Brookfield School - 20/09/2018

• On this page:

• School Context
• Evaluation Findings
• 1 Equity and excellence – achievement of valued outcomes for students
• 2 School conditions for equity and excellence – processes and practices
• 3 Board assurance on legal requirements
• 4 Going forward
• About the school

Brookfield School is located in the Tauranga suburb of Otumoetai, and caters for students in Years 1 to 6. The roll has increased significantly since the previous ERO report in 2015 and an enrolment scheme is now in place to manage the growth. The current roll of 246 includes 161 Māori and a small number of students from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Three rumaki classes provide education immersed in te reo Māori for 55 tamariki. The rumaki section of the school has grown rapidly since 2015. The school’s vision is to nurture the child and foster a community of learners.

The school charter documents the intent to achieve the school’s vision through parallel learning pathways, Te Marautanga o Aotearoa which is delivered in te reo Māori, and The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) which is delivered in English. The school has developed a graduate profile, based on the key competencies of the NZC that focuses on developing wānanga, rangatiratanga, whanaungatanga, ako, whaiwāhitanga and mana/whenuatanga.

Since the 2015 ERO report here have been some changes to board composition, including the election of an experienced trustee as chairperson. The deputy principal has been acting in the principal’s role since Term 3 2017 and there have been some changes to the senior leadership team. A new permanent principal has been appointed to begin at the start of Term 3 2018.

The school is part of the Otumoetai Community of Learning | Kāhui Ako.

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

• reading, writing and mathematics

• pānui, tuhituhi, kōrero and pāngarau.

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 is working towards achieving equitable outcomes for all of its students.

School achievement information from 2017 shows that in classes where English is the language of instruction (auraki):

• approximately three quarters of all students achieved at or above expected levels in reading, writing and mathematics

• pākehā significantly outperformed Māori, and girls significantly outperformed boys in reading, writing and mathematics.

These patterns of achievement have been reasonably consistent over the last three years.

2017 achievement information gathered by the school shows that in the rumaki:

• approximately three quarters of students achieved at or above expected levels in pānui and kōrero, two thirds in pāngarau and the majority in tuhituhi.

Useful information about trends over a longer period is not yet available.

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

The school responds well to some Māori and other students whose learning and achievement needs acceleration. The school has information to show that targeted programmes and actions have been effective in accelerating the progress of some groups of learners. The school is yet to collate information about accelerated rates or trajectories of progress for all students whose learning is at risk across the curriculum.

Outcomes for students with identified additional learning needs are closely monitored against individual and small group learning and development goals. School data shows that most students make good progress against their individual goals.

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?

Trustees, teachers and leaders successfully model and promote culturally competent practice. Reciprocal, responsive relationships support student learning and wellbeing. Māori learners’ language, culture and identity are valued and affirmed across the school.Deliberate strategies are in place to engage parents and whānau in a partnership to support their children’s learning. Respectful and caring relationships are evident between teachers and students, and tuakana teina relationships are strongly evident across the school.

Teachers’ professional learning and development (PLD) is making an effective contribution to improving student achievement. Decisions about PLD are made in response to achievement trends, patterns and priorities. These decisions are focused on improving teacher practice and aligned to teacher appraisal goals for improvement. Teacher PLD is focused on raising achievement for specific groups of learners.

Systems to meet the needs of students with special needs (SWSN) are well developed and effective. Responsive strategies are in place to engage and motivate these students in caring environments. The special education needs coordinator oversees a wide range of programmes to support students’ reading, writing, mathematics and wellbeing. Processes for identifying, planning and responding to a diverse range of student learning and developmental needs are thorough and results are clearly reported. Students with more complex needs are also well catered for in inclusive environments.

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

There is a need to improve teachers’ use of assessment information, including the effective use of learning progressions. This is necessary to enable teachers to define and track accelerated learning and plan programmes to ensure all students whose learning is at risk are on a pathway to success with their learning. Sharing this knowledge with students is also necessary to support students to establish an improved understanding of their own learning, progress and acceleration.

School-wide target setting needs to be more specifically focused on accelerating the progress of all students whose learning is at risk. Such inclusive targets are needed to:

• provide increased awareness, visibility and ownership of school-wide targets
• enable leaders to more effectively track and monitor school-wide rates and trajectories of acceleration over time for groups of students
• enable leaders and trustees to systematically evaluate and report the extent to which school practices are accelerating progress for all at-risk learners and reducing disparity in the school.

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 Educational Act 1989. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code.

At the time of this review no international students were attending the school.

The school has comprehensive systems and processes in place to support the wellbeing and learning of international students.

4 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

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

• culturally responsive connections and relationships that contribute to student wellbeing and high levels of engagement with learning

• professional learning that is responsive to improving outcomes for students and aligned with other school priorities

• inclusive and responsive practices to identify and address the learning and care needs of SWSN.

Next steps

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

• teachers’ knowledge, management and use of achievement information to track and monitor rates and trajectories of acceleration, and plan increasingly responsive programmes for all at risk learners

• an approach to strategic target setting to provide a sound foundation for ongoing internal review more sharply focused on accelerating achievement for all at risk learners.

• internal evaluation processes and practices.
  [ERO will provide an internal evaluation workshop for trustees and senior leaders.]

ERO’s next external evaluation process and timing

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

Adrienne Fowler

Director Review and Improvement Services

Te Tai Miringa - Waikato / Bay of Plenty Region

20 September 2018

About the school