Hobsonville Point Secondary School

Education institution number:
6977
School type:
Secondary (Year 9-15)
School gender:
Co-Educational
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
645
Telephone:
Address:

Hobsonville Point Road, Hobsonville Point, Auckland

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Hobsonville Point Secondary School - 01/11/2019

School Context

Hobsonville Point Secondary School, Auckland caters for students from Years 9 to 13. Of the 628 students currently enrolled at the school, a small number are of Māori or Pacific heritages. The school opened in 2014, and the foundation students graduated from the school at the end of 2018.

The school’s vision is ‘To create a stimulating, inclusive learning environment which empowers learners to contribute confidently and responsibly in our changing world’. This supports the school’s mission to ‘innovate, engage and inspire’. The vision and mission are underpinned by the values of excellence, inquiry, connectedness, collaboration and innovation.

The school’s strategic goals are framed around curriculum development, holistic student achievement, deep inquiry and challenge, and strengthening learning partnerships between the school, parents and the wider community.

The board of trustees governs both Hobsonville Point Secondary School and Hobsonville Point Primary School. The two schools share a vision, mission, guiding principles and values.

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

  • student achievement and progress in National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA)

  • student progress and achievement in Years 9 to 11 against curriculum levels

  • Māori and Pacific student progress and achievement

  • progress and achievement for priority students

  • school leaver qualifications and destinations

  • outcomes related to wellbeing for success.

The school hosts a satellite unit for secondary-aged students enrolled with Arohanui Special School.

Since the 2014 ERO review there have been changes in the board of trustees membership and the school has appointed a new senior leader.

The school is part of the Whiria Te Tangata Kāhui Ako|Community of Learning (CoL).

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?

Leaders, trustees and staff successfully promote equitable and excellent student outcomes through a persistent focus on learning success.

NCEA achievement data for 2018 show that a large majority of students achieved Levels 2, 3 and UE. There are high levels of achievement with endorsements in NCEA with 100 percent merit endorsement in Level 1.

High levels of literacy and numeracy have been sustained over time. Most students achieve Level 1 and almost all students achieve Level 2 in literacy and numeracy. Almost all Level 3 students achieve numeracy and all Level 3 students achieve literacy.

In response to a drop in boys’ achievement in 2018 at NCEA Level 2, leaders have put in place appropriate strategies to address this.

There are small numbers of Māori and Pacific students in each senior year level. Individual progress and achievement for Māori and Pacific students is monitored closely. They are supported to achieve in their individualised pathways and make good progress over time. The 2018 data show the majority of Māori students achieved NCEA Level 2. Leavers’ data from this year indicates most Māori students, and almost all Pacific students, leave the school with NCEA Level 2 or above.

Progress and achievement of all Year 9 and Year 10 students is closely tracked and monitored. Longitudinal tracking shows that the school is accelerating students’ achievement over their time at school. Students access meaningful pathways, have high achievement rates in NCEA literacy and numeracy and achieve well in NCEA qualifications.

Students achieve well in relation to the school’s broader valued outcomes. Students show a strong sense of belonging and contribute to the wider life of the school through sports and leadership. They build good learning relationships with each other, their teachers and the community.

Other valued outcomes are highly evident in the ways that students:

  • self-manage, develop communication skills and build resilience in their learning

  • are inclusive, respectful, supportive and accepting of others

  • follow meaningful pathways for the future

  • are collaborative and innovative.

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

The school is very effectively accelerating learning for those students whose learning progress needs acceleration.

The school’s strategies to support the acceleration of Māori and Pacific student progress who need this are resulting in good levels of achievement in NCEA.

The school is proactively working towards achieving greater parity for boys in NCEA achievement through a range of well-considered initiatives to accelerate their progress where necessary.

The well-coordinated, inclusive learning support for students with additional needs is accelerating these students’ progress. Most students with additional learning needs make accelerated progress, achieve well in NCEA, and participate widely across all aspects of school life.

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?

Educational leadership and stewardship are highly effective. Leaders and trustees work collaboratively in the pursuit of learner-centred goals, developing and pursuing the school’s vision, mission and goals. They continue to build coherence and alignment across all school systems, teaching and learning, and the school’s community. This helps sustain improvement and the achievement of equitable outcomes for most students.

Trustees, leaders and teachers are committed to growing a shared understanding of biculturalism through culturally sustaining practices and the visibility of te ao Māori concepts and knowledge. Students are encouraged to pursue Māori learning contexts through their ‘Impact’ projects. This supports Māori students to learn as Māori and achieve success as Māori. It also enables all students to have a greater understanding of the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand. The strengthening of connections with whānau and Te Kawerau ā Maki, the local iwi, supports these initiatives.

Leaders and teachers build and maintain relational trust at all levels of the school community. A challenging and supportive learning environment encourages all learners to strive for personal excellence. Holistic, learning-based pastoral care further supports student wellbeing and achievement. Effective coordination within the pastoral network is a positive feature of the school. This supports all students to participate confidently in a wide variety of learning experiences.

Staff deliberately plan for equity and excellence through personalising learning systems and approaches. Students are encouraged to take ownership of their own learning and co-construct relevant learning opportunities. Senior students are very well supported to follow their personalised pathways and achieve quality credits towards NCEA.

