Victory Primary School

Victory Primary School - 29/10/2019

School Context

Victory Primary School located in Nelson caters for children in Years 1 to 6. Of the 356 learners enrolled, 25% identify as Māori, 42% as learners of South East Asian heritage and 5% as Colombian. 46% of students are English Language Learners.

Ngā Mana Kākano o te Wairepo, the rumaki Māori whānau within the school, supports 63 students in four immersion classes. Both The New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa guide the school’s local curriculum.

The school’s vision “To develop alert and inquiring minds, healthy bodies, and nurturing relationships - Mauri Ora” is supported by the values of Manaakitanga – Respect, Whanaungatanga – Responsibility for relationships, Hiringa – Perseverance, and Mahi Tahi – Unity.

The school’s whakatauki is “Ka whānau mai te pēpi, Ka takaia ki te harakeke. Ka noho te harakeke, hei kākahu, hei rongoa, hei mea tākaro, hei oranga mōna a mate noa ia - When a child is born they will be wrapped in the muka cloth made of flax. The flax shall provide clothing, medicine, toys for play and leisure, and shall provide the means for living and survival health and wellbeing throughout their life’s journey.”

Strategic goals focus on developing adaptive, creative thinkers who apply their learning throughout their schooling and beyond, in order to achieve to their potential. 2019’s annual objective is to accelerate the progress and achievement of students who are at risk of not achieving within the appropriate curriculum level in mathematics/pāngarau.

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

  • progress and achievement in pānui, pāngarau, kōrero, and tuhituhi
  • progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics
  • accelerated learning for target students
  • attendance
  • wellbeing
  • inclusion.

The senior leadership team is well established. The board is a mix of long-standing and recently elected trustees.

Victory School shares the school campus with a kōhanga reo, a community hub with several health and social services, and provision for new New Zealanders to socialise and learn the English language together.

The school has been implementing the Positive Behaviour 4 Learning (PB4L) framework for the past four years. It is a part of the Nelson City Kāhui Ako, and the principal is the lead for this.

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 is promoting equitable and excellent outcomes for all students through practices, programmes and initiatives focusing on their valued outcomes of inclusion and wellbeing. Strongly embedded culturally responsive practice and pastoral care ensures all students have opportunities to experience success.

English medium school achievement information since 2016 indicates that the majority of students, including Māori, achieve at or above the school’s curriculum expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. Boys experience continued and significant underachievement in literacy, while girls achieve lower than boys in mathematics. Achievement in mathematics has been decreasing for Māori and Pākehā. This is well known by trustees, leaders and teachers, and strategies are in place to address this.

Student achievement information in relation to Te Marautanga o Aotearoa expectations, indicates that in 2018 the majority of students achieved well in pānui. However, less than half of all students achieve well in pāngarau, kōrero, and tuhituhi. The school is focused on raising student achievement in pangārau for 2019.

Outcomes for South East Asian students are increasing over time in all three core curriculum areas, where they are achieving above their peers.

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

The school is effectively responding to those students whose learning and achievement needs accelerating. Information for 2018 shows that many students, including Māori and the school’s targeted students, made accelerated progress and are now on track to achieve at expected levels.

In 2018 most target students in Ngā Mana Kākano o te Wairepo accelerated their learning and achievement in tuhituhi. All target students accelerated their learning in pangārau.

Information gathered by the school in relation to their valued outcomes of inclusion and wellbeing shows that almost all students in specific programmes and interventions make significant gains.

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?

Trustees, leaders and staff have a clear vision for the direction of the school. This is promoted by collaboratively developed values and well aligned organisational conditions. The strategic and long-term approach is well supported by identified leadership roles and a range of professional learning opportunities.The strong cohesive leadership team effectively creates the conditions to enhance the schools valued outcomes.There is an ongoing focus on effectively identifying, responding to and celebrating the diversity of the community.

A strong and authentic commitment to the principles of The Treaty of Waitangi is evident. Te ao Māori is woven through all aspects of school operation. Te reo me ngā tikanga Māori are well embedded in everyday school life. The names of culturally significant places for Māori and the local community are used throughout the school. These promote a sense of connectedness and belonging to the Whakatu region.

Ngā Mana Kākano o te Wairepo promotes a kaupapa based Māori learning environment that purposely supports children’s learning. Whānau, hapū and iwi aspirations are collected to determine what educational success looks like for them and their tamariki. A graduate profile is used to measure valued outcomes for the rūmaki students.

