Findings
Havelock School has made sufficient progress in relation to the key next steps identified in ERO’s February 2020 report. The school will transition into ERO’s Evaluation for Improvement approach.
1 Background and Context
What is the background and context for this school’s review?
Havelock School, in Marlborough, provides education for students from Years 1 to 8. It has a roll of 83 students, 13% of whom identify as Māori.
There have been changes to the school leadership and teaching staff since the school’s last ERO review at the beginning of 2020. Support for the school from 2020 included a Ministry of Education Student Achievement Function practitioner and targeted professional learning and development programme providers. A new deputy principal and several new teachers started at the school in 2021.
The school’s mission, ‘Mauri ora nā Akoranga- Learning for life’, aligns with its vision for ‘A community of life-long learners - confident, connected and actively engaged’. The key values for realising this vision are: Responsibility, Respectfulness and Resilience.
The board of trustees has set strategic priorities focused on achievement and progress, the curriculum (including teaching and learning) and community connections.
2 Review and Development
How effectively is the school addressing its priorities for review and development?
Priorities identified for review and development
The February 2020 ERO report identified the need to strengthen:
- expectations for teaching to better guide curriculum delivery
- teaching practices to increase student engagement and raise achievement, especially for those students who are underachieving
- governance, leadership and internal evaluation practices to more effectively guide school improvement and development.
ERO also identified areas of non-compliance in relation to the implementation of policy and procedure in: education outside the classroom, surrender and retention of property, appointments, and the complaints process.
Progress
Significant progress has been made developing an authentic, localised curriculum that acknowledges the aspirations of students, parents and whānau. Curriculum planning prioritises learning themes developed in consultation with the local community. External expertise has been used effectively to support the school to confirm key learning expectations and ensure learning programmes are culturally responsive and aligned with the New Zealand Curriculum. The school has strengthened connections with local iwi. Students are offered cultural learning experiences unique to their community. They are supported to set learning goals and manage aspects of their own learning. Assessment practices are increasingly fit for purpose and providing meaningful evidence of student achievement and progress.
Students participate in positive, caring and inclusive learning environments. Learners at risk of not achieving are well supported with programmes that meet their needs. Teachers model school values that promote engagement in learning. Collaborative teaching inquiries promote learning conversations that clarify expectations and responsibilities for student progress. Leaders support teachers to set relevant professional learning goals and provide feedback on the effectiveness of teaching and improvement initiatives.
Effective systems have been developed to identify, support and monitor the progress of all students and, in particular, those with identified learning needs. Mid-year 2021 progress and achievement reports to the board show that most students are achieving at or above expected curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics. Māori student achievement in reading, writing and mathematics is comparable to, or better than, that for other groups of students. Approximately half of students targeted for support in 2021 in reading, writing and mathematics have made accelerated progress.
Trustees and leaders have worked collaboratively with the community to review the school’s vision and values, and to implement appropriate long-term goals and targets for schoolwide improvement. Trustees are increasingly focused on how well they are fulfilling their stewardship roles and responsibilities. Community networks have been developed to strengthen and future-proof board representation. The principal’s strategic reports provide a range of useful data and information that support the board to monitor progress of school priorities. The board has improved its capability to evaluate the effectiveness of programmes and practices to meet valued school outcomes.
All matters for compliance have been addressed.
Key next steps
Leaders and teachers need to further develop, consolidate and embed:
- the local curriculum, in particular inquiry learning processes, te reo me ngā tikanga Māori programmes, and culturally responsive and relational practices
- evidence-based processes and practices that support consistent, high quality teaching across the school
- schoolwide capability to use internal evaluation, to confirm the effectiveness of strategies designed to improve student outcomes.
3 Sustainable performance and self review
How well placed is the school to sustain and continue to improve and review its performance?
The school is better placed to sustain and continue to improve and review its performance. Progress towards consolidating and embedding systems, processes and practices identified for improvement continues to be made.
The local curriculum reflects the aspirations, interests and needs of families/whānau and their children, and sets out key learning expectations. Students set learning goals and have opportunities to manage their own learning. Teachers create positive learning environments that promote school values and engagement for learning. There are collaborative schoolwide processes that focus on improving teaching practices and outcomes for students. Systems have been strengthened to monitor and support the progress of all students, and analysed information shows that schoolwide achievement is improving. The school and board have consulted the community to determine and set the longer-term vision, goals and targets for school improvement.
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
- school policies in relation to meeting the requirements of the Children’s Act 2014.
Conclusion
Havelock School has made sufficient progress in relation to the key next steps identified in ERO’s February 2020 report. The school will transition into ERO’s Evaluation for Improvement approach.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region - Te Tai Tini
11 February 2022
About the school
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement.