Mine Road, Benneydale
View on mapBenneydale School is a small rural school located in Maniaiti|Benneydale, south-east of Te Kuiti. The school caters for 32 children in Years 1 to 8. The roll has decreased slightly since the previous ERO evaluation in 2016. Nearly all students are of Māori descent and there are currently two classrooms operating.
A new principal was appointed shortly after the previous 2016 ERO review. The responsibility of board chair is shared between two trustees.
The school’s vision is ‘success for all students’ and the mission statement is ‘to support students to succeed through differentiated learning pathways in a positive environment’. The charter includes the school’s CARE values about community (kotahitanga), aroha (love), respect (whakaute) and excellence (panekiretanga).
There are four overarching goals in the strategic plan about building stewardship, leadership, effective partnerships and effective teaching practice. These sit alongside a Māori achievement plan linked to the school’s values and the Treaty of Waitangi.
Leaders and teachers gather and report to the board schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:
The school is a member of the Waitomo Kāhui Ako.
The school is working towards achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for students.
Overall, approximately half of the students are achieving in relation to curriculum expectations in writing and mathematics, and a majority at or above in reading.
Over time, gender disparity has reduced in reading and boys now achieve at comparative rates to girls.
There has been a significant improvement in boys’ achievement in mathematics, with 2019 data showing boys outperforming girls.
School attendance information shows that from 2016 to 2019 there has been significant increases in student attendance.
School achievement information shows effective acceleration for a large majority of students who need this in writing, a majority in reading, and some children in mathematics.
Leadership works collaboratively with trustees and staff. They actively pursue the school’s vision, values and goals for equity and excellence. The board is well-informed on achievement and progress of students, which is linked to the provision for initiatives that enhance learning. Trustees work effectively to maximise their roles and responsibilities. Leadership provides a clear focus on student pastoral care, readiness for learning, and parent engagement through coherent guidance and practices.
Culturally responsive practices are strongly evident across the school. Te reo and tikanga Māori are woven into classroom programmes and everyday practice. The curriculum reflects the history of tangata whenua.
Learning programmes integrate local contexts, including local histories and iwi knowledge. A detailed Māori achievement plan is being enacted under the school’s CARE values, and a Māori language programme is integrated into literacy across the school’s curriculum. Children’s language, identity and culture is enjoyed and celebrated.
The localised and broad curriculum shows clear alignment to the school’s CARE values that underpin all operations and practices. Children experience a wide range of learning opportunities that progress from local context to national and global connectedness, to enrich their understandings of the world. There are effective professional learning and development opportunities in place to build teacher capability and consistency. Students learn in settled, engaging, well-resourced environments. Students are able to discuss their current achievement levels and in reading, writing and mathematics. Students with additional needs are identified, well monitored and responded to, in a timely manner. Accelerated achievement for those students who needed it was effective, but the ongoing monitoring and reporting of this progress is an area to be strengthened. Parents are well informed and contribute to the on-going progress and success of their child.
Parents acknowledge and value the relationships and partnerships for learning that have been strengthened and promoted. Alongside the board and staff, they have worked collaboratively to provide an inclusive and supportive environment for learning. An open-door policy enables parents to discuss any concerns or queries, and they value the school’s welcoming culture and direction. Strong connections have been established with external agencies and local community, including iwi. An active playgroup operates at the school two mornings per week. This provides close links with the school’s activities and seamless transitions for children. Mutually respectful relationships are evident among students and adults.
The school acknowledges that teachers need to fully implement the comprehensive plan to build student agency. This plan, incorporating learning progressions and a consistent use of feedback and feedforward, further enhances students’ knowledge and understanding of their own learning and next steps.
Students’ progress and achievement is regularly reported to the board. There is a need to strengthen the use of achievement information to evaluate the impact of programmes and initiatives. Deeper analysis of assessment information will enhance internal evaluation to better inform future practice and decision making.
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:
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student safety and wellbeing:
On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of Benneydale School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.
ERO’s Framework: Overall Findings and Judgement Tool derived from School Evaluation Indicators: Effective Practice for Improvement and Learner Success is available on ERO’s website.
For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:
For sustained improvement and future learner success, priorities for further development are in:
Phillip Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services
Central Region
10 January 2020
|
Location |
Maniaiti|Benneydale |
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
161 |
|
School type |
Full primary (Years 1 to 8) |
|
School roll |
33 |
|
Gender composition |
Male 19 Female 14 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 31 Other ethnic groups 2 |
|
Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS) |
Yes |
|
Provision of Māori medium education |
No |
|
Review team on site |
October 2019 |
|
Date of this report |
10 January 2020 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review May 2016 Education Review February 2013 Education Review November 2012 |
Benneydale School is a small rural school located in the King Country, east of Te Kuiti. The school caters for children in Years 1 to 8. The roll has increased from 22 children in 2014 to 40 children at the time of this ERO review, including 24 Māori children.
The school has had a number of ERO supplementary review reports in the past, and external support was provided to assist the Board of Trustees in 2013 to assist school improvement and development. In 2015, two new teachers were appointed, one as a result of roll growth. The current principal, appointed at the beginning of 2014, has led significant improvement in all areas of the school.
Parents, whānau and the wider community actively support the school, which is a focal point of the Benneydale community. Teachers and community have worked collaboratively to provide an inclusive and supportive environment for learning.