A highly inclusive school culture and a strong and ongoing focus on promoting wellbeing of students, families and staff are evident. Culturally responsive practice is a strength of the school. English Language Learners are well supported by bilingual staff and effective systems and processes. They see their culture and language reflected and acknowledged around the school in a variety of ways. Students and staff are regularly surveyed to inform decision making. Expectations for behaviour are well established and understood with a strong focus on supporting positive behaviour and enacting the school values. Students’ self-regulation is explicitly taught, and co-operative learning opportunities promote the building of relationships.

Students at risk of low achievement and those with additional and complex needs are well identified.Staff respond purposefully to individuals through meaningful and authentic learning contexts which promote successful outcomes. The board generously funds resources and initiatives to support these children and their families. Removing barriers to full participation in the school is a priority.

There is a range of well-considered opportunities in place to support students to be successful learners. Whānau grouping of children enhances their sense of belonging and connectedness. Students’ transitions into, through and out of the school are well considered and supported.

Leaders and teachers recognise the value of partnering with parents to promote positive outcomes for children. Learning experiences are further enhanced by well utilised flexible spaces and use of digital technology to promote participation and engagement.

Trustees and staff use a purposeful range of strategies to engage with the community and share information. Whānau voices are appropriately sought to contribute to direction setting and decision making for improvement. Participation in the Kāhui Ako provides valuable opportunities for teachers and students to connect to the wider community.

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

Leaders and teachers in Ngā Mana Kākano o te Wairepo are working to develop assessment tools to support closer tracking and monitoring of students. They agree that a continued focus on raising achievement is important to ensure all learners achieve equity and excellence.

Leaders are highly improvement focused. A comprehensive range of information is gathered to review progress made in meeting goals. Frameworks are in place to support a more evaluative approach to identifying next steps. Leaders have identified that they need to develop clear indicators of success, linked to key goals to better support decision making about change and improvement, measure the impact of programmes and interventions, and embed new initiatives.

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 Victory Primary School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.

ERO’s Framework: Overall School Performance 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:

  • the clear vision for the direction of the school supported by collaboratively developed values and well aligned organisational conditions
  • a strong and authentic commitment to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi that guides all aspects of school operation
  • a highly inclusive school culture and ongoing focus on well-being that supports students’ sense of belonging, and promotes active participation in learning
  • a range of well-considered opportunities that support students to be successful learners
  • parent, whānau, iwi and community partnerships that promote culturally responsive practice.

Next steps

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

  • developing clear measures of success to better evaluate the impact of programmes, interventions and initiatives on student outcomes.

Areas for improved compliance practice

To improve current practice, the board of trustees should:

  • strengthen the documentation of hazard recording.

Dr Lesley Patterson

Director Review and Improvement Services Te Tai Tini

Southern Region

29 October 2019

About the school

Location

Nelson

Ministry of Education profile number

3231

School type

Contributing (Years 1 to 6)

School roll

356

Gender composition

Female 50%, Male 50%

Ethnic composition

Māori 25%

NZ European/Pākehā 23%

South East Asian 42%

Other ethnicities 10%

Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS)

Yes

Provision of Māori medium education

Yes

Review team on site

August 2019

Date of this report

29 October 2019

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review December 2014

Education Review December 2009

Victory Primary School - 23/12/2014

Findings

Victory School provides an inclusive, caring environment for its multicultural students and families/whānau. Students are able to be educated through the English or Māori languages. The board and staff make effective use of good quality resources to benefit students’ learning. The school is focusing on increasing the involvement of parents and whānau in their children’s learning.

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.

1 Context

What are the important features of this school that have an impact on student learning?

Students learn in a caring and inclusive environment where their wellbeing is strongly nurtured by the staff and board of trustees. Parents and members of the school’s multicultural community have many opportunities to participate in and contribute to the school’s programmes.

The board and staff continue to maintain close ties with other community services sharing the Victory Urban Village campus. Facilities are available for before and after-school care, a kōhanga reo, a community centre for several social agencies and for new New Zealanders to socialise and learn the English language together.

Students are able to learn through either English-Medium or Māori-Medium programmes. A significant number of students are being supported to learn English or te reo Māori.

Apart from the appointment of a new principal in June 2014, there have been few changes in staffing.

