Marton School

Marton School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 14 months of the Education Review Office and Marton School working in Te Ara Huarau, an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website. www.ero.govt.nz

Context 

Marton School is in the town of Marton, located in the Rangitikei district. The school caters for students in years 1 to 8.

Marton School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:

  • enhance hauora/wellbeing for learners and staff

  • embrace and empower learners to flourish

  • enhance learning partnerships with whānau and learners

  • value Māori ways of knowing and being.

A copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan can be requested from Marton School.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively staff build teaching, learning and curriculum practice in literacy that promotes equitable and excellent outcomes for learners.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

  • In 2021, school leaders and ERO worked together to explore and design an evaluation plan focused on achieving equity and excellence for students working toward curriculum expectations in writing. At the end of 2021, reported information shows the school’s focus on building practice in writing has impacted positively on learner outcomes. A positive trajectory in overall achievement has been reported, with nearly all learners working toward curriculum expectations showing progress or accelerated progress. In 2022, leaders and teachers are seeking to build on their continuous improvement journey and are maintaining their focus on promoting positive outcomes for learners in literacy.

The school expects to see:

  • a continued schoolwide positive trajectory in literacy achievement and accelerated progress for targeted learners  

  • effective teaching and learning in delivery of literacy practice aligned to the school’s agreed expectations

  • changes to the Marton School curriculum establishing agreed expectations for delivery of the literacy curriculum.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal of leaders continuing to engage teachers in collaboratively developing their practice and building on positive learner outcomes:

  • leader’s decision making supports continuous improvement aligned to the school’s strategic priorities

  • collaborative practice, guided by leaders, supports development of teachers’ professional capability and practice in delivery of the literacy curriculum  

  • an appropriate range of assessment tools and methods are used to build a clear picture of progress and achievement which is used to plan for learner needs, track, monitor and report on their progress

  • the school environment encourages the positive participation and engagement of students in learning.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • continuing to build teachers collective capability and practice to meet the diverse learning needs of individual students

  • documenting further changes to the schools localised curriculum that reflects shared strategies gained from participation in professional learning.

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. ERO will support the school in reporting their progress to the community. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.

Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

1 February 2023 

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement.  educationcounts.govt.nz/home

Marton School

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2022 to 2025

As of July 2022, the Marton School Board of Trustees has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:

Board Administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Personnel Management

Yes

Finance

Yes

Assets

Yes

Further Information

For further information please contact Marton School Board of Trustees.

The next Board of Trustees assurance that it is meeting regulatory and legislative requirements will be reported, along with the Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report, within three years.

Information on ERO’s role and process in this review can be found on the Education Review Office website.

Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

1 February 2023 

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home

Marton School - 16/02/2017

1 Context

Marton School is a Year 1 to 8 school in the Rangitikei District town of Marton. At the time of this ERO review, 158 students attended. Approximately 19% identify as Māori and 9% as Pacific.

Since the May 2014 ERO report, the roll has continued to grow. Senior leadership and staffing are stable. In 2016, the staff and community celebrated 150 years of education at the school.

Positive progress has been made with areas for development identified in the previous ERO report.

2 Equity and excellence

The vision and valued outcomes defined by the school are for all children to develop a disposition for 'Learning for Life'. The schools mission is to promote student achievement, wellbeing, positive citizenship and learner agency.

Students are encouraged to be constructive members of a community, be happy, healthy and empathetic to others. STARS values express the student characteristics and competencies the school seeks to promote: being self-motivated; taking risks in learning; being articulate and resilient; and with ability to solve problems.

The school’s achievement information shows that most students, including Māori, achieved at or above in relation to the National Standards in 2015. Appropriate systems and processes are focused on increasing achievement of equity and excellence for Pacific students.

