Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate Junior School

Education institution number:
1251
School type:
Contributing
School gender:
Co-Educational
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
373
Telephone:
Address:

2 Franklyne Road, Otara, Auckland

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Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate Junior School - 29/05/2017

Findings

Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate has made good progress since 2015. Targeted support from the MoE has assisted the board and senior leaders to improve governance and leadership practices. Teaching and learning practices and the collegiate curriculum design are increasingly fostering students’ wellbeing and academic success.

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

1 Background and Context

What is the background and context for this school’s review?

Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate in Otara comprises three schools, a junior, middle and senior school, each with its own principal and staff. The Collegiate schools are located on the same site and are governed by a single board of trustees. Students at the schools are predominantly from Pacific nations, particularly Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands. Twenty two percent of Junior School students are Māori.

The 2015 ERO report identified concerns about several aspects of the schools' performance as a collegiate. These included the quality of governance and leadership, and the effectiveness of curriculum and teaching in supporting students’ pathways through the three schools. The report also noted concerns about the quality of bicultural practice and responsiveness to Māori students. For this reason ERO decided to monitor the school’s progress through a longitudinal evaluation process over two years.

Since July 2015 the board has accessed significant external support through the Ministry of Education (MoE) to assist with school improvements. This support, that includes governance and leadership advice and curriculum and assessment facilitators, has been used well by the school.

Since the 2015 evaluation, ERO and the school have collected evidence to evaluate progress made over the past two years. This report summarises ERO’s findings. 

2 Review and Development

How effectively is the school addressing its priorities for review and development?

Priorities identified for review and development

The key priority areas for the collegiate, identified in the 2015 ERO report, included: 

  • improving the quality of achievement for students
  • developing a more culturally responsive, seamless curriculum for students across the collegiate schools
  • building board and leadership capacity to embed and sustain positive development and change
  • using internal evaluation for improvement in all areas of school operations, leadership and governance. 

From these priorities the collegiate schools developed four strategic goals to guide improvement. 

  • Goal 1. Leadership to implement the collegiate’s collaborative vision
  • Goal 2. Establish a collegiate-wide cohesive pedagogy
  • Goal 3. Provide a seamless pathway that accelerates student learning
  • Goal 4. Success for Māori learners as Māori. 
Progress

The board and school leaders have made significant progress in each of the development priorities identified in the 2015 ERO report. Trustees have taken deliberate steps towards achieving the goals identified in the board’s development plan, and have constructively used external assistance to improve governance and leadership across the collegiate.

A collegiate-wide commitment to raising student achievement by accelerating the progress of students is evident. Good improvement has been made in the tracking and monitoring of student progress within and across the three schools. Leaders and teachers are making more deliberate use of achievement data to inform curriculum planning and to better meet the learning needs of individuals and groups of students.

Years 1 to 8 National Standards data show positive shifts in achievement as students move through the schools. This improvement in achievement can be attributed to the impact of recent professional development initiatives, and a collaborative focus on strategies to promote student success.

In the Junior School there has been an improving trend in achievement in all National Standards, with significant lifts in mathematics and writing over the past three years. Māori achievement has also improved and is close to parity with other students. A similar pattern of improvement is evident in the Middle School. In 2016 Māori achievement exceeded 85 percent at or above National Standards. Boys’ achievement has also lifted significantly in mathematics and writing.

In the Senior School, Years 9 and 10 student progress in literacy and mathematics is now being more closely tracked and analysed. This analysis is used to develop strategies to accelerate progress, and support success in the National Certificates of Educational Achievement (NCEA). The current collegiate focus on literacy and mathematics learning should increase teachers’ understanding and use of appropriate acceleration strategies.

The 2016 NCEA results show that Level 2 achievement is now close to national levels of achievement, and Level 3 results exceed the national average. Māori achievement levels in NCEA Levels 1, 2 and 3 show significant improvement, and the disparity between Māori and other students is reducing. A higher proportion of students are leaving school with Level 2 or higher qualifications, and student retention at school continues to improve.

Over the past two years significant progress has been made in promoting Māori success as Māori. A deliberate, strategic collegiate-wide focus is evident through board policy and processes and staff professional learning. Capably led by the Māori development group, there is now a collegiate-wide commitment to making Māori language, identity and culture more visible throughout the curriculum. A bilingual unit of two classes has been established in the Junior School and further developments are planned to support the learning of te reo and tikanga Māori across the collegiate.

Good progress is being made in providing more seamless curriculum pathways for students and adapting systems to better respond to students’ learning aspirations and requirements. These efforts increasingly involve cross-curricular and cross-school collaboration to provide students with interesting, culturally relevant learning opportunities as they move through the collegiate. Curriculum and teaching strategies are becoming more aligned with tikanga Māori. Leaders and teachers are making good use of Ministry of Education resources and support to guide culturally responsive teaching practices.

