Glen Eden Intermediate

Findings

Students at Glen Eden Intermediate are highly engaged in learning and appreciate the broad range of learning opportunities they have to grow personally and academically. Leaders and teachers work in partnership with students and their families to support personal growth and excellence.

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?

Glen Eden Intermediate School provides a welcoming environment for its culturally diverse student roll. The school’s values of respect, responsibility and excellence are well embedded in school life and create a sense of connectedness and belonging for students, staff and the wider community.

Classes are organised into four mini-schools, Karekare, Muriwai, Piha, and Te Henga. In each mini-school there are up to 250 students, and eight to nine teachers work collaboratively to promote student learning. The school environment provides young learners with high quality facilities such as open, connected learning spaces, a gymnasium, swimming pool, and an auditorium. In addition, the specialist classroom complex includes a science laboratory, international student rooms and all-weather courts. These facilities reflect the value the board places on engaging young people in learning.

The school offers a wide range of learning and co-curricular opportunities to meet the varied interests and learning needs of individuals and groups of students. It features a warm and inclusive school climate in which students can feel valued. The school’s promotion of and response to students’ wellbeing is extensive.

The school has a positive ERO reporting history and has benefitted from committed, innovative leaders and teachers. Since ERO’s 2011 review the school has experienced changes in the senior leadership team. A new principal and deputy principal were appointed in the last nine months.

The school belongs to the Kotuitui Community of Learning which has a number of local schools working together to improve educational opportunity for students in the West Auckland area.

The school's vision and values are currently being reviewed and revised in consultation with students, staff and the wider school community, to set a new future direction and developments for the school.

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 promote the progress and achievement of learners. Information about student achievement is collated and analysed by year level, gender and ethnicity and is regularly reported to the board of trustees. In 2016, school leaders and teachers are developing more robust processes to scrutinise year level data and identify students who are at risk of poor educational outcomes. Once identified, the progress of these students is closely monitored. Learners requiring additional support are well catered for through purposefully designed alternative learning programmes.

School achievement information shows that overall a good proportion of students are achieving well in relation to National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. The 2015 National Standards data indicates that the majority of students achieved at or above standard in reading and mathematics. Overall National Standards information indicates that Māori and Pacific students achieve well in reading. By the end of Year 8 many students achieved well in reading and mathematics.

School leaders and trustees acknowledge the need to accelerate the progress of some individuals and groups of students, particularly groups of Māori and Pacific students. Teachers are increasingly involved in, and responsible for, raising the achievement levels of targeted students in their classrooms.

The principal and senior leaders have implemented a range of new initiatives focused on improving outcomes for students. These initiatives include:

• strengthening assessment systems and processes
• exploring ways to gather longitudinal data to identify student progress and achievement more clearly over two years
• refining reports to parents in relation to National Standards
• deepening 'teaching as inquiry' approaches to further develop teacher knowledge and professional expertise.

Students are becoming increasingly involved in guiding and monitoring their own learning. Teachers use a range of strategies to encourage students’ understanding and ownership of their learning goals, progress and achievement. Extending these good practices to further develop student ownership of learning is an area of ongoing development in the school.

3 Curriculum

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

Students experience a rich curriculum offering many additional educational opportunities and learning activities. They participate in musical performances, multiple sporting events, outdoor education excursions and cultural activities. Students show high levels of interest and enthusiasm for their learning. They are developing many useful learning competencies and capabilities.

Students report that they value the personalised learning approach offered through tailored programmes in response to their learning needs. They enjoy the meaningful choices to work at their own pace, independently and collaboratively. A feature of the curriculum is the provision of specialist programmes in design technology, drama, visual art, music, food and nutrition, video production and soft and hard materials technology.

Increased use of digital learning is extending the curriculum. The school has a well managed and planned approach to students bringing their own electronic devices. These developments are increasing students’ understanding of learning and strengthening learning partnerships with parents and whānau.

