Allandale School

School Context

Allandale School is located in the suburb of Kopeopeo in Whakatane. It provides education for students in Years 1 to 6. The school roll of 435 includes 323 Māori students, and 13 students from other nationalities. There are three Māori enrichment bilingual classes operating in the school.

The school’s vision states ‘Allandale School will be a school where all are healthy in mind, body and spirit; are proud of who they are and where they come from; and are able to fulfil their potential.’  The school prioritises the values of manaakitanga/respect, kawenga/responsibility and whanaungatanga/relationships and students learn to be an ‘Allandale Kind of Kid.’

The school’s charter has four overarching goals which focus on:

• raising student achievement in reading, writing and mathematics
• fostering and developing cultural competencies that reflect the character of the school and promote student achievement
• implementing and developing holistic health practices to enhance student wellbeing
• establishing an integrated inquiry learning curriculum across the school.

Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, school-wide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:

• achievement in reading, writing and mathematics.

Since the previous review in 2013, there have been some changes to the teaching team, leadership structure and a new principal was appointed in 2014.

The school is part of the Whakatane Community of Learning|Kāhui Ako. 

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?

The school is yet to achieve equity and excellent outcomes for all its students. The school’s data from 2015 to 2017 shows the majority of students are achieving at or above expected levels in reading, writing and mathematics. Achievement in reading has improved for all students including Māori and boys. Achievement has generally remained consistent over the past three years in writing and mathematics. Girls are achieving at much higher levels than boys in reading and writing. The proportion of Māori students achieving at or above national expectations is approximately 20% lower than their non-Māori peers at the school in reading and writing, and 15% lower in mathematics.

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

The school is responding well to some Māori and other learners whose learning and achievement need acceleration. Teachers can show accelerated progress for some Māori and at-risk learners. Leaders are yet to collate school-wide data to show rates of progress and to track students’ progress over time.

2 School conditions for equity and excellence

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

Collaborative leadership is strengthening teacher capability. Leaders are providing strong professional leadership for staff. They have implemented a new approach to teaching as inquiry and appraisal to support reflective practice. Teachers’ skills and interests are used to lead learning and change in the school. This distributed model of leadership is increasing teacher engagement and ownership. Leaders are accessing appropriate professional learning and are providing effective coaching and mentoring for teachers. Leaders’ knowledge of te ao Māori provides direction and contributes to positive outcomes for Māori students.

The school has a supportive culture for learning. Leaders and teachers provide strong pastoral care, which enables students to experience success. A school-wide approach to culturally responsive practice has raised awareness and developed positive relationships between teachers and students.

High-quality initiatives enrich and broaden the school’s curriculum. Teachers are using some innovative practices to motivate and challenge students. Inquiry learning is supporting the effective integration of a range of curriculum areas and involving students in meaningful learning opportunities. There are many authentic contexts for learning that improve engagement and outcomes for students. Māori students are affirmed in their culture through participation in te reo and tikanga Māori practices. Children at risk of not achieving are well identified and teachers make good use of strategies to enhance their learning. Priority is given to the teaching of literacy and mathematics and there is a range of interventions to support students with additional learning needs.

The board works effectively with the school and community. -Trustees have undertaken relevant training to support them in their governance roles. They have carried out consultation with parents, families and whānau to gain views and aspirations, and inform school planning and direction. The board is currently strengthening its policy framework through ongoing review and development.

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

There is need to develop a more aligned and deliberate approach to raising student achievement. Specific achievement targets need to include all students at-risk of not achieving the expected level. Consistency across the whole school is required in teacher planning to accelerate learning.

The management and use of student achievement information requires strengthening. Leaders and teachers need to analyse and collate achievement data to show rates of progress and respond to trends and patterns. They need to use achievement information more effectively to evaluate the impact of initiatives and programmes designed to accelerate learning.

There is need to implement agreed guidelines for teaching and learning consistently across the school. The school recognises the need to develop the mana whenua curriculum as a foundational framework for the school’s curriculum. 

The identification of students’ learning needs, next learning steps and use of progressions requires strengthening.

Priority should be given to:

• monitoring and tracking the progress and acceleration of students
• continuing to strengthen overall teacher judgements (OTJs)
• further developing engagement and partnerships for learning with parents and whānau.

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:

• collaborative leadership for learning that focuses on improving outcomes for all students
• a positive culture for learning that is caring, inclusive and responsive to students’ needs
• a rich curriculum that is motivating and engaging for students
• stewardship that provides effective decision making for school organisation.

Next steps

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

• strengthening the use of student achievement to support a more deliberate approach to accelerating the progress of at-risk students
• imbedding school guidelines for teaching and learning to increase the consistency of effective practise school wide
• targeted planning to accelerate learning
  [ERO will monitor and discuss progress with the school.]
• internal evaluation processes and practices.

[ERO will provide an internal evaluation workshop for trustees and senior leaders.]

ERO’s next external evaluation process and timing

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

Lynda Pura-Watson
Deputy Chief Review Officer

Te Tai Miringa - Waikato / Bay of Plenty Region

7 February 2018

About the school

1 Context

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

Allandale School caters for students in Years 1 to 6 who live in Whakatane. Nearly sixty percent of the 422 students are Māori, and significant numbers have whakapapa links to Ngāti Awa and Tūhoe iwi.