Productive working relationships are evident across the collegiate, with leaders, teachers and students working together to promote success in learning. Collaboration is fostered through the growing use of cross-school development groups for specific curriculum areas including literacy, mathematics, health and physical education and English language learners (ESOL). Expansion of the range of collaborative collegiate-wide curriculum teams has the potential to provide more seamless pathways for students as they move from school to school.

3 Sustainable performance and self review

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

Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate is well placed to continue the improvement path of the past two years towards realising the potential of the collegiate model. The board, principals, leaders and teachers have successfully worked together to promote culturally relevant, systemic change. There is now a focus on continuing to strengthen capability in leadership and teaching, and providing students with relevant learning and opportunities to pathway into their futures.

Senior leadership has strengthened significantly over the past two years, with the three schools’ principals working together, with external advisers, to design a model of collegiate leadership. Principals, middle leaders and teachers now have a more strategic approach to leadership, and are working collaboratively to achieve collegiate goals. A useful charter and strategic plan now guides development and provides a good framework for evaluating progress towards goals across the collegiate.

The board’s governance is increasingly effective and reflects the collegiate aims, vision and values. Trustees’ strong community relationships support the work of the board. They are well informed about student progress and achievement across the collegiate and are focused on accelerating student learning. Trustees reflect the diversity of the community and bring a range of knowledge and experience to the board. The board is continuing to develop its evaluation capacity, using external support where appropriate.

Performance management across the three schools continues to strengthen as a result of evaluation of appraisal systems and processes in each school. An inquiry based appraisal process is underpinned by the school goals and expectations for improvement in practice. The support of an external appraiser has been influential in developing the capability of the principal group to function as a collegiate team, building relational trust and mutual respect.

The board and senior leaders plan to continue progressing the development priorities noted in this report. In particular, they have identified the following three key areas for development: 

  • continuing to develop a curriculum that is responsive to students’ interests, aspirations and pathways through the collegiate
  • further developing trustees', leaders' and teachers' cultural awareness and responsiveness through professional learning opportunities
  • becoming part of a Community of Learning|Kāhui Ako (CoL) to strengthen educational success for students in the local community. 

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. 
4 Recommendations

Recommendations, including any to other agencies for ongoing or additional support.

ERO recommends that the MoE continue to provide expertise to support the collegiate embed and build on improvements in governance, leadership, and seamless curriculum pathways. 

Conclusion

Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate has made good progress since 2015. Targeted support from the MoE has assisted the board and senior leaders to improve governance and leadership practices. Teaching and learning practices and the collegiate curriculum design are increasingly fostering students’ wellbeing and academic success.

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

Steffan Brough

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)

29 May 2017

About the School 

Location

Otara, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

1251

School type

Contributing (Years 1 to 6)

School roll

394

Gender composition

Boys 50% Girls 50%

Ethnic composition

Māori

Samoan

Tongan

Cook Islands

Maori

Niue other

22%

38%

23%

11%

5%

1%

Review team on site

March 2017

Date of this report

29 May 2017

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

Education Review

Education Review

June 2015

May 2013

May 2010

Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate Junior School - 24/06/2015

Findings

Students at Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate continue to progress and achieve. Increasing numbers of students are achieving well in the National Standards and later in NCEA qualifications. However, concerns continue about the quality of governance and leadership to sustain and extend good practices and meet the vision for a collegiate-wide curriculum.

ERO intends to carry out another review over the course of one-to-two years.

1 Context

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

Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate in Otara, South Auckland is structured as three schools; each with its own principal and staff. All three schools are located on the same site and are governed by one board of trustees. The vision for the collegiate was to promote seamless learning opportunities for students from preschool to tertiary, and to provide an educational pathway for students from Years 1 to 15.There is an early childhood centre on the collegiate grounds and a play group operates from a space in the junior School to support transition into school. The collegiate continues to have a strong connection with Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT), providing a pathway for students into further study.

Students are predominately from Pacific nations, particularly Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands. Seventeen percent of students in the junior school are Māori.

A number of long-serving staff at the collegiate know many local families well. These connections between teachers and families help provide students with a strong sense of belonging to the collegiate. Parents are supportive of school events that celebrate their children’s learning and culture. Many staff throughout the collegiate reflect the cultural backgrounds of students and are able to communicate with families in their home languages.

ERO’s 2012 report followed a long period of difficulty at the collegiate. It noted progress in a number of areas of the schools, especially in the quality of teaching and learning. A new board of trustees had been established with the commissioner’s support. The report also identified ongoing concerns with the governance model, and recommended that the three principals work collaboratively to develop collegiate-wide approaches. It further identified that the board and principals needed to establish a collegiate-wide approach to raising the profile of Māori and to strengthening Māori language, culture and identity.

