Westport North School

School Context

Westport North School provides education for children in Years 1-8. The school roll is 189 and 40 children on the roll have identified as Māori. The school has a bilingual class, Eke Panuku. The bilingual class reopened in 2018 after being closed for a year. The teacher responsible completed the Hoaka Panuku immersion teaching diploma during 2017. The school operates a sports academy for children in Years 6-8. Children also participate in the William Pike challenge.

The school states its vision is for children to be confident and happy. They also want children to be strong academic achievers who are motivated, positive and self-managing. The school’s key strategic goals are:

• high expectations for student achievement and that all learners make progress to achieve their goals

• ensuring children can become confident bicultural learners

• engaging families/ whānau and the wider community to support positive student outcomes

• ensuring the school provides a safe, happy and attractive learning environment.

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

• student achievement in reading, writing and mathematics

The school has participated in the Accelerated Literacy Learning (ALL) and the Accelerated Learning in Mathematics (ALiM) Ministry of Education Contracts.

Westport North School is a member of the Buller Kāhui Ako |Community of Learning (CoL).

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 making good progress towards achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for its students.

School information for the previous three years shows that most students achieve well against the school expectations in reading. The majority of children are achieving above school expectations in writing and mathematics.

The school has identified disparity for Māori children in reading, writing and mathematics and for boys in writing. Leaders and teachers are actively addressing this disparity. This disparity is decreasing over time.

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

The school responds well to those Māori and other students whose learning and achievement need acceleration.

The majority of children who need their learning accelerated made progress in reading. Accelerated progress is less evident in writing and mathematics.

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 has a number of highly effective processes and practices that are enabling equity and excellence.

Students, parents and whānau are highly engaged in learning within the school and in the wider community. Leaders and teachers use a range of highly effective strategies to know the students as individuals, as learners, and family and community members. They are very active and committed to involving all parents or whānau in decisions for their child’s learning and wellbeing. They keep parents and whānau well informed and engaged with school and home learning. Students are motivated learners who know their parents and whānau are proud of their successes and support them in their learning challenges.

The school curriculum is meaningful and responsive to students’, parents’, whānau and the community’s expectations, interests and values. Leaders and teachers regularly seek the opinions of students, parents and whānau to ensure class programmes are interesting and relevant. Teachers use a wide range of effective teaching strategies to engage and progress children’s learning. The school and class environments are caring, collaborative and inclusive. Students are confident, highly involved learners who respect and include the opinions of others.

Māori students are increasingly experiencing success as Māori and are proud of their bicultural heritage. Māori language and culture are valued by leaders, teachers and students. They have a strong commitment to continue to increase te reo and tikanga Māori in all classes and throughout the school. Authentic expression of Māori values are highly evident. Māori students and all students are well supported in holistic ways through widespread tuakana teina relationships.

School leaders effectively build professional capability and capacity. They have built a strong, collaborative team where individual staff strengths and interests are effectively used to benefit the learning and wellbeing of all students and their families. Teaching across the school is closely aligned to the school vision, values and goals. Professional development is well planned and targeted to achieve the school’s strategic goals. Strong relational trust has built robust, educationally-focused relationships to support equity and excellence for all students.

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

Trustees and leaders need to strengthen and embed internal evaluation to achieve equity and excellence and to accelerate learning. This should include:

• reviewing school evaluation processes to ensure the impact and outcomes of programmes and interventions for student learning and wellbeing are clear

• further refining strategic planning to ensure all internal evaluation processes are closely aligned to achieving the school vision and goals for students

• regularly reviewing how well students are achieving the school’s valued outcomes and the success of innovations such as the sports academy.

School leaders need to provide clear student outcome information in reports on how well Māori and other students have had their progress and achievement accelerated. This should help the board in their decision making to support the achievement of equity and excellence for all learners.

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:

• strong, powerful learning partnerships that closely connect and value home and school learning

• a highly responsive curriculum that successfully includes students, whānau and their expectations and values for a successful learner in this community

• highly motivated school leaders who effectively use professional development to build staff capability and capacity to achieve equity and excellence for all students.