Since the last ERO review in 2010, the principal has extended the leadership team to include three deputy principals and two team leaders. They have responded positively to the recommendations in the 2010 ERO report by focusing on lifting the achievement of priority learners and extending bicultural perspectives. Of significance is the completion and renaming of the school hall and the building of the marae ātea, in consultation with Ngāti Awa.

Ongoing professional learning and development supports the focus on improving teaching and learning, especially in literacy and mathematics. The priority placed on e-learning has increased the use of digital technology across the school, and there are now two e-learning classes. Other developments include the building of a new classroom and completion of the school library.

The school is very well led and governed. Parents appreciate the warm, caring and inclusive school culture promoted by the senior leaders and staff, and experienced by students. The board and principal make sure that all students have the opportunity to participate in a wide range of curriculum and extra-curricular activities. Strong links with local agencies and the commitment of staff support the effective pastoral care of students and their families /whānau.

2 Learning

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

The school uses achievement information very well to make positive changes to learner’s engagement, progress and achievement. Teachers gather a wide range of good quality information about students to inform their teaching practice. They use a range of assessment tools to identify and respond to the diverse learning needs of students. Individual student progress in literacy and mathematics is closely tracked and monitored to identify progress and next learning steps.

The school has highly effective systems for identifying and responding promptly to students who are at risk of not achieving. School-wide achievement information is well used to set strategic goals and targets for these priority learners. Students who are at risk of not making expected progress are also targeted by classroom teachers. The school is able to show that many of these students have made accelerated progress as a result of this targeting. Parents interviewed by ERO consider that reports about student achievement in relation to National Standards are now clearer and easier to understand.

Achievement data is well utilised to reflect on and improve overall teacher practice and to evaluate the effectiveness of programmes and initiatives.

3 Curriculum

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

The Allandale School Curriculum effectively promotes and supports students’ learning. There is a strong emphasis on literacy and mathematics supported by a range of sustained professional learning and development. The New Zealand Curriculum (TNZC) has been interpreted to reflect the local context and adapted to respond to the specific learning needs and abilities of students.

The links between the key competencies of The NZC and the ‘Allandale Way’ prepares students for independent learning. Students benefit from rich learning opportunities in a wide range of topics that are relevant to their everyday lives. These opportunities could be further strengthened if teachers identify exactly what it is they want students to learn more consistently in their planning. Students have many opportunities to reflect on and revisit their learning.

Students learn in high quality, well-organised learning environments that celebrate and acknowledge their learning. Teachers establish warm, caring relationships with students and their families/whānau. Students’ needs for care and support are very well catered for. The school is committed to developing a robust information and communication technology infrastructure to support learning. The two e-learning classes are trialling the use of modern equipment as a tool for learning with a view to extending use to the whole school once the trial is complete.

Children with special needs are valued and included by staff and students. The school promotes a broad definition of giftedness, based on a Māori framework to identify students with special talents. The framework assists teachers to identify students who are gifted or talented in both Māori and non- Māori contexts.

Teachers’ planning in mathematics and literacy is detailed, comprehensive and effective. ERO observed high levels of student engagement in their learning, and this was well supported by their peers. Students understood teachers’ high expectations for their learning and achievement. Teachers could continue to explore ways to help students understand and talk about their learning and what they need to do next, to progress.

A more programmed approach to the inclusion of Mataatua tribal history and other local knowledge would benefit all students’ understanding as they progress through the school.

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

While a clear majority of Māori students are achieving at or above national expectations, their achievement overall is still slightly below that of their non Māori peers. The school is working hard to address this in a number of ways.

Firstly, the school works closely with the local Māori community. Examples of this are as follows:

• the board consulted and sought guidance from Ngāti Awa about the school marae development. This consultation and guidance has meant that the school marae conforms with the tikanga of Ngāti Awa surrounding marae rather than being a school project isolated from the mainstream
• kaumātua support pōwhiri and other school events
• academic staff from the local wānanga are involved in an ongoing way to enhance school programmes and build staff knowledge and capacity.

Secondly, parents and whānau involve themselves in the life of the school and in communicating their aspirations for their children.

Thirdly, teachers have recently introduced a sequential Māori language programme in the school. There are three active kapa haka groups and teachers are undertaking professional learning and development in bicultural perspectives using the Ministry of Education resource Tātaiako. In addition, teachers incorporate Māori content knowledge and language in classroom programmes. The school operates two bilingual classes for whānau wanting higher levels of Māori language acquisition and competency for their children.

The successes of Māori students and bicultural events are shared and celebrated through an occasional newsletter called Te Tihi o Motueka. Students benefit from effective Māori role models amongst management and staff.

A next step for the school is to strengthen the Māori language programmes in the bilingual units. Part of this process will be to clarify expectations for students’ attainment at the end of their time in the units and to take appropriate steps to support this.

4 Sustainable Performance

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

The school is very well placed to sustain and improve its performance. Factors contributing to this are:

• strong self review practices based on comprehensive student achievement information is supporting improved educational outcomes for all students
• self review information is used by the board to resource ongoing improvement
• trustees contribute a wide range of skills and knowledge to the board and are well led by a capable chairperson
• the principal is an enthusiastic and effective leader of school improvement and has established appropriate strategic priorities for the future
• the highly professional members of the leadership team promote consistency in the quality of teaching across the school
• students learn in a safe and inclusive school culture and are achieving well.

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.

When is ERO likely to review the school again?

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

Dale Bailey National Manager Review Services Northern Region

3 September 2013

About the School