Students learn through a rich and broad curriculum that is responsive to their individual strengths and interests. Students demonstrate high levels of engagement. They participate in authentic, relevant learning experiences with a focus on critical thinking and social responsibility. This is evident through partnerships and projects with community organisations, including internship for students with local providers. Students are well supported to develop leadership, and social, communication and collaboration skills.

Leaders and teachers promote challenge, research and inquiry. The inquiry focused appraisal process supports teachers to critique and improve their practice. Staff have consistent high expectations for student progress, achievement and wellbeing.

Teaching and other approaches that support acceleration for students who require this are well developed. Early identification of students, supported by careful monitoring of their progress within and between years, helps promote their success.

The leadership team has a strategic approach to building teachers’ individual capability and increasing the school’s collective professional capacity. Professional learning for staff is a priority and is centred on specific educational outcomes, including students knowing themselves as learners. This is supported by highly effective communication and collaboration in sharing strategies for improvement and innovation.

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

Senior leaders and ERO have identified relevant areas for further school improvement. These areas include developing the student graduate profile to include both personal and academic excellence as measures of success. The development of relevant processes for ongoing evaluation of valued student outcomes and wider definitions of success, should further support improvement.

3 Other Matters

Provision for international students

The school is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of International Students) Code of Practice 2016 (the Code) established under section 238F of the Education Act 1989. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the code.

At the time of the review there were 30 international students attending the school.

There is appropriate pastoral care for international students. Students are very well supported to achieve educational success. They are involved in a range of co-curricular activities and participate in the wider life of the school. Systems for monitoring compliance with the Code are effective.

4 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 Children’s Act 2014.

5 ERO’s Overall Judgement

On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of Hobsonville Point Secondary School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Strong.

ERO’s Framework: Overall School Performance is available on ERO’s website.

6 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

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

  • a positive school culture that responds to students’ needs, promotes their wellbeing and supports their learning success

  • responsive and relevant curriculum design that promotes innovation, critical thinking and future-focused pathways for students

  • the culture of relational trust that encourages students to strive for excellence

  • partnerships with the school community that have a clear learning purpose and foster high expectations for equitable and excellent outcomes for all.

Next steps

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

  • develop and embed systems to identify, redefine and critically evaluate holistic student success.

Steve Tanner

Director Review and Improvement Services Northern

Northern Region

1 November 2019

About the school

Location

Hobsonville Point, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

6977

School type

Secondary (Year 9 – 15)

School roll

628

Gender composition

Girls 53%

Boys 47%

Ethnic composition

Māori 13%
NZ European/Pākehā 47%
Asian 17%
Pacific 4%
other European 10%
other ethnic groups 9%

Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS)

Yes

Provision of Māori medium education

No

Review team on site

September 2019

Date of this report

1 November 2019

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review June 2016
New Schools Assurance September 2014

Hobsonville Point Secondary School - 01/06/2016

Findings

Students at Hobsonville Point Secondary School are highly engaged in learning and appreciate the broad range of opportunities they have to grow personally and academically. Leaders and teachers work in partnership with students and their families to provoke thinking and inquiry, and to support personal excellence and growth.    

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

1 Context

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

Hobsonville Point Secondary School opened in 2014 to serve the newly developed Hobsonville Point community. It currently has 348 students in Years 9 to 11 and is designed to cater for 1350 students at full capacity.

An elected board of trustees has replaced the initial establishment board, and serves as the governance board for both the Hobsonville Point Primary School and Hobsonville Point Secondary School. The two schools share a coherent vision and values that are clearly articulated in board documentation and reflect the vision, values and principles of The New Zealand Curriculum.

The school is the first secondary school in New Zealand where the buildings are owned and operated as a Public Private Partnership.

The school includes a satellite unit for secondary-aged students enrolled with Arohanui Special School.

2 Learning

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

This school makes good use of student achievement information to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement. There are very good systems in place to monitor individual student’s academic progress and personal growth.

Learning partnerships with students, parents and whānau lie at the heart of the curriculum model. Senior leaders and teachers use many different ways of reporting on student achievement, but all are characterised by high quality information that is shared and discussed with the student, the learning coach and families, as well as other teachers.

Reporting in subject areas is against the levels of The New Zealand Curriculum. Teachers have done extensive work to develop shared understandings of learning progressions in regard to the curriculum. The school has comprehensive information about what students have achieved academically and also in the development of their dispositions as learners. The challenge that school leaders identify is building data that is valid, manageable, useful and accessible to a range of users.

School leaders have consulted with the New Zealand Qualifications Authority about how to best provide external assessment for the National Certificates of Educational Achievement. The school model is designed to provide personal challenge, recognise excellence and minimise unnecessary assessment points. By the end of this year all Year 11 students will have had the opportunity to gain some entry level credits, but the main focus of external assessment will begin at Level 2.

3 Curriculum

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

The school’s curriculum promotes and supports student learning effectively. It is designed to be inclusive and culturally responsive, while challenging students to continue to develop and grow academically and personally.

