Mangaroa School

Mangaroa School - 22/05/2018

School Context

Mangaroa School is in a rural community close to Upper Hutt city. It caters for students in Years 1 to 6. Currently the roll is 111 students.

The school states that the overarching values system of TREES - team work, respect, resilience, responsibility, exploration, environment and success - supports a positive school culture and sets clear direction for learning.

The school’s focus is on accelerating progress of those students who need this, and to empower children to make informed choices and be confident, engaged and motivated learners.

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

  • progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics.

A deputy principal was appointed in February 2018. Many of the teaching team have been at the school for some time.

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 has high expectations that all students will progress and achieve.

School reported data for 2017 states that most students achieved above expectations in reading and writing. Achievement in writing improved, to lessen the gender disparity previously evident. Almost all children achieve very well in mathematics.

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

The school addresses identified disparity in learner outcomes. A trend at new entrant level has been addressed through specific classroom interventions and resulted in acceleration for the majority of students in their first three years at school.

Students with additional needs make appropriate progress against their individual goals.

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?

In their stewardship role, trustees are very supportive of student progress and achievement. They receive regular information that informs resourcing decisions in the interest of students.

Leadership ensures an orderly and supportive environment that is conducive to student learning and wellbeing. Students have a caring, collaborative, well-organised learning environment. They, with their families, are well known to leaders, teachers and staff.

The school’s values, principles and practices are successfully implemented and shared understandings evident. Reported outcomes for learners are greater engagement in learning and wellbeing for success. The teaching of the curriculum makes connections to learners’ prior understandings, out of school experiences and real-world contexts. Students use a range of well-considered, age appropriate devices for learning. Successes are celebrated.

Teachers respond to data and collaboratively engage in professional learning, including with colleagues in other schools, to further successful outcomes for students. Changes in the teaching of writing have given students greater choice and opportunity to experience more positive learning. Their agency through choice is highly evident.

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

Students at risk of not achieving are identified. To support further acceleration, progress data should be closely monitored to determine the next incremental step for individuals as well as groups of students. Evaluating the effectiveness of programmes, initiatives and teaching, to clearly determine those school processes and practices that address equity and accelerate learning of students, is a next step.

Trustees, with leaders and staff should, undertake learning about success for Māori as Maori, implications of the Treaty of Waitangi and bicultural perspectives for all students. Trustees have a responsibility to ensure that the curriculum is appropriate for all students. Inclusion of te ao Māori should strengthen the school’s bicultural curriculum.

Appraisal and teaching as inquiry requires strengthening to better support teachers in their professional and ongoing learning. The process needs to align with Education Council requirements, be useful and rigorous, and thoroughly reviewed at the completion of each cycle.

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:

  • a professional, collaborative culture that leads to improved teaching and learning practice and outcomes for students

  • shared values that support children’s engagement and wellbeing

  • leaders and teachers knowing students well that leads to responsiveness to individuals’ interests and their preferred ways of learning.

Next steps

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

  • teachers, staff and trustees knowing about and providing bicultural perspectives in the curriculum for all children and to support Māori to be successful as Māori

  • rigorous implementation of the appraisal system

  • building effective internal evaluation to know the impact of initiatives on improving equity and excellence for all learners

  • more targeted planning to accelerate learning, and closely monitor and track target students who are at risk of not achieving well, against their individual goals. [ERO will monitor and discuss progress with the school]

ERO’s next external evaluation process and timing

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

Patricia Davey

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)

Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region

22 May 2018

About the school

Location

Upper Hutt

Ministry of Education profile number

2899

School type

Contributing (Years 1 to 6)

School roll

111

Gender composition

Male 64%, Female 36%

Ethnic composition

Pākehā 89%
Māori 5%
Other ethnic groups 6%

Provision of Māori medium education

No

Review team on site

March 2018

Date of this report

22 May 2018

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review May 2015
Education Review June 2012
Education Review May 2009

Mangaroa School - 26/05/2015

Findings

Mangaroa School fosters a welcoming, community-focused environment. Most students achieve well in relation to National Standards. Leaders and teachers effectively use their knowledge of students to make positive changes to their engagement, progress and achievement. Continuing to develop bicultural practice, evaluation and appraisal processes should strengthen positive outcomes for students.

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?

Mangaroa School is a community-focused, rural school catering for students in Years 1 to 6. At the time of this ERO review there were 112 on the roll, four identifying as Māori.

The environment is welcoming, inclusive and supportive of students’ diverse interests and needs. The school makes good use of the spacious grounds and offers a range of activities for students to participate in and explore.

Educational experiences outside the classroom are focused on building resilience and challenge for students. The school community actively supports the opportunities provided.

Senior classes use digital technologies as the main platform for recording their learning. Students confidently investigate, engage and interact in this mode of delivery.

Mangaroa School responded well to some aspects of the 2012 ERO report. Since that report, a new principal has been appointed and began at the school in March 2015.

2 Learning

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

The school is effective in its use of achievement information to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement.

The school reports that the majority of students achieve at or above the National Standards for mathematics, reading and writing. Achievement results for all students have continually improved since the 2012 ERO report. There are robust procedures in place to make consistent overall teacher judgements. Moderation discussions occur across the school and with other schools in the local learning cluster.

Teachers use a good range of assessment tools to identify strengths and areas of need for students’ learning to be challenged or accelerated. Results from individual testing are discussed with students and parents to establish learning goals for the year. Data is used to track and monitor students’ progress and to inform further support and intervention programmes. Student data is used to set specific targets for those at risk of poor educational outcomes.

Parents receive reports about their children’s progress in relation to National Standards. Teachers need to ensure the comments on curriculum progress and the students’ next steps are written in plain language.

3 Curriculum

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

The school’s curriculum effectively promotes and supports student learning.

Mangaroa School offers a broad curriculum with an emphasis on literacy and numeracy. Integrated classroom programmes are collaboratively planned and delivered across classes to meet student needs. Students experience a wide range of opportunities to learn in the local, urban and digital environments. It is timely to review the approach to digital technologies in teaching and learning to evaluate the impact on student outcomes and engagement of parents in ongoing learning conversations.

The board, staff and families have pride in the rural context of the school. This builds a strong sense of belonging and develops supportive learning relationships, especially through school activities. Transitions into and beyond the school are well managed and based on students’ and their families’ needs and aspirations.

The junior school has developed a strong focus on supporting students to develop independence and resilience as learners. The senior school should consider ways to incorporate this approach to ensure students leave as leaders of their own learning. ERO identified, and the principal agrees, that student voice should be included in plans and processes. This should further promote the partnerships between home and school, and engage students as active learners.

A board-initiated community survey sought parents’ and whānau feedback on the curriculum and school operation. Leaders have identified, and ERO agrees, it is timely to review the curriculum to enhance outcomes for all students. This should help to form a cohesive document that demonstrates a shared understanding of teaching and learning at Mangaroa School and reflects the bicultural nature of Aotearoa.

A simple te reo Māori programme focused on greetings and common phrases is delivered throughout the school. There is some evidence of teachers integrating te reo me ngā tikanga Māori in classroom programmes and this has been extended over the past three years.

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

Trustees and leaders acknowledge that they need to improve the effectiveness of how the school promotes educational success for Māori as Māori. To build capability, leaders and teachers should explore and incorporate Tātaiāko: Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners.

Whānau engage in conversations with teachers about their children’s learning and achievement. This should be extended to involve Māori students and their whānau in school planning and decision-making.

4 Sustainable Performance

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

The school is well placed to sustain and continue to improve its performance to ensure positive outcomes for students.

The board receives regular analysed data through the principal’s reports. Changes to the board meeting format have enabled a more targeted focus on discussions of student achievement and progress. The board carefully considers this information and targets resourcing to improve outcomes for students.

Regular and systematic review is occurring at the board level for school policies and procedures. Aspects are also evident in practices across the school, for example, teachers' reflections, responding to data, and changing class programmes in response. It is timely to build a shared understanding of evaluative self review across the school and establish a guiding framework for this. This should help to establish the effectiveness of how approaches and programmes across the school are adding value to student outcomes.

Strategic priorities are identified and the actions to achieve them are documented in the charter. To illustrate the strategic intent of the priorities and to build a shared understanding of future direction, this document needs to be strengthened. Ensuring clear alignment between strategic and annual plans should encourage a targeted approach to further developments in the school. Including outcomes and student achievement targets in the annual plan should ensure that self review is more evidence-based and focused on continuous improvement and change.

The appraisal process was under development at the time of the previous ERO review. It continues to be an area for further development. Building a growth-focused process that includes inquiry into effective teaching practice is required. The implemented process should ensure:

  • teachers’ goals are directly linked to school targets and goals
  • professional learning and development is needs based and linked to goals
  • compilation of an evidential file based on the registered teacher criteria
  • a strong focus on building teacher practice and inquiry into strategies most likely to improve outcomes for students.

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

Mangaroa School fosters a welcoming, community-focused environment. Most students achieve well in relation to National Standards. Leaders and teachers effectively use their knowledge of students to make positive changes to their engagement, progress and achievement. Continuing to develop bicultural practice, evaluation and appraisal processes should strengthen positive outcomes for students.

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

Joyce Gebbie

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central

26 May 2015

About the School

Location

Upper Hutt

Ministry of Education profile number

2899

School type

Contributing (Years 1 to 6)

School roll

112

Gender composition

Male 57%,

Female 43%

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

Asian

Other European

4%

86%

5%

5%

Review team on site

May 2015

Date of this report

26 May 2015

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

Education Review

Education Review

June 2012

May 2009

April 2006