Next steps

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

• strengthening and embedding internal evaluation processes to identify what is working well for students and where improvement is needed. 

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

Te Waipounamu - Southern Region

8 May 2018

About the school

Location	Westport
Ministry of Education profile number	3235
School type	Full Primary
School roll	189
Gender composition	Boys 51% : Girls 49%
Ethnic composition	Māori 21% Pākehā 75% Tongan 1% Other ethnicities 3%
Provision of Māori medium education	Yes
Number of Māori medium classes	1
Total number of students in Māori medium (MME)	22
Number of students in Level 2 MME	22
Review team on site	March 2018
Date of this report	8 May 2018
Most recent ERO report(s)	Education Review January 2015 Education Review February 2012 Supplementary review November 2009

Findings

Students learning and wellbeing are actively promoted in a positive, inclusive learning environment. Good use is made of achievement information to engage and support students’ progress and achievement. This is particularly strong for those who need extra support with their learning. Students are provided with rich, interesting learning experiences. The school provides parents with a range of options including a bilingual unit and sports academy.

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?

Westport North School provides good quality education for students in Years 1 to 8. There is a strong, inclusive school culture that is well supported by positive relationships and consistent and effective systems for supporting students' learning and wellbeing.

The school has a bilingual unit, a newly established sports academy and regular classroom options. The school’s values of respect, responsibility and relationships are highly visible and well embedded in students’ learning and in the environment.

Following the 2012 ERO review, the school has developed student achievement targets that are clear and specific. At the time of the on-site stage of the review, the principal was about to take up a new position. The board was in the process of appointing a new principal.

2 Learning

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

The school makes good use of achievement information to engage and support students’ progress. This is particularly strong for students who need extra support with their learning.

Senior leaders have developed carefully considered action plans to show how they will support students and teachers to meet annual achievement targets set against National Standards and Ngā Whanaketanga, the Māori Curriculum National Standards.

Senior leaders and teachers closely monitor the progress of students not reaching expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. Teachers develop useful individual or group learning plans for these students. Professional discussions occur at all levels about the best approaches to accelerate students’ progress.

Teachers, external agencies, and parents work together to support students.

Teachers in the bilingual unit, EKE Panuku, are using Te Reo Matatini effectively to engage students in their learning in literacy. The board receives informative reports from the team leader that celebrates students’ successes.

Teachers know students well and are focused on building students knowledge about their levels of achievement. Teachers are making students learning pathways visual and easy to understand.

The increased involvement of parents in students’ learning is strengthening relationships between the community and the school. A regular programme for junior school parents, sharing ways to support children’s reading at home, is well attended. Parents speak highly of the difference this has made to students’ learning.

The school has done considerable work towards building a good understanding of gifted and talented education. This, along with a rich curriculum, will provide a good basis for the development of a more strategic approach to meeting the needs of very able students.

The board and senior leaders need to ensure that progress against the National Standards is reported to parents, in writing, twice a year. This currently occurs in end-of-year reports only [Action 1]. While the board receives reports on student progress, increased information on school-wide achievement and the amount of progress specific groups of students are making throughout the year would further support decision making.

3 Curriculum

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

The quality of the localised curriculum is a strength of the school. Students engage in a wide range of rich learning experiences. Their interests, strengths and opinions are recognised and valued. There are positive, respectful and caring relationships between students and teachers.

School and community aspirations are reflected in a well-documented curriculum that is regularly reviewed. A recent review of literacy, using a Ministry of Education resource, helped teachers to gain a Māori cultural perspective of their classroom programmes. The school is innovative in the way it involves parents in curriculum celebrations and consultation.

Significant aspects of the curriculum that contribute to students learning and wellbeing are:

• recognising that students learn in different ways and providing options
• programmes that assist students to understand and meet the school’s expectations for behaviour and readiness for learning
• high quality career education implemented across all levels of the school.

Senior students take increasing responsibility for their learning, confidently tracking their own progress and identifying next learning steps. Students learn skills to enable them to work in this way, over time, during their years at the school.

Teachers are well supported by useful guidelines for quality teaching. The National Standards data at the end of 2013 showed that students are achieving well in mathematics and making steady progress in reading. Students’ writing is an area for ongoing improvement. Achievement in Eke Panuku against Te Reo Matatini shows students are achieving well in pānui (reading) and tuhituhi (writing). Korero is the focus for improvement. Mathematics achievement for these students is included in the National Standards data.

While there are many examples of good quality teaching, planning and assessment, senior leaders identify that by consolidating the professional development and building more consistency across practices are the school’s next steps. ERO agrees with this direction.

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

The school effectively uses a broad range of innovative practices to promote educational success for Māori as Māori. This includes the provision of a programme of learning through Eke Panuku enabling students to use te reo and tikanga Māori to learn about themselves and their world. Māori whānau take a strong lead in the strategic development, philosophy and learning programmes in the bilingual unit.

School leaders and teachers are using the key resources from the Ministry of Education (Tātaiako, Ka Hikitia) to provide a rich programme of te reo and tikanga Māori for students not in the bilingual unit.

The school shared their next steps to further improve learning and cultural outcomes for Māori students. ERO agrees these are to:

• review the school’s te reo Māori strategy ensuring language development is building on student’s knowledge as they begin school
• keep building confidence and competence in te reo and tikanga Māori amongst staff
• continue to actively engage and seek parents aspirations for Māori students to succeed as Māori, particularly for those students who not in the bilingual unit.

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 have a wide range of skills and experience. They make good use of training opportunities to further develop their governance skills. The board appropriately seeks expertise to guide them in specialist areas.

The board and senior leaders have developed a high quality charter, strategic and annual planning process. There are strong links between these plans, the school’s curriculum and professional development. Teachers, parents and, where appropriate, students are consulted and their views considered.

Teachers benefit from the principal’s high expectations for classroom practice and sound knowledge of curriculum. Opportunities for teachers to develop their leadership skills are fostered. Teachers work as a professional team. They are very aware of shared beliefs and values.

Suitable staff professional development effectively supports teachers to meet the diverse needs of students.

Staff and senior students work well together to support the transition of students into the school. Good use is made of feedback from parents to further improve this well-managed process. The school also has close connections with the local high school. This supports the transition of Year 8 students.

Teachers and leaders actively seek students’ thoughts on their learning and in other areas of school life. Their views influence school decision making. There are many opportunities for students to be leaders in the school, particularly in Years 7 and 8.

The board has many aspects of self review in place. It would be useful for trustees to further strengthen their understanding of self review in an education context. It would also be timely to review the appraisal system so that there is a good understanding of, and connection between, the different aspects of the process.

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.

Teachers regularly share students’ progress and next steps with parents. Written reports do not always clearly show how well students are progressing and achieving in relation to the National Standards for reading, writing and mathematics.

Action

1. Senior leaders need to ensure that written reports to parents include how well students are achieving in relation to the National Standards.[National Administration Guidelines 2 (a)]

Conclusion

Students learning and wellbeing are actively promoted in a positive, inclusive learning environment. Good use is made of achievement information to engage and support students’ progress and achievement. This is particularly strong for those who need extra support with their learning. Students are provided with rich, interesting learning experiences. The school provides parents with a range of options including a bilingual unit and sports academy.

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

Graham Randell

National Manager Review Services Southern Region

12 January 2015

About the School

Location	Westport
Ministry of Education profile number	3235
School type	Full Primary (Years 1 to 8)
School roll	245
Gender composition	Girls 53%; Boys 47%
Ethnic composition	Māori Pākehā Other ethnicities	21% 72% 7%
Review team on site	October 2014
Date of this report	12 January 2015
Most recent ERO reports	Education Review Supplementary Review Education Review	February 2012 November 2009 September 2008