Collingwood Area School

1. Context

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

Collingwood Area School has a long history in education and plays an important role in its local rural community. The school’s location in Golden Bay provides a wide range of rich and meaningful opportunities for students to learn in and enjoy. As an enviro school, there is a focus on ways students can learn about and preserve the local environment.

Changes at the school since the 2012 ERO review include the appointment of a new principal and senior leadership team. They are helping to reinvigorate practices and systems that are likely to benefit students’ learning, achievement and wellbeing.

The school shares some facilities with the local community and values the support that many community members provide.

As an active member of local and area school learning clusters, the school is well placed to share and learn further ways of continuing to improve student achievement and wellbeing in this region.

2. Learning

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

The school is continuing to improve the way achievement and other information is collected, analysed and used. Leaders are aware that ongoing development in this area must be sustained, embedded and regularly evaluated so that all students benefit.

Recent achievement information developments include:

• reviewing and increasing the range and use of national assessment tools in Years 7-10
• improvements to overall teacher judgement processes
• beginning to promote effective use of achievement information in teacher inquiry and professional learning programmes.

Overall, students achieve well against the National Standards. Achievement information for 2014 shows that the majority of students are at or above the standard. Achievement is highest in reading. Initiatives have been put in place to continue to raise achievement in writing and mathematics.

Achievement in the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) has generally increased over time. Recent data shows an increased number of NCEA endorsements.

Students who are at risk of not achieving benefit from the effective school-wide support systems that the senior leader with responsibility has put in place. This includes early identification of learning needs, the good range of student support in classrooms and the way external support is actively sought for identified students.

Areas for review and development

The principal recognises that considerable progress has yet to be made to ensure that achievement information is used in a robust, reliable and strategic way. The school’s next steps are to:

• establish clear expectations and guidelines for the use, monitoring and reporting of achievement information at all year levels, especially for Years 9 and 10
• improve the use of the school’s student management system to ensure consistent and effective practice
• continue to refine the way student achievement charter targets are set so that improvement goals are appropriately challenging
• increase opportunities for teachers to build high quality use of achievement information.

4. Curriculum

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

The curriculum is currently under review with significant work being collaboratively undertaken across learning areas. Learning programmes are becoming increasingly responsive to the needs, interests and aspirations of students. Distance education is used to expand curriculum choices for students.

The school’s extensive and varied local environment is used to expand learning and achievement opportunities for senior students. This may be developed further. Some innovative and interesting approaches to outdoor programmes are evident where students learn in a practical, hands-on way.

Students benefit from the support they get to be involved in work experience and other career-related programmes. Senior leaders are focused on continuing to personalise learning programmes for individual students, especially at senior levels.

Students receive very good support from their teachers. Whānau groups help to build a sense of belonging for students. Staff continue to be very supportive of students’ wellbeing.

Areas for review and development

School leaders are aware that curriculum review needs to be completed in a manageable and effective way. This should include:

• identifying and documenting the uniqueness of the school’s curriculum and linking it clearly to the New Zealand Curriculum
• definitions of successful learning and teaching in the 21st century at the school
• documenting and providing clear guidelines and expectations for learning progressions across year levels, and for teaching and learning at this school
• embedding bicultural perspectives across the curriculum
• ensuring that there is an effective careers programme in place that is included in the curriculum review schedule.

School leaders and teachers should ensure that reports clearly and usefully inform parents about student progress and achievement over time at junior and senior levels.

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

The school has been making some progress promoting educational success for Māori, as Māori. Students have increasing opportunities to learn about te reo and tikanga Māori, be involved in cultural events and demonstrate their skills in kapa haka.

The board provides the whānau of Māori students with opportunities to discuss matters of importance to them.

In collaboration with Māori students and their whānau, it is now timely for the board and school leaders to develop a more planned and formalised approach to:

• identifying priorities and goals for improvement, including extending the use of te reo across classrooms
• evaluating and reporting annual progress against these goals.

4. Sustainable Performance

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

A number of improvements and new initiatives have been introduced at the school and have been led by the new principal. This is placing the school in a better position to sustain and improve its performance.

Since the 2012 ERO review, a new board chairperson and some new trustees have been appointed. Board members value opportunities for governance training and use a range of useful reports to make decisions and allocate resources. Board practices are guided by a recently-developed governance handbook.

The board has made some useful improvements to the way it consults with its community. This includes holding meetings in various locations so that parents can more easily attend. Increasing collaboration is helping to build active ownership of the charter as a document that is integral to ongoing school improvement. Staff members are positive and supportive of the direction the board is taking in this area.

Self review is beginning to play a more strategic role in promoting school improvement. Teacher appraisal has been improved by the strongly research-based approach introduced by the principal.

Teachers value the improved professional development, the focus on inquiry teaching and the strengthening of collaborative practices to support students’ learning. They are keen to develop stronger relationships with the board and to continue to build a positive school culture focused on students’ learning, achievement and wellbeing.

Areas for review and development

The board and school leaders agree that continuing to improve internal evaluation is a key priority. This should include:

• strengthening the understanding, purpose and practice of internal evaluation across the school
• developing an identified, shared and used framework/process for internal evaluation
• evaluation of board and senior leadership effectiveness in the school’s self-review schedule, including the effectiveness of communication.

Senior leaders should continue to build on the work already started to align the school vision, school goals, appraisal, professional learning and internal evaluation so that outcomes for students continue to improve.

ERO recommends that strategic planning better identifies and guides the development of a range of technologies across the school. This could include further consideration of modern learning spaces and practices.

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.

There was one international student attending the school at the time of the onsite stage of the review. This is the first time that the school has had an international student.

The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the code. ERO’s investigations identified that:

• appropriate documentation is kept by staff about student progress and wellbeing over time
• the school’s self-review process for international students needs further development in order to meet requirements

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

Students at Collingwood Area School benefit from positive relationships across the school. Teachers provide very good support for students’ learning and wellbeing. Overall, the achievement of junior and senior students is continuing to improve. The new school leaders are building on previous developments and supporting useful initiatives to improve student learning and achievement.

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

Chris Rowe

Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Acting)

8 September 2015

About the School