • continue to refine overall teacher judgements
  • continue to strengthen the use of student achievement information
  • continue to raise the quality of teaching practice.

3 Curriculum

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

The school’s curriculum is very effective in promoting and supporting student learning. It is aligned closely to The New Zealand Curriculum. The curriculum principles, values and key competencies are central to the planning and delivery of the school curriculum.

The innovative curriculum is student focused and provides them with a wide range of learning experiences and opportunities. It is set in a caring, inclusive educational environment that helps students develop a passion for learning. The principles and practices of hauora underpin and surround all elements of the curriculum. This approach is supporting and promoting the mental, physical, and spiritual health of students and their families.

The core curriculum is taught by specialists with an emphasis on literacy across all learning areas. There is a special emphasis on providing opportunities to cater for the diverse cultural groups in the school. Two dedicated Māori language classes and two dedicated Pacific language classes cater for those students and families who choose this option when enrolling at the school. Leaders and teachers actively promote the school culture and values that are integral to curriculum delivery.

Teachers are enthusiastic and focused on making a difference for students. High-quality relationships exist among teachers and students, and a range of effective strategies is used to engage students in learning. A feature of the school is the extent to which staff interact with, and support students, in and out of classroom activities such as sporting, cultural, environmental and community events.

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

The school strongly promotes educational success for Māori, as Māori. There has been significant progress made in creating a learning environment that supports and encourages Māori students to succeed. Features of this environment include:

  • a Māori achievement plan, which is being successfully implemented and overseen by a Māori focus group
  • strong representation and positive Māori role modelling on the school staff and board
  • connections with Māori whanau through a dedicated Māori teacher, two Te Ara language classes, kapahaka groups, a Māori mentoring programme, the local community and various Māori organisations
  • a physical environment, which reflects Te Ao and tikanga Māori.

Senior leaders and teachers effectively use assessment data to identify trends and patterns in the achievement and progress of Māori students. Learning programmes are planned to meet their needs. They use effective self review to identify what the next steps are for raising achievement of students and promoting successful learning and engagement.

4 Sustainable Performance

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

The school is very well placed to sustain and improve its performance because:

  • the principal provides dynamic, inspirational professional leadership for the school, staff and community
  • a collaborative, reflective and enthusiastic senior leadership team model the school vision and provide strong support for the principal
  • the board is strongly supportive of the principal and staff, well informed and uses evidence-based decision making
  • strategic goals provide a clear sense of purpose and direction for school development
  • there is a collective responsibility and accountability for student achievement and well being
  • evidence-based self review is embedded in school culture
  • there are strong quality assurance processes in place schoolwide
  • teachers willingly use professional learning opportunities to continually improve their teaching practice
  • there is an inclusive, culturally responsive school culture that acknowledges and celebrates diversity
  • there is strong community support and involvement in many aspects of school life.

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.

When is ERO likely to review the school again?

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.

Makere Smith

National Manager Review Services Northern Region (Acting)

10 December 2012

About the School

Location

Manurewa

Ministry of Education profile number

1353

School type

Intermediate (Years 7 to 8)

School roll

751

Gender composition

Boys 52%

Girls 48%

Ethnic composition

NZ Māori

Samoan

Tongan

Indian

NZ European/Pākehā

Fijiian

Niuean

South East Asian

Chinese

Middle Eastern

Tokelauan

Others

37%

21%

12%

6%

5%

2%

2%

2%

1%

1%

1%

10%

Review team on site

October 2012

Date of this report

10 December 2012

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

Supplementary Review

Education Review

January 2010

February 2009

January 2008