Teachers have developed clear processes to support the dependability of their assessment judgements about students' achievement in relation to the National Standards. An appropriate range of nationally-normed and school-based assessments are used. Guidelines support a shared knowledge of achievement expectations. Implementation of the Progress and Consistency Tool (PaCT) should further strengthen teachers' assessment judgements.

Since the previous ERO evaluation the school has:

  • developed a curriculum and achievement plan outlining the school vision, values and shared expectations for teaching and learning
  • engaged teachers in professional learning and development to build on their curriculum knowledge in mathematics and writing
  • extended teachers' understanding of students' cognitive development and learning dispositions
  • continued to strengthen the provision and use of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori
  • reviewed and redeveloped teacher appraisal
  • become involved in a Community of Learning (CoL). 

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

The school responds effectively to Māori children whose learning and achievement need acceleration.

Leaders and teachers collaboratively analyse assessment data to identify Māori children whose achievement needs acceleration and establish the focus for their learning.

In general, targets explicitly identify or are inclusive of Māori learners. Strengthening the strategic alignment of the school's targeted actions with the needs of the identified students is a next step. This should also provide better opportunities to evaluate the impact of actions and practices on accelerating student achievement.

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

The school responds well to Pacific students whose learning and achievement need acceleration.

Strategies are similar to the successful practices used to respond to Māori learners. In addition, students are provided with access to English language learning programmes. Building effective learning partnerships with Pacific families is an area for further development.

The special education needs coordinator provides effective leadership for meeting the diverse needs of students who require additional support. Collaborative development of students' individual education plans generally includes parents, whānau and families. Each student's goals are regularly revisited to ensure that what is provided is responsive to their changing needs.

Teacher aides support literacy and mathematics learning in classrooms and facilitate some specialist programmes. External specialists and agency support are accessed as required for individuals with complex needs.

The board's evaluation of its resourcing decisions should be strengthened by increased reporting about the impacts for students of additional learning support.

3 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 targets for equity and excellence?

The school's curriculum, systems and practices successfully enact its vision, values, goals and targets for equity and excellence. Te ao Māori is visible across the curriculum and is a focus for ongoing development.

Leaders and teachers take a strategic approach to curriculum development and to improving practices in the priority areas of literacy and numeracy. The school is well placed to:

  • build on its established foundations of effective practice
  • continue to explore use of digital technologies
  • enhance students' leadership of their own learning.

Positive relationships between teachers and students contribute to an inclusive climate for learning. Staff collectively foster students' wellbeing. Students demonstrate a strong sense of belonging to their school.

Staff value partnerships with parents, whānau and families. Regular discussions and written reports provide useful information about students' achievement and curriculum involvement. Further developing partnerships for learning with the parents and whānau of students whose achievement needs acceleration should be a valuable next step.

Leaders effectively promote conditions for achieving equity and excellence for all students. The principal has developed a strong culture of learning which places students at the centre of decision making. Leaders actively facilitate the professional growth of teachers.

Leaders have good knowledge of teacher effectiveness. The teaching team is highly collaborative. Regular observation and feedback to teachers supports the consistency and quality of practice. There are high expectations for effective teaching and learning that contribute to successful student achievement outcomes.

The principal has effectively led changes to teacher appraisal. The appraisal process has relevance for teachers and makes clear links to the Practising Teacher Criteria. Learning conversations between the principal and teachers affirm effective strategies for teaching and learning, and provide challenges for teachers' ongoing development. Continuing to include information from student surveys in this process should assist teachers to consider the impact of their practice on students' learning. Embedding the changes that have been made to appraisal, and strengthening teaching as inquiry should further benefit teaching and learning.

The board is committed to supporting positive student outcomes. Trustees make changes in line with legislative requirements. A governance framework identifies their roles and responsibilities. It is now timely for trustees to consider how well their agreed roles and responsibilities, as expressed in the framework, align with indicators of effective stewardship. This should provide a useful basis for evaluation of the board's governance practice.

