Mangere College

Education institution number:
91
School type:
Secondary (Year 9-15)
School gender:
Co-Educational
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
667
Telephone:
Address:

23 Bader Drive, Mangere, Auckland

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Mangere College - 11/10/2018

School Context

Mangere College has served its South Auckland community for over 50 years. Catering for students from Years 9 to 13, the school currently has a roll of just over 700 students. Twenty percent are Māori and 75 percent have Pacific heritages with Samoan, Tongan and Cook Island Māori comprising the largest of these groups. There are also smaller numbers of Niuean, Fijian and Tokelauan students as well as others from other nations. The school continues to offer language options that include te reo Māori, gagana Samoa, Lea Faka-Tonga and te reo Māori Kuki Airani.

The school’s strategic mission is for all students to ‘Seek the Heights’. This is underpinned by a vision to promote ‘excellence in education for the students of Mangere’. The key values of respect and responsibility, and principles of whanaungatanga, manaakitanga and whakapiringatanga are integral to the mission and vision. The school’s strategic goals are framed around achievement and learning, school culture and wellbeing, pathways, and being part of a community of learning. Achievement targets are created for students at all year levels and include:

  • all Year 9 and 10 students achieving at expected levels of The New Zealand Curriculum
  • every student in every subject achieving 14-plus credits at National Certificates of Educational Achievement (NCEA) levels 1, 2 and 3
  • University Entrance being gained by 35 percent of Year 13 students.

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

  • engagement, including attendance and retention data
  • achievement outcomes for students from Years 9 to 13 in relation to achievement targets and for the different ethnic groups within the school

  • health and wellbeing, including results from student satisfaction surveys

  • school culture, including how well students are meeting expectations for behaviour, respect and responsibility.

The 2015 ERO report noted key next steps for the school. These included improving outcomes for Māori students and for learners at Years 9 and 10, and internal evaluation and appraisal processes. The report recommended that the board access training to improve school governance practices. It was also noted that the board was preparing to appoint a new principal.

The new principal took over the leadership of the school at the start of 2016. Since that time a significant number of new staff have been appointed, including two new senior leaders. The senior leadership team now comprises these new leaders and one other who has been in the team for some time.

Many staff identify culturally with students and speak their home languages. Some good progress has been made in addressing the next steps identified in the 2015 ERO report. For example, te whānauora roopu has been re-established as a mechanism for Māori whānau, students and staff to lead improvement initiatives for Māori students.

The school is part of the Mangere 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?

The school is making good progress towards achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for students.

The school’s data shows that most Year 9 students start the school year below expected curriculum levels in reading and mathematics, and especially in writing. It also shows that Year 9 and 10 students make progress in reading, writing and mathematics during their years at the school. In addition, this data indicates that there is some disparity between the achievement of Māori students and Pacific students as a whole.

A pattern of good overall achievement in NCEA has been evident for the past three years. The large majority of students in Years 11 to 13 continue to achieve well in NCEA. The school’s increasing focus on vocational pathways is having a positive impact on improving NCEA Level 2 results, especially for boys. The school’s University Entrance results and endorsement certificates are lower than results for students in other similar schools.

The school’s NCEA results show there is disparity in outcomes for Māori students at all three levels. Attendance for Māori students raises some concerns but retention of these students is positive. In 2018 with the increase in the number of Year 9 students entering, there has also been an improvement in the number of students interested in learning te reo Māori and participating in kapa haka.

Student participation in co-curricular activities across the school is high. They take part in a variety of sporting events and cultural performances that encourage parent input and involvement. Students’ successes in sports, culture and leadership are celebrated as significant and valued outcomes for the students themselves, and the school. Additionally, students are benefiting from increasing opportunities to share and build their talents and skills in the performing arts.

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

The school is accelerating learning for Māori and other students increasingly well.

Students whose learning requires acceleration are provided with a range of support which includes in-class and/or withdrawal time with teacher aides. Some students have individual learning plans that identify the different strategies that classroom teachers will use to support acceleration. It would be useful for parents to be involved in the design and evaluation of these individual learning plans.

