Hampden School

School Context

Hampden School is a Years 1 to 8 rural school in North Otago. It has experienced roll growth in the last two years. 39 children are enrolled at the school. A new principal was appointed to the school in 2016.

The school’s valued outcomes are being honest and kind, enjoying learning, striving to be the best and to be a thinker. The school’s mission statement is for the school, in partnership with families, to provide its pupils with the knowledge, skills and attitudes that will form the basis of their future development as responsible, self-assured and caring citizens.

The current strategic aims are for all students to achieve and progress in their learning, to encourage whānau in the life of the school while respecting all cultures represented, and recognising the unique position of the Māori culture. To support these aims, the 2018 school targets are to lift achievement levels in writing and mathematics for identified individuals and groups of children.

Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, school wide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:

• progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics
• progress and achievement in relation to school targets.

The school’s current aims, goals and targets reflect the school’s priorities to improve the wellbeing and learning of all children. The key focus areas include:

• student well-being
• Māori culture and identity.

The school is the tangata whenua school for Moeraki Marae.

Hampden School is part of a local schools’ network. This year this network is focussing on improving the teaching and learning in writing.

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?

The school is effectively achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for the majority of its students.

School information shows that for the last two years the majority of students have achieved at or above the school’s expectations in reading and writing. Reading achievement levels are higher than writing.

In 2017, most children met or exceeded the school’s expectations in mathematics. There was a significant increase in the number of children meeting these expectations from 2016 to 2017.

School reports to the board show that children feel safe at their school.

1.2 How well is the school accelerating learning for those Māori and other students who need this?

The school is effectively identifying, supporting and responding positively to individual and groups of children whose learning needs accelerating.

In 2017 the majority of children, including Māori children, needing to make accelerated progress did so. There were higher levels of accelerated progress gained in mathematics.

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?

Children learn in a positive, inclusive environment. The school values are evident and known by the children. The concepts of whanaungatanga/relationships, manaakitanga/caring, and tuakana teina/older supporting younger children are embedded into the programmes and practices of the school.

Children benefit from effective teaching. They have good knowledge of what they are learning and how they are progressing. Teachers scrutinise learning information closely to inform their intentional teaching for individuals and groups. They have a shared understanding about assessment practices and expectations. Teachers collaborate well as a team and have a shared responsibility for children’s learning and well-being. Teachers effectively transfer useful teaching strategies from one learning area to another.

Children experience a rich curriculum, and have effective and equitable opportunities to learn across all learning areas. Teachers make learning relevant and use meaningful contexts. They are culturally responsive and value the different ethnicities within the school, particularly Māori culture. The school has useful and meaningful connections with neighbouring schools to enhance teaching and learning programmes, especially for the Years 7 and 8 children. 

Children’s learning is greatly enhanced by the positive connections the school has with parents, whānau and community. Parents are provided with useful resources and ideas to support their children’s learning at home. The principal has established relational trust within the school and wider communities. Children’s learning experiences are extended through the involvement of a range of community groups and individuals. The school is making increased use of their local marae for all children, particularly Māori, to have a deeper awareness of their culture and identity. Children are also gaining a greater understanding of Moerakitaka / their local history.

Leaders, teachers and trustees maintain a strong commitment for children to make sufficient progress over time. This commitment is supported by their:

• clear alignment from charter and planning documentation to classroom practices and reporting
• effective evaluation processes to ensure that practices and programmes are making a positive difference
• strategic resourcing to support identified children to make accelerated progress. 

2.2 What further developments are needed in school processes and practices for achievement of equity and excellence, and acceleration of learning?

Trustees and leaders should set targets that focus more on those children needing to make accelerated progress.

School leaders need to report rates of progress to the board for trustees to be assured that children are making sufficient progress over time.

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:

• board administration
• curriculum
• management of health, safety and welfare
• personnel management
• finance
• 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.

4 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:

• clear direction setting by the board of trustees that establishes a strong focus on children making sufficient progress over time
• its in-depth analysis of learner information that provides useful evidence on children’s progress
• the quality of teaching, a rich curriculum and an inclusive environment.

Next steps

For sustained improvement and future learner success, priorities for further development are in:

• using individual children’s data to be better informed about the sufficiency of progress of all children
• rewording charter targets to provide a greater focus on those children needing to make accelerated progress. 

ERO’s next external evaluation process and timing

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

Dr Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern

Te Waipounamu - Southern Region

27 April 2018

About the school