Robertson Road School

Robertson Road School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 3 months of the Education Review Office and Robertson Road School working in Te Ara Huarau, an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website. www.ero.govt.nz

Context

Robertson Road School is located in Mangere, South Auckland and provides education for students in Years 1 to 8. Since the last ERO review, two new senior leaders have been appointed.

The school vision is ‘Aim High, Together We Fly’ (Whāinga Tiketike Tahi Rere Tatou) and its values are ‘Respect, Relationships and Service’.

Robertson Road School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

  • to develop high achieving students

  • to build evaluative practice

  • student wellbeing and engagement

  • Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Robertson Road School’s website.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching and its impact on learners’ progress and achievement.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to:

  • respond to student achievement data and improve student success

  • improve and sustain teacher capability by accessing models of best practice and evaluating their effectiveness

  • align actions and strategies for success for all with the school’s strategic goals

  • meet parent/whānau high aspirations for their children’s success.

The school expects to see:

  • improvements in students’ success and learning outcomes

  • students who are well prepared to transition to further learning

  • consistent and sustained use of effective teaching strategies.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support the improvement of effective teaching and its impact on learners’ progress and achievement:

  • the way the school promotes student agency and ownership of learning

  • the provision of pastoral care to support student hauora/wellbeing

  • teachers' contribution to leading best practice in the wider learning community

  • links and connections with family and whānau

  • high levels of community engagement.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • embedding teachers’ structured literacy practices to improve students’ expression and their access to learning across the curriculum

  • promoting effective teaching strategies including cultural responsiveness to improve student engagement in learning in a meaningful and authentic curriculum.

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. ERO will support the school in reporting their progress to the community. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

6 October 2023 

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement.  educationcounts.govt.nz/home

This school has a Samoan Bilingual unit, ‘Puna o le Malamalama’, for students in Years 1 to 8.

Robertson Road School

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2023 to 2026

As of May 2023, the Robertson Road School Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:

Board Administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Personnel Management

Yes

Finance

Yes

Assets

Yes

Further Information

For further information please contact Robertson Road School Board of Trustees.

The next School Board assurance that it is meeting regulatory and legislative requirements will be reported, along with the Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report, within three years.

Information on ERO’s role and process in this review can be found on the Education Review Office website.

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

6 October 2023 

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home

Robertson Road School - 20/06/2018

School Context

Robertson Road School caters for students in Years 1 to 8. The school currently has 569 students. Pacific students make up 75 percent of the roll, with 40 percent Samoan, 22 percent Tongan and 10 percent Cook Island Māori. Māori students make up 17 percent of the roll.

The school’s vision is ‘Aim High, Together We Fly’. Valued outcomes linked to this vision include children being confident in their identity, language and culture, socially and emotionally competent, resilient and optimistic about the future. The vision is underpinned by the school values of respect, relationships and service.

The board’s charter has strategic goals and aims that are focused on:

  • increasing levels of student agency, especially for boys

  • building teacher capacity to inquire into the effectiveness of practice in relation to student outcomes

  • increasing culturally responsive practices to lift Māori and Pacific achievement

  • developing a supportive school culture to promote physical and emotional wellbeing.

School achievement targets in reading, writing and mathematics are specific and are set for groups of students at most risk of not achieving.

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

  • achievement in reading, writing and mathematics

  • outcomes for students with additional learning needs

  • progress, including accelerated progress in literacy

  • outcomes related to engagement and wellbeing.

The Samoan bilingual unit, ‘Puna o le Malamalama’, provides opportunities for students to learn through Samoan language and culture. It aspires to affirm children’s Samoan identity and promote success for Samoan students, as Samoan.

Since the 2015 ERO review, the school has a new leadership team. At the beginning of 2017, the existing deputy principal was appointed as principal. Other senior leaders are also relatively new to their roles. A new chairperson was elected to the board of trustees in December 2017.

