Oroua Downs School

School Context

Oroua Downs School is a rural school for students in Years 1 to 8. The current roll is 117 students and 22 are Māori.

There have been many changes to staffing since the February 2017 ERO report. Continued roll growth over the past year has resulted in the employment of a fifth teacher. A new principal was appointed to her position mid 2018. Most trustees are new to the board this year.

The school’s strategic goals are to support all students to achieve success as evidenced through progress and achievement against The New Zealand Curriculum levels. In 2019, the particular focuses are: to support improved student achievement in literacy across the school; and support students to make positive choices for their learning and behaviour and wellbeing in order to achieve as confident individuals.

The school’s mission statement ‘to challenge students to be successful citizens’ underpins the valued outcomes for students to: ‘be respectful; be creative, active and inquiring; work collaboratively; strive for excellence’.

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

• achievement for reading, writing and mathematics against curriculum levels.

Evaluation Findings

1 Equity and excellence – achievement of valued outcomes for students

1.1 How well is the school achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for all its students?

The school continues to work towards achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for all its students.

End-of-2018 data indicates that the majority of students achieved at or above expectation in reading, writing and mathematics. Most Year 8 students left the school having achieved at or above expectation in reading and mathematics.

Disparity continues for boys and Māori learners in writing and mathematics. This continuing trend is evidenced in the end of Term 3 2019 student achievement data. A sustained, upward pattern of achievement over time is not yet established for these learners.

1.2 How well is the school accelerating learning for those Māori and other students who need this?

Leaders and teachers are successfully developing their capability in responding to those Māori and others whose learning and achievement need acceleration. Students whose learning needs acceleration are appropriately identified, their needs responded to and progress tracked termly by teachers in literacy and mathematics. End-of-Term 3, 2019 data indicates accelerated progress for many of these students in reading and mathematics and fewer in writing.

2 School conditions for equity and excellence – processes and practices

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

Students learn in a positive environment that is inclusive, values diversity and promotes their wellbeing. The development of a culture underpinned by relational trust and collaboration is evident. Priority is given to the pastoral care and wellbeing for learning of students. Leaders and teachers recognise the importance of building connections and relationships with children and their families to support learning partnerships.

The staff know students well. Teachers are collectively responsible for all children. They support students to be actively engaged in their learning. Students increasingly take responsibility for planning and knowing about their learning. They confidently share their ideas and opinions that are deliberately sought and used to inform contexts for teaching and learning.

Students with diverse learning and wellbeing needs are well supported through a range of initiatives and interventions, including appropriate personnel, programmes, external agencies and specialists. Clear plans are developed that support and monitor progress and learning of these students.

Staff reflect collaboratively and frequently on how their teaching practice is improving learning and wellbeing outcomes for students. Meaningful changes are made to processes and practices as a result of these reflections and inquiries. Teachers are empowered to investigate and trial approaches and contexts to promote learning. Schoolwide professional learning and development is well aligned to school goals and priorities.

The board is well informed through receiving comprehensive, regular information about student progress and achievement and learning contexts that allows them to identify and discuss opportunities for change. Trustees understand their roles and responsibilities for focusing on student achievement, progress and acceleration. They ensure that school resources are appropriately allocated to learning areas of greatest need. Trustees are supportive of staff.

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

Teachers and leaders are focused on accelerating learning for those students they have identified as achieving below expectation. Strengthening annual achievement targets to better reflect this is a key next step.

The principal has begun to review the school’s learning programmes to support the development of a coherent localised and culturally responsive curriculum. This development should include a closer alignment to the school’s vision, values and goals and reflect the context of the school and local community.

The principal’s leadership focuses purposefully on improving student outcomes through building teacher confidence and capability. Recently introduced systems and processes are used to gather information that reliably ascertains the learning levels and needs of all students. Some standardised assessment tools are used. Reviewing current assessment practices to include standardised tools should further support dependability of judgements of students’ achievement and progress.

Further use should be made of established internal evaluation practices to determine the impact of current and recently implemented practices and innovations on improving equity of student outcomes.

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 Children’s Act 2014.

4 ERO’s Overall Judgement

On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of Oroua Downs School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Developing

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.

5 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:

• a culture of collaboration among leaders, teachers, students and parents that celebrates diversity and supports inclusivity and high expectations for teaching and learning throughout the school
• pastoral care, that systematically responds to students’ needs, promotes their wellbeing and supports their learning success
• clear direction setting by leaders and trustees that focuses on promoting student learning and closely monitoring progress over time.

Next steps

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

• improving outcomes for students to achieve equity for all groups of students across the school
• development of a school curriculum to better reflect students’ identity, culture and language and the local context
• use of data, for internal evaluation to identify what is working well for students’ learning.

Actions for compliance

ERO identified non-compliance in relation to:

• health curriculum community consultation

• physical restraint.

In order to address this, the board of trustees must:

• comply with the requirement to adopt a statement on the delivery of the health curriculum, at least once in every two years, after consultation with the school community

[Section 60B Education Act 1989]

• develop and document policy, procedures and guidelines for physical restraint. [Education (Physical Restraint) Rules 2017; Updated Guidelines for Registered Schools in New Zealand on the Use of Physical Restraint]

Phillip Cowie

Director Review and Improvement Services

Central Region

19 February 2020

About the school