Teachers track and monitor all students’ progress and achievement throughout the year. Leaders and teachers regularly discuss student progress and achievement, and students’ engagement and wellbeing. The school’s information shows the progress that individuals and groups of students make during the year.

School leaders are preparing to develop both a consistent school-wide assessment approach for the Year 9 and 10 curriculum, and a shared understanding of acceleration.

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?

The principal, in partnership with senior leaders, is implementing significant school-wide change to improve outcomes for students. The school’s leadership and strategic change management processes and practices, together with the prioritising of Māori success and student wellbeing, are effectively contributing to achieving equity and excellence and the acceleration of learning.

Staff and students appreciate the school’s strong professional leadership, and the strategic, well-considered and transparent approaches taken to promoting change and improvement. There has been a strong focus on improving teaching and learning practices, with curriculum leaders providing clear expectations about curriculum design and pedagogy. As a result of leaders’ collaborative and empowering approaches, respectful working relationships are being fostered at all levels of the school.

Key strategic priorities for the school are to improve Māori students’ achievement and engagement, strengthen school-wide bicultural approaches, and promote success for Māori as Māori. School leaders model te reo Māori me ōna tikanga, and support Māori staff and students to lead Māori success strategies through te whānauora roopu.

Students and staff experience a learning and working environment where diversity is valued and respected. The school is committed to supporting the languages, cultures and identities of staff, students and their whānau. It provides an inclusive learning environment for students, for young people who arrive in New Zealand as refugees, and for other priority learners. The school caters very well for students’ wellbeing needs. These features of the school create positive conditions in which young people can learn.

Students endeavour to meet the school’s expectations to be respectful and responsible learners. They are focused and on-task, listening to and being guided by teachers. The increased use of digital devices in classrooms is having a positive impact by engaging students and supporting them to be self-managing. Students are gaining a greater ‘voice’ in the school and participating more actively in their learning. Leaders and teachers also value the role that parents play in their children’s learning and encourage their involvement.

Many teachers throughout the school are highly skilled practitioners. They respond positively to increased expectations to work collaboratively and reciprocally. As a result, teachers are beginning to work across departments, designing cross-curricular, integrated learning programmes that engage students in deeper and more connected learning experiences.

The school’s inquiry-focused appraisal process provides very good opportunities for teachers to reflect on, critique and improve their practice. Professional learning is well aligned to the school’s strategic priorities. It includes supporting teachers to plan meaningful and more personalised learning based on students’ achievement and wellbeing information.

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

As part of the school’s strategic programme, school leaders recognise the importance of strengthening alignment and linkages between te whānauora roopu and the board. This would help to increase the sense of urgency about advancing the board’s strategic goals to promote equity and excellence for Māori students. Seeking the ‘voice’ specifically of Māori students would also provide the school with useful information for internal evaluation.

The principal and senior team are preparing to redesign the school’s curriculum so that it provides greater opportunities for students to lead their own learning, and to think critically and pose and solve problems.

Further developments for the school include:

  • strengthening internal evaluation to show the impact of initiatives and approaches in promoting positive outcomes for students
  • establishing a school-wide understanding of acceleration, and a consistent approach to assessment for students in Years 9 and 10
  • enhancing the role of parents as partners in their children’s learning.

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.

Areas for improved compliance practice

To improve current practice, the board of trustees should consult with its community about the delivery of its health curriculum.

4 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

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

  • highly effective, professional leadership that promotes school-wide collaboration and focuses on improving equitable and excellent outcomes for Māori, Pacific and all other learners

  • inclusive and positive learning and working environment where students’ diverse languages, cultures and identities are fostered and their religions respected

  • the capability and dedication of the teaching team who are open to learning and committed to improving professional practice.

Next steps

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

  • improving Māori learners’ engagement and achievement, and promoting further opportunities for Māori to succeed as Māori

  • redesigning the school’s curriculum to enhance opportunities for students to have greater ownership of their learning, and to pose and solve problems and think critically

  • developing a consistent, school-wide assessment approach for students in Years 9 and 10, and a shared understanding of acceleration

  • deepening the use of internal evaluation in order to measure the impact or effectiveness of strategies and initiatives for improving student outcomes.

ERO’s next external evaluation process and timing

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

Violet Tu’uga Stevenson

Director Review and Improvement Services Te Tai Raki - Northern Region

11 October 2018

About the school

Location

Mangere, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

91

School type

State Secondary School, Years 9-13

School roll

707

Gender composition

Girls 53% Boys 47%

Ethnic composition

Māori 20%
Samoan 32%
Tongan 18%
Cook Island Māori 18%
Niue 4%
other Ethnic Groups 8%

Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS)

No

Provision of Māori medium education

No

Review team on site

August 2018

Date of this report

11 October 2018

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review November 2015
Education Review November 2012
Education Review June 2009

Mangere College - 19/11/2015

1 Context

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

Mangere College, a coeducational secondary school located in the Auckland suburb of Mangere, provides good quality education for Year 9 to 13 students. The school roll of over 700 students reflects its ethnically diverse community. Over 80 percent of the students are of Pacific heritage and 15 percent are Māori. Te Reo Māori, Gagana Samoa, Lea Faka-Tonga and Te Reo Māori Kuki Airani are taught as language options.

Recommendations from ERO’s 2012 report have helped the school to focus on school-wide practices to improve outcomes for students. A strategic approach to working with senior students and their families is helping students to be better informed about learning and achievement.

The school has a strong values base. Inclusive, culturally responsive relationships are a feature amongst students and adults. A sound bicultural foundation to school practices promotes strong multicultural perspectives. All ethnicities are acknowledged and valued. Students have a sense of their own identity in the school. This is, in part, attributable to staff making good use of the Ministry of Education’s resources Ka Hikitia - Accelerating Success 2013 – 2017 and Tātaiako - Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners, and the Auckland University Starpath project.

The school is nearly 45 years old and the expansive grounds, buildings and facilities are well maintained. The refurbishment of classrooms, a new gymnasium and the re-introduction of aspects of horticulture add to an already broad curriculum. A fluctuating roll in recent years provides a challenge for school leaders.

2 Learning

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

Leaders and teachers are using achievement information well to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement. The board and school leaders set targets to accelerate the progress of groups of students. Results are analysed and reported to the board. Students with learning difficulties are identified and successfully supported by teacher mentors, teacher aides and additional programmes.

For senior students, academic counselling promotes a sense of urgency about achievement and knowing next learning steps to accelerate success. Teachers contact parents to share information about students’ learning and progress throughout the year. Parents told ERO they are confident the school is doing the best for their children with a balanced focus on both pastoral care and learning support.

The board of trustees receive good reports about student achievement in NCEA levels 1, 2 and 3. The data indicates that student achievement in NCEA has improved over the past 3 years, a continuing trend and in line with similar schools. School leaders continue to use government targets as a basis for school-wide goals.

Heads of departments monitor, evaluate and report on student progress and achievement initiatives at Years 9 and 10. School leaders are reviewing the Year 9 and 10 curriculum. Evaluative reports on the progress and achievement of Year 9 and 10 students in all curriculum areas will assist the board in their strategic planning.

3 Curriculum

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

The school’s curriculum is increasingly effective in promoting and supporting student learning.

Students learn from a broad inclusive curriculum with a significant focus on literacy and numeracy at Year 9 and 10, and a strong NCEA focus at Years 11, 12 and 13. Teachers are reflective in their teaching and there is an emphasis on making learning contexts relevant to students.

Students have a sense of identity and belonging in this school. They appreciate the visual inspirational prompts throughout the school that motivate them to contribute and achieve. Students are encouraged to attend school regularly, to participate actively in curriculum programmes and to see themselves as capable learners. They have frequent opportunities to learn interactively with their peers. Relationships with teachers are respectful. Restorative practices and an expansive student wrap around pastoral care system supports students to engage in their learning.

