Manurewa South School

Manurewa South School - 11/12/2019

School Context

Manurewa South School caters for students from Years 1 to 6. The roll of 368 includes 56 percent Māori students and 25 percent Pacific students.

The senior leadership team consists of the principal, deputy principal, and two newly appointed senior teachers. The school is experiencing significant roll growth.

The school hosts Rosehill School students and staff in two satellite units. It operates a Māori enrichment class that provides students with opportunities to learn te reo and tikanga Māori. An innovative learning space for Years 5 and 6 students opened at the beginning of the year.

The school’s vision is ‘ma te wero ka puawai te hua’, by challenging yourself you will blossom in education. This is underpinned by the values of respect, excellence, and a positive attitude.

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

  • achievement in reading, writing, and mathematics
  • wellbeing and care.

The school’s strategic priorities for improving valued student outcomes and success include:

  • developing teacher knowledge and understanding of data analysis
  • raising student achievement
  • engaging Māori and Pacific whānau/fono
  • upgrading the school environment to maximise teaching and learning.

The 2016 ERO report noted that teachers were responding effectively to the individual strengths, needs and interests of students. Since 2016, leaders and teachers have improved the teachers’ appraisal system. They continue to work on establishing robust and rigorous internal evaluation to support ongoing improvement.

The school is part of Te Kāhui Ako o Manurewa I Community of Learning.

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 working towards achieving equitable outcomes for students. School achievement data show a small majority of students achieve at or above expected curriculum levels in writing, and a large majority of students in mathematics. This achievement has been sustained over time.

School achievement data from recent years show a decrease in reading, with less than half of all students achieving at or above expected levels. Recent data show improved achievement in reading and writing for boys, although more work needs to be done. Disparity for boys’ achievement in mathematics continues.

The 2018 achievement information shows that most Māori learners achieve at or above expected levels in mathematics. In literacy, less than half of Māori learners achieve at or above expected levels.

The larger majority of Pacific learners achieve at or above expected levels in writing and mathematics. A small majority of Pacific achieve at or above in reading.

Children with additional learning needs are very well supported to achieve individual goals and be successful learners.

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

The school is beginning to accelerate learning for some Māori and other students who need this.

Leaders and teachers are focusing on developing shared understandings when analysing and moderating assessment information. Teachers ensure that learning contexts are relevant, meaningful, and include hands-on learning opportunities.

Recently introduced culturally responsive practices are supporting students’ progress and achievement. Greater collaboration and tuakana/teina relationships, particularly in mathematics, are improving children’s confidence and engagement.

Teacher aides are well supported to respond to individual children’s specific interests and learning needs. This has resulted in some decreasing disparity.

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?

Strong teacher/student relationships, whakawhanaungatanga, and manaakitanga underpin the school culture. Students and staff who spoke with ERO noted children’s sense of belonging in the school. Teachers are inclusive in their practice. They teach mixed-ability groups, encourage tuakana/teina relationships, and purposefully engage students in conversation to improve oral language skills.

Students participate in te reo and tikanga Māori programmes. Kapa haka allow for leadership opportunities throughout the school. Students’ experiences to promote success as Māori are increasing their engagement and ownership of learning.

Leaders and teachers are beginning to build their capability and capacity through relevant, external professional learning and development (PLD). Leaders promote collaborative inquiry approaches to share new knowledge and understandings. New professional learning is being implemented effectively across all levels in the school. This is beginning to improve teaching and learning and developing greater consistency in teacher practice.

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

It is timely for leaders and teachers to review, refine and embed recent developments in teaching and learning. They need to evaluate these developments to ensure they are having the desired impact on students’ learning, and teaching approaches are consistent across the school.

Leaders are developing a local curriculum that is more relevant and connected to students, whānau and the school community. They should ensure that the diverse community cultures and strong connections to the Pacific Islands are reflected in the curriculum.

Leaders need to deepen their scrutiny of student achievement information to accelerate progress for those students who need this. Teachers could make learning more visible so that students can make informed decisions about their next learning steps.

The school could now build on the good parent/teacher relationships. Staff need to consider ways to place a greater focus on learning partnerships, to enable parents to be more involved in their children’s goals and achievement.

Trustees of the newly elected board acknowledge that they need to develop more robust policies, procedures and internal evaluation practices to ensure that the board meets its legal requirements and obligations. This should enable trustees to have a clear focus on the progress of strategic goals and monitor how well the school is achieving equitable outcomes for all students.

