Roscommon School

Education institution number:
1470
School type:
Contributing
School gender:
Co-Educational
Definition:
Bilingual Year 7 and Year 8 School
Total roll:
466
Telephone:
Address:

23 Burundi Avenue, Manurewa, Auckland

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Roscommon School - 21/12/2017

School Context

Roscommon School is a large contributing (Year 1 to 6) school in Manurewa. Its roll consists of students who are mainly of Māori and/or Pacific heritage. The school’s roll has continued to increase since ERO’s 2014 review.

The school’s vision is to create conditions for students to believe in themselves, ‘Whakapono ki a koe’. The vision is underpinned by values of Whanaungatanga (relationships), Hiranga (excellence), Ako (teaching and learning from each other), Kaitiakitanga (sustainability), Aroha (love), Puawaitanga (blossoming), Oranga (wellbeing), Ngākau tapatahi (honesty/integrity), and Oho-ake (awakening).

The school aims to create a curriculum that reflects students’ cultures, backgrounds and interests. The intent is to develop students’ wellbeing and resilience, self-management and relationship skills.

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

  • achievement in reading, writing and mathematics, in both English and Māori medium

  • provision for students’ additional learning needs

  • progress and achievement in relation to school targets

  • engagement and wellbeing for success.

Roscommon School has a te reo Māori immersion education focus in the unit, He Pua Mai i Rangiatea, and a bilingual education focus in the Samoan unit, Fotu o Nu’u Pule. Both units now provide for students from Year 1 to Year 8.

The board of trustees consists of newly appointed members and an experienced chairperson. Since 2014, teachers have participated in professional learning in writing and mathematics. Many teachers are qualified in Teaching English in Schools for Speakers of Other Languages (TESSOL).

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?

Roscommon School is making very good progress towards achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for students.

Over the last three years, school data show a positive upward trend in reading and mathematics achievement for all students. The majority of students achieve expectations in relation to the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) and/or the Māori curriculum, Te Marautanga o Aotearoa (TMOA). Relevant assessment practices underpin this good progress.

School writing data show some variability. There has been a trend of disparity for boys in writing achievement in both English and Māori medium classes. The school has a focus on lifting writing achievement in He Pua Mai i Rangiatea. The school has good planning in place to raise achievement, and recent data show increased parity for these students.

Students achieve very well in relation to other valued outcomes identified in the school’s graduate profile and the NZC. Students are:

  • respectful, enthusiastic and active learners who demonstrate high levels of cognitive engagement in their learning

  • achieving success in sporting, the arts and cultural activities

  • confident in their language, culture and identity

  • showing leadership in their learning and service to others.

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

Roscommon School responds very effectively to students whose learning and achievement need acceleration.

The school successfully lifts students’ achievement levels as they move through the school. By the end of their senior year at the school, most students achieve at expected levels. This is achieved through a multi-dimensional approach to accelerating learning that supports each child to develop as a learner and reach their potential.

School data show a positive lift in Māori children’s achievement as they move through the school. The leadership team prioritises responding to the learning requirements of all Māori children. Teachers have high expectations for them to experience success as Māori.

School leaders place a focus on targeted teaching. As a result, teachers have improved the way they cater for students’ diverse learning requirements. Teachers accelerate students’ learning and monitor progress and outcomes through targeted teacher inquiries.

Learning through their first language helps to accelerate progress for many students. School information shows that accelerated learning for students in Fotu o Nu’u Pule occurs early in their school life.

Over half of the students are bilingual or new learners of English. Good strategies are in place to support these students to make progress in their learning. Appropriate links are made between the classroom programme and specialist English language support. Teachers monitor these students’ progress and achievement to ensure they have full access to the curriculum.

Leaders and teachers respond well to students with additional learning needs. This is helping them to improve and sustain their learning over time. Almost all these students show positive shifts in their wellbeing, confidence and engagement in learning.

2 School conditions for equity and excellence

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

Highly effective school leaders are deeply connected to, and committed to serving, the school community. The school whakataukī, ‘Whakapono ki a koe’ is reflected in the school’s inclusive culture. School leaders are acutely aware of students’ potential. Student success is promoted, encouraged and nurtured at all levels.

Students are engaged and challenged in their learning. Teachers use effective teaching practices to promote students’ active involvement in their learning. They provide students with frequent opportunities to collaborate, discuss, question, think critically and problem solve. Students are expected to share their learning with peers and teachers.

Teachers’ self-reflection and evaluation contribute to improving the school’s curriculum design and increasing the use of effective teaching strategies. An increasingly responsive and rich curriculum challenges students and actively engages them in learning. Students have learning opportunities that connect with their cultural identity, home language, and interests. Students also appreciate opportunities to learn through Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC).