Students benefit from the significant leadership of heads of departments, who work collaboratively to give students better access to achievement opportunities. They create pathways to learning within the school curriculum and through links with Tertiary providers. Students achieve credits and lay a foundation for further educational opportunities after they have finished school. Students from the college's alternative education programme are fully integrated within the school and are also challenged to work towards their pathway through school and on to the future. Providing a challenging but rewarding programme for all students is the focus for teachers and student support staff.

Students’ home languages are valued. These languages are heard throughout the school and celebrated during the school year. Teachers acknowledge the cultures that students bring with them from their home and work with the students to capture and include the richness of those experiences in their school work.

There is a strong commitment to professional development for teachers by the board of trustees. Cultural competence and expertise amongst teachers provides an inclusive and productive learning environment for students. This helps teachers gain shared understandings of effective teaching that engages and motivates students. Many teachers have made good progress in adopting a teaching style that is based on facilitating learning. Links with community groups allow students to expand their knowledge and networks. Student leadership is valued and promoted at all levels.

Teacher appraisal promotes professionalism and supports teachers to reflect and adapt their practice. Teachers evaluate the impact of their teaching on student engagement and learning. The evaluation of teaching programmes should make strategic use of student voice. It is timely to review and modify teacher appraisal to ensure there is consistency in the implementation of the processes.

There is a continuing emphasis on improving teachers’ delivery of the curriculum. The aim is to enable students’ to take greater ownership of their own progress and to think more critically about their learning. There are intentional changes in teaching practice to reinforce students’ use of the key competencies identified in The New Zealand Curriculum. Teachers use their own professional networks and relationships to enhance learning for students.

Heads of departments provide regular reports to the principal on progress against charter targets. Using these reports to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching programmes would strengthen the board’s monitoring against their strategic plan and annual goals.

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

Māori students are experiencing success as Māori. The principal, leaders and staff are committed to promoting Māori student identity, culture and language. Aspects of te reo Māori me ōna tikanga are integrated within learning programmes. Ongoing consideration is given to promoting the bicultural perspectives of New Zealand’s heritage. These and other strategies support Māori students to experience pride and success as Māori.

The school continues to develop relationships with Māori students and their whānau. Te reo Māori is taught at all levels and students have an active kapa haka and whānau support group. Māori parents meet with staff to discuss the teaching and learning of Māori students. Board members have re-established regular whānau hui and they are actively seeking more representation of Māori at board level. They see this as one way of providing a greater voice for the Māori community of the school.

Fifteen percent of students identify as Māori. The school’s achievement information indicates that at NCEA Level 3 Māori students achieve better than the national average for Maori. Māori students who remain until the end of Year 13 achieve very well. Improving Māori student retention, engagement and attendance are ongoing targets for senior leaders and staff.

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.

The board is led by a capable chairperson. Kaitiakitanga and whanaungatanga are evident in the strong links with the wider school community. The board is deepening their role of stewardship with the ongoing development of a strategic plan. A present focus for the board is re-visioning the school as a learning environment that is both innovative and optimistic about improving outcomes for all students.

The board is preparing to appoint a new principal. Over time, the principal and senior leadership team have brought about planned changes in the school. Leaders and teachers can now accelerate student achievement through evaluation, inquiry and knowledge building for improvement and innovation. The board can strengthen self-review systems and procedures to develop a more cohesive approach to ongoing school improvement.

The board regularly reviews governance processes. These reviews are systematic, but not always evaluative. Targeted board training would help trustees be more rigorous with documentation practices to ensure they comply with legislative requirements such as police vetting and teacher appraisal.

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

Mangere College students are proud of their language, culture and identity. The broad curriculum allows students to participate in a wide range of activities in a learning environment that promotes a strong sense of whānau and community. Parents and teachers share students’ aspirations, preparing them for future focussed learning.

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

Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

About the School

Location

Mangere, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

91

School type

Secondary (Years 9 to 15)

School roll

662

Gender composition

Girls       52%
Boys      48%

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā
Samoan
Tongan
Cook Island Māori
Niue
Asian
other Pacific
other

15%
  1%
34%
22%
17%
  5%
  1%
  2%
  3%

Review team on site

August 2015

Date of this report

19 November 2015

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review
Education Review
Education Review

November 2012
June 2009
June 2006