Since ERO’s 2012 report, staff have worked to promote consistent expectations for behaviour across the collegiate, including the introduction of PB4L, a national programme for improving consistency of behaviour management in line with existing school values. Students in the Junior School also receive good support to build literacy skills, particularly for those students whose home language is not English. The collegiate environment continues to be attractive and well maintained.

However, this 2015 ERO report also identifies that while some progress has been made to address previous recommendations, further targeted support for the governance and leadership of the collegiate is necessary.

2 Learning

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

Leaders and teachers in the Junior School are continuing to develop processes to improve the way student learning is assessed.

The school’s achievement information shows that about half of all students from Years 1 to 6 are achieving at or above the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. The data also suggests that Māori and Pacific students achieve as well, or better than students in other local schools. Students in the Samoan bilingual classes show significant improvement in oral language.

Parents receive increasingly good information about how well their children are progressing and achieving, and how they can help at home. Parents have good opportunities to engage in conversations about their child's learning with teachers, their child and the wider whānau.

The board receives regular updates from the principal about the school’s progress towards the achievement of student learning targets.

Key next steps

To further improve the quality of student progress and achievement in the Junior School, leaders will work with:

  • teachers to further develop their understanding of teaching as inquiry principles and practices, and to align testing and assessment practices
  • students to continue to develop a good understanding of their own learning, progress and achievement
  • teachers to continue to develop their capability to make assessment decisions that are valid, reliable and accurate.
  • Ongoing use of external support is likely to be beneficial.

School leaders should continue to analyse data separately for the various Pacific groups in the collegiate. This approach would increase the school’s capacity to identify any group-specific trends, design appropriate teaching and learning interventions, and to make decisions on appropriate resourcing for these interventions.

ERO recommends that the three principals work together to improve the way assessment is managed across the collegiate. The growing use of E-asTTle as an assessment tool in all three schools should help to build shared understanding of student achievement.

3 Curriculum

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

The Junior School’s curriculum is designed to promote the development of foundational learning skills. The significant number of children entering the school with poor English literacy levels drives programme planning that is focused strongly on literacy and numeracy in the earliest years. Almost half of the students receive additional support as verified ESOL learners. Good programmes are also available for students who are learning English as a second or additional language.

Students with special educational needs and those needing a learning boost are well supported. Capable teacher aides work with teachers to provide in class and withdrawal support for individuals and small groups.

Teachers are developing strategies for building students' skills in inquiry using the wider learning area of the New Zealand Curriculum. Further work is needed to ensure learning programmes provide students with opportunities for high level inquiry and appropriate levels of challenge as they move up the school. There is increasing use of digital technology to engage the youngest learners in literacy development and to build capability in older students.

School leaders and teachers have clear expectations for students’ behaviour and learning. Their participation in a collegiate-wide professional learning initiative is supporting teachers to better manage students’ behaviour and focus them on learning. As a result, students are experiencing increasingly positive relationships with their teachers and each other.

Students are respectful and settled, and are focused on tasks that teachers provide for them. There are some good opportunities for student leadership in the Junior School, and students ably carry out these roles.

Students learn about Māori concepts and basic te reo Māori through some classroom programmes. Parents of students in the Junior School can choose that their children receive Te Reo Maōri in an enrichment approach in Years 2 to 4, or that they receive bilingual education in Samoan. The Samoan bilingual classes deliver bilingual education from Years 1 to 6. This learning can be extended in the Middle School where parents can opt for their children to join a class that supports learning through the use of Samoan language, culture and identity. Students in the Senior School have opportunities to learn te reo Māori and Cook Island Māori, Tongan and Samoan, and can undertake courses leading to Level 3 NCEA qualifications in these subjects.

A significant feature of all three schools in the Collegiate is the culture of care that leaders and staff have for children and their families. Staff ensure that students’ basic needs are met so that they can focus on learning each day. Staff also liaise well with external agencies and groups to help ensure students and families receive appropriate care and support. All three schools have systems in place that aim to create a positive and secure school environment for students that promotes wellbeing.

Key next steps

ERO recommends that the three principals continue to work together to develop a Year 1 to 15 curriculum that better supports and enriches students’ learning as they move up through the collegiate and transition into the community. The curriculum pathway should enable all teachers to

  • affirm New Zealand’s bicultural heritage and be responsive to students’ various cultures, languages and backgrounds
  • promote high levels of interest and challenge, and encourage critical thinking and problem solving
  • support students to make decisions about what and how they learn, and to make seamless transitions between schools and into the world of work and further learning.

