School Context
Frankton School is located in the north-west area of Hamilton city. It provides education for students in Years 1 to 6. The school roll of 677 students includes 49% Māori, 10% Pacific and students from a range of other nationalities.
The school’s vision states ‘together we will develop a lifelong responsibility for learning and global citizenship.’ The school’s moral purpose is to provide an emotionally and physically safe, supportive, intellectually challenging environment, where all learners develop.
The school prioritises the virtues programme which is based around restorative practice and focuses on building healthy relationships. The school identifies four key attitudes which include curiosity, open-mindedness, perseverance and empathy.
The school’s charter has four overarching goals which focus on:
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developing citizenship to independently make positive choices
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strengthening relationships with community so that powerful partnerships support learning and behaviour
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strengthening leadership capabilities to be deliberate in actions to support individual and school-wide shifts in pedagogy and practice
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developing learner agency to be self directed and self regulating in school and beyond.
Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:
Since the previous ERO review in 2014, there have been some changes to the teaching team, and a new principal was appointed during 2015.
The school is part of He Waka Eke Noa, North West Hamilton Kāhui Ako|Community of Learning.
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?
Raising overall levels of achievement is an ongoing priority for the school.
The school’s achievement data from 2014 to 2017 shows that approximately half of all students are achieving expected levels in reading and mathematics and less than half in writing.
The school’s entry data shows an increasingly large majority of students entering school each year are below expected levels in literacy.
There is significant disparity for Māori and Pacific students. Less than half of Pacific students achieve at expected levels in reading, writing and mathematics. Recent school data shows improvement in mathematics for this group.
Girls are achieving at significantly higher levels than boys in reading and writing and at similar levels in mathematics.
This pattern of achievement and disparity for all groups has been consistent over the past four years.
School data shows that children with special needs make appropriate progress in relation to their individual goals.
1.2 How well is the school accelerating learning for those Māori and other students who need this?
The school is yet to accelerate learning for a significant number of Māori, Pacific and other students who need it.
The school can show accelerated progress for some Māori and other at-risk students, and students in Years 1 to 3 in reading.
By the time students reach Year 6, most are achieving at expected levels in reading.
The school has collated school-wide achievement data to show the proportion of students who made expected and accelerated progress from 2016 to 2017. Leaders are yet to analyse this data to show the number of identified at-risk learners who made accelerated progress.
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?
Leaders provide clear expectations and direction for teaching and learning. They are strongly focused on building teacher capability and provide effective structures to support professional learning and reflection. These practices are leading to consistency and sustainability of practices most likely to raise student achievement, particularly for those working below expectation.
Teachers plan and use deliberate strategies to enhance learning. They work with leaders to identify and monitor children at-risk of not achieving. Targeted class and withdrawal group interventions are responsive to students’ needs. Positive affirming relationships and well-resourced environments are conducive to learning. Deliberate strategies and high expectations have led to improved outcomes for some at-risk learners, particularly in reading.
The school has a highly inclusive culture for learning. Children with additional learning needs are well catered for through a personalised approach to planning and action. There are respectful relationships with families and effective liaison with external support agencies to meet the ongoing needs of the students. Trustees fund programmes to enable equitable opportunities and outcomes.
Cultural identity and values are well embedded in the school’s curriculum. Students can speak confidently about virtues and how they contribute to their safety and sense of wellbeing. The curriculum enriches cultural learning opportunities, especially for Māori and Pacific students. This deliberate focus is strengthening partnerships with parents and whānau, and contributing to improved learning outcomes for the majority of students.
2.2 What further developments are needed in school processes and practices for achievement of equity and excellence, and acceleration of learning?
There is need to develop a more strategically aligned approach to accelerating progress for students whose learning is at risk.
Priority should be given to:
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developing inclusive charter targets that are focused on all students whose learning requires acceleration
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using school-wide student achievement data to show the rate, extent and trajectory of progress and acceleration over time, for identified groups of at-risk learners
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inquiring more deeply into what is making a difference for learners and the impact of programmes and interventions
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ensuring school-wide internal evaluation practices focus on how well the school is accelerating progress for at-risk learners.
The school should continue to implement and embed culturally responsive practices and learner agency in order for greater consistency across all classrooms.
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:
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 and certification
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processes for appointing staff
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stand down, suspension, expulsion and exclusion of students
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attendance
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school policies in relation to meeting the requirements of the Vulnerable Children Act 2014.
4 Going forward
Key strengths of the school
For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:
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strong instructional leadership that gives guidance to the school and community
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teaching and assessment practice that identifies and monitors at-risk learners
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a positive culture for learning that supports students’ individual needs and development
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a curriculum that is responsive to students’ wellbeing and cultural diversity.
Next steps
For sustained improvement and future learner success, priorities for further development are in:
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strengthening internal evaluation to inform school-wide achievement targets and action plans
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accelerating learning for at-risk students to achieve equitable outcomes for all groups (including Māori, Pacific and boys)
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empowering students in learning pathways to accelerate achievement.
ERO’s next external evaluation process and timing
ERO is likely to carry out the next external evaluation in three years.
Lynda Pura-Watson
Deputy Chief Review Officer
Te Tai Miringa - Waikato / Bay of Plenty Region
5 June 2018
About the school
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Location
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Hamilton
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Ministry of Education profile number
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1721
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School type
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Contributing (Years 1-6)
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School roll
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677
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Gender composition
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Boys 53% Girls 47%
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Ethnic composition
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Māori 49%
Pākehā 29%
Indian 4%
Pacific 10%
South East Asian 4%
Other ethnicities 4 %
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Provision of Māori medium education
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No
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Review team on site
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March 2018
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Date of this report
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5 June 2018
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Most recent ERO report(s)
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Education Review February 2014
Education Review July 2009
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