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 Children’s Act 2014.

4 ERO’s Overall Judgement

On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of Manurewa South School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Developing.

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

5 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

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

  • whakawhanaungatanga that enables positive, reciprocal relationships with whānau and the school community
  • strong teacher/student relationships
  • students’ participation in te reo and tikanga Māori programmes
  • continued development of culturally responsive teaching and learning practices.

Next steps

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

  • embedding and evaluating the impact of the new initiatives to improve outcomes for students
  • developing and documenting a local curriculum that is relevant to the needs of students and the school’s community
  • aligning teacher inquiry to student achievement targets and accelerated teaching and learning
  • further promoting learning partnerships to involve whānau and fono more in their child’s learning
  • strengthening trustees’ capability to scrutinise the school’s effectiveness in achieving valued student outcomes.

Steve Tanner

Director Review and Improvement Services Northern

Northern Region

11 December 2019

About the school

Location

Manukau Central, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

1355

School type

Contributing (Years 1 to 6)

School roll

368

Gender composition

Girls 50% Boys 50%

Ethnic composition

Māori 56%
NZ European/ Pākehā 5%
Samoan 19%
Indian 6%
Tongan 5%
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

11 December 2019

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education review June 2016
Education review April 2013
Education review August 2009

Manurewa South School - 10/06/2016

1 Context

Manurewa South School caters for Year 1 to 6 children from a culturally diverse community, with the majority of students being of Māori or Pacific descent. The school is well supported by the community. Staff professional development over the past few years has focused on enhancing teaching practices and developing learning focused partnerships with parents and a positive school culture. A Māori enrichment class provides students with the option of learning more te reo and tikanga within their learning programme.

2 Equity and excellence

The vision and valued outcomes defined by the school for all children are focussed on building lifelong learning through strong, respectful relationships underpinned by the values of respect, excellence, and positive attitude. The school motto encapsulates this vision - Mā te wero ka puawai te hua, By challenging yourself you will blossom in education.

The school provides a secure, caring and positive learning environment in which each child is encouraged to realise their potential. The values are visible throughout the school and teachers incorporate them into daily programmes to ensure children develop a shared understanding about them.

For the year to December 2015, student achievement in National Standards writing showed significant improvement. In this period, there were also some slight gains in achievement in reading and mathematics. Māori students' achievement overall has progressed well with a slight improvement in mathematics and a significant increase in the percentage of students achieving at National Standards in reading and writing.

Leaders analyse achievement information well to identify the children who need additional support. They should now consider using this information to develop more specific achievement targets as part of their strategy to accelerate these children's progress. Tracking and collating achievement information about groups of children who have consistently attended this school could provide the board and staff with more accurate information about the impact of school programmes.

Since the 2013 ERO review the school has strengthened assessment and reporting systems so that children at risk of not achieving the National Standards are identified earlier. Teachers have reviewed and improved their use of assessment information to identify children's learning needs at the school-wide, syndicate and individual levels.

An increased focus on moderation across the school and in syndicates is being given a high priority. This should help to continue building teachers' capability in making judgements about student progress and achievement against the National Standards. Targeted professional development has supported teachers to reflect on the effectiveness and impact of their strategies to accelerate the progress of identified groups of children.

Since the 2013 ERO evaluation senior leaders and teachers have undertaken professional learning and development to improve the quality of teaching and learning in reading and writing. This has assisted them to focus more systematically on students who are at risk of not achieving.

The school's 2016 strategic plan includes specific achievement targets to improve writing levels for students who were achieving below the National Standard at the end of 2015.

3 Accelerating achievement

How effectively does this school respond to Māori children whose learning and achievement need acceleration?

Overall, the school responds well to Māori children whose learning and progress needs acceleration. School leaders have a sense of urgency about accelerating these children's progress and lifting their achievement. Student achievement information is becoming more accurate and valid. Assessment data is increasingly well used to identify students' learning needs, and to design individualised programmes that accelerate their progress and lift achievement.

The principal is successfully engaging with and responding to parents and whānau. This is having a positive impact that is helping to forge relationships with whānau. As a result there is better partnering between the school, parents and whānau to provide support for children's learning and wellbeing.

The deputy principal, who teaches the Māori enrichment class, leads the learning of te reo and tikanga Māori for all students and staff. She also ensures that school kawa is followed. Many students in the senior school are involved in kapa haka, and students ably lead pōwhiri and whaikōrero. Some male students are involved in Tamatoa, a community organised values and tikanga programme. The promotion of te reo and tikanga Māori is building students' self-esteem and affirms their Māori identity, language and culture.