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

The Collegiate endeavours to promote educational success for Māori as Māori. Staff have been engaged in a number of significant initiatives to enable them to promote educational success for Māori, as Māori. Tikanga Māori is integral to school-wide events and Māori students have access to a variety of ways of building their language, culture and identity.

The Junior School promotes educational success for Māori, as Māori as part of the Collegiate-wide Māori plan.

The Māori enrichment class provides cultural support for students in Years 2 to 4. School leaders should now consider how they can most effectively cater for supporting the te reo Maōri capabilities of new entrant children arriving at the school from kohanga reo, and for students in Years 5 and 6. School leaders agree that the planned review of the delivery of te reo Māori across the Junior School should be given priority.

Students in the Junior School have increasing opportunities to develop skills in kapa haka at junior level. Parents, Māori staff and children are keen for further opportunities for the Junior School to take part in kapa haka with their Middle and Senior School tuakana.

Consultation hui with whānau Māori took place in the Junior School at the end of 2014, and a hui for whānau across the Collegiate took part at the start of 2015.

Key next steps

The board and Collegiate principals acknowledge the need to work together, and in partnership with Māori staff and whānau, to:

  • prioritise actions identified in the Collegiate’s Māori development plan, regularly discuss progress towards meeting these actions, and strategically resource them where required
  • maintain ongoing consultation with whānau Māori to ascertain their aspirations, desires and needs for their tamariki.

A next step for the Collegiate trustees and staff is to revisit te Tiriti o Waitangi to renew their shared understanding of it and the place of Māori as tangata whenua.

4 Sustainable Performance

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

The Collegiate is not yet well placed to sustain and improve its performance at this time.

Despite considerable support from the Ministry of Education and the New Zealand School Trustees Association over a long period of time, ERO is not assured of the board’s capacity to meet its responsibilities or obligations.

The board of trustees is representative of various Pacific cultures in the school, and includes members from the Samoan, Tongan and Cook Island Māori communities. Many are long-serving board members and have been involved with the governance of the Collegiate since its inception in 2001. The constitution of the board also allows for representation from MIT and the MoE. It would be useful to consider how these roles could be used more effectively to support governance. At the time of the review there was no representation from either of these organisations.

The three principals are committed to promoting ongoing improvements for students in their own schools. They believe that success for one school is success for all.

Leaders in the Junior School are committed to building strong foundations for learning that will lead to success as students move through the Collegiate.

Current work on implementing PB4L is helping school leaders to coordinate school-wide pastoral care systems. This work could also include approaches for utilising learning support staff and for managing systems such as those relating to student attendance and truancy. It would also be timely to consider the development of Collegiate portfolios for human resource systems across the three schools, including police vetting, teacher registration and appraisal of support staff.

Key next steps

While some improvements in the performance of the Collegiate are evident, similar issues and concerns have continued to be apparent over many years. Key next steps for improving governance and leadership should prioritise work to further promote professional collaboration between the three principals, and between the board and school principals, in order to promote effective and sustainable governance.

The three principals agree that externally facilitated support has been beneficial in progressing sensitive and complex issues. ERO also notes that, while the board works well with close support and guidance, trustees continue to demonstrate a limited understanding of their governance role and responsibilities, including their role in managing and supporting the performance of the three principals.

Trustees acknowledge that they would benefit from ongoing support to understand their governance role and to improve their relationship with the principal group.

Self review is generally not well understood or used as a tool for improvement by the board. There is little evidence of strategic thinking or review by the board to ensure that their vision of learning pathways throughout the Collegiate is being realised. Records of board meetings and decision making make it difficult for these documents to be used as a self-review tool. It is unclear how well the board monitors that its accountabilities have been met.

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.

To improve current practice the board should ensure that teaching and learning practices further prioritise success for Māori students as Māori.

Recommendations to other agencies

ERO recommends that the Ministry of Education review the model of leadership and governance for Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate.

ERO recommends that the Secretary for Education consider intervention under Part 7A of the Education Act 1989 in order to bring about the required improvements to leadership and governance.

Conclusion

Students at Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate continue to progress and achieve. Increasing numbers of students are achieving well in the National Standards and later in NCEA qualifications. However, concerns continue about the quality of governance and leadership to sustain and extend good practices and meet the vision for a collegiate-wide curriculum.

ERO intends to carry out another review over the course of one-to-two years.

Dale Bailey Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

24 June 2015

About the School

Location

Otara, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

1251

School type

Contributing (Years 1 to 6)

School roll

466

Gender composition

Girls 52 Boys 48%

Ethnic composition

Māori

Cook Island Māori

Niue

Samoan

Tongan

other

17%

14%

3%

42%

23%

1%

Review team on site

March 2015

Date of this report

24 June 2015

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

Education Review

Education Review

May 2013

May 2010

November 2008