Findings
This school is effectively supporting students to be confident, positive and self-managing learners. Collaborative teaching has enabled teachers to know the students well.
The vision and values are well embedded and provide a strong foundation for learning, positive relationships and the safety and wellbeing of students.
The school is seen as an example of effective and innovative practice by the Ministry of Education.
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?
The board, senior leaders and staff have successfully retained and built on the strengths evident at the time of the 2012 ERO review. They have effectively addressed the recommendations and made significant improvements to the quality of education for students.
The board is currently in the process of appointing a new principal.
The school is seen as an example of effective and innovative practice. The Ministry of Education and other agencies support visits to the school by other professionals.
There is a strong bicultural thread that is evident in the school’s vision, values and symbols that successfully reflects Aotearoa New Zealand’s unique cultural heritage.
The school is an active contributor to Hereora, a local cluster of schools. This association is a good vehicle for professional dialogue, development and support at all levels.
There is an early childhood centre on its grounds. This is having a positive impact on closer working and educational relationships. This includes extending learning opportunities for students to work with younger children in a meaningful context.
The technology centre provides programmes for students from a number of contributing schools.
2 Learning
How well does this school use achievement information to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement?
The school is making very effective use of student achievement information to promote positive learning outcomes for all students.
This includes:
- accurately identifying individuals and groups of students at risk of poor educational outcomes and effectively planning individualised learning programmes to accelerate the progress of target students and priority learners
- the use of collaborative practices that help teachers to know their students well so they can make effective use of learner information to promptly adapt programmes
- regular and intensive monitoring and reporting to the board about shifts in progress
- providing appropriate additional in-class support for those students at risk of not achieving at national expectations
- actively responding to students with high needs and those with special abilities.
Teachers’ National Standards judgements are well informed through an appropriate range of assessments and readily accessible achievement information. These include students’ self assessments. Information shared with students is very well used to set and evaluate personal goals each term.
Reporting to parents about students’ progress and achievement occurs in a variety of effective ways. This includes class and students' personal blogs, informal meetings with teachers at school events and three-way conferences. Providing parents with suggestion for supporting students’ learning at home should further enhance students’ overall progress and achievement.
Area for review and development
The board and senior leaders agree the next step to improve learning outcomes for students is to extend the range of analysed and reported information to include more aspects of students’ progress and achievement.
3 Curriculum
How effectively does this school’s curriculum promote and support student learning?
The school’s curriculum effectively engages students and promotes their progress and achievement. This is most evident in students’ high levels of engagement and motivation and increased self-management skills.
The school provides students with a rich and appropriately varied curriculum. This includes meaningful content and authentic contexts, within and beyond the school, that are linked to students’ strengths and interests. There is a broad range of choices and well-paced learning that is actively promoting student independence and self management of their learning.
Other positive features of the curriculum include:
- the appropriate balance between challenge, choice and opportunities to practise new learning
- the holistic approach to students’ wellbeing and learning
- the collaborative use of digital technology by teachers and students to support and enhance learning
- opportunities for students to recognise their own strength for future learning and success.
Teachers consistently use a range of effective practices that are known to promote student progress and achievement. This includes collaborative planning and evaluation and focused teaching and differentiated programmes. The use of specialist teachers and teacher aides is helping to enhance the quality of learning opportunities for students. There is a heightened understanding and use of culturally responsive practices and a flexible and responsive use of resources and learning space.
Students learn in a positive, inclusive and future-focused learning environment that promotes:
- respectful relationships between students and with adults
- students’ success being recognised and celebrated
- the development of positive attitudes towards self and service to others
- the use of tuakana/teina as a model of learning that involves active learning partnerships between students
- the strong endorsement of school values and a strong sense of whānau, belonging and community.
Area for review and development
Senior leaders agree the further alignment of the school’s curriculum to the New Zealand Curriculum will better reflect current high quality practices.
How effectively does the school promote educational success for Māori, as Māori?
The school very effectively promotes educational success for Māori, as Māori.
School-wide professional development for the board and staff has built knowledge and understanding about culturally responsive practices. This has led to:
- increased visibility of Māori values and te reo Māori in documentation and in the environment
- the significant increase and use of Māori concepts in the curriculum and planned programme structures
- a strong ongoing focus on addressing educational success for Māori students, particularly boys' writing
- opportunities for all students to participate in cultural activities that promote a strong sense of identity, language and culture.
How effectively does the school promote educational success for Pacific students, as Pacific?
The school is actively fostering educational success for students of Pacific heritage, as Pacific.
Relationships, the inclusive learning environment and good role models assist students' learning and wellbeing, and affirm their cultural identity. High expectations, support and encouragement help to motivate them to achieve well. This is most evident in the numbers of Pacific students undertaking leadership roles and improving academic success.
Incorporating initiatives more explicitly into school plans should strengthen the success of Pacific students.
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.
A culture of high expectations, strong distributive leadership and improvement-focused and effective change management are key strengths of the effective leadership and management of the school. Other strengths include:
- the high quality of professional development
- the strong level of professional support, particularly mentoring and coaching of senior leaders to build leadership capacity and capability
- an improvement-focused appraisal system
- high levels of collaboration and teamwork
- a reflective culture and improved use of evaluation and inquiry to make well informed decisions.
There is a strong sense of partnership between the board, leaders and staff. This positive connection is further promoted through the strongly shared vision, well embedded values and the innovative friendly environment.
The board carries out its stewardship role very well. Board members bring a good mix of strengths and experiences to their role. Trustees actively support initiatives that focus on improving learning and teaching. The regular and informative reports support strategic decision making. The school successfully promotes links with its parent and wider community. The board has good systems in place to meet its legal obligations.
The board and senior leaders agree the next step to further improve positive outcomes for students is to refine aspects of the school’s strategic plans to make them more useful.
Provision for international students
The school is a signatory to the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students (the Code) established under section 238F of the Education Act 1989. At the time of this review, there was one international student attending the school.
ERO’s investigations confirmed that the school’s self-review process for international students is thorough.
The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code.
A next step for the school is to report annually to the board.
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
This school is effectively supporting students to be confident, positive and self-managing learners. Collaborative teaching has enabled teachers to know the students well.
The vision and values are well embedded and provide a strong foundation for learning, positive relationships and the safety and wellbeing of students.
The school is seen as an example of effective and innovative practice by the Ministry of Education.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.
Chris Rowe
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Acting)
16 November 2015
About the School
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Location
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Christchurch
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Ministry of Education profile number
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3299
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School type
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Intermediate (Years 7 to 8)
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School roll
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285
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Number of international students
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1
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Gender composition
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Girls 51%;
Boys 49%
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Ethnic composition
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Pākehā 77%
Māori 12%
Asian 6%
Samoan 3%
Tongan 1%
Fijian 1%
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Review team on site
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September 2015
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Date of this report
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16 November 2015
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Most recent ERO reports
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Education Review October 2012
Supplementary Review June 2009
Education Review April 2008
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