Royal Road School

Findings

Royal Road School’s vision and values underpin a positive, and settled tone which supports student learning and wellbeing. The curriculum promotes student learning and engagement. Future priorities are to improve the consistency of high quality teaching, accelerate students’ learning progress and implement more rigorous and systematic self-review processes across the school.

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?

Royal Road School is a small Year 1 to 8 school located in Massey, Auckland. Students come from culturally diverse backgrounds and most are Māori and Pacific.

The school’s vision and values underpin the positive, settled tone of the school. The board and staff promote a safe and inclusive learning environment and student well being is well supported. The board have successfully managed the upgrade of the school library using external support. The school environment is attractive and well maintained.

The 2011 ERO report noted an engaging curriculum, comprehensive professional development and improved curriculum leadership. These positive features continue to be evident. The 2011 report recommended building a more student-centred culture, sharing achievement information with students and strengthening community-school relationships. Good progress has been made in these areas.

2 Learning

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

Royal Road School leaders and teachers use student achievement information well to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement.

The board uses student achievement information to set relevant achievement targets that appropriately focus on the school’s priority learners.

The school’s data shows that most children, including Māori and Pacific students, achieve very well in mathematics in relation to the National Standards. Students achieve less well in reading and writing. Leaders recognise that more work is needed to improve overall achievement in reading and writing for the current group of students. It is worth noting that some students, particularly those who participate in learning support programmes, are making accelerated progress in reading.

Very good systems are in place to support teachers to make reliable overall teacher judgements in relation to the National Standards. Students are beginning to participate in student-lead discussions about their learning and achievement with their parents and teachers.

Teachers use achievement information to help them plan their teaching programmes. They identify students who need specific support. Current professional learning and development in writing is helping teachers to:

• better identify and closely monitor the progress of students whose learning needs to accelerated
• use more deliberate teaching strategies to accelerate student progress
• improve their professional knowledge and teaching practice
• improve processes for moderating assessment.

Where teachers use high quality teaching practices student engagement is high and students are active learners. Students said to ERO that they are more engaged in their learning when teachers know their subject well and teach it enthusiastically. School leaders acknowledge that an important priority for them is to continue improving the consistency of high quality teaching practice throughout the school.

Teachers are using a strategy called 'Know the Learner' to build greater understanding of their students. Students, parents and teachers work together to find out each child’s strengths, likes and dislikes. Teachers are trialling a similar process specific to Māori students.

3 Curriculum

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

Royal Road School’s curriculum promotes and supports student learning and engagement well.

Leaders are focused on providing a curriculum that allows the school vision to be fully enacted. Student wellbeing is central to decisions about the curriculum. Students’ emotional and social competence is promoted and their special educational needs are well catered for. Parents of diverse learners feel valued as part of their child’s learning journey.

The school’s curriculum is closely aligned to the key competencies of The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC). Students say that they know the school values of Sustainability, Pride, Aroha, Respect, Kia Kaha (SPARK) and that they promote a strong sense of belonging. There is an emphasis in the curriculum on literacy, mathematics and environmental education.

Students have leadership opportunities that enable them to participate in a range of activities. For example older students help younger ones within tuakana (older)/teina (younger) relationships. This is an approach that is a feature of the school’s environmental focus.

The Year 7 and 8 students’ programme includes second language learning, as well as te reo Māori, careers guidance and technology.

Teachers use the school’s integrated inquiry approach in the senior area of the school to help students follow their interests, pose their own questions and make links between learning areas. This gives students a greater sense of owning their own learning. School leaders acknowledge that helping students to understand and describe their next learning steps is likely to give students an even greater sense of ownership and lift their motivation to learn.

Student achievement information indicates that Pacific students achieve slightly better than the rest of the school in maths and writing. However, they do not achieve as well in reading. Lifting the achievement of Pacific students is a strategic priority along with continuing to strengthen home/school partnerships with Pacific aiga.

School leaders and ERO acknowledge that it is a priority to:

• continue developing a curriculum that creates greater educational success for Māori and Pacific learners and learners from other diverse cultures
• increase the focus on strategies that enhance students’ sense of directing and owning their learning
• appropriately emphasise the principles of the NZC as well as the key competencies.

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

Twenty-nine percent of the school's students identify as Māori. Some useful initiatives are in place to promote educational success for Māori, as Māori. Older students, including Māori, have an opportunity to participate in the school’s kapa haka group. Students say that they value the leadership opportunities they receive, the inclusion of Māori contexts, especially through environmental studies, and te reo Māori in the school curriculum.

Teachers participate in ongoing professional development in te reo Māori and tīkanga Māori. Teachers have increased their knowledge of te reo and te ao Māori by making good use of internal and external expertise. A school-wide language learning progression of te reo also supports the programme. Teachers are well placed to use te reo Māori more regularly within the class programme to support positive outcomes for all children, including Māori.

The board and staff have undertaken professional learning about the Ministry of Education’s strategies for promoting Māori students success, as Māori. School leaders and trustees are well placed to use these strategies to influence school direction.

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 are united in their vision for the school. They are representative of, and connected to, the school community. The board has participated in some training and trustees continue to seek learning to help them fulfil their roles and responsibilities.

School leaders are experienced and work collaboratively with teachers and staff to improve outcomes for students. School leaders are focused on building the leadership capability of staff. Becoming part of wider networks and learning communities may help them continue extending and challenging their thinking as leaders.

The board and leaders are committed to developing the school as a learning community. Leaders have initiated several good learning partnership opportunities for parents and whānau. This includes helping parents and whānau to support their child’s learning at home. Parents actively participate and contribute to the life of the school, especially as coaches for after school sports. The school benefits from a strong and reciprocal relationship with the local secondary school.

In order, to strengthen self review school leaders agree it is important to:

• ensure appraisal processes provide more in depth opportunities for reflective critique about teaching practice
• improve documentation of self-review processes, including board reporting, and include a stronger focus on evaluative thinking within school documentation.

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 of trustees should receive more regular reports about student attendance, and strengthen the school’s procedure for the appointment of staff.

Conclusion

Royal Road School’s vision and values underpin a positive, and settled tone which supports student learning and wellbeing. The curriculum promotes student learning and engagement. Future priorities are to improve the consistency of high quality teaching, accelerate students’ learning progress and implement more rigorous and systematic self-review processes across the school.

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

Dale Bailey

National Manager Review Services Northern Region

8 October 2014

About the School