The vision and valued outcomes defined by the school for all children are to provide a supportive environment where Māori and Pākehā children learn for tomorrow. The core values of community, aroha, respect and excellence underpin all decisions at the school. These outcomes are promoted by all members of the school community.
The school's achievement information from 2013 to 2015 shows that approximately half of the Māori children were achieving below National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. For all children, there were significantly more boys achieving below in reading and writing. The school’s 2015 achievement information shows that 13 Māori children were achieving below National Standards in reading and writing, and nine were achieving below in mathematics. In reading and writing, 10 boys achieved below National Standards and all children after one year at school were below National Standards in all areas.
Since the last ERO evaluation the school has put in place initiatives and innovations with the aim of providing equitable and excellence outcomes for Māori children including:
A major strength has been the growth of relationships with parents and whānau, and their involvement in, and support of, the school.
A recent initiative to upgrade the onsite playgroup has the potential to provide rich experiences for preschool children, support their transition into the classroom, and accelerate their achievement in their first years at school.
Benneydale School has established sound practices for responding to Māori children whose learning and achievement need acceleration. Teachers use an appropriate range of assessment tools to make overall judgements about the progress and achievement of Māori children. Children at risk of not achieving to expected levels are identified and responded to with an appropriate programme. The principal closely monitors individual children to evaluate their progress and identify their next learning steps. This information is regularly discussed with teachers, parents and the board of trustees.
The school has successfully improved children's wellbeing, social skills and relationships within the school. Attendance rates of several Māori children have improved, children have developed pride in their school and classrooms are settled and focused on learning. Planned activities such as camps, sports, leadership and family gatherings have built children's engagement and provided equitable opportunities for them to fully participate in school activities.
The principal is leading the professional development of teachers to build their understanding of best teaching practice. This is an area identified for continuing development. Teachers liaise with outside agencies to support children with special learning needs.
Of the 17 Māori children achieving below or well below National Standards at the beginning of 2015, six made accelerated progress in reading, nine in writing and 13 in mathematics. Almost all Māori children who have been at the school continuously for several years are achieving at or above National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics.
Other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration, benefit from the same strategies provided to achieve equitable outcomes. All of these children made accelerated progress in relation to National Standards in 2015, with almost all children achieving at or above national expectations.
The school's curriculum and other organisational processes and practices contribute to the development and enactment of the school's vision and values.
Trustees and teachers have worked collaboratively with the principal to build a positive learning environment for children and their families. Respectful and reciprocal relationships enable school personnel to work together to achieve their shared vision and values, and school goals.
Teachers have participated in professional learning to refine their practice in accelerating children's achievement in reading and writing. They reflect on the effectiveness of their practice and discuss strategies to progress and address children's identified needs. Parents appreciate the information provided through reports and informal discussion about how they can support the acceleration of their children's learning.
Leaders and teachers:
The principal, teachers, trustees and parents are committed to providing an inclusive learning community that cares, shows aroha, builds respectful relationships and strives for excellence. Māori and other children who are achieving below National Standards are identified and their progress is carefully monitored.
Teachers now need to access and use external professional development to build their capability to evaluate the effectiveness of their teaching, respond effectively to identified student needs in order to accelerate their progress, and further develop the school's te reo Māori programme.
Teachers should build children's ability to identify their own learning needs, and develop their self-assessment skills to enable them to evaluate their own and others' work against clear criteria. This criteria should include learning progressions in reading, writing and mathematics.
The board of trustees should access training to ensure they fully understand their roles and responsibilities. They need to scrutinise student achievement information in relation to valued student outcomes, and evaluate plans, interventions and resourcing for accelerating Māori children's achievement.
The school is beginning the process to appoint a new principal. Careful planning is needed to sustain and continue improvements during the transition of the forthcoming changes to school leadership.
Action: The board, principal and teachers should use the findings of this evaluation, the Effective School Evaluation resource, the Internal Evaluation: Good Practice exemplars and the School Evaluation Indicators to develop a Raising Achievement Plan to further develop processes and practices that respond effectively to the strengths and needs of children whose learning and achievement need to be accelerated.
As part of this review ERO will continue to monitor the school’s Raising Achievement plan and the progress the school makes. ERO is likely to carry out the next full review in three years.
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 the following:
Board administration
Curriculum
Management of health, safety and welfare
Personnel management
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
Processes for appointing staff
Stand down, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions
Attendance
Compliance with the provisions of the Vulnerable Children Act 2014
There is an urgent need to accelerate the progress of Māori boys in literacy and Māori girls in mathematics. Trustees and teachers need to identify strategies and initiatives to promote equitable and excellence outcomes for all children, particularly Māori. If necessary, external support should be sought in order to meet the areas identified for ongoing development in this report.
Lynda Pura-Watson
Deputy Chief Review Officer
30 May 2016
|
Location |
Te Kuiti |
|
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
161 |
|
|
School type |
Full Primary (Years 1 to 8) |
|
|
School roll |
40 |
|
|
Gender composition |
Boys 20 Girls 20 |
|
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā |
24 16 |
|
Review team on site |
March 2016 |
|
|
Date of this report |
30 May 2016 |
|
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review Education Review Education Review |
November 2012 November 2010 November 2009 |