School leaders and teachers are highly effective at engaging with the community. They recognise and value the integral role that whānau play in the life of the school and in supporting and nurturing children’s learning. Parents are involved in strategies to support learning at home, and in sharing and celebrating learning.

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

School leaders and teachers acknowledge that a next step is to extend opportunities for students to develop and express themselves within a challenging and creative curriculum. This development has the potential to give balance to the emphasis the school has given to literacy and numeracy. Increasing opportunities for students to actively engage in critical and creative thinking would contribute to the school’s goal of developing students’ character, achievement, leadership and collaboration.

The school has a culture of applying reflective thinking and evaluation to the curriculum and teaching practices. This very good evaluation practice could now be extended to evaluation of other key areas of operation, including strategic planning, stewardship and student wellbeing. Strengthening internal evaluation through the use of indicators of effective practice would provide clearer direction for ongoing improvement at a strategic level.

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:

  • a strong school culture of Whanaungatanga, Ako and Mahi that creates an effective learning environment for confident and engaged students

  • teachers’ professional culture of collaboration and reflection that promotes consistently good quality teaching practice and high expectations for learning

  • meaningful community partnerships that provide good support for students’ learning

  • dual language pathways that value, nurture and harness students’ language, culture and identity to enhance their learning.

Next steps

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

  • enhancing the curriculum to broaden students’ learning, challenge and deepen their thinking and promote their creativity

  • extending internal evaluation to focus on stewardship and strategic planning and reporting l to support school development and decision making.

ERO’s next external evaluation process and timing

ERO is likely to carry out the next external evaluation in four-to-five years.

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

Te Tai Raki - Northern Region

21 December 2017

About the school

Location

Manurewa, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

1470

School type

Contributing (Years 1-6)

School roll

628

Gender composition

Boys      55%
Girls       45%

Ethnic composition

Māori
Samoan
Cook Island Māori
Tongan
other

36%
35%
10%
  9%
10%

Provision of Māori medium education

Yes

Number of Māori medium classes

5

Total number of students in Māori medium (MME)

81

Total number of students in Māori language in English medium (MLE)

0

Number of students in Level 1 MME

81

Number of students in Level 2 MME

0

Review team on site

November 2017

Date of this report

21 December 2017

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review
Education Review
Education Review

May 2014
May 2011
May 2009

ERO has also published an exemplar report on Roscommon School: Exemplar Review - Roscommon School - June 2018

Roscommon School - 02/05/2014

1 Context

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

Kia ora, talofa lava, malo e lelei, kia orana, fakalofalahi atu, bula vinaka.

Tēnā koutou te kura o Roscommon, arā te poari, ngā mātua, te tumuaki, ngā kaiako me ngā tamariki. He mihi nei ki a koutou e pou kaha ana kia whai ai te mātauranga mō ō koutou tamariki.

Roscommon School has a clear vision of their school whakatauki/motto, Whakapono ki a koe, Believe in Yourself, to prepare students to be successful learners. The school provides a caring and welcoming culture for its predominantly Māori and Pacific students.

The Māori, Samoan and Tongan language units are a demonstration of the school’s strong commitment to biculturalism and bilingual education. Immersion and bilingual learning programmes reflect the aspirations and values of the school’s Māori and Pacific communities. Trustees support teachers to study second language learning and bilingualism at tertiary level to help realise the school’s vision for providing high quality bilingual education.

Students are confident, friendly and respectful. They benefit from a settled and positive school tone. Special features of the school’s setting include the visual artwork promoting the school’s values, the spacious library and the attractive and well maintained gardens and grounds.

School trustees, staff and the community are proud of their school and the opportunities that it provides for students. Students participate in a variety of programmes that enrich their academic, sporting and cultural experiences, extend their talents and draw the community together. Extensive pastoral care and health services support the learning and wellbeing of students and their families.

2 Learning

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

The school is increasing its capacity to use student achievement information to make positive changes to students’ engagement, progress and achievement.

Students are keen and willing learners and enjoy positive relationships with each other and their teachers. They are able to work independently and collaboratively. Increasingly students are using achievement information to set learning goals. Teachers should continue to share achievement information with students to increase their engagement in learning and to strengthen the use of goal setting.

Teachers assess students’ learning regularly. Achievement information is analysed and reported to the board by senior leaders. However, the variety of assessment tools used in the different bilingual, mainstream and immersion language programmes makes collation and analysis of school-wide achievement information complex.

School leaders acknowledge the need to establish more effective and reliable assessment and reporting systems to better promote students’ learning. They agree that it will be useful to:

  • set more relevant and meaningful targets for groups of students who are at risk of not achieving
  • track student progress over time against targets
  • further develop strategies for accelerating the progress and achievement of target students.

