Otama School

Findings

On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO ‘s overall evaluation judgement of Otama School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.

1 Background and Context

What is the background and context for this school’s review?

Otama School is a Years 1 to 8, rural school in Eastern Southland. Fifteen students, four of whom are Māori, attend. Students learn in two multi-level classes.

This report evaluates Otama School’s progress in addressing the areas for review and development that were identified in ERO’s 2018 Education Review report.

At the time of the 2018 review, the school had a new teaching principal. Since then, a junior class teacher has been appointed and there are some recent changes to the board of trustees.

The trustees and principal have sought a range of support to provide targeted development in each of the identified areas.

The school is a member of the Eastern Southland Kāhui Āko|Community of Learning and a cluster of local country schools.

2 Review and Development

How effectively is the school addressing its priorities for review and development?

Priorities identified for review and development

The 2018 ERO report identified the need for the school to significantly improve school governance and leadership; the curriculum to better promote high quality teaching, learning and achievement; and internal evaluation to ensure robust processes for understanding and responding to what is, and what is not, going well across the school.

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

• the effective enactment of the curriculum

• implementing rigorous and robust processes to internally evaluate what was or was not going well and why

• building governance and leadership capability.

Progress

Since the May 2018 ERO report, the principal has been supported to address ERO’s recommendations through the ‘First-Time-Principal’ programme and with a Ministry of Education advisor.

Improvements have been made in:

• the provision of the curriculum for students at all levels

• the way the principal reviews the effectiveness of teaching and learning

• building the capability of trustees in their governance role

• implementing an effective appraisal process for teachers.

The principal has developed a long-term plan of learning to ensure all students have equitable and sufficient opportunities to achieve and succeed across the curriculum. The principal and teachers provide students with a broad, integrated curriculum. They plan for individuals and small groups at appropriate levels. Teaching strategies support students to take increasing responsibility for their learning. Students are learning to set and review their progress through meaningful individual goals.

Students who have not yet reached learning and behavioural expectations are well supported to experience success. The board has strategically provided an additional teacher. This enables intensive one-to-one teaching and learning time. Teachers are planning specifically for how they will support at-risk learners, monitoring these students’ progress, and beginning to evaluate the impact of their teaching on students’ learning. The school works effectively with external agencies to better support these students.

Aspects of internal evaluation are proving useful in making improvements. The principal provides the board with well-analysed, in-depth and evaluative reports on student achievement and progress. A schedule for review coverage over three years has been developed to ensure all school operations are covered over time.

Trustees have sought training and have a better understanding of their governance role. Their top priority is for students to succeed, and to this end, they have invested heavily in extra staffing. The school’s strategic plan focuses on three strategic goals which are reflected in the annual plan, teachers’ appraisal goals and the professional development plan.

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 well placed to sustain and improve its performance. To continue this process the leaders and teachers need to:

• deepen their understanding and use of internal evaluation

• strengthen the inclusion of te ao Māori in students’ day-to-day learning

• strengthen the focus in targets, and in the analysis and reporting of sufficiency of progress of students who are achieving below expected levels

• continue to sustain and embed recent improvements.

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

On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO ‘s overall evaluation judgement of Otama School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.

ERO’s Framework: Overall Findings and Judgement Tool derived from School Evaluation Indicators: Effective Practice for Improvement and Learner Success is available on ERO’s website.

Dr Lesley Patterson

Director Review and Improvement Services Southern

Southern Region

21 November 2019

About the School

School Context

Children from Years 1 to 8 attend the small, rural Otama School which has a roll of 12 students.

Since the last ERO review in 2015, the falling roll has led to the school having a sole-charge teaching principal. A new principal took up this position in February 2018. A newly-appointed teacher releases the principal from the classroom two days a week. The trustees are all new to their roles in the last two years.

The school’s vision is, ‘Little footprints…big steps. Leaving a mark in our community’. The school’s values of C.A.R.E. (community, accepting responsibility, respect and excellence) were developed by the community. The valued outcomes are for students to develop skills and attributes that will enable them to seize life’s opportunities and meet future challenges with confidence. The strategic goals include improving internal evaluation, retaining Year 6 students, meeting students’ needs and increasing cultural understandings.

The principal has regularly reported to the board, schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:

• achievement in reading, writing and mathematics
• progress of students at risk of not reaching expectations
• progress and achievement in relation to the school’s targets.

The school is a member of the Eastern Southland Kāhui Ako|Community of Learning and a cluster of local country schools.

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?

Over the past three years, the school’s achievement information shows that there is variation in how well the school is achieving equitable outcomes for all students.

The school’s 2017 data shows a group of students who did not achieve as well as others.

The data shows that almost all students achieved at or above expectations in reading, and the majority in writing and mathematics. From 2016 to 2017 a slight upward trend was evident in mathematics but achievement in writing, a focus area, remained static. Over the last three years, student achievement information for reading, writing and mathematics generally shows an upward trend.

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

The school’s achievement information for 2017 shows that two thirds of the students who completed the full year at Otama School made accelerated progress in writing, even though not all reached expectations. This information also shows that the learning of some other students was not accelerated.

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?

The processes and practices currently in place that promote the achievement of equity, excellence and the acceleration of learning are the:

• enhanced opportunities for students to learn through connections with local schools
• strong relationships among students and with adults
• high level of resourcing that students have ready access to
• multi-level classes which provide opportunities for extended learning
• positive relationships between school governance and leadership.

Strengths of the school include:

• parents’ wishes about valued learning priorities being sought and acted on
• increased resourcing of ICT to ensure equitable access to digital tools and learning for all students
• a greater focus now being placed on increasing opportunities for Māori to succeed as Māori
• students’ sense of safety and belonging to the school and community
• the way trustees recognise and use each other’s expertise and experience to carry out their roles and responsibilities.

The school has taken a planned approach to addressing the recommendations from the 2015 ERO report. With a complete change in staffing and trustees since that time, aspects of these will need to be readdressed and properly embedded.

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

As a result of significant change over the last 18 months, many processes and practices have not been well sustained.

The new principal is developing a long-term plan of curriculum and learning. It would be timely for this to include:

• planning and teaching for high quality learning experiences to meet the specific strengths and needs of individual students
• supporting students to manage and take increasing responsibility for their own learning.

Trustees would benefit from further training to build their understanding and ability to use information effectively to identify priorities, set the strategic direction for the school and put plans in place to achieve the strategic goals.

It would be timely for the principal and board to develop and use internal evaluation to know what is going well and why, and to identify and respond to areas that are not going well.

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. 

4 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

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

• the positive culture of the school community which helps students and their families to feel a strong sense of belonging and safety
• resourcing of extra teachers so that junior students are taught at an appropriate level that promotes a solid grounding in literacy and mathematics, and that supports senior students to be extended in their learning. 

Next steps

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

• the effectiveness of school governance and leadership
• the curriculum to better promote high quality teaching, learning and achievement
• internal evaluation to ensure rigorous and robust processes for understanding and responding to what is and what is not going well across the school. 

ERO recognises the newness of school governance and leadership. To better support the board and professional leadership of the school, ERO recommends that the Ministry of Education and New Zealand School Trustees Association consider providing support for the school in order to bring about improvement in:

• governance
• leadership
• ensuring all students have equitable opportunities to learn and achieve.

ERO’s next external evaluation process and timing

Due to recent changes in the school, ERO intends to support the board through a process of ongoing external evaluation to support development over the course of one-to-two years. 

Dr Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern

Te Waipounamu - Southern Region

22 May 2018

About the school