Massey Primary School

1 Context

Massey Primary in West Auckland is a full primary school with students from 22 different ethnic backgrounds. Teaching staff are culturally diverse and range from those who are new to the profession and a number with long service at this school. Leaders and teachers are members of many local education networks and this provides benefits for children and their whānau. The board of trustees chairperson and school principal are very experienced in their roles.

2 Equity and excellence

The vision and valued outcomes defined by the school for all children are "to motivate, empower and develop responsible citizens who can access and use a range of resources" and be actively engaged and contributing members of the community. The school strives to develop children's critical thinking skills and confidence along with developing their ability to take considered risks and manage their own learning and behaviour in varied learning environments.

The school encourages children to be creative, innovative and literate in the use of e-learning technology. Leaders want children to leave Massey Primary equipped to be lifelong learners with the skills to develop and maintain positive relationships with diverse people.

The school's achievement information shows that over the past three years children achieve well in relation to National Standards in reading and mathematics. The overall achievement of Māori children is similar to that of non-Māori. Of the children who spend most of their time at Massey school and leave after Year 8, more than 85 percent are at the National Standard in reading and mathematics. Leaders and teachers employ a range of strategies to support children who transition into the school from other schools and continue to carefully monitor these children as they progress through the school.

The school reports that over the last three years there has been a downward trend in overall achievement in National Standards. This trend is most apparent in writing. School leaders have also identified a disparity in the overall achievement of Pacific children in comparison to their non-Pacific peers. Leaders and teachers have developed specific strategic goals to address these trends.

Leaders are tracking achievement data more closely to monitor children's progress. All teachers have specific Māori and Pacific children whom they target and monitor for accelerated progress. School leaders report to the board on the effectiveness of teaching practices to accelerate achievement.

Children with special needs progress well towards National Standards. Individual Education Plans (IEPs) reflect shared goals formed collaboratively by parents, teachers and children. The support provided for these children is personalised and regularly reported to parents and the board.

Teachers make good use of moderation processes to determine how well children are achieving in relation to the National Standards. Overall teacher judgements reflect the breadth of the National Standards and are informed by children's ongoing learning and nationally referenced assessment tools.

Since the last ERO evaluation the school has strengthened the use of internal evaluation, inquiry and knowledge building to improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning. Leaders have developed a structured and deliberate approach to assessment, planning and evaluation. Professional learning has improved formative teaching practices. As a result, teachers are more successfully engaging children in the learning process. Teachers are increasingly focussed on children understanding and articulating their progress, achievement and next learning steps.

3 Accelerating achievement

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

The school is effective in responding to Māori children whose learning and achievement need acceleration.

The school has established robust systems to respond to Māori children whose learning and achievement need acceleration. Leaders identify and monitor their progress. The evidence of Māori children making accelerated progress and achievement towards National Standards is reported to the board.

Teachers collaborate and collate their responses to children's learning needs and share ideas about how best to cater for them at monitoring meetings. Team leaders facilitate these professional meetings with teachers. Targeted professional learning and development for teachers supports them to be more reflective practitioners.

The specialised teaching environment for junior classes has a focus on responding flexibly to children's learning readiness and needs. Children are involved in planning their weekly programmes with teachers and take ownership of their learning. Leaders have a strategic goal to extend this innovative teaching practice across the school.

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

The school effectively responds to other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration, including students with special educational needs and children who are English language learners (ESOL). The school makes very good use of the ESOL funding it receives for the large numbers of students from different language backgrounds.

Teachers know their children well and establish target groups of children. While most of these children are of Māori and Pacific descent there is a growing number from the diverse community of learners who now live within the school zone. Teachers gather data on these children, plan appropriate programmes of learning or interventions and carefully monitor and report on these children's progress, achievement and acceleration.

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 targets for equity and excellence?

The school’s curriculum and other organisational processes and practices are very effective in developing and enacting the school’s vision, values, goals and priorities for equity and excellence.

Senior leaders, teachers and trustees have a common understanding of, and commitment to, accelerating children's progress. Teachers personalise programmes and modify their practice and programmes to accelerate the progress of children at risk of not achieving.