Considerable work has been done to implement the National Standards and Ngā Whanaketanga Rumaki Māori (NWRM). School leaders and ERO agree that further professional development is required to develop moderation processes of overall teacher judgements across year levels. They should ensure that reports to parents about student progress in relation to the National Standards and NWRM are written in plain language.

Student achievement information indicates that there is some good achievement in reading and panui. School data also show that a large number of students achieve below expected levels, particularly in writing and mathematics, and that achievement in pangarau is low for immersion students. Teachers could use some of the successful teaching and learning strategies evident in reading to improve students’ achievement in writing, mathematics and pangarau.

3 Curriculum

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

The school’s curriculum gives equal status to the English-based New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) and the Māori curriculum, Te Matauranga o Aotearoa (TMoA). It supports student engagement in learning and has a strong focus on reading, writing, mathematics and oral language.

The curriculum strongly affirms the identity of Māori and Pacific learners. He Pua Mai i Rangiatea, the Māori immersion unit, enables Māori students to succeed as Māori. The Tongan and Samoan units similarly affirm students’ home languages and cultural identity. Parents actively contribute to the school’s curriculum and frequently visit classrooms to support their children’s learning.

Teachers are student-focussed and committed to strengthening their practice. They are benefiting from well focused, school-wide professional development. Increasingly teachers are taking opportunities to share their knowledge and skills to enhance outcomes for students and improve teaching practice.

School leaders and ERO agree that it is timely to review the overall curriculum design and evaluate curriculum initiatives. School leaders should ensure that the curriculum:

  • aligns clearly to the school’s charter and the values and principles of the NZC
  • provides increased opportunities for students to develop critical thinking skills and to take a greater role in leading their own learning.

It could now be helpful to develop a set of agreed school-wide expectations for teaching practice and planning that promote self-managing learners. School leaders should increase the robustness of performance management systems that is linked to the implementation of agreed practices for effective teaching and to the allocation of management units.

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

Thirty-seven percent of the students identify as Māori. There is a clear commitment to biculturalism and promoting success for and as Māori. The language, culture and identity of Māori learners are well supported. He Pua Mai i Rangiatea provides a cultural setting where students are immersed in te reo Māori me ona tikanga.

Students take pride in the recognition and acknowledgement of Māori values and tikanga. They proudly participate at school pōwhiri, with senior students leading whaikōrero, waiata and haka.

School leaders and ERO agree that the development of a school-wide education plan for Māori success would provide a more coordinated and strategic approach to further raising success for Māori students. The plan should specify achievement targets, and identify aspirations for success for Māori as Māori.

4 Sustainable Performance

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

The school is well placed to implement the school’s vision for change and development. School leaders and trustees are open to learning.

The school’s inclusive culture and high whānau engagement provide a good foundation for sustaining and improving student learning and wellbeing. The principal is fully supported by the board. Central to school leadership and governance is the emphasis on both bilingual learning and raising student achievement.

The school structure provides good opportunities for teachers to be leaders. Team and unit leaders have clear responsibilities, and the roles of senior leaders are aligned to supporting each team. Literacy and numeracy leaders and others with pastoral and learning support roles also share responsibility for developing and sustaining effective teaching practices.

To further improve school performance and sustainability, the principal and board of trustees acknowledge the need to develop and implement an effective self-review process to support ongoing improvement. A well planned review cycle could help to ensure that appropriate emphasis is given to reflecting on school direction and the effectiveness of improvements. It would also be useful to review the board’s operations and give higher priority to its role in setting, evaluating and monitoring strategic and annual goals. These goals should include those related to accelerating the progress of students who are currently underachieving.

ERO supports the school’s initiatives for:

  • trustees to access further training and support to increase their understanding of effective governance
  • the principal to access external support to increase educational leadership across the school.

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.

In order to improve practice, trustees and school leaders must ensure that:

  • police vetting of all non-teaching staff is carried out every 3 years.

When is ERO likely to review the school again?

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

Dale Bailey

National Manager Review Services Northern Region

2 May 2014

About the School

Location

Manurewa, Auckland

School type

Contributing (Years 1 to 6)

School roll

539

Gender composition

Boys 53% Girls 47%

Ethnic composition

Māori

NZ European/Pākehā

Samoan

Cook Island Māori

Tongan

Niue

South East Asian

Indian

Other Pacific

Other

37%

2%

35%

11%

8%

2%

2%

1%

1%

1%

Special Features

Immersion programmes in te reo Māori

Bi-lingual programmes in Samoan and Tongan

Social Worker in Schools (SWIS)

Review team on site

February 2014

Date of this report

2 May 2014

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

Education Review

Education Review

May 2011

May 2009

February 2006