Bruce McLaren Intermediate

Findings

Bruce McLaren Intermediate is undergoing significant schoolwide improvement that is likely to promote better outcomes for students. The changes already implemented are producing a more settled and positive school tone. The board and principal are committed to transforming the school.

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

1 Background and Context

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

Bruce McLaren Intermediate in Henderson caters for Years 7 and 8 students. The roll reflects the local multicultural community. Māori students make up 30 percent of the roll and 35 percent have Pacific heritage, with Samoan being the largest group. Students can choose to learn in a Samoan language enrichment class.

A new principal was appointed prior to the 2016 ERO review. Several teachers and leaders are long serving at the school. Specialist teachers provide students with additional learning opportunities in the areas of technology. Over the past 18 months the school has begun a rebuilding phase.

Students benefit from an increasingly positive and settled school tone. There is a growing pride in the school, among students. Collegiality among teachers supports their individual and collective development.

The 2016 ERO report identified areas for review and development that included improving teaching practice, lifting student achievement, and strengthening cultural responsiveness and internal evaluation. Given the range of issues the school was facing, ERO decided to undertake a longitudinal review to help build internal evaluation capability as school leaders addressed the priority areas for development.

2 Review and Development

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

Priorities identified for review and development

Priorities identified for review and development as part of ERO’s 2016 review process included:

• the effective use of student achievement information to support and lift achievement
• building positive relationships between teachers and students
• establishing high professional expectations of teachers
• implementing culturally responsive approaches to teaching, including promoting the identity, language and culture of Māori students
• building a professional culture of reflection and evaluation.

Progress

Positive beginnings have been made in addressing all the priorities identified in the 2016 ERO report. The principal has led improvement in the school and been well supported by the board. There is now a strong and ongoing drive to ensure that effective teaching results in positive outcomes for students.

The findings from the 2016 ERO review have been used well to plan specific actions for improvement. The Ministry of Education (MoE) has provided professional learning and development in the teaching of mathematics and writing. This new learning, together with developing culturally responsive approaches, is helping to shape the programmes that teachers provide for students.

Considerable work has been done to increase teachers’ understanding of assessment processes and to improve the use and dependability of student achievement information. Realistic schoolwide targets have been set for lifting achievement in reading, writing and mathematics. Systems have been established for teachers to identify and track the progress of students who need to achieve better.

Senior leaders and teachers are aware of the need to continue to improve student achievement. A schoolwide focus on writing has resulted in pleasing improvement for all groups of students, particularly compared to results in 2016. The data also shows Māori students have progressed better in reading, and Pacific students show similar improvement in mathematics.

Building teachers’ capability to reflect on how their teaching impacts on outcomes for students is a next step. This would support a focus on accelerating the progress of those who need to achieve better. The involvement of parents and whānau in learning partnerships to support their child’s learning is crucial for those learners who are most at risk of not achieving.

Good progress has been made in developing practices that support students in terms of their identity, language and culture. This work has been well led and modelled from within the school. As a result, Māori students report heightened appreciation of their place as tangata whenua in Aotearoa New Zealand. They report that they see their culture valued by the school.

The expectation that teachers be more culturally aware and responsive to students’ diverse cultural backgrounds has resulted in stronger relationships between students and teachers. Students with Pacific heritage who spoke with ERO appreciated this positive change.

The principal’s high professional expectations of teachers is outlined and documented in frameworks for professional practice. These expectations continue to help teachers to implement the required changes and embed them in their everyday teaching. Ongoing monitoring of how well the expectations are being met will be necessary.

Internal evaluation processes have been established. These have helped the school to make decisions about what developments to focus on next. Teacher and student perspectives and views have provided insights into how well aspects of school practices and systems are working or are valued. Senior leaders should ensure the review of the appraisal process supports teachers to achieve the endorsement of their practising teacher certificates and school goals. 

Key next steps

The principal and the board agree that the areas for review and development are to:

• further embed initiatives that have been introduced to promote greater consistency of effective quality teaching across the school
• maintain the momentum of positive change by distributing leadership opportunities further to support improvement
• maintain the high expectations of teachers to adopt current best practice and to increase their awareness of the impact their practice has on outcomes for students
• improve student achievement by building a shared understanding of how to successfully accelerate students’ progress.

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 better placed to sustain and to continue to improve and review its performance.

The school has undergone significant change in the last two years. The priorities for change are appropriate and integral to the school’s ongoing development. There is further change and improvement planned for the future.

The principal and board are appropriately focused on the key areas for improvement. They are committed to the ongoing and positive transformation of the school. Principals in the Henderson Community of Learning/Kāhui Ako have also proved to be a useful source of support for the school.

The strategic appointment of teachers has increased the internal capacity of the school to lead and maintain change. While key leaders are in place, it is important that further leadership capacity is built to distribute responsibility for the school’s next stage of its improvement journey. These leadership responsibilities could be helpful in the planning and implementing of initiatives that focus on raising student achievement.

The board operates with the minimum number of trustees. The chair leads the board and supports the principal well. Trustees have a committed and responsible approach to the governance of the school. The board should plan for succession to ensure that there are members of the school community who will feel confident to step forward into trustee roles. This succession planning could help to ensure that the school’s sound governance continues.

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

Bruce McLaren Intermediate is undergoing significant schoolwide improvement that is likely to promote better outcomes for students. The changes already implemented are producing a more settled and positive school tone. The board and principal are committed to transforming the school.

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

Julie Foley
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)

Te Tai Raki - Northern Region

7 February 2018

About the School 

Findings

Bruce McLaren Intermediate School is beginning a process of renewal and change. The principal is committed to school wide improvement that will promote better outcomes for students.

