1 Context
Flemington School is located in a small farming community south of Waipukurau, in Central Hawke's Bay. It caters for 80 students in Years 1 to 8 and 11 identify as Māori. Roll growth has enabled the school to maintain a fourth classroom on a permanent basis.
School leaders and staff have been involved in Ministry of Education funded professional learning and development (PLD) projects to promote Māori learning. They participate in a local Learning and Change Network of schools to improve teaching practice relating to literacy, student-centred learning and achievement data.
2 Equity and excellence
The vision and valued outcomes defined by the school are 'Educational Excellence and Success' which involves supporting students to become confident and innovative learners who can successfully contribute in a fast changing world. The values of resilience, honesty, respect, responsibility, effort and success are promoted throughout the life of the school.
The school's achievement information in 2015 shows that a high proportion of students achieve at or above in relation to National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Leaders and trustees are increasingly focused on reducing the continuing disparity between boys and Māori students, in comparison to girls.
Teachers have been supported to build their capacity in teaching and assessment practice. Increased use of in-school leadership, local area assessment moderation meetings and external specialists and resources promote improved consistency in teacher judgements in relation to National Standards.
Key school priorities identified in the May 2013 ERO report were to continue to raise student achievement and to develop teachers as effective practitioners through evidenced-based, reflective practice.
Since the previous ERO evaluation, the school has been involved in a range of PLD initiatives and programmes in literacy and mathematics. Through this PLD they are developing improved programmes and teaching practices aimed at accelerating learning and achievement for identified groups of students.
Teachers have placed priority on students' understanding of what it means to be a learner. They assist students to be more involved in their own learning (agency), including the use of learning maps to identify what enables students to learn best and review what has been learned. The school has recently upgraded learning environments and introduced teaching strategies and technologies that support students to work together and to manage their own learning.
3 Accelerating Achievement
How effectively does this school respond to children whose learning and achievement need acceleration?
Teachers know about those students whose learning and achievement need acceleration. They gather and analyse a wide range of information about progress and achievement and the needs and interests of individuals. Staff use this to inform planning and programmes for targeted groups of students. Developing individual action plans should assist to evaluate the impact of these strategies.
Teachers include targeted students in their individual inquiries and appraisal goals. They review their practices, discuss interventions collaboratively and use feedback from leaders to make improvement. Specific interventions include external specialists, additional staff and programmes to support individual students.
Mathematics and science teaching and assessment are being developed to increase student engagement and opportunities for increased individual responsibility. Greater use of local contexts and resources promote authentic learning experiences across the curriculum.
Current initiatives are resulting in improved levels of engagement and confidence, especially amongst Māori and boys at risk of poor educational outcomes. Rates of progress have improved for a small number in this target group. However, leaders and teachers agree that although engagement has improved, this is not yet sufficiently reflected in accelerated achievement.
Next steps for leaders and teachersinclude further development of school wide systems and processes to monitor and track the progress of individual students. These processes should assist evaluation of the effectiveness of actions taken to accelerate students' achievement.
4 School conditions
How effectively do the school’s curriculum and other organisational processes and practices develop and enact the school’s vision, values, goals and priorities for equity and excellence?
Well-aligned charter priorities and collaborative approaches assist school leaders, trustees and teachers to work towards the school's goals for promoting equity and excellence.
High levels of community involvement are evident in the life of the school. Surveys are used well to gain parent input and suggestions. Successful fundraising initiatives support and extend teaching programmes and opportunities to learn. Parents and whānau value the regular communications about their children’s learning and wider school activities. The board consults regularly with the community on the charter, curriculum, Māori cultural perspectives and student wellbeing.
Trustees focus on ongoing school improvement and initiatives to support improved teaching programmes. The board is well informed about student achievement during the year and make useful policy and resourcing decisions. Trustees have well defined responsibilities and a range of relevant experiences and skills.
The school curriculum is coherent, with useful guidelines and well aligned to the school's vision and values. It reflects the local contexts and parent aspirations. There is an appropriate focus on literacy and mathematics and the use of student inquiry as a framework for learning in the wider curriculum. Teachers are in the process of reviewing and developing learning area statements in mathematics and science and shared expectations for effective teaching to align with best practice.
Students have opportunities to explore their future learning pathways and bicultural perspectives. However, careers education and te ao Māori need to be more formalised and enacted across the breadth of the curriculum.
A collaborative approach to leadership is evident. Leaders promote community partnerships to enhance learning opportunities for teachers and students. The principal actively leads learning and innovations in response to identified needs.
Teaching staff actively participate in local networks to build their knowledge and professional practice and leadership. They share curriculum planning and assessment. Recent developments in the appraisal and teacher inquiry processes are well aligned to school priorities.
Self review and inquiry by teachers and leaders inform planning and decisions at board and classroom levels. Teachers review and reflect on their practice to respond to interests and strengths of identified groups. Trustees and leaders acknowledge the need to further develop their understanding and use of internal evaluation to better inform their planning, decision-making and resourcing for ongoing school improvement.
5 Going forward
How well placed is the school to achieve and sustain equitable and excellent outcomes for all children?
Leaders and teachers:
- know the children whose learning and achievement need to be accelerated
- respond to the strengths, needs and interests of each child
- regularly evaluate how teaching is working for these children
- do not always or systematically act on what they know works for each child
- have a plan in place but have not yet built teacher capability effectively to achieve equitable outcomes for all children.
The school uses a range of tools, initiatives and strategies designed to promote acceleration for all students achieving below expectations for their age. High levels of collaboration and innovation to improve rates of achievement are evident. However, important next steps are to strengthen systems and processes for monitoring, evaluating and reporting on effectiveness of implemented actions in promoting equity of outcomes for all learners.
Action: The board, principal and teachers should use the findings of this evaluation, the Effective School Evaluation resource, the Internal Evaluation: Good Practice exemplars and the School Evaluation Indicators to develop a Raising Achievement Plan to further develop processes and practices that respond effectively to the strengths and needs of children whose learning and achievement need to be accelerated.
As part of this review ERO will continue to monitor the school’s Raising Achievement plan and the progress the school makes. ERO is likely to carry out the next full review in three years.
6 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 the following:
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student safety and wellbeing:
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Emotional safety of students (including prevention of bullying and sexual harassment)
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Physical safety of students
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Teacher registration
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Processes for appointing staff
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Stand down, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions
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Attendance
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Compliance with the provisions of the Vulnerable Children Act 2014
To improve practice the board of trustees should ensure that:
- systems and processes for police vetting are strengthened
- accountabilities around trips and excursions are enacted
- careers programmes are formalised within the curriculum
- procedures around cyber safety are reviewed and updated.
7 Recommendations
ERO recommends that trustees, leaders and teachers continue to strengthen current practices to better monitor, evaluate and report on effectiveness of programmes to further improve outcomes for Māori and other groups of learners. Accelerating the progress of these students is a priority.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
22 June 2016
About the school
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Location
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Flemington, Central Hawke's Bay
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Ministry of Education profile number
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2561
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School type
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Full Primary (Years 1 to 8)
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School roll
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80
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Gender composition
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Female 42, Male 38
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Ethnic composition
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Māori
Pākehā
Other ethnic groups
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11
66
3
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Review team on site
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May 2016
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Date of this report
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22 June 2016
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Most recent ERO report(s)
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Education Review
Supplementary Review
Education Review
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May 2013
February 2010
May 2008
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