The teaching and learning in the Habitat (the teaching area for new entrants to Year 3) is leading change at Massey Primary. Young learners co-construct their learning with their teachers based around their needs, levels of competency, interests and learning challenges. Teachers provide advice, guidance, expert tuition and new learning opportunities to help children acquire the skills and knowledge they will need now, and in the future. Current data shows that these children are making accelerated progress. School leaders have a strategic approach to provide focussed professional learning and development for all teachers to extend this teaching approach across all levels of the school.

Knowledgeable trustees bring a range of expertise to their roles. The school's charter contains goals, targets and actions focused on accelerating student progress and achievement. An ongoing commitment to biculturalism is led by the whānau support group who provide guidance to the board and the leadership team. The charter supports the enactment of equity and excellence through key improvement strategies.

Positive relationships with parents are established at the time of enrolment and continue throughout children's time at the school. Senior leaders and teachers are receptive to parent feedback and share with parents and whānau how the school might best cater for their child's learning and wellbeing. Children who are at risk of not achieving benefit from regular mentoring by key teaching staff.

Leadership is child-focused, distributed and responsive. Leaders establish clear and consistent school expectations that are designed to support teaching and learning. Professional capability is fostered very well through the use of external professional learning and internal expertise. Evidence-based inquiry and evaluation is encouraging leaders and teachers to think and do things differently to foster equity and improve outcomes for children.

Trustees and senior leaders have looked for opportunities to better engage groups of children who are at risk of not achieving. The school has joined Māori Achieving Success as Māori (MASAM) which is a network of local schools with a focus on promoting positive outcomes for Māori children. The school is linked through to a similar network STEAM, which has a focus on improving learning in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics. These networks are engaging children and whānau and providing more teaching and learning opportunities for learners and teachers.

School leaders and teachers make clear links between improving teaching practice to improve learning opportunities for children. Teacher appraisal processes and teachers' inquiries into the effectiveness of their practice have been strengthened. Leadership of the curriculum is distributed across teaching teams as part of building individual and collective leadership capacity.

The school's whānau group meet monthly and report to the board. Local kaumātua and kuia support the whānau group and the school for tikanga Māori. The board has employed a specialist to give guidance to the school te reo Maori programme and kapa haka. Children choose to attend kapa haka and show pride when representing their school at formal occasions.

5 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 have implemented a range of strategies that are having an impact on accelerating children's progress and achievement in National Standards.

The new learning environment and the innovative teaching approaches in the junior school are having a positive impact on accelerating children's progress and achievement. It is also impacting positively on children's level of engagement. Children are taking more responsibility for their learning. Parents are also more involved in their children's learning. Ongoing upgrades of teaching spaces is part of a plan to extend the teaching approach used in the junior classes, across the school.

The school uses rigorous self review to evaluate its work to accelerate children's achievement. This includes leaders identifying trends in student achievement. These achievement trends are reviewed, monitored, and reported to the board by leaders. This enables the board to plan strategically and resource appropriately to support children's learning. The board uses ERO's evaluation indicators to review its performance and plan for improvements.

The school's performance management system is effective and aligned to the board's strategic goals for accelerating student achievement. Leaders and teachers use teacher appraisal to improve teaching practice and to improve learning outcomes for all children.

Leaders have strategically planned for change as children move through the school. Leaders provide targeted professional development for teachers. Leaders and teachers continue to forge learning networks with other local schools to extend learning opportunities for all children.

The school's current strategic, annual and other planning provide the framework and the components required to guide systematic actions aimed at promoting acceleration and further student success.

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.

7 Recommendation

ERO recommends that school leaders continue to review and refine charter goals and targets and ensure that all teachers are supported to develop quality innovative practices at all levels of the school. This is likely to help the school achieve and sustain equitable and excellent outcomes for all students. 

Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

2 November 2016

About the school 

1 Context

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

Massey Primary School, in West Auckland, provides education for Years 1 to 8 students. The cultural diversity of the local community is reflected in the ethnic mix of students, staff and trustees. Māori and Pacific students make up almost 60% of the 424 students on the school roll.

Senior leaders have used the recommendations of the 2010 ERO report to focus on school developments designed to improve outcomes for all students. Overall increases in student achievement in areas such as reading have assured the board and senior leaders that changes in curriculum delivery have been worthwhile. They are committed to ensuring that the momentum and consistent delivery of these positive school developments are sustained.