The school has had a positive reporting history. The board and staff have built on the school’s strengths outlined in ERO’s December 2009 report.

2 Learning

How well does this school use achievement information to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement?

The school makes effective use of achievement information to promote student engagement, progress and achievement.

In the English-Medium classes, well-analysed information reported to the board, shows that many students make significant progress in relation to the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. After two years at school, students make considerable progress in reading and writing, as a result of specific one-on-one teaching, effective and targeted learning support and small classes.

After four years in the Māori-Medium classes students have acquired a good level of proficiency in te reo Māori. Most of these students achieve at or above Ngā Whanaketanga Rūmaki Māori (the Māori National Standards) in writing. Students who are learning English language or have specific learning or special needs are well supported by their teachers and the learning support staff.

Students are becoming more involved in their learning. They set their own goals and know what they are trying to achieve. They are becoming more familiar with how well they are achieving or progressing in relation to the National Standards.

Teachers have high expectations for students’ learning and behaviour. They provide stimulating environments that engage students in their learning. Teachers are reflective about their teaching and use research to support or enhance the ways they teach. They identify and share the strategies they use that effectively keep students fully involved in their learning.

The senior leaders and teachers have developed good systems for monitoring and tracking students’ progress. They now need to:

  • review the quality and quantity of student school reports
  • make sure the content of board reports are sufficiently clear to support trustees in making planning and resourcing decisions.

The board and senior leaders have identified strengthening relationships with the Pacific families and communities as an important part of their ongoing support for Pacific children.

3 Curriculum

How effectively does this school’s curriculum promote and support student learning?

The school’s English-Medium and Māori-Medium Curricula strongly promote and support student learning and progress. They are well designed to reflect the school’s priorities for their students. Students learn in meaningful contexts that reflect their interests, cultural experiences and abilities.

The Māori-Medium curriculum provides a good model of how Māori values and perspectives are woven across the programmes. Parents’ and students’ aspirations and teacher expectations have been collaboratively used to develop the Graduate Profile for their tuakana (Year 6) students.

The senior leaders are working with staff to complete the review of the English-Medium curriculum by considering complementary values and a graduate profile similar to the Māori-Medium’s model.

How effectively does the school promote educational success for Māori, as Māori?

The school effectively promotes educational success for Māori, as Māori. A strength of the school is the way te ao Māori is successfully woven throughout all aspects of school life. All students have opportunities to:

  • experience positive relationships with their peers and teachers
  • learn te reo and tikanga Māori
  • experience Māori perspectives in natural ways.

Teachers demonstrate their respect for, and value of Māori students’ culture, language and heritage. They show a commitment to increasing their own learning in te reo and tikanga Māori. Māori staff provide high quality support to their non-Māori colleagues.

The senior leaders and staff have been updating the school’s curriculum. They have identified that their next steps are to review the school’s values to make sure they more closely reflect the school’s expectations for teaching and learning and to embed the newly-developed cycle for curriculum review and reporting.

4 Sustainable Performance

How well placed is the school to sustain and improve its performance?

The school is very well placed to sustain and improve its performance. The board has a good balance of experienced and new members. They work well with the principal to set the direction for the school and monitor the progress the school makes toward achieving its strategic goals.

The board provides strong support for the principal , staff and students. They make good provision for parents families/whānau to be involved in the life of the school and to contribute to the decision-making about school programmes.

The board has been updating its policies and procedures and acknowledges that these need to be completed and shared with the school’s community.

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.

Conclusion

Victory School provides an inclusive, caring environment for its multicultural students and families/whānau. Students are able to be educated through the English or Māori languages. The board and staff make effective use of good quality resources to benefit students’ learning. The school is focusing on increasing the involvement of parents and whānau in their children’s learning.

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.

Graham Randell

National Manager Review Services

Southern Region

23 December 2014

About the School

Location

Nelson

Ministry of Education profile number

3231

School type

Contributing (Years 1 to 6)

School roll

409

Gender composition

Boys 53%

Girls 47%

Ethnic composition

Māori

NZ European/Pākehā

Pacific

Asian

Other European

37%

27%

4%

28%

4%

Special Features

Five Māori-Medium classes

Review team on site

November 2014

Date of this report

23 December 2014

Most recent ERO reports

Education Review

Education Review

Education Review

December 2009

August 2006

June 2003