Redwood School (Christchurch)

School Context

Redwood School provides education for children in Years 1-6. The school roll is 329, and 59 children on the roll have identified as Māori.

The school’s vision is ‘We are climbing high ready for life’. The valued outcomes are for children to be respectful, responsible and able to relate well to others. These outcomes are known as the ‘Reddie Learner Qualities’.

The school’s key aims and overarching goals are to:

• continue to develop the ‘Redwood Way’ (expectations for teaching and learning – the ‘Heart of the Matter’), while continuing to build strong collaborative pedagogy across the school

• target and differentiate the teaching of literacy and numeracy

• provide a broad curriculum

• build bicultural practice through contextual learning throughout the school curriculum

• extend the use of digital tools for learning.

The school’s 2018 targets are to increase the number of children achieving at or above the school’s expected standard in reading and writing. There is a particular focus on improving boys’ achievement in writing and reading, and some Māori children’s achievement in reading.

Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:

• student achievement information in reading, writing and mathematics

• summarised school-wide and year level information against school targets

• trends and patterns about student achievement, and children’s participation in specialised programmes.

The school participates in a national programme that promotes positive learning behaviours. It is a member of the Totaranui Kāhui Ako|Community of Learning.

Evaluation Findings

1 Equity and excellence – achievement of valued outcomes for students

1.1 How well is the school achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for all its students?

The school is achieving good outcomes for most children.

Over the last three years, most children have achieved at the school’s expected levels in reading and mathematics. Mathematics achievement for all groups of children has remained consistent, over this time.

The school has identified that there is an ongoing need for school-wide improvement in writing achievement, and has targeted strategies in place to address this.

1.2 How well is the school accelerating learning for those Māori and other students who need this?

The school has had success at accelerating the achievement of a number of children whose learning needs to progress at a faster rate.

School information over the last three years shows:

• disparity for boys in writing and reading, particularly for Māori boys

• improvement in Māori girls’ writing achievement.

The school has effective processes to identify and monitor the progress of children whose learning and achievement needs acceleration.

2 School conditions for equity and excellence – processes and practices

2.1 What school processes and practices are effective in enabling achievement of equity and excellence, and acceleration of learning?

The school’s values are well known and enacted across all areas of the school. This is conducive to positive relationships and school culture.

School leaders, teachers and support staff know the children well as learners. Teachers identify and respond to children’s strengths, abilities and needs. Children with specific learning needs are well supported and closely monitored. Teachers identify and share specific strategies to assist children’s learning, wellbeing and social development. There is a shared responsibility by all staff for supporting children’s learning and wellbeing.

A deliberate and well-considered approach to building a culture of collaboration between school leaders and teachers is evident. This is encouraging the growth of teachers’ practices and understandings of what works best for individuals and groups of children. Teachers are well supported to build their collaborative capability to successfully manage the planned future school developments to the school environment and property. There is a strong focus in the school on developing teaching pedagogy around effective collaborative teaching.

The school’s leadership makes good use of teachers’ strengths and skills. There are opportunities for leadership roles and this is enabling the development of leadership capacity across the school. Good use is made of external and internal expertise to foster teacher capacity and capability, particularly in the development of bicultural practices and understandings.

The board is provided with a useful range of information to assist trustees in their governance role. Trustees are supportive of the school’s strategic direction. They are focused on improvement and implementing changes that respond to identified student needs and school direction priorities.

2.2 What further developments are needed in school processes and practices for achievement of equity and excellence, and acceleration of learning?

School leaders need to further develop their understanding and use of robust internal evaluation practices and processes to determine what works and what is needed to sustain ongoing improvement of equity and excellence. This will enable them to:

• better know about the impact and effectiveness of teaching practices and programmes on improving outcomes for children

• have a greater focus and understanding of accelerating student progress

• ensure that sufficiency of progress for all students is known and responded to.

School leaders have identified, and ERO agrees, that it is timely for aspects of the school’s curriculum to be reviewed. The school needs to consider the ways other learning areas beyond literacy and numeracy are assessed.

The current appraisal process needs to be strengthened to ensure it effectively meets the Education Council requirements. This should include use of evidence and increased opportunity for teachers to take greater ownership of their appraisal.

3 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

• finance

• 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.

4 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:

• the positive school-wide learning environment where individuals are well known and supported

• the shared responsibility for children’s learning and wellbeing

• ongoing focus on building bicultural understandings and practices to support Māori children’s success as Māori

• the culture of collaboration that supports sharing of good practice and building capacity of staff.

Next steps

For sustained improvement and future learner success, priorities for further development are in:

• reviewing and further developing the school’s curriculum learning areas in ways that identify and personalise expectations for the Redwood Learner

• further developing internal evaluation practices and processes to identify what is working well for children and where improvement is needed

• strengthening the school’s appraisal process.

ERO’s next external evaluation process and timing

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

Dr Lesley Patterson

Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern

Te Waipounamu - Southern Region

13 June 2018

About the school

Findings

The board and staff focus strongly on meeting the needs of students with a wide range of learning and wellbeing needs. Levels of achievement have improved in reading and mathematics. There is a current initiative to improve achievement levels in writing. The board and staff are consulting with parents as part of their review of the school’s strategic goals, and how they can best prepare students to learn in a modern learning environment. The school is implementing changes based on modern learning practice.

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?

The school has made good progress in implementing the recommendations from the 2012 ERO review. There is a strong focus on future school development that includes a review of the curriculum and teaching approaches appropriate for a modern learning environment, and preparing for further building developments.

There have been significant changes in staffing and board membership. Trustees and leaders are aware of the importance of implementing induction and training opportunities.

The school is a member of the local cluster of schools.

2 Learning

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

Teachers use achievement information well to identify and track the progress of students. They have improved the effectiveness of teaching strategies that enable them to better meet the range of learning needs in their classes. Teachers regularly examine their practice to make improvements that benefit students’ learning.

Teachers provide well for the range of students’ learning needs. Extra support is tailored to meet the needs of individuals and identified groups of students. Students with particular learning needs and students with special needs are well included in classroom programmes. Initiatives are in place to support students’ learning in reading and mathematics during the holidays. Teachers work with local early childhood centres to help children transition safely into Year one.

Leaders and teachers focus on students’ wellbeing to enhance learning. They foster positive relationships with and between students. Students are supported to develop social skills that contribute to collaborative classroom cultures. A number of outside agencies contribute positively to learning and wellbeing initiatives.

Information reported to the board shows positive trends for achievement in reading and mathematics against the National Standards. End of year results for 2014 are close to or exceed national expectations. Māori students are achieving at the same level as their peers in mathematics. Raising the achievement of boys and Māori students in literacy was a school goal, set by the principal, in 2014.

Leaders analyse achievement information from each class to identify some school-wide trends. This information is reported to trustees who are then able to make appropriate resourcing decisions that best support students’ learning.

Areas for review and development

Leaders have identified the need to improve the way they develop school-wide targets for achievement. This will require leaders to work with teachers to review how targets are developed, prioritised and monitored to better meet the range of learner needs.

National Standards information for writing shows that many students are achieving below expectations. While achievement levels in writing are low, significant work has been done to lift levels. The next step to improve writing achievement is to review how well ‘best fit’ judgements are made as part of the whole assessment process.

There are a number of programmes in place to support students with special learning needs. Review of the success of some of these programmes is limited by the lack of reported achievement information. The next step to improve the evaluation of all learning support programmes is to consistently include more detailed information about student achievement levels. This should allow trustees to better allocate resources to where they are most effective.

Goal setting for students is now well established in the senior school and as part of report to parents. The next steps to improve goal setting school wide are to:

consider ways to improve goal setting so there is consistency in practices from Years 1 to 6 including more involvement of parents.

3 Curriculum

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

The school’s curriculum provides students with a good range of learning opportunities within and beyond the classroom. School values are used well to support learning, positive relationships and wellbeing. All students have good opportunities to learn te reo Māori and to better understand the Māori culture.

Curriculum leaders are knowledgeable and well informed within their areas of responsibility. They work collaboratively with staff to decide on the best options for student learning and wellbeing. Guidelines and expectations for teaching and learning are well documented for literacy and numeracy. Guidelines for inquiry learning help improve consistency for students as they move through the school.

Teachers are supported with good-quality professional development. The programme focuses on areas of greatest need. Teachers engage in good levels of professional discussion and the sharing of ideas. The board supports professional development initiatives well.

Areas for review and development

ERO and leaders have identified next steps to further strengthen the school’s curriculum. These include:

• documenting how students’ understanding of values develops as they move through the school
• reviewing what information about inquiry learning is gathered and reported to parents
• developing planning for the implementation of technology and ICT programmes to best support students’ learning in a modern learning environment.

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

The school’s culture and practices reflect a commitment to honouring Māori culture, language and identity. Tikanga and te reo Māori are well included in school protocols, values and classroom practices. All students have the opportunity to participate in kapa haka. There is provision for students who want to learn additional te reo Māori in a specialist environment.

There is good opportunity, through family interviews, for Māori parents to share their aspirations for their children’s learning and how the school can best support them to succeed as Māori.

At the time of the review, the action plan for the development of support for Māori parents and whānau had expired. This has been subsequently reviewed and re-developed. The next step for the board and staff is to work to build strong relationships with the local runanga.

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 focus on raising student achievement. Their resourcing decisions are based on reported achievement information. They value regular reporting and question information carefully for better understanding. Trustees actively seek parent views through surveys, respond to this feedback, and parents are given the results. Policies are regularly reviewed.

Collaboration between curriculum and team leaders is improving the consistency of practices school wide. Leaders support teachers to ensure there is a holistic view to students’ learning and wellbeing. Teacher appraisal focuses on improving teaching and learning outcomes for students. Teachers receive good levels of written feedback about aspects of their practice.

Leaders and teachers are reflective about practices and approaches that make a difference for students’ learning. Class descriptions are effectively used to review learning and teaching in each classroom. Further review is carried out through discussion at team and staff meetings and in professional learning groups.

Areas for review and development

The board has begun to review the school’s strategic goals, including consultation with the parents. To ensure the plan is effective in promoting high-quality learning and teaching the board needs to:

• establish goals and review guidelines that will provide clear expectations and outcomes for leaders and teachers, as well as reflecting community expectations
• develop long-term and annual planning processes that are realistic, manageable and show timelines and expected outcomes.
• ensure there is provision for the principal to regularly report on progress against the annual goals.

The board has three new trustees about to take up office. The board would benefit from training that is specific to the needs of new trustees, and trustees’ major task of reviewing the school’s strategic goals and planning processes.

Reflective practice is strong within the school. The next steps for leaders to ensure that review is effective include:

• identifying school-wide priorities for review, and preparing guidelines for how review will be carried out at leadership and teacher levels
• ensuring recommendations from review are implemented and the outcomes monitored and evaluated.

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 board and staff focus strongly on meeting the needs of students with a wide range of learning and wellbeing needs. Levels of achievement have improved in reading and mathematics. There is a current initiative to improve achievement levels in writing. The board and staff are consulting with parents as part of their review of the school’s strategic goals, and how they can best prepare students to learn in a modern learning environment. The school is implementing changes based on modern learning practice.

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

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern

20 May 2015

About the School