ERO intends to carry out another review over the course of one-to-two years.

1 Context

What are the important features of this school that have an impact on student learning?

Bruce McLaren Intermediate, in Henderson, caters for Years 7 and 8 students. The multicultural student roll is representative of the local community. Pacific students make up 50 percent of the roll with the largest group being Samoan. Māori students comprise 29 percent of the school roll.

Classes consist of groups of students from both year levels. Specialist teachers provide additional expertise and opportunities in technology learning areas. A Samoan language enrichment class opened in 2015.

Many teachers and school leaders are long serving in the school. The recently appointed principal brings relevant experience and expertise to the school.

The 2013 ERO report noted several areas of growth in the school’s performance. These improvements have not been sustained.

2 Learning

How well does this school use achievement information to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement?

The school does not yet have systems and processes in place to use student achievement information effectively to make positive changes to outcomes for learners.

Teachers and school leaders are aware of low student achievement levels. Fewer than 50 percent of students achieve at or above the National Standard in reading, writing and mathematics. Overall Māori and Pacific students achieve at lower levels than other students.

Teachers identify children who need to make better progress and those who could benefit from additional support in reading, participate in a withdrawal programme. Teachers and volunteers work closely with these children to develop their reading skills.

The principal has outlined some key expectations of teachers. As a result teachers are beginning to strengthen their planning and to differentiate their teaching to better meet the learning needs of children.

Children with additional learning needs are well supported and monitored. Parents who spoke with ERO valued the regular nature of school leaders’ contact with, and monitoring of, their children. The school’s responsiveness to parents’ concerns about their children was also appreciated. The Social Worker in Schools (SWiS) provides good support to children and their families. Children consider her to be a trusted source of advice and guidance.

To continue to make more effective use of student achievement information, it is necessary to build teachers’ and leaders’ capability with assessment tools and processes. This should include:

• setting purposeful and achievable student achievement targets
• establishing systems and frameworks to collate, analyse and report student achievement information and to track and monitor individual student’s progress
• developing systems to help teachers focus more closely on the progress of target students
• teachers using information about students’ learning to plan programmes that will address gaps and extend learning opportunities
• finding ways to better engage families in the school and building a collaborative partnership with parents about their children’s learning.

3 Curriculum

How effectively does this school’s curriculum promote and support student learning?

The school’s curriculum does not promote and support students’ learning effectively. The principal has identified areas that need developing and updating.

The school’s curriculum appropriately emphasises reading, writing and mathematics. Student access to digital technologies has increasingly improved. They use online resources to research and present their work and to support their learning. Some classes are using online environments that promote sharing and collaboration.

Teachers are trialling an inquiry approach to learning. An inquiry model has been developed that relates to the school’s heritage.

Students participate weekly in an ‘opportunities day’ that provides students with a wide range of cultural, performing arts and sports options where they can build on and extend their interests. Through these opportunities teachers are able to provide a richer curriculum for students.

It is timely for the school community to consider the aspirations they hold for Bruce McLaren graduates. Developing a graduate or school leavers profile would serve as a useful starting point in defining what is taught and how this contributes to the outcomes achieved by particular students.

School leaders and teachers need to consider how they can:

• establish effective relationships with all students
• engage students better in their learning through a culturally responsive and relevant curriculum
• increasingly shift the focus from the teacher to the student, including students having greater knowledge about their progress and achievement, so they can plan for their next learning steps
• develop a shared understanding of current high quality teaching practice.

How effectively does the school promote educational success for Māori, as Māori?

Māori students make up almost 30 percent of the school roll. The principal is seeking ways to improve how the school promotes educational success for Māori, as Māori.

Teachers are expected to teach basic te reo Māori in their classes. Students have opportunities to participate in cultural groups that could build their knowledge of waiata and tikanga Māori. Mau rakau learning is a recent addition to the school and provides a pathway through to credits at secondary school. Māori students are in leadership roles on the newly formed student council.

Teachers, senior leaders and the board of trustees should consider ways to support Māori students by providing opportunities for Māori cultural identity and language to become more visible in the school. This could also help the school to better honour its obligations to the Treaty of Waitangi and support understanding about bicultural practice for all students and staff.

4 Sustainable Performance

How well placed is the school to sustain and improve its performance?

The school is not yet well placed to sustain recent positive developments or to make the required improvements to its performance.

The board is well led. Trustees are experienced and optimistic about the school’s future. They have managed a range of challenges well. The board is currently seeking additional trustees to encourage better representation from and for the community. This could provide opportunities for Māori representation to be elected or co-opted onto the board of trustees.

The principal has a sound vision for teaching and learning in the school. She has heightened expectations of teachers’ practice and students’ behaviour. These changes are impacting positively on the school.

Teachers, leaders and the board must increase their capacity to initiate and embed ongoing improvements. They should also use good internal evaluation processes to identify and investigate the effectiveness of initiatives and practices across all aspects of school operations.

A review of school policies should help clarify the extent to which the board is meeting all its obligations and legal requirements. The newly updated teacher appraisal process must ensure that teachers reflect on the impact of their teaching practice on outcomes for their students. These steps could help build a culture of evaluative reflection within the school, and more sustainable school improvement overall.

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. 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.

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.

Recommendations to other agencies

ERO recommends that the Ministry of Education consider providing support for the school to develop and implement effective, outcomes focused teaching practices.

Conclusion

Bruce McLaren Intermediate School is beginning a process of renewal and change. The principal is committed to school wide improvement that will promote better outcomes for students.

ERO intends to carry out another review over the course of one-to-two years.

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

31 August 2016

About the School