School Context
Tinwald School is a Years 1 to 6 school in the Ashburton area. It has a roll of 252 children, with an increasing range of diverse cultures. There are 25 Pacific Island students, many of whom are English Language Learners (ELL), and 37 Māori students.
The school’s vision and valued outcomes for children have recently been reviewed and updated in consultation with its community. The values of responsibility, honesty and respect, along with the schools vision of B.E.S.T., Better Every Single Time, promote a positive school culture and engagement in learning.
The school’s current aims, goals and targets reflect the school’s priorities to improve bicultural practices, address low student achievement in reading, writing and mathematics, and to participate in the Hakatere Kāhui Ako I Community of Learning (CoL).
Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:
- curriculum opportunities that support student learning
- termly reporting on achievement and progress for all students in reading, writing and mathematics
- progress with the establishment of the Hakatere Kāhui Ako I Community of Learning (CoL).
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?
The school is achieving equitable outcomes for the majority of its students. The achievement information provided by the school for 2017 shows 78% of children achieve at or above the standards in mathematics, 75% are at or above the standards in reading and 68% are at or above the standards in writing.
The school has identified the urgency of addressing the continuing number of children who are yet to achieve the National Standards.
There is significant disparity for boys, Māori and Pacific Island children. A number of these children are overly represented in the below and well below National Standards categories for reading, writing and mathematics. This disparity has yet to be successfully addressed.
1.2 How effectively does this school respond to those Māori and other students whose learning and achievement need acceleration?
The school is yet to respond effectively to those Māori and Pacific Island students whose learning and achievement need acceleration.
All students whose achievement and learning need acceleration are targeted within classroom programmes and/or other interventions. Early identification and support is evident for individuals.
Leaders and teachers promote positive relationships with and amongst children. Those children with special education needs, and ELL, are well supported within an inclusive and caring learning environment. They are provided with sufficient and equitable opportunities to learn. In each learning area, children are motivated to engage in challenging and purposeful learning opportunities that relate to real life context, issues and experiences.
However, inconsistent practices and school-wide systems make it difficult to analyse the progress children make and the effectiveness of interventions. Moderation practices within the school are variable and not always clearly understood. This means the school cannot be assured of the accuracy of its data and therefore progress of specific groups and cohorts of children at risk of not achieving the National Standards.
2 School conditions for equity and excellence
2.1 What school processes and practices are effective in enabling achievement of equity and excellence?
Children benefit from a positive and affirming learning environment that is well managed in ways that encourage and support participation and engagement. New entrants and their families are well supported to make a positive transition into the school. Teachers provide explicit teaching and learning strategies that enable children to be increasingly independent and responsible for their own learning.
The board, senior leaders and teachers provide a rich curriculum that is flexible and provides interesting learning activities. Children experience an environment in which it is safe to take risks, and errors are regarded as opportunities for learning. Leaders and teachers celebrate success in a variety of ways that affirm and encourage children’s efforts with their learning.
The leadership team actively develop and pursues the school’s vision and values to foster children’s wellbeing and readiness for learning. Emphasis is given to building leadership capacity amongst staff to support the development of school-wide systems, processes and expectations. There is an increasing use of digital technologies to improve communication and partnerships in learning between school and home.
The school has addressed many of the areas identified for development in the previous 2014 ERO report. There is evidence of increasing bicultural understandings, deeper analysis of student achievement data, children knowing about learning, reporting to parents on other learning areas. The school has completed the review and update of the whole curriculum. The board participated in training to clarify their understandings of the internal evaluation/self-review process.
The board actively represents and serves the school in its stewardship role. Trustees and leaders work well together to address school priorities. Children’s wellbeing and learning are at the heart of the board’s decision making.
2.2 What further developments are needed in school processes and practices for achievement of equity and excellence?
The school leaders have identified, and ERO agrees, that priority needs to be given to further developing:
- school-wide processes to ensure consistency of expectations and practices for teaching and learning
- evaluation capacity, inquiry and knowledge to sustain and build on effective processes and practices
- greater prominence of bicultural perspectives in key school documents to promote culturally responsive practices
- specific target setting and action planning to accelerate progress and achievement of those children most at risk and reduce disparities in in-school achievement.
ERO has identified that there is an urgent need to:
- lift student achievement in literacy and mathematics and reduce disparity within the school
- develop a consistent, school-wide, robust appraisal process for leaders and teachers
- strengthen moderation practices to provide a shared understanding of sound assessment practices, and assurance of reliable student achievement data.
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
ERO identified non-compliance in relation to an unregistered teacher recently employed by the school in a relieving position, prior to re-registration and police vetting being completed. Since the on-site stage of the evaluation the relieving teacher has gained subject to confirmation registration and the police vet has been cleared.
To improve current practice, the board of trustees should ensure:
- policies and procedures are regularly reviewed and updated
- all staff have a clear police vet prior to commencing employment.
4 Going forward
Key strengths of the school
For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:
- how trustees, leaders and teachers actively enact the school’s vision and values to foster children’s wellbeing and readiness for learning
- its flexible, broad and rich curriculum that provides interesting learning experiences
- positive and affirming learning and teaching practices that encourages and support children’s participation and engagement.
Next steps
For sustained improvement and future learner success, development priorities are in:
- school-wide processes to ensure consistency of expectations and practices
- building bicultural perspectives and culturally responsive practices so that all children experience a bicultural curriculum
- perspectives in key school documents to promote culturally responsive practices
- targeted planning to accelerate student learning
ERO will monitor and discuss progress with the school.
ERO’s next external evaluation process and timing
ERO is likely to carry out the next external evaluation in three years.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern
Te Waipounamu - Southern Region
5 February 2018
About the school
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Location
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Tinwald, Ashburton
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Ministry of Education profile number
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3561
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School type
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Contributing Years 1-6
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School roll
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252
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Gender composition
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Males: 51%
Female: 49%
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Ethnic composition
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Māori: 14%
Pākehā: 65%
Pacific Island: 10%
Other Ethnicities: 11%
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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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November 2017
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Date of this report
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5 February 2018
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Most recent ERO report(s)
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Education Review 2014
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