Blockhouse Bay School caters for students in Years 1 to 6. The school has strong connections with its ethnically diverse community and local history. Almost one-third of students are Indian, and the next largest group is Chinese. The majority of learners attending the school speak other languages in addition to English.
The school’s vision is for students to seek knowledge, understanding and success, strive to be creative, resilient and respectful, and soar confidently into the world, strong in their unique identity. To achieve its vision the school’s strategic goals are to work together to improve learning, to be designers of learning, and to promote wellbeing.
Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board schoolwide information about outcomes for learners in the following areas:
Since the 2016 ERO review, leaders have introduced a new leadership structure and extended leadership opportunities for teachers.
The school is a member of the Lynfield Kāhui Ako | Community of Learning.
The school is achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for most of its students.
School achievement information over the last three years shows sustained levels of achievement, with most students achieving at or above expected curriculum levels in literacy and mathematics. Achievement information also shows that most students have maintained sufficient rates of progress over time.
Most Māori students are achieving at or above curriculum levels in reading and writing, and a large majority in mathematics.
Over time, achievement for Pacific students has improved, with the majority achieving at or above curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics. However, in-school disparity in achievement continues for this group of students. There is also disparity in achievement for boys in reading and writing.
Students achieve very well in relation to the school’s other valued outcomes. He Manu Rere, the school’s learner profile, places a strong emphasis on social dispositions and key competencies for children’s wellbeing. These are well understood and known by students and whānau and are integral to the school’s culture and functioning.
The school is making good progress in accelerating learning for those students who are at risk of not achieving. Systems to accelerate learning are operating well in most areas of the school.
Māori students have achieved accelerated rates of progress in reading and mathematics over the last three years. Some Pacific students made accelerated rates of progress in reading and mathematics in 2018.
The focus on equity and excellence, and the acceleration of student learning is well led by the senior leaders, who have high expectations for teaching and learning. Senior leaders with responsibility for learners with additional needs and abilities have a very strong line of sight across all these groups to ensure sustained levels of wellbeing, progress and achievement.
Students’ learning benefits from a responsive curriculum. Biculturalism is increasingly a strength of the school. The school’s te ao Māori plan is meaningfully implemented across the school and highly evident in classrooms, resulting in a more culturally relevant curriculum for Māori students. Pacific culture is strongly evident in the Years 1 to 3 classrooms. In these classrooms it is highly valued and incorporated into the local curriculum.
Classrooms are inclusive. Students with additional needs or abilities participate in learning that provides appropriate support and challenge. Students who are not yet achieving at expected levels are identified early and receive well planned, targeted support. Systems, processes and teaching strategies to accelerate outcomes for learners are continually evaluated for effectiveness.
Robust partnerships between the school and homes support learners to progress and achieve well. Parents, whānau and the community engage in joint activities and interventions to improve outcomes for children. The wider community, parents, the board, leaders and teachers, articulate and embrace He Manu Rere. Students understand the values and vision for their learning. The school’s community has shared ownership of its goals and values.
The board’s high-quality stewardship actively represents the community and works to serve the school and education community. The board has a focus on staff and learner wellbeing. The school is very well resourced by locally raised funds, which benefit the school and local community.
To ensure that the quality of teaching and learning meets the same high standards across the school, the senior leadership team needs to ensure that expectations for programme delivery are consistently implemented.
Greater consistency in the implementation of schoolwide professional development strategies would help ensure that all learners have access to focused, carefully implemented and monitored teaching approaches that support greater acceleration of learning.
The school is a signatory to theEducation (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 has well-established procedures for promoting the educational progress of its international students. Students benefit from the school’s pastoral care systems and its inclusive, positive environment. English language programmes support students to participate successfully across the curriculum and help them to integrate positively into all aspects of school life.
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:
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student safety and wellbeing:
On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of Blockhouse Bay School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.
For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:
the senior leadership team’s strategic focus on equity and excellence for all students
the school’s responsive and localised curriculum
the board’s support for staff and student wellbeing.
For sustained improvement and future learner success, priorities for further development are in:
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services Northern
Northern Region
13 December 2019
|
Location |
Blockhouse Bay, Auckland |
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
1233 |
|
School type |
Contributing |
|
School roll |
604 |
|
Gender composition |
Boys 53% Girls 47% |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 6% |
|
Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS) |
Yes |
|
Provision of Māori medium education |
No |
|
Review team on site |
September 2019 |
|
Date of this report |
13 December 2019 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review June 2016 |