Leaders and teachers are highly reflective. They undertake curriculum review and consider student progress and achievement when making decisions. They recognise that strengthening internal evaluation and inquiry into practice, should support trustees and teachers to better determine what impacts targeted actions have on outcomes for students. ERO's evaluation affirms this direction.

4 Going forward

How well placed is the school to accelerate the achievement of all children who need it?

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. 

Leaders and teachers work collaboratively to address students' learning needs. School plans and processes focus clearly on achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Leaders recognise that a next step is to sharpen the focus on students whose achievement needs acceleration by better aligning school processes and practices with the strategic targets. Strengthening internal evaluation should further support trustees, leaders and teachers to gain a robust knowledge about how effective the school's actions are in achieving its identified priorities.

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

5 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.

6 Recommendation

ERO affirms the school's intention to continue to strengthen its performance for students through addressing the next steps outlined in this report. 

Joyce Gebbie

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central

16 February 2017 

About the school 

Location

Marton

Ministry of Education profile number

2397

School type

Full Primary (Years 1 to 8)

School roll

158

Gender composition

Female 51%, Male 49%

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

Pacific

Other ethnic groups

19%

65%

9%

7%

Review team on site

November 2016

Date of this report

16 February 2017

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

Education Review

Supplementary Review

May 2014

December 2009

February 2007

 

Marton School - 14/05/2014

1 Context

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

Marton School is a Years 1 to 8 school situated in the Rangitikei District town of Marton. The roll of 135 students, with 26% Māori and 12% Pacific, is slightly lower since the December 2009 ERO report. Year 7 and 8 students play a key role in leading and maintaining a positive school culture.

In 2011, a new logo and vision for the future was developed. The logo represents the aspirations of the school’s community for its students: values; virtues; and desire to be lifelong learners and make a positive contribution to New Zealand. Desirable qualities for successful learners to achieve the vision are described as STARS: self motivated; take risks; articulate; resilient; and solves problems.

A number of staff are newly appointed since 2009. Incorporating best teaching practice to increase students’ rates of progress has continued to be the focus promoted by the senior leadership team. The majority of board members are experienced trustees.

The school community is characterised by sound respectful relationships, shared aspirations, open communication and clear, agreed direction to prepare students for the future. Parents and families are strongly supportive of initiatives that benefit their children.

2 Learning

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

Teachers use a range of assessment tools, in a purposeful way, to determine how well students are progressing and to identify next steps for learning. Decisions about next steps for learning are made carefully and students contribute to goal setting. With teacher guidance, students are developing their ability to self assess progress as they finish each task.

The school reports that at the end of 2013 approximately two thirds of students achieved at or above in relation to the National Standard in reading, writing and mathematics. Results for Māori and Pacific students were below that of their peers. Achievement data shows that a number of students made accelerated progress during the year. Targets for improved achievement are well considered from overall school results. Mathematics is a priority for 2014.

Teachers consider, as a team, how successfully their teaching makes a difference to student achievement. To further their learning, professional learning and development (PLD) in 2014 is designed around ‘what works best to improve student achievement?'. The next step is to strengthen the focus on accelerating individual students’ progress by identifying specific gaps in learning and working in small steps towards improvement.

Students requiring learning assistance are well catered for through special programmes, resourcing and additional adult support. Progress is closely monitored. Class teachers and support staff work together to achieve improvement. Parents are regularly involved and make an important contribution. Most students achieve good gains in confidence, enthusiasm and academic progress.

3 Curriculum

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

The school’s curriculum is broad, with literacy and mathematics, health and physical education as priorities. These priorities respond to students’ needs and parents’ preference. Students learning how to learn, is considered essential to achieving the school’s vision for confident and motivated, lifelong learners. Teachers actively teach the strategies students need to self manage, organise, make decisions and work independently. These key competencies are highly evident and embedded as students progress to Year 8.

The Year 7 and 8 curriculum is appropriately challenging and interesting for students. Contexts and teaching strategies acknowledge that students are preparing for secondary school. Foundation skills are taught deliberately in the early years with ample time for students to practise new learning.

