Summary
At the time of this review, Seddon School roll was 124, including 10 Māori children.
The school has maintained very good levels of student achievement against the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics from 2013-2016.
Since the 2013 ERO review the school has experienced two major earthquakes. During this time the school has been well supported by the Ministry of Education and the local and Marlborough communities. This has enabled leaders and staff to maintain a strong focus on raising student achievement and the wellbeing of the children and their families.
Following the earthquakes staff recruitment has been a challenge. During 2016 the deputy principal (DP) responsibilities were shared among staff. A new DP was appointed at the beginning of 2017. The principal has been at the school for a number of years. The board is a mix of long-serving and recently-appointed trustees, many of whom have a long association with the region.
The school responded positively to the previous ERO report and has continued to build closer relationships with Māori families and Ngāi Tahu. The board, principal and staff have further refined their internal review practices. However, evaluating the impact of outcomes of the evaluations remains an area for further development.
The school is a member of the Piritahi Kāhui Ako | Community of Learning (CoL).
How well is the school achieving equitable outcomes for all children?
The school is strongly focused on providing equitable outcomes for all children, particularly those whose achievement needs acceleration.
The school has well-defined values and high expectations for children’s achievement and wellbeing. These are at the forefront of all decision making and are well integrated into the school curriculum and key school documents.
School achievement information is well analysed and used. Programmes for children who need their progress accelerated are thoroughly evaluated. Successful initiatives are well resourced to accelerate the progress of other children with similar needs.
Children are achieving well. The school demonstrates strong progress towards achieving equity in educational outcomes, supported by effective, sustainable processes and practices.
Agreed next steps are to:
- strengthen internal evaluation to focus more on the outcomes of the evaluation, for learning and teaching
- improve moderation documentation systems and processes
- increase student involvement in decisions about their learning, progress and the curriculum.
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?
The school responds very effectively to Māori and other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration.
The majority of children achieve very well in the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Leaders and teachers have made good progress addressing disparity for boys in their writing achievement over time. Interventions are in place to address disparity for the children whose learning needs acceleration.
Children’s progress and wellbeing is closely monitored and reported to the board. Leaders complete detailed analysis of children’s progress and identify the interventions that have most effectively accelerated student progress and achievement.
The school has a good range of internal assessment practices. School leaders have identified and ERO agrees that moderation is an area for further development. During 2017 the teachers plan to use a national evaluation tool to improve the consistency of their judgements. They are also working with colleagues from other schools in the CoL to improve consistency across schools.
School conditions supporting equity and excellence
What school processes are effective in enabling achievement of equity and excellence?
The school has a number of effective processes to support equity and excellence.
The school has well-defined values and high expectations for children’s achievement and wellbeing. These values and expectations are effectively integrated into all levels of decision making, documentation and school life. The board places high priority on achieving the school’s vision and values when allocating resources. Comprehensive leaders’ reports closely monitor achievement of school goals.
Leaders and teachers have an in-depth knowledge of each child and share responsibility for the achievement and wellbeing of all children. Children learn to work collaboratively. They support and care for each other. Tuakana teina is strong. Teachers are proactive in the ways they engage with families and involve them in decisions about their children’s learning. Parents, whanau and the community are welcomed and involved in school activities. Leaders and teachers make considerable efforts to ensure parents are valued as partners in their children’s learning.
Children benefit from very high levels of community support. These partnerships have helped to reduce barriers to learning and ensure that all children have equal access to the school’s rich and comprehensive curriculum.
Leaders are strongly focused on improving learning and teaching. They set and relentlessly pursue the goals and targets that relate to accelerating children’s progress and achievement. Leaders support teachers to engage in systematic, evidence-informed professional inquiry to improve outcomes for children. A high quality staff appraisal process promotes improved teaching practices. This is well linked to professional development and the school’s vision for a successful learner.
Involvement in the CoL is a catalyst for change and ongoing school improvement. Growing interschool professional partnerships and access to high quality professional development are helping to ensure all children benefit from the collective knowledge and expertise within the CoL.
Sustainable development for equity and excellence
What further developments are needed in school processes to achieve equity and excellence?
The school has a number of useful systems and processes in place. These need to be further enhanced by improving internal evaluation, student agency and school moderation processes.
The school’s internal evaluation processes need to be reviewed and extended to increase the ways information is collected and to track the impact or outcomes of the evaluations.
The school needs to clearly document and regularly review the processes for moderation of overall teacher judgements for the National Standards. This is likely to further promoting consistency and accuracy in assessment decisions and processes.
The board, leaders and staff need to continue to build teachers’ capacity so that children take more responsibility for their learning. Particular attention should be given to promoting more in-depth involvement by children in curriculum decisions.
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:
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emotional safety of students (including prevention of bullying and sexual harassment)
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physical safety of students
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teacher registration and certification
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processes for appointing staff
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stand down, suspension, expulsion and exclusion of students
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attendance
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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?
Children are achieving well. The school demonstrates strong progress toward achieving equity in educational outcomes, supported by effective, sustainable processes and practices.
Agreed next steps are to:
-
strengthen internal evaluation to focus more on the outcomes of the evaluation, for learning and teaching
-
improve moderation documentation systems and processes
-
increase student involvement in decisions about their learning, progress and the curriculum.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer - Southern (Te Waipounamu)
30 August 2017
About the school
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Location
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Marlborough
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Ministry of Education profile number
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2988
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School type
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Full Primary
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School roll
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124
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Gender composition
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Boys 60% : Girls 40%
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Ethnic composition
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Pākehā 84%
Māori 9%
Pacific 2%
Other 5%
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Provision of Māori medium education
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No
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Review team on site
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June 2017
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Date of this report
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30 August 2017
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Most recent ERO reports
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Education Review July 2013
Education Review December 2010
Supplementary Review October 2008
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