The school is part of the Whakatipu Akoranga Kāhui Ako|Community of Learning (CoL).

Evaluation Findings

1 Equity and excellence – valued outcomes for students

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

The school is not yet able to show that it is effective in achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for all its students. Achievement information shows that overall achievement levels in reading, writing and mathematics have remained at similar levels between 2015 to 2017.

In 2017 the majority of students achieved at expected curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics. Data also indicate that there are significantly more students in Years 1 to 3 achieving at or above expected curriculum levels than in the senior school.

The overall picture of achievement for Māori and Pacific students is unclear as the quality and reliability of data collection and analysis has not been consistent.

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

Leaders are gathering data to review how effectively programmes accelerate progress for priority learners. However, it is unclear how effectively the school responds to Māori, Pacific and other students whose learning and achievement need acceleration. Leaders and teachers should improve processes that support the collation and analysis of reliable data to help them measure the rates of student progress and acceleration.

2 School conditions for equity and excellence

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

The principal has purposefully worked to create a culture of trust and collaboration, and to build partnerships with whānau, to improve student outcomes. The strategic development of a shared vision, values and future direction is a strength. Leaders have sought perspectives and the aspirations of students, teachers, parents and whānau as a part of this process.

A strategic commitment to curriculum development is a key driver of change in the school. Strategic goals are focused on developing a more responsive curriculum that promotes student agency and culturally responsive approaches to teaching and learning. Strengthening teacher effectiveness and developing a safe and supportive school culture are also key priorities. A restructured leadership approach, with curriculum leadership roles, makes use of staff strengths and skills. The school increasingly integrates digital learning into the curriculum to foster connected, capable and confident learners.

Leaders promote and participate in professional learning and development. Internal and external expertise is valued and utilised. Leaders align student learning needs, teacher professional learning goals, and processes for teacher appraisal. The new appraisal system and teaching as inquiry practices are likely to support teachers to build their capability. The school is creating a reflective, professional learning culture that draws on research, internal evaluation, professional learning and development. Collaborative partnerships are built through involvement in the local Community of Learning|Kāhui Ako. These approaches support progress towards building shared understandings and practices that align to the strategic goals.

Leaders and teachers are committed to building strong learning partnerships with parents based on their children’s learning. Parents appreciate the workshop approach to increasing their understanding about the curriculum, current teaching and learning approaches, and how they can support their children’s learning at home.

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

School leaders acknowledge that building collective staff capacity to accelerate student progress is critical. Leaders need greater clarity around the leadership, systems and processes that are likely to support progress towards strategic goals and acceleration.

Teaching practices and curriculum implementation are variable. Leaders and teachers should evaluate the quality of current classroom programmes to inform evidence-based changes that lead to curriculum improvements. Establishing robust internal evaluation processes would help inform leadership decisions.

School leaders acknowledge the need to further develop and embed effective teaching and learning approaches that increase student ownership of their learning. Students could also be involved in developing strategies and making decisions about their own learning and wellbeing.

Trustees acknowledge the importance of engaging in governance training and professional development to build the board’s capacity. Professional development is likely to help them plan and evaluate progress towards strategic goals, and scrutinise the school’s effectiveness in achieving valued student outcomes.

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:

  • strategic commitment to the school’s vision focused on creating a collaborative school culture

  • a strategic emphasis on developing a responsive curriculum to increase student agency

  • professional learning and development to build teacher capability and collective capacity to improve student outcomes

  • educationally powerful relationships with parents and education sector colleagues.

Next steps

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

  • improving the validity, reliability and analysis of achievement data and information

  • increasing the depth of evaluation and scrutiny of achievement information, particularly for those students at most risk of not achieving

  • formalising and refining learner-focused internal evaluation processes

  • further planning and developing a leadership strategy to enact the strategic goals, and changes in teaching practice and curriculum, and accelerate student progress.

ERO recommends that development priorities also include:

  • strengthening targeted planning to accelerate learning and achievement [ERO will monitor and discuss progress with the school.]

