1 Context
What are the important features of this school that have an impact on student learning?
Inglewood High School is a rural secondary school situated in the Taranaki town of Inglewood, south of New Plymouth. It caters for students from Years 9 to 13. At the time of this ERO review, 410 students were on the roll, 12% of whom identify as Māori.
The school has been involved in Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) programme since 2015. This initiative has strengthened the positive school culture based around the shared MOA values of Manaakitanga, Ora and Ako. An inclusive family-like atmosphere is supported through the vertical pastoral care structure and relationships.
Leaders and teachers have recently been involved in professional learning and development (PLD) to support a new appraisal system, and the increased use of digital technologies in teaching, learning and administration across the school.
The school has been actively involved in the formation of an Inglewood Community of Learning / Kāhui Ako (CoL) that plans to include providers from early childhood through to tertiary levels. A lead principal has been appointed and achievement challenges for the CoL agreed upon.
The school has extended relationships with a range of agencies, employers and education providers to enhance options of learning pathways for students.
2 Learning
How well does this school use achievement information to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement?
The school collects a range of achievement information which is well used to make positive changes to outcomes for many learners.
Teachers use information suitably to improve student wellbeing and engagement and to accelerate their learning. This includes using assessment information:
- about achievement in Year 8 to plan and provide for the transition of students at Year 9, including those with identified learning needs
- to plan for students' needs and monitor their progress
- to place students in appropriate programmes or interventions.
Significant numbers of students identified as being at risk of not achieving in Years 11 to 13 are well supported to gain a qualification. As a result, rates of achievement in National Certificates of Educational Achievement (NCEA) have steadily improved since the 2014 ERO report. In 2016, overall achievement at NCEA Levels 1 to 3 were above national rates and well above schools of similar type. Certificate endorsements have fluctuated over the past 3 years and are identified as an area for improvement.
The rates of achievement of students who identify as Maori is improving. The 2016 NCEA results at Level 1 show they have yet to reach that of their peers. However, at Levels 2 and 3 they achieve above their peers and national rates.
ERO affirms the schools initiatives for deeper inquiry into achievement data and evaluation of effectiveness of strategies used to accelerate achievement of groups, especially in Years 9 and 10. More regular reporting to the board of progress of these target groups should help programme evaluation and decision making for resourcing.
3 Curriculum
How effectively does this school’s curriculum promote and support student learning?
Over the last three years the Inglewood High School curriculum content, delivery and timetabling has been reviewed and extended so that it is responsive to diverse groups. As a result it caters well for a wide range of individual needs, abilities and aspirations.
Students’ placements in increasingly personalised learning pathways and programmes promote high levels of motivation, engagement and success, particularly in Years 12 and 13. Careers education provision is highly valued by learners.
Students are well supported through:
- a range of vocational experiences and visits
- an effective and collaborative pastoral care and academic mentoring system that provides senior students with increased levels of guidance
- regular monitoring of academic progress
- junior students’ wellbeing and engagement in the life of the school being supported by senior student leaders in vertical dean groupings.
The school environment and the inclusive ethos enables students who enter with identified needs to be welcomed, supported and expected to be successful lifelong learners. Their learning and progress are enhanced by well-considered differentiated learning programmes.
Expectations and guidelines for effective teaching are clearly documented in departmental handbooks and evident in classrooms observed by ERO. Increased use of digital tools and programmes promotes students engagement and extends learning opportunities.
How effectively does the school promote educational success for Māori, as Māori?
The school curriculum provides some opportunities for students who identify as Māori to be successful. Te reo Māori programmes enable some students to gain success at senior levels.
The school has placed priority on promoting teachers' cultural competencies and practices. Teachers provide well considered local cultural contexts for learning in their programmes.
It’s timely for the school, in association with whānau, to review the quality and effectiveness of its programmes for promoting educational success for all Māori learners as Māori.
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 through ongoing review, managing change and innovation. The well-established board has clear guidelines for their roles and responsibilities. Systems are in place for review of policies and the effectiveness of the board's performance.
Trustees receive and use a range of student information and department reports related to programmes, student achievement and wellbeing. They use this information to purposefully target resourcing for improving outcomes for students.
The principal and senior staff work collaboratively to provide effective leadership to pursue the school’s vision, values and goals. They support, promote and initiate innovation to improve valued student outcomes. Good teamwork across levels, departments and areas of responsibility promotes shared decision making that benefits learners.
Trustees and leaders actively support ongoing staff development and provide appropriate targeted resourcing for accessing expertise to build teacher capability. The appraisal system provides an effective framework for inquiry and ongoing teacher improvement. Next steps are to further develop teacher goal setting and inquiries so that they are more specific, measurable and link explicitly to outcomes for identified groups of target students. Leaders should ensure that an annual appraisal summary is completed for each teacher to show teachers’ strengths, areas for further development and whether practising teacher criteria are met.
Strengthened educational relationships with individual families, agencies, employers and the tertiary providers are enhanced through targeted strategies, staffing and resourcing. A range of strategies including regular meetings, informative newsletters, sharing real time online progress and ongoing consultations with parents and students promotes learning centred relationships for success.
School leaders model and promote ongoing development and use of review and internal evaluation for accountability and to support evidence-based decision making.
Next Steps
Leaders and trustees should:
- develop more explicit annual targets related to accelerating achievement of groups of students
- continue to develop a shared understanding and use of internal evaluation to strengthen planning and resourcing decisions for ongoing improvement across the school.
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.
At the time of this review there was one international student attending the school. The school is planning to increase student numbers in this area.
The school makes good provision for international students. It has robust systems for monitoring students’ wellbeing, progress and integration into the community. The self-review processes support ongoing improvement in provision for these learners.
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.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
20 April 2017
About the School
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Location
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Inglewood
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Ministry of Education profile number
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177
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School type
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Secondary (Years 9 to 13)
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School roll
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410
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Number of international students
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1
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Gender composition
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Male 51%, Female 49%
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Ethnic composition
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Māori
Pākehā
Other ethnic groups
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12%
86%
2%
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Review team on site
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February 2017
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Date of this report
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20 April 2017
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Most recent ERO report(s)
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Education Review
Education Review
Education Review
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May 2014
December 2010
June 2006
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