The board of trustees and senior leaders are focused on supporting all groups in the school to work together to realise the potential of the school’s ‘stages, not ages’ approach to curriculum delivery. This approach requires teachers to personalise their teaching practice to cater for the diversity of student learning requirements in their classroom. Parents and students understand the benefits of changes in school direction and participate in a variety of school events that celebrate successful student learning.

2 Learning

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

The school has developed well considered systems and strategies to ensure that achievement information is used to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement.

Student feedback is sought by senior leaders and teachers to improve learning. Students appreciate the wide variety of learning opportunities that staff provide. They benefit from positive relationships with other students and their teachers. In some classrooms, students enjoy opportunities to lead their learning. Most students engage well in learning activities and are keen to contribute their ideas and experiences to lessons. This active involvement in classroom programmes helps students develop positive attitudes to learning.

Senior leaders report analysed achievement information to the board to help trustees make informed decisions regarding resourcing, including funding professional learning and development. The board’s commitment to raising the achievement levels of Pacific students, particularly in mathematics, is evident in the school’s Pasifika plan.

Teachers have good access to school-wide achievement information. They identify areas where students require support and modify programmes accordingly. School achievement information for 2013 shows a marked improvement in student achievement in reading. Students who achieve below and well below National Standards receive targeted teaching programmes. The board and senior leaders have a strategic vision to further enhance learning opportunities for these students.

Senior leaders are working towards realising this vision by:

• supporting teachers to use achievement information to accelerate student progress
• encouraging teachers to share strategies to cater for the requirements of different learners
• focusing professional learning and development (PLD) goals on raising achievement.

3 Curriculum

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

The school’s broad curriculum, based on the principles of The New Zealand Curriculum, promotes and supports student learning well. Teachers and trustees share a commitment to support all students to develop their capabilities.

The school’s curriculum has been developed by staff to cater for students’ interests and build on their experiences. The New Zealand Curriculum principles have provided a basis for review and development. Broad themes provide opportunities for students to inquire about areas they are particularly interested in. Increasingly, information and communication technologies (ICT) are being used by students to process information and communicate their ideas.

Very good links, and shared events, with nearby Massey High School help students transition to a secondary school environment. Similarly, children who enrol at Massey Primary School are welcomed and provided with good support by teachers and students as they acquaint themselves to new routines and expectations. These successful transitions provide students with a sense of continuity to their education and confidence in their learning.

ERO and the board agree that the school’s strategic direction would be strengthened by trustees, senior leaders and teachers developing their evaluation capability. Senior leaders have identified that they could strengthen the school’s reflective teaching and learning culture by:

• further promoting models of effective student-led teaching and learning practices to support high quality teaching in all classrooms
• supporting staff to contribute more to school reviews that are focused on enhancing teaching and learning practices.

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

The school’s inclusive environment helps Māori students to engage in their learning. As a result, most Māori students progress and achieve well compared with classmates and in relation to the National Standards for reading, writing and mathematics.

Respect is shown by the board to the school’s location and link to Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara. Some Māori students take leadership roles in kapa haka and special events.

Senior leaders and the board use the Ministry of Education’s Maori Education Strategy, Ka Hikitia: Managing for Success, as a tool for reviewing how well school policies and practices develop the potential of Māori students. Māori representation on the board and local members of the community have also helped the school’s drive to ensure that Māori students experience success as Māori. A teacher has been employed by the board to provide a school-wide te reo Māori programme that engages and extends the capabilities of Māori students.

The school has identified that classroom teachers should further develop their skills and confidence in using te reo Māori in lessons. This development will further contribute to Māori students’ sense of themselves as capable learners by acknowledging their language, identity and culture.

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 governs the school successfully and supports the principal and teachers in their work. Trustees have developed effective processes for gathering the views of teachers, parents and students to inform strategic planning.

The board and senior leaders recognise that the management of change requires well developed strategic planning and self review to ensure that the ‘stages, not ages’ vision is realised. This school development aligns well with the board’s long-term plans to upgrade classroom spaces to support effective learning.

Senior leaders work collaboratively as a team to implement teaching and learning practices that are consistent with the school vision and the board’s commitment to continuous improvement. They have high, yet realistic, expectations of teachers to develop their reflective practice to meet the learning requirements of different students. Teachers report that they feel valued and are willing to contribute ideas and try different approaches to meet school priorities.

ERO and the board agree that senior leaders and trustees should give drive and direction to the school’s changