Halsey Drive School

Halsey Drive School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 8 months of the Education Review Office and Halsey Drive School working in Te Ara Huarau, an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website. www.ero.govt.nz

Context 

Halsey Drive School is in Lynfield, central Auckland and provides education for students in Years 1 to 6. The school’s vision statement is ‘Successful lifelong learners’ and this is supported by the core values of ‘Respect, Integrity, Personal Excellence and Cultural Diversity’.

Halsey Drive School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:

  • deliver a rich and responsive curriculum

  • support and encourage learners to reach their potential

  • promote wellbeing for all.

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Halsey Drive School’s website.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well the school conditions support learner wellbeing and achievement to promote excellent and equitable outcomes for all students.

The rationale for this evaluation is to develop a shared understanding among students, staff and the community of wellbeing and achievement through:

  • students continuing to demonstrate agency in their learning

  • further developing culturally sustaining practices across the school

  • strengthening the culture of wellbeing for all students and staff.

The school expects to see consistency of teaching practice that positively impacts student wellbeing and achievement. High levels of student engagement will continue to strengthen learner agency, leading to equitable and excellent outcomes for all students. Students will use their strong sense of belonging to support them to have greater awareness of their own and their community’s cultural identity.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal of promoting learner wellbeing and achievement:

  • students demonstrate a strong sense of belonging and connection to the school

  • students experience a positive learning climate that supports increased levels of student engagement

  • teachers consistently use effective teaching strategies and practices in adaptive ways that are relevant and challenging for all students.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • embedding a shared understanding of wellbeing across the school that supports high levels of learner engagement and achievement

  • continuing to build on effective teaching strategies that strengthen culturally sustaining practices and provide excellent and equitable outcomes for all students.

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. ERO will support the school in reporting their progress to the community. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.

Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

4 April 2023 

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement.  educationcounts.govt.nz/home

Halsey Drive School

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2022 to 2025

As of December 2022, the Halsey Drive School Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:

Board Administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Personnel Management

Yes

Finance

Yes

Assets

Yes

Further Information

For further information please contact Halsey Drive School Board.

The next School Board assurance that it is meeting regulatory and legislative requirements will be reported, along with the Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report, within three years.

Information on ERO’s role and process in this review can be found on the Education Review Office website.

Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

4 April 2023 

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home

Halsey Drive School

Provision for International Students Report

Background

The Education Review Office reviews schools that are signatories to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020.

Findings

Halsey Drive School has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code and has completed an annual self-review of its implementation of the Code.

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

The school’s process for annual self-review provides information about aspects of the provision for international students. Their review process includes information about school procedures and support for students. School leaders will continue to review and update their systems and processes as part of the provisions for international students under the Code.

Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

4 April 2023 

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/ho

Halsey Drive School - 02/08/2017

Summary

Halsey Drive School has a roll of 494 children. The roll is culturally diverse, comprising 44 percent Indian, 24 percent Asian, 16 percent Pākehā, four percent Pacific and three percent Māori. Many children have home languages other than English.

Since ERO’s 2014 evaluation the board and senior leaders have sustained and continue to build on very good practices that take a holistic approach to raising student achievement and developing successful, lifelong learners. Positive developments include enhancing the school’s understanding about bicultural partnerships, promoting digital technologies, and strengthening assessment systems and practices.

The school community has high expectations for all children to be successful. The school’s data show that children continue to achieve very well in relation to the National Standards. Senior leaders have identified achievement in writing as an area for further improvement.

The school is a member of the Lynfield Kāhui Ako |Community of Learning (CoL). School leaders have established pathways to build coherence and capability for the benefit of children, the school and the wider CoL.

How well is the school achieving equitable outcomes for all children?

The school’s processes and actions are very effective in helping to achieve excellence and equity for children. This success is mostly attributable to highly effective school leadership, a rich and responsive curriculum, good use of internal evaluation and strong engagement with the community.

Māori children achieve very well and often achieve better than non-Māori children. In response to children who are not achieving equitable outcomes, deliberate plans and actions have been implemented to address this disparity. The majority of these children are speakers of languages other than English.