Teachers work in professional learning groups (PLG) to further develop individual capability and collective capacity for curriculum development and improvement. Each PLG is now aligned to a school strategic goal. School leaders work constructively with teachers, building on teacher strengths and encouraging the sharing of good practices. Distributed leadership, and collegial and collaborative approaches are all focused on helping to ensure that students receive high quality programmes.

Māori and Pacific families who spoke with ERO value the support from the Māori and Pacific PLG. They appreciate the opportunity to meet as a group to discuss their aspirations for their children and build stronger educational partnerships with the school. The establishment of the homework centre, Ignite, is a clear example of the school’s willingness to respond to Māori and Pacific families. The school could now work with them to develop Māori and Pacific Education Plans to provide a more coordinated approach to raising success for Māori and Pacific children. These plans could specify achievement targets for all Māori and Pacific students needing to make accelerated progress with an emphasis on the strategies teachers can use to accelerate progress.

Leaders and teachers are currently reviewing the school curriculum. Positive developments include developing a more integrated curriculum to support student inquiry across learning areas in order to encourage exploration and connections. To support this development school leaders and teachers could strengthen evaluative inquiry to build capability and innovation. This approach could include curriculum leaders reporting more specifically about the impact of curriculum initiatives on student outcomes to the board.

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

Glen Eden Intermediate promotes educational success for Māori as Māori effectively. Sixteen percent of the students identify as Māori. There are many factors promoting Māori student success. These include:

• establishing the PLG to promote strategies for raising Māori achievement
• strengthening bicultural partnerships with whānau through regular whānau hui
• increasing te reo Māori me ngā tikanga in the school curriculum.

The school ethos of learning together in a supportive, respectful environment is helping Māori students to engage in learning and to achieve positive outcomes. Māori students express very positive attitudes about school and learning and are well represented in leadership roles. They take pride in the recognition and acknowledgement of Māori values and tikanga and proudly take lead roles in pōwhiri. The strong focus on successful kapa haka offers increased opportunities for Māori students to celebrate and enhance their language, culture and identity.

Māori students value the opportunities to learn te reo Māori. Evaluating the effectiveness of this programme could provide useful information to help senior leaders ensure that the learning of students with high levels of competency in te reo Māori, is extended.

Trustees and school leaders are committed to promoting Māori student potential. They acknowledge that further exploring the school’s bicultural practices is a next step to further promote success for Māori, as Māori. The New Zealand School Trustee Association’s resource Hautū could be a useful self-review tool for leaders and trustees to guide this development.

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, school leaders and staff have high expectations for all children to experience success and celebrate excellence. Children benefit from a settled and positive school tone. They are confident and highly motivated.

The board comprises new and experienced trustees. They bring professional expertise to their stewardship role and are highly supportive of the senior leaders and staff. The experienced principal has a clear vision for school improvement and development. She is actively seeking the perspectives of staff, students and families as part of the development of the new school vision, values and strategic direction. She is working collaboratively with others to provoke thinking and inquiry to lead positive change.

School leaders are capable, motivated and collaborative. They lead a wide range of knowledgeable, talented teachers who are willing to accept leadership roles. School leaders recognise that a key next step is to consolidate and apply new learning from the multiple professional development initiatives to build a shared understanding of excellence across the school.

Trustees and leaders are continuing to strengthen planning to sustain improvement and innovation. Developments should include extending internal evaluation processes that are coordinated, manageable and evaluative, to guide the implementation of strategic planning for the new school direction.

Provision for international students

The school is a signatory to the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students (the code) established under section 238F of the Education Act 1989. The school attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code.

At the time of the review there were 21 international students attending the school. These students receive a high standard of education. They are successfully transitioned into the school and are well supported to succeed in their studies. International students receive effective care and support, and are well integrated into school life and its extra-curricular activities. The school’s provision for international students is reviewed and reported to the board of trustees. To improve existing practice, the board could ensure that it is better informed about the progress and achievement of international students.

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

Students at Glen Eden Intermediate are highly engaged in learning and appreciate the broad range of learning opportunities they have to grow personally and academically. Leaders and teachers work in partnership with students and their families to support personal growth and excellence.

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

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

11 November 2016

About the School