Students are highly engaged in their learning. Students are very proud of the school and its learning model. They report that they value the opportunities they have to make meaningful choices about their learning and to know about themselves as learners. Their sense that their teachers are engaged with them in reciprocal learning, and teachers’ evident pleasure in exploring ideas and new ways of learning, underpin the respectful learning relationships evident throughout the school.

The school’s innovative curriculum model is designed to enable students to explore the breadth of The New Zealand Curriculum while also ensuring that students receive a strong foundation in core subjects and the key competencies. The integrated curriculum supports student inquiry across subject areas and encourages exploration and connections. Projects allow students to deepen their inquiry and to develop complexity to a degree that is unusual in students at this age.

Students value the personalised support they receive from their learning coaches. Coaches monitor student academic and personal progress, provide encouragement and ensure that students are making sensible decisions about courses. Students are encouraged to reflect on themselves as learners and work with their learning coaches to set goals that challenge them to develop their dispositions and competencies as learners. Additional numeracy and literacy support is available where needed.

Younger students in their foundation years are guided to make learning choices across the whole of The New Zealand Curriculum. The challenge is to develop graduate pathways in the curriculum that enable increasingly responsive and personalised learning as students move through the school.

Teachers make good use of the diverse learning spaces to provide whole class, small group and individual learning opportunities. The small classes in the learning hubs help students form bonds with older and younger students and are an important element in the comprehensive pastoral care in the school.

The learning environment throughout the school is focused and purposeful. Digital technologies are well used to support learning. Students enjoy the high quality facilities available to promote physical activity and provide for the performing arts. A high proportion of students are involved in a wide range of sporting and cultural activities that help to build a sense of belonging to the school community.

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

The school is steadily developing its capacity to promote educational success for Māori as Māori.

Consultation with iwi in the establishment of the school, and the ongoing development of school kawa and tikanga, reflect school leaders’ commitment to building bi-cultural understanding in the school community. All students and staff sing the specially written school waiata and are developing understanding of events such as powhiri.

The dual cultural heritage of the area is featured throughout the school and forms a meaningful element in the school curriculum. This is helping to develop students’ understanding of how the past can inform the future and deepens their understanding of where they live.

Ongoing training and internal evaluation for staff and trustees will be beneficial to develop bicultural understanding building on good beginnings.

4 Sustainable Performance

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

The school is well placed to sustain and improve its performance. This new school has made a very good start to providing an innovative model of teaching and learning that is proving highly engaging for students.

Leadership in the school is highly effective. It is underpinned by a culture of rigorous inquiry and personal challenge, informed by ongoing research into best practice. The clearly articulated vision and values are shared throughout the school community.

The board’s commitment is to a model of education that promotes equity and excellence, and that develops students who are able to take responsibility for themselves while making a worthwhile contribution to the larger world. The importance of global citizenship is reflected in the nature of student inquiries and project work.

School leaders recognise that the school model of teaching and learning can be demanding on staff. Careful recruitment and induction processes are in place, and are supported by high quality appraisal processes and ongoing professional learning and development. Teachers value the specific and useful information they receive to help them to continue improving their teaching practice.

The board funds a specialist teaching position to ensure that teachers and students are well supported to make effective and efficient use of the widespread digital technologies that are integral to the teaching and learning model. The board also makes space available within the school for some small start-up businesses. Their role is to serve as ‘pollinators’, helping students to explore thinking in applied science and technology. Students benefit from these opportunities to consider the practical applications of research.

Trustees have established a sound platform of internal evaluation to guide the ongoing growth of the school. They are able to focus as a board on stewardship, the implementation of the vision and considering how best to serve the school community. The public private partnership model takes care of most property matters.

Trustees have considered the implications of the Maori Education Strategy, Ka Hikitia: Accelerating Success 2013-2017, for their planning, and will use NZSTA’s self review tool, Hautū: Māori Cultural Responsiveness Self Review tool for Boards of Trustees, as a new board. The next step is to consult with Māori whānau as a group about their aspirations for their children. Consulting with whānau to guide growth would help the school to set more specific goals and feed into the ongoing development of the strategic plan.

School leaders, trustees and ERO agree that the development points for the ongoing growth of this new school are: 

  • increasing partnership opportunities for Māori akonga, whānau and iwi
  • continuing to develop a graduate pathways curriculum programme that enables increasingly responsive and personalised learning as students move through the school
  • continuing to refine processes for capturing, sharing and responding to information about students learning progressions and achievement. 

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 Hobsonville Point Secondary School are highly engaged in learning and appreciate the broad range of opportunities they have to grow personally and academically. Leaders and teachers work in partnership with students and their families to provoke thinking and inquiry, and to support personal excellence and growth.

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

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

1 June 2016

About the School

Location

Hobsonville Point, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

6977

School type

Secondary (Years 9 to 15)

School roll

348

Gender composition

Girls 47%, Boys 53%

Ethnic composition

Pākehā

Māori

Asian

Pacific

other

65%

12%

12%

4%

7%

Special Features

Satellite class Arohanui Special School.

Review team on site

May 2016

Date of this report

1 June 2016

Most recent ERO report(s)

New Schools Assurance 

September 2014