Sound processes are in place to ensure that overall teacher judgements in relation to achievement against the National Standards are dependable.

Children are achieving excellent educational outcomes. School performance has been sustained and improved over time through well-focussed, embedded practices and processes.

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.

Equity and excellence

How effectively does this school respond to Māori and other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration?

Halsey Drive School is highly effective in responding to Māori and other children whose learning progress needs to be accelerated. The goal of equity and excellence underpins the school’s strategic decisions. The innovative curriculum and teaching programmes support children very well to achieve the valued outcomes identified in the school’s charter. The board and school leaders regularly scrutinise progress and achievement data to set appropriate targets that are clearly focused on cohorts of children needing to make accelerated progress.

In 2014 and 2015 the school’s achievement information shows that over 80 percent of children are achieving at or above the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. This level of achievement was sustained in 2016 for reading and mathematics. School leaders responded quickly to a 2016 drop in writing achievement. They accessed external expertise to strengthen teachers’ levelling of writing scripts and implemented teaching strategies that result in accelerated learning.

There are small numbers of Māori and Pacific children and the composition of these two groups changes from year to year. In 2015, all Māori children achieved at or above the National Standards. Over the past three years about two-thirds of Māori and Pacific children have achieved well in literacy and mathematics.

Senior leaders have identified some achievement disparity between cohorts of children in 2016. Children who need to make accelerated progress develop and monitor learning maps and goals with their teachers and families. This personalised approach to learning responds to children’s strengths, interests and next learning steps. Teachers are well supported to identify stages and patterns of progress of English language learners and plan appropriately for their language-learning needs.

Children who need to make accelerated progress participate in a range of additional, well-resourced programmes to support their learning. They can proudly talk about their progress, recognise areas where they have improved and confidently identify next steps for learning.

Teachers are skilful in identifying acceleration strategies and approaches that make a difference for children’s individual learning success. They continue to share and refine these successful strategies and approaches in their teams in order to improve and develop consistency. At the time of this review, collaborative approaches to teaching and learning were being embedded through professional learning in literacy and bicultural practices for school staff.

School conditions supporting equity and excellence

What school processes are effective in enabling achievement of equity and excellence?

The school’s processes and actions are very effective in enabling all children to achieve excellence and equity. This success is mostly attributable to:

  • highly effective school leadership
  • a responsive curriculum, effective teaching and opportunities to learn
  • the highly inclusive environment where personalised learning is prioritised
  • the building of teachers’ knowledge, skills and adaptive expertise
  • the effective use internal evaluation, inquiry and knowledge building for improvement and innovation.

Trustees and school leaders relentlessly pursue equity and excellence for all learners. They promote a strategic and coherent approach to building professional capability and collective capacity. Leaders set and maintain high expectations and levels of accountability for all staff and children’s learning and wellbeing.

Middle leaders’ and teachers’ expertise and curriculum leadership are strengths of the school. Coherent systems and documented processes that promote high quality teaching practices are well embedded. Well considered professional learning and development, using internal and external expertise, enhances teaching practices. Teachers place a high value on knowing all learners and their whānau. This has led to responsive and positive learning relationships that support children to be actively involved in their learning.

Learning programmes are relevant and flexible with a natural integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) to enhance learning opportunities for children. School leaders are focused on extending e-learning and maximising opportunities for children to learn locally, nationally and globally.

One notable development since ERO’s 2014 evaluation that contributes to equity and excellence is the increased emphasis on promoting bicultural practices and valuing tikanga Māori. Children have increasing opportunities to learn about and participate in the Māori dimension of Aotearoa New Zealand’s cultural heritage. As part of this, children engage enthusiastically in te reo Māori programmes, kapa haka and marae visits. Māori children are proud to take a lead role in welcoming visitors to the school.

The school’s internal evaluation is systematic and coherent at every level. Children, teachers, leaders, trustees and community partners contribute to the school’s decision making. Senior leaders recognise the value in strengthening the documentation of internal evaluation to enhance the school’s culture of evaluative inquiry for improvement.

Sustainable development for equity and excellence

What further developments are needed in school processes to achieve equity and excellence?