How effectively does this school respond to other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration?

The school responds well to other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration, including students with special educational needs.

School leaders also promote a sense of urgency about accelerating the learning and achievement of Pacific students, who make up 23 percent of the school roll. The school values and recognises Pacific students and their whānau and community as a significant part of Manurewa South School. School leaders and teachers use data effectively, and ensure that support programmes and interventions have a positive impact on Pacific student learning and achievement. Since 2013, Pacific students have made steady progress in reading. Pacific student achievement in writing and mathematics followed a similar pattern to that of the whole school population, with a decline in 2014 and a lift in 2015.

4 School conditions

How effectively do the school’s curriculum and other organisational processes and practices develop and enact the school’s vision, values, goals and priorities for equity and excellence?

The school has a variety of processes and practices that promote and enact the school motto and values, and foster equity and excellence.

School leaders are focused on achieving equitable outcomes for all students in terms of their learning, progress and wellbeing. The school promotes a welcoming and inclusive learning environment for students and their whānau. The principal has put significant emphasis on developing a positive and safe tone in the school. Strong connections and relationships with parents, whānau and the community are providing a good foundation for improving student outcomes. Leaders and teachers know the needs, strengths and interests of children, particularly those who need to make accelerated progress.

The principal has focused on strengthening staff leadership and teaching practice across the school. Priority has been given to building shared understandings about student achievement and establishing robust moderation processes. Teachers are well supported to use evidence to critically review their practice, particularly in relation to learners who require acceleration.

A school-wide programme focused on growing a positive learning culture within the school is well established. The Mutukāroa initiative is strengthening the learning-focused relationships between students, their parents and whānau, and the school. Plans are also in place to improve learning through the use of digital technologies.

Clear guidelines and shared expectations support teachers to deliver a broad curriculum that prioritises literacy and numeracy. Teachers are increasing support for students to take ownership of their own learning. Children benefit from learning experiences that broaden their perspectives and knowledge of the world. Skilled teachers and teacher aides know children well and are able to tailor learning programmes to the interests, strengths and needs of individual students.

Overall, children are engaged and demonstrate high levels of enjoyment in their learning. They are confident and proud of their school. Children have good leadership opportunities. Their learning is visible and celebrated in classrooms. The school's focus on values is helping students to become selfmanaging, confident learners.

The board of trustees is highly supportive of the school. Trustees have a good understanding of their governance roles and responsibilities. They receive good information about school management, school programmes and initiatives, and student achievement. With the strong leadership and expertise of an external consultant and the principal, a well considered strategic plan has been developed. Trustees connect well with the community and are currently engaged in succession planning in preparation for the 2016 board of trustees election.

The next step for the board and school leaders is to establish and use robust and rigorous internal evaluation processes to support a coherent approach to ongoing improvement.

5 Going forward

How well placed is the school to achieve and sustain equitable and excellent outcomes for all children?

Leaders and teachers:

  • know the children whose learning and achievement need to be accelerated
  • respond effectively to the strengths, needs and interests of each child
  • regularly evaluate how well teaching is working for these children
  • act on what they know works well for each child
  • build teacher capability effectively to achieve equitable outcomes for all children
  • are well placed to achieve and sustain equitable and excellent outcomes for all children.

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

6 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 the following:

  • board administration
  • curriculum
  • management of health, safety and welfare
  • personnel management
  • 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
  • processes for appointing staff
  • stand down, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions
  • attendance
  • compliance with the provisions of the Vulnerable Children Act 2014.

The board and school leaders must ensure that they:

develop and implement policies and procedures for the appraisal of all staff[s 77C State Sector Act 1988; NZ Gazette and relevant Collective Employment Agreement].

7 Recommendations

ERO recommends that the board and school leaders continue to build and strengthen the school's evaluation capacity at the board, leadership and teacher levels to assist with strategic developments to promote excellence and equity for all learners. 

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

10 June 2016

About the school

Location

Manurewa, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

1355

School type

Contributing (Years 1 to 6)

School roll

293

Gender composition

Boys 53%, Girls 47%

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

Samoan

Cook Island Māori

Indian

other

54%

8%

15%

8%

5%

10%

Review team on site

March 2016

Date of this report

10 June 2016

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

Education Review

Education Review

April 2013

August 2009

August 2006