Ōtari School

School Context

Otari School is located in the Wellington suburb of Wilton. The school caters for 198 students in Years 1 to 8. Students learn in multi-level classes in one of three distinctive strands: Original (four classes); Māori Immersion (three classes); and Montessori (two classes).

Fifty-eight Māori students are in the immersion classes. Instruction for these students is in te reo Māori for more than 80% of the time. Nineteen Māori students are in the Original strand classes and two are in Montessori classes.

The school’s overarching vision is to inspire a love of learning through an education that values the development of the whole child.

The Original Strand values are sustainability, caring and self-knowledge. For the Māori Immersion Strand, the values are wairuatanga, manaakitanga and whakawhanaungatanga. The Montessori Strand values are honour, humility and humanity. Whanauangtanga encompasses all strands, as one overarching key value.

Teachers are involved in a range of schoolwide professional learning and development through external initiatives aimed at building teacher capability. The current schoolwide focus is writing and reo Matatini.

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

• achievement in reading, writing and mathematics achievement in relation to the levels of The New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa

• outcomes for students with special and additional learning needs

• accelerated progress and achievement in relation to school targets for reading, writing and mathematics.

The school has a longstanding principal and a well-established senior leadership team and staff. The school community is represented by a board of trustees.

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?

Reported achievement data for 2017 in the Original and Montessori strands, shows that most students achieve well in reading and mathematics. By the end of Year 8 this is particularly evident. Writing achievement is generally not as high.

Addressing disparity for boys in reading and writing is an ongoing priority.The school has yet to achieve equity for all Māori children in reading, writing and mathematics.

Pacific children’s achievement is comparable to their peers in reading and writing. The school has some further work to do for these students to experience equitable outcomes in mathematics.

Māori Immersion Strand achievement data shows that in 2017, most students achieved well in pāngarau and kōrero and a large majority in pānui and tuhituhi. Overall, student achievement is higher across all subjects compared to 2016. There is, however, disparity for girls particularly in pāngarau compared to boys.

Leaders have identified that raising achievement levels in writing for all is a priority.

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

The school has yet to have a sustained upward trajectory of improved achievement for those students whose learning and achievement need acceleration The school can show improvement for some students in reading, writing and mathematics..

2 School conditions for equity and excellence

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

a strong focus on student wellbeing and learning . Trustees, leaders and teachers effectively collaborate to provide a caring and inclusive environment through.Student engagement is strongly supported by well promoted school values and positive, respectful relationships between children and with adults.Learning spaces are calm, purposeful and student centred. Children are effectively supported to participate positively and contribute to school life.They enjoy a sense of belonging and connection to the school and communityLeaders and teachers work effectively with families, whānau and external agencies to identify and appropriately address student needs.

It provides a sound foundation for students to learn and achieve within the breadth and depth of The New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa. Expectations for teaching and learning are clearly articulated. Whānau expertise is used to enrich the curriculum. The school curriculum is highly responsive to student’s culture, language and identity.Recent initiatives should further enhance the local curriculum.

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

Annual goals clearly identify groups of students whose learning requires improvement. However, target setting needs to focus more on accelerating the progress of all identified students towards specified expectations. This should further assist the school in evaluating its success and progress towards achieving it priorities.

Leaders and teachers use a suitable range of assessment tools and data to identify students at risk of not meeting expectations. Teachers effectively use this information to inform next learning steps. These learners’ achievement and progress is closely monitored, and some show acceleration. The school has identified the need to strengthen moderation practices. ERO recommends the school prioritise the review of assessment guidelines to provide clear expectations for teacher practice.

Leaders should further strengthen the appraisal process by documenting procedures that align with current practice. This should support teachers to continue to improve their practice.

Leaders and teachers work collaboratively to reflect on their effectiveness. Sharpening teacher inquiry, focused on analysing the effectiveness of their own practice to improve outcomes for specific students, should assist them to determine their next steps.

Internal evaluation needs development and implementation to enable the school to better determine the effectiveness of the operation, initiatives and interventions in improving student outcomes. This should inform leaders’ and teachers’ knowledge of what has the most significant impact on raising achievement, and support next steps for continued development.

It is timely for trustees to prioritise and sharpen the leadership focus on continuous improvement at the strategic level. Policies, procedures and systems must be updated to reflect best practice.Trustees receive useful information from leaders to set priorities focused on promoting positive outcomes for all learners.

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.

Areas for improved compliance practice

To improve current practice, the board of trustees should:

• document the appraisal process to align with current practice.

4 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

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

• inclusive and caring school community that effectively promotes wellbeing and a sense of belonging

• a strong culture of collaboration amongst leaders and teachers that promotes high expectations for learning and wellbeing

• a broad curriculum that reflects students’ identity, culture and language needs.

Next steps

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

• strengthening the leadership focus on the school’s strategic direction

• reviewing procedures and processes aligned with current best practice to enhance teaching effectiveness

• targeted planning to accelerate learning [ERO will monitor and discuss progress with the school]

• school wide internal to evaluate the impact of initiatives and inform ongoing improvement. [ERO will provide and internal evaluation workshop.]evaluation, inquiry and knowledge building

ERO’s next external evaluation process and timing

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

Patricia Davey

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)

Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region

10 May 2018

About the school