The school is very well placed to sustain its current good practices and continue to make ongoing improvements that impact positively on all children’s learning and wellbeing.

Senior leaders continue to develop their innovative approaches to leadership. It would be beneficial to explore ‘leadership as inquiry’ to advance their culture of professional inquiry into the impact of school practices on outcomes for children.

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

  • 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 established under section 238F of the Education Act 1989. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code.

No international students were enrolled at the time of the ERO review.

Going forward

How well placed is the school to accelerate the achievement of all children who need it?

Children are achieving excellent educational outcomes. School performance has been sustained over time through well-focused, embedded processes and practices. This school has successfully addressed in-school disparity in educational outcomes.

Agreed next steps are:

  • continuing to develop the integration of te ao Māori across the school curriculum
  • strengthening the documentation of internal evaluation.

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.

Violet Tu’uga Stevenson

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)

2 August 2017

About the school 

Location

Lynfield, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

1302

School type

Contributing School Year 1 to 6

School roll

494

Gender composition

Girls 251 Boys 243

Ethnic composition

Māori 3%

NZ European/Pakehā 16%

Indian 44%

Chinese 8%

Pacific 4%

Other Asian 6%

Other 9%

Provision of Māori medium education

No

Review team on site

June 2017

Date of this report

2 August 2017

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review June 2014

Education Review June 2009

Education Review May 2006

 

Halsey Drive School - 26/06/2014

1 Context

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

Halsey Drive School, in Lynfield, Auckland, caters for students from Years 1 to 6. The school fosters positive relationships with the community and enjoys strong community support. Roll growth has been managed through the establishment of an enrolment zone. The school roll reflects the cultural diversity of the community. Many students have English as a second language.

The school’s vision of ‘Learners Together in a Learning Community’ reflects the focus on learning and the high expectations that school leaders and teachers have for themselves and students. Stable governance and leadership continue to promote and embed this vision.

The school has a history of positive ERO reports. Areas of strength identified in the 2009 ERO report such as the high levels of student engagement, the quality of teaching practice, and support provided for students and teachers continue to be evident. Progress has been made towards meeting the areas for improvement identified in the 2009 ERO review.

2 Learning

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

Halsey Drive School uses achievement information well to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement.

Students are highly engaged in their learning. They benefit from positive relationships with their teachers and peers. Classroom environments across the school consistently foster students’ understanding of the school’s approaches to learning. Students’ work features in classroom displays and they are increasingly involved in managing their own learning. They know about their achievement in reading, writing and mathematics, and make good use of feedback from teachers to set goals and focus their learning.

Teachers use appropriate assessment tools to gather information about student progress and achievement. They use this information to inform their teaching programmes and to group students for learning. Teachers identify students who could make better progress and provide targeted help for them within classroom programmes. The school could now review and further strengthen its processes for supporting new entrant children’s transition into school.

The principal and senior leaders monitor student achievement closely. They support teachers to make overall teacher judgements against the National Standards. Information collected indicates very high student achievement in relation to the National Standards, with almost all students achieving at or above the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. The board receives regular reports about student achievement and this information is used to set school targets.

School leaders agree to the continued review of ways that achievement information is collected and reported, including assessment processes to support the implementation of the National Standards.

Strong partnerships between home and school support students well and promote high expectations for achievement. Student achievement is reported to parents through written reports, portfolios and through parent-student and teacher three-way conferences. School leaders agree that they could continue to refine formats for reporting to parents about student progress in relation to National Standards.

3 Curriculum

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

The school’s curriculum promotes and supports student learning very well.

The school has developed a broad concept-based curriculum that reflects all aspects of The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC). School curriculum documents provide useful guidelines for teachers regarding NZC learning areas. They also reflect key aspects of the vision, values, principles and key competencies of the NZC.

Appropriate emphasis is given to literacy and numeracy, and teachers promote a range of opportunities in other learning areas, particularly visual art. Extension programmes are provided to enrich learning for students with particular strengths. Support programmes cater well for students requiring additional support with their learning. A specialist teacher provides programmes for students who require help to develop their English.

