Summary
Matamata Primary School caters for children in Years 1 to 6. The school’s roll of 411 includes 75 Māori children.
A new principal was appointed in October 2016 following a period of instability in professional leadership. Since the previous ERO review in 2014 several new trustees, including a new chairperson, have been elected to the board of trustees.
How well is the school achieving equitable outcomes for all children?
Matamata Primary responds effectively to some Māori and other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration particularly in the areas of reading and mathematics.
The school has many processes that are effective in enabling achievement of equity and excellence include well-informed leadership, a broad and rich curriculum, positive relationships and well developed partnerships with parents.
Further developments are needed with school processes to address in-school disparity, and support sustainable achievement of equity and excellence. Systems and practices for targeting achievement of at risk learners, building teacher capability and teaching as inquiry are not fully developed or consistently implemented.
At the time of this ERO review most children were achieving at or above the National Standards in reading and mathematics with fewer children achieving the expected standard in writing.
The school has capacity and capability to accelerate learning for all children. However, disparity in achievement for Māori and other children remains.
Leaders and teachers:
- know the children whose learning and achievement need to be accelerated
- need to improve the school conditions that support the acceleration of children’s learning and achievement
- need to build teacher capability to accelerate children’s learning and achievement.
The school has requested that ERO provide them with an internal evaluation workshop.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Equity and excellence
How effectively does this school respond to Māori and other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration?
Matamata Primary School responds effectively to some Māori and other children whose learning and achievement requires acceleration, particularly in reading and mathematics.
The school’s achievement information indicates that over the previous three years most children achieved at or above the National Standard in reading and mathematics. Slightly lower levels of achievement have been identified in writing. Proportionally less Māori children achieve at or above the National Standards than their peers at the school. The school’s data from 2015 to 2016 shows improved achievement levels for Māori in reading and mathematics. However, the level of disparity in writing has increased. Reducing disparity by accelerating achievement for Māori remains a significant challenge for trustees, leaders and teachers.
Processes that support teachers to make reliable judgements in relation to the National Standards require strengthening. The principal and school leaders have recently reviewed and extended the range of assessment tools that are being used by teachers to support them to make overall National Standards judgements.
School conditions supporting equity and excellence
What school processes are effective in enabling achievement of equity and excellence?
The school has implemented some effective processes that enable achievement of equity and excellence.
School leaders are knowledgeable and focused on improved outcomes for children. The new principal, well supported by other school leaders, has developed strong relational trust with children, teachers and whānau. A reflective approach to leadership is promoted, and valuable systems are developing to promote children’s achievement. Well-informed leadership underpin the school’s commitment to accelerating the achievement of Māori and other children.
The school provides a broad curriculum. Particular strengths of the curriculum include:
- an appropriate emphasis on literacy and mathematics learning
- a wide range of effective support programmes for children with additional learning needs
- children’s participation in a wide range of sporting, cultural, and academic competitions and events
- many opportunities for children to develop leadership skills.
Culturally responsive practices are developing. Māori children’s language, culture and identity is supported by opportunities to participate in kapahaka and incorporation of tikanga Māori practices in school events. With the support of a knowledgeable trustee, who has long established links with local iwi, the new principal is establishing valuable relationships with whānau and local marae. An increasing focus on implementing a more culturally responsive curriculum is likely to support accelerated achievement for Māori children.
Some teachers use effective strategies to accelerate achievement. These teachers provide meaningful contexts that effectively engage children in learning and make effective use of assessment information to provide targeted learning programmes. A feature of class programmes are the positive and affirming relationships that teachers have with children.
Positive partnerships for learning with parents and the wider community are well developed. There are high levels of community participation in the school. Parents receive useful information about children’s learning through comprehensive written reports and at student-led conferences. Valuable initiatives that support parents as partners in their children’s learning include:
- a meaningful transition-to-school programme for new entrant children and families
- a comprehensive programme that builds parents’ knowledge of effective reading strategies.
Student learning and wellbeing are supported by strengthened learning partnerships with parents and whānau.
The school is part of the Matamata Community of Learning│Kāhui Ako that is focused on accelerating the achievement of Māori learners in the wider Matamata community.
Sustainable development for equity and excellence
What further developments are needed in school processes to achieve equity and excellence?
Further developments are needed with school processes to address in-school disparity, and support sustainable achievement of equity and excellence. Systems and practices for targeting achievement of at risk learners, building teacher capability and teaching as inquiry are not fully developed or consistently implemented.
The school needs to implement a strategically aligned approach to addressing in-school disparity.
The use of achievement information needs to be strengthened by:
- developing and monitoring achievement targets which focus specifically on Māori and other children who are underachieving
- implementing a consistent school-wide approach to teacher planning that is informed by assessment information and which responds deliberately to identified learning needs
- developing and embedding teaching practices that support children to be aware of their current achievement and next learning steps.
There needs to be a more strategic approach to building teacher capability to accelerate the progress of at risk Māori children. Consideration is yet to be given to the implications of Ministry of Education document, Tātaiako, to support more culturally responsive teaching practices.
Internal evaluation processes that support knowledge building and improvement are not well embedded. Processes that support teachers to reflect on the effectiveness of their teaching to accelerate the progress and achievement of targeted children are currently being developed and have yet to be implemented.
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
- 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.
Going forward
How well placed is the school to accelerate the achievement of all children who need it?
The school has capacity and capability to accelerate learning for all children. However, disparity in achievement for Māori and other children remains.
Leaders and teachers:
- know the children whose learning and achievement need to be accelerated
- need to improve the school conditions that support the acceleration of children’s learning and achievement
- need to build teacher capability to accelerate children’s learning and achievement.
The school agrees to:
- develop more targeted planning to accelerate learning for children
- monitor targeted planning, improved teaching, and children’s progress
- discuss the school’s progress with ERO.
The school has requested that ERO provide them with an internal evaluation workshop.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Recommendations
ERO recommends that trustees and leaders use the findings of this report to strengthen the school’s strategic planning to provide an aligned, school-wide focus on reducing disparity.
Lynda Pura-Watson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Waikato / Bay of Plenty
28 April 2017
About the school
|
Location
|
Matamata
|
|
Ministry of Education profile number
|
1813
|
|
School type
|
Contributing Primary (Year 1 to 6)
|
|
School roll
|
411
|
|
Gender composition
|
Boys 51%
Girls 49%
|
|
Ethnic composition
|
Pākehā 69%
Māori 18%
Other European 5%
South East Asian 3%
Other 5%
|
|
Provision of Māori medium education
|
No
|
|
Review team on site
|
February 2017
|
|
Date of this report
|
28 April 2017
|
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review May 2014
Education Review October 2009
Education Review February 2007
|