Relationships between teachers and students and among students are respectful and supportive. Teachers know their students well. There is a busy, purposeful atmosphere in classrooms. Routines and expectations are understood. Students are encouraged to persevere with tasks and to ask for help. The purpose for learning is clear and students learn the steps for success. They demonstrate growing confidence in this area.

Staff actively promote students’ wellbeing. They understand the link between wellbeing and successful learning. Teaching is highly inclusive and students learn with, and from each other. Leaders are beginning to document the impact and effectiveness of strategies that contribute to students’ wellbeing.

Pacific students are well supported to learn and to feel confident and comfortable at school. English language learners (ELL) have specialist teaching and assistance from class buddies who take their role very seriously. Teachers structure new learning in small steps and provide additional practice time to increase students’ understanding. Staff are revisiting the Ministry's Pacific Education Plan to review how well the curriculum meets the needs of ELL students.

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

Teachers are considering Ka Hikitia: The Māori Education Strategy 2013 - 2017 to identify curriculum strengths, progress and next steps to achieve through the school’s annual plan. The school culture of respectful relationships, focus on cooperative learning and expectation that students will succeed, contributes to Māori students’ confidence and progress.

A partnership is developing with the local iwi, Ngāti Apa, to support Māori students to achieve success as Māori. Iwi representatives are guiding custom and protocol. All students participate in the Ki Tai programme that affirms Māori students as leaders and holders of cultural knowledge. Teachers and students are growing in confidence to practise learning, such as mihi and waiata, in class. Kapa haka has been introduced in 2014. The next step is to integrate te ao Māori more deliberately through the curriculum.

Parents are involved in supporting their children to set learning goals, to participate in sport and to be active in the wider curriculum. Their views are sought in a range of ways. Trustees and the leadership team identify that continuing to grow relationships with Māori whānau and iwi is a priority.

4 Sustainable Performance

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

The board continues to review how effectively school policies and strategic planning goals are achieved. Trustees make decisions, including funding additional resources, to improve student achievement. They have good working relationships with the principal and staff.

Staff work cooperatively, as an effective team. An induction process familiarises new staff and trustees with policies and practices that support students to be confident, motivated and successful learners. Teachers have opportunities to use their strengths, share best practice and influence the quality of teaching. Senior leaders have clear expectations for teacher performance and provide good guidance towards improvement. They look beyond the school’s immediate area for innovation and improvement. There is considerable collaboration and shared learning with other schools.

PLD is extensive and in-depth, designed to improve students’ rates of progress and add to teachers’ curriculum knowledge. It is evident that PLD is changing teachers’ practice.

Students’ opinions are considered and valued. They responsibly carry out a wide range of leadership roles. The STARS learner qualities are enacted and integrated across the school.

Contacting families informally and in a range of situations is proving an effective way of developing partnerships with parents. Trustees consult, inform and seek feedback to reflect parents’ views and aspirations in board decisions. Parents play a key role in their children’s education. Attendance at student, parent and teacher conferences is high. Sharing students’ success stories through the personal ‘Joy Contacts’ is drawing an enthusiastic and encouraging response. As a next step, senior leaders are reviewing written reports to parents to ensure students’ progress and achievement in relation to National Standards, is made clear.

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.

When is ERO likely to review the school again?

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

Joyce Gebbie

National Manager Review Services Central Region (Acting)

14 May 2014

About the School

Location

Marton

Ministry of Education profile number

2397

School type

Full Primary (Years 1 to 8)

School roll

135

Gender composition

Male 55%, Female 45%

Ethnic composition

Māori

NZ European/Pākehā

Pacific

Other ethnic groups

26%

56%

12%

6%

Review team on site

March 2014

Date of this report

14 May 2014

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

Supplementary Review

Education Review

December 2009

February 2007

November 2005