Teachers provide good opportunities for students to experience and gain knowledge of Māori language and culture. Leaders plan to continue building teacher capability to embed te reo me ōna tikanga Māori within programmes throughout the school. Finding ways to increase bicultural elements in the curriculum could also help to strengthen the school’s implementation of the NZC Treaty of Waitangi principle.

The use of SOLO as a learning framework is a strength of the school. Teachers use a shared language of learning that is well understood by students. This helps students to talk about their learning in different curriculum areas. The well embedded model for inquiry learning provides another useful framework for students’ learning. The consistent use of these frameworks means that the school is well placed to develop even greater student independence and ownership of their learning.

Effective leadership has guided the development of the school’s curriculum. External and internal professional development has been well considered to support school priorities. School leaders have developed a strong collaborative teaching culture. Clear expectations and systems guide the implementation and consistency of teaching practice. Teachers are encouraged to extend their professional knowledge and to take on leadership roles.

To further strengthen the school’s curriculum foundations, ERO endorses the school’s intention to continue developing:

  • classrooms that reflect modern learning environments
  • the use of e-learning strategies and tools to enhance programmes of work and student learning.

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

The school promotes academic success for Māori students effectively. Most achieve at or above the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics.

Māori students benefit from the positive and respectful learning relationships between adults and children that characterise the school. The cultural group provides opportunities for Māori students to learn and perform waiata.

The board should now define what they consider educational success as Māori to mean for their school and develop more specific goals and strategies to achieve this. Ministry of Education resources such as Ka Hikitia: Managing for Success and Tātaiako: Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners would provide a useful basis to guide review and development in this area.

The board could also consider ways to further develop consultation with the Māori community so that whānau can contribute to the development of strategic goals aimed at promoting success for its Māori students.

4 Sustainable Performance

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

Halsey Drive School is well placed to sustain and improve its performance.

The school is governed by an experienced board of trustees who bring a range of skills and expertise to their roles. Trustees have undertaken governance training. They work well together, and with the principal and senior leadership team.

Leadership structures and roles are clearly defined. School leaders encourage a culture of reflection and self review at whole school, syndicate, team and teacher level. They promote a collegial school culture and have developed clear systems to help staff and students meet the school’s high expectations. A model of shared leadership provides opportunities for all staff and is building leadership capacity across the school. These strategies effectively support teachers' ongoing development and promote student learning.

The school fosters good communication with the parent community. The board and school leaders use information from staff, parents and students to inform operational decisions. In a recent fono Pacific families considered the Ministry of Education’s Pacific Education Plan. The board could now incorporate this plan into its policy framework and strategic goals, and further refine strategic review processes to strengthen its commitment to ongoing improvement.

School leaders have a considered approach to initiating, implementing and embedding change that results in consistent teaching and learning practices. ERO suggests that the board and senior leaders review the pace, impact and momentum of some planned initiatives and on-going improvements.

ERO and the school agree that to strengthen self-review capability the board could:

  • continue to develop and maximise the use of information gathered through consultation
  • develop a framework to guide board quality assurance processes and governance responsibilities
  • consider using external expertise to support its review and improvement focus.

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. Systems are in place to monitor compliance with the Code, provide an appropriate education programme, and integrate international students into the life of the school. ERO’s investigations confirmed that the school’s self-review process for international students is thorough.

No international students were enrolled at the time of this ERO review.

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.

In order to improve current practice the board should review its governance processes, including:

  • reviewing policies and procedures to ensure these reflect current legal requirements and best practice
  • strengthening some areas of reporting to the board to provide trustees with assurance about the alignment between school policies and practices.

When is ERO likely to review the school again?

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

Dale Bailey

National Manager Review Services Northern Region

26 June 2014

About the School

Location

Lynfield, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

1302

School type

Contributing (Years 1 to 6)

School roll

471

Number of international students

0

Gender composition

Boys 54% Girls 46%

Ethnic composition

NZ European/Pākehā

Māori

Indian

Chinese

Samoan

Middle Eastern

Other Asian

Other Pacific

Other

21%

3%

41%

17%

3%

3%

6%

1%

5%

Review team on site

November 2013

Date of this report

26 June 2014

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

Education Review

Education Review

June 2009

May 2006

September 2002