Blockhouse Bay Intermediate

School Context

Blockhouse Bay Intermediate caters for approximately 830 students in Years 7 and 8. The school serves a diverse, urban community. Māori students make up seven percent of the roll, 20 percent are Pacific, 28 percent are Indian, and 22 percent are Pākehā.

The school’s strategic focus targets improving effective pedagogy, growing leadership capacity and community involvement. Further strategic priorities include improved achievement in literacy and mathematics, the implementation of digital technologies, and community involvement. Consultation with the community has guided the review of the school’s values and vision statement. The vision statement ‘Ruia Taitea, Stand Tall’ is focused on the values of manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, wairuatanga and rangatiratanga. These valued outcomes have been developed into a student graduate profile.

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

• achievement in reading, writing and mathematics

• progress and achievement for students with additional learning needs

• the Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) initiative

• students’ wellbeing for success

• international students’ wellbeing and achievement.

Since ERO’s 2015 report, there has been a change in the senior leadership team and new whānau (syndicate) leaders have been appointed. The board consists of experienced and newly appointed trustees.

Recent school wide professional learning and development (PLD) has focused on effective pedagogy in writing. This aligns with the school’s strategic goals to increase student agency, improve culturally responsive pedagogy and PB4L, with a focus on gaining a better understanding of the school values. The board has also invested in coaching PLD and building leadership capacity at all levels of the school.

The school is a member of the Lynfield Kāhui Ako|Community of Learning (CoL). School initiatives to build teacher capability align with the CoL’s emphasis on coaching and teaching as inquiry. This is particularly relevant for middle and senior leaders.

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’s data over the last three years show that it is increasingly effective in achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for its students.

The school has high expectations for student learning and achievement and is working towards increasing in-school parity for Māori and Pacific students. At present, data show some disparity between the achievement of boys and girls, and for Māori and Pacific students in literacy and mathematics.

The board has set schoolwide achievement targets in reading, writing and mathematics. School information shows varying success in meeting those targets. In the last two years, achievement data show that a higher proportion of students are succeeding in reading, writing and mathematics as they move from Year 7 to 8.

Learners achieve well in relation to the school’s broader valued outcomes. Students are confident, friendly and demonstrate a sense of belonging at school. They demonstrate the school’s values, take greater ownership of their learning and are self-managing.

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

Māori and other students whose learning and achievement need acceleration make good, and sometimes significant, progress in reading and writing.

Teachers have a collaborative approach to improving outcomes for students whose learning needs acceleration. They monitor, track and review the progress of these priority learners. In groups across the school, teachers inquire into the effectiveness of their own practice in accelerating students’ learning.

A clearer focus on improving outcomes for Māori and Pacific students and for boys, would help teachers to identify successful teaching approaches and to increase student engagement and success. Recent initiatives focus on improving learner engagement and outcomes. Explicit targets and deliberate monitoring of outcomes for priority learners should help to ensure that they achieve success.

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?

Leaders have clear, schoolwide expectations that support the achievement of equity and excellence. Parents and the community have participated in the consultation process to clarify the school’s vision. Leaders prioritise respectful and trusting relationships and recognise that a positive school culture is integral to improving student outcomes.

A senior leader closely monitors the achievement and wellbeing of students identified as requiring additional learning support. School leaders and teachers work collaboratively with parents, external agencies and in-class teacher aides to provide appropriate support for the various learning needs of these students.

School leaders are committed to recognising Māori as tangata whenua and integrating bicultural practices into the school’s formal protocols. Students who spoke to ERO say they are proud of the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa. The school celebrates and values the languages and cultures of all students.

Leaders and teachers have developed a responsive, localised and integrated curriculum. A key priority has been to develop a student-centred approach that supports students to lead their learning. Students have many rich opportunities for learning and ready access to digital technologies.

The school has a strategic and coherent approach to enhancing teaching. Systematic, collaborative inquiry processes and challenging professional learning opportunities align with the school vision, values, goals and targets. Emphasis is placed on extending leadership capability and developing coaching and facilitation skills.

Leaders use internal evaluation and consult with parents and the school community to make decisions that contribute to improved student outcomes.

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

The school could develop more effective use of learning information to support the needs of students whose learning needs acceleration. In particular, this should include:

• setting specific, meaningful targets that are focused on reducing achievement disparities for Māori and Pacific students and for boys
• making better sense of the data through deepening data analysis
• utilising newly established systems to better measure the rate of students’ progress over their time at school.

Leaders should prioritise the enhancement of teachers’ understanding of and skills for helping students to identify their own next steps for learning.

Leaders should also evaluate the effectiveness of interventions and learning strategies and their impact on student engagement, progress and achievement. Evaluation should have an explicit focus on reducing disparity so that the school knows what works well for 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.

Provision for international students

The school is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of International Students) Code of Practice 2016 (the Code) established under section 238F of the Education Act 1989. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code.

At the time of this review there were four international students attending the school.

The school’s practices and processes provide very good support for pastoral care, and ensure monitoring and support for students’ learning and achievement. International students are involved in a wide range of cultural and school activities, and are well integrated into the school community.

4 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

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

• the capability of leaders to implement and embed the strategic vision and valued outcomes

• meaningful and positive relationships that are focused on engaging learners and improving outcomes

• a broad and varied curriculum that is increasingly responsive to students’ interests, strengths and needs

• a strategic and coherent commitment to professional learning that builds teachers’ capability and leadership capacity.

Next steps

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

• increasing the level of scrutiny and evaluation of achievement information, to focus attention and strategies on accelerating students’ learning

• enhancing student agency in identifying next learning steps and leading their own learning

• evaluating the effectiveness of interventions and learning strategies and their impact on students’ engagement, progress and achievement.

ERO’s next external evaluation process and timing

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

Julie Foley

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

Te Tai Raki - Northern Region

7 August 2018

About the school