  • enhancing internal evaluation processes and practices

[ERO will provide an internal evaluation workshop for trustees and senior leaders.]

ERO’s next external evaluation process and timing

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

Julie Foley

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)

Te Tai Raki - Northern Region

20 June 2018

About the school

Location

Mangere, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

1467

School type

Full primary (Years 1 to 8)

School roll

569

Gender composition

Boys 53% Girls 47%

Ethnic composition

Māori
Samoan
Tongan
Cook Islands Māori
Niuean
Indian
other

17%
37%
22%
11%
5%
3%
5%

Special features

5 Samoan bilingual classes Social worker in schools Sir Keith Park School Satellite Class

Review team on site

March 2018

Date of this report

20 June 2018

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review
Education Review
Education Review

May 2015
March 2012
June 2008

Robertson Road School - 08/05/2015

Findings

Robertson Road School provides a welcoming and inclusive environment for students. Samoan students have opportunity to learn in bilingual classes. Trustees, leaders and staff share a commitment to raising student achievement. The new principal is developing reflective and responsive approaches to guide teaching and leadership practices.

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?

Robertson Road School is a primary school for Years 1 to 8 students, in Mangere, South Auckland. The school reflects the ethnically diverse community it serves and has a significant number of Māori and Pacific students, many of whom have home languages other than English. Second and third generation families also attend the school.

Bilingual education is a long established and valued feature of the school and there are currently five Samoan bilingual classes. There is also a satellite class for special needs students on the school grounds.

The school’s culture is welcoming, inclusive and has a strong focus on student wellbeing and achievement. A well-resourced school library, additional learning support, and home and school programmes contribute to a supportive learning environment for students.

Since the 2012 ERO report a new principal has been appointed. Building upon good foundations, he is implementing a new strategic direction and vision to guide the school’s next stages of development.

For several years the school has planned and implemented classroom upgrades. Currently the board of trustees are planning additional classrooms to cater for an increasing school roll and the development of more modern learning environments for students.

ERO’s 2012 report identified development priorities that have since been addressed. The school has continued to develop a progressive te reo Māori programme and has implemented professional learning focused on mathematics teaching.

2 Learning

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

School leaders are using achievement information increasingly well, to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement.

The school’s information indicates that approximately half of the students achieve the National Standards in reading and mathematics and a little less than half in writing. Trustees, school leaders and staff all share a sense of urgency to raise the levels of student achievement.

The school’s data shows that Pacific achievement is below National Standards. However, by Year 8, students in the Samoan bilingual classes achieve at levels comparable to the National Standards in writing and mathematics. Team leaders are seeking new ways to accelerate Pacific students’ progress. One successful initiative offers parents of students in the bilingual classes opportunities to participate in literacy and numeracy workshops to help them to support their children’s learning at home.

Professional learning has helped staff to develop shared understandings about and more consistent use of achievement information to guide teaching programmes. Other well-considered initiatives that are guiding teachers’ and leaders’ practice include:

  • a coaching and mentoring programme for teachers
  • setting specific achievement targets and developing strategies to accelerate the progress of students not yet achieving National Standards
  • twice termly evaluations of teaching programmes and student progress
  • re focussing professional development to allow teachers time to effectively consolidate new learning and initiatives.

Respectful interactions between teachers and students help the students to engage in learning. Teachers are developing practices that help students to confidently and knowledgeably talk about their learning and achievement.

School leaders acknowledge that next steps could include:

  • refining ways that learning prompts could be made more meaningful for students
  • further developing teachers’ evaluations of their teaching
  • reviewing assessment, and reporting practices of curriculum areas other than English and mathematics.

3 Curriculum

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

Trustees and leaders have identified curriculum development as a key goal in the school charter. The principal, senior leaders and teachers plan to collaboratively redevelop the school curriculum, so that it more effectively promotes student learning and achievement.

There is a clear emphasis on literacy and numeracy as foundations to learning. Other learning areas are appropriately integrated into related thematic programmes. Teachers collaboratively plan these programmes and seek to make the learning relevant and interesting to students.

The school employs specialist teachers to offer students broad curriculum opportunities. These opportunities include Mandarin, visual art and technology for Year 7 and 8 students.

The board invests generously in teachers’ professional development and there is evidence that this is positively impacting on student achievement. In recent years professional learning programmes have focused on assessment, writing, mathematics and digital technologies to support students’ learning.

Pacific students’ culture, language and identity are affirmed and valued. Over 80 percent of students are from Pacific backgrounds and the majority of them are in mainstream classes. In the five Samoan bilingual classes, students speak positively about their learning. They enjoy the opportunity to learn in their own language.

During the course of the review the board of trustees, school leaders and ERO discussed the following steps to promote further educational success for Pacific students throughout the school. These include school leaders:

  • strengthening connections and engagement with Pacific families
  • aligning the school’s strategic vision, bilingual philosophy and framework with the goals of the Pasifika Education Plan
  • evaluating the extent to which student’s bilingual and bi-literate skills influence their overall achievement.

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

The school continues to encourage and support educational success for Māori. Māori students engage well with their learning and they continue to achieve at slightly higher levels than other students in the school. However Māori student achievement is below the National Standards. School leaders are committed to finding new ways to accelerate Māori learners’ progress.

Students participate in waiata, karakia, pōwhiri, and kapa haka as a part of school events. Teachers are increasingly including aspects of Te Ao Māori in curriculum programmes.

The principal is taking a more active role to provide better systems and more focused approach to improving programmes to promote educational success for Māori as Māori. Trustees, school leaders and ERO discussed steps to further promote educational success for Māori as Māori. These steps include school leaders:

  • providing increased opportunities for Māori students to affirm their identity as Māori
  • strengthening connections and engagement with whānau
  • building teachers’ capability to promote Māori student’s language, culture and identity
  • developing plans and policies to guide school practices to support Māori student success.

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.

The board is representative of the community and includes experienced trustees and new members elected in 2013. Trustees have participated in board training and have reviewed the board’s governance framework. The board receives regular updates showing progress towards the school’s achievement targets. Guided by the new principal, the board has introduced a future-focussed vision that places student achievement at the centre of the school’s thinking and planning.

The principal is strategically leading change and developing leadership capacity throughout the school. School management, curriculum and assessment practices have been reviewed. Senior leaders now have responsibilities in curriculum development and teacher mentoring. Further opportunities have been introduced to grow teachers’ leadership.

The community’s commitment to the school is well evident. Parents and families are increasingly engaging in ‘home and school’ partnerships. Senior leaders and teachers are now actively supporting parents to be involved in their children’s learning.

The school is in the early stages of implementing several changes to raise student achievement. These will require time to embed. Senior leaders acknowledge the value of developing robust processes to evaluate the impact of new initiatives on students’ engagement and achievement.

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

Robertson Road School provides a welcoming and inclusive environment for students. Samoan students have opportunity to learn in bilingual classes. Trustees, leaders and staff share a commitment to raising student achievement. The new principal is developing reflective and responsive approaches to guide teaching and leadership practices.

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

Dale Bailey

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

8 May 2015

About the School

Location

Mangere, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

1467

School type

Full Primary (Years 1 to 8)

School roll

524

Gender composition

Boys 53% Girls 47%

Ethnic composition

Māori

Samoan

Tongan

Cook Island Māori

Indian

Niue

Fijian

Tokelauan

Others

18%

37%

21%

12%

4%

4%

1%

1%

2%

Special Features

5 Samoan bilingual classes

Social worker in Schools

Sir Keith Park School Satellite Class

Review team on site

March 2015

Date of this report

8 May 2015

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review
Education Review
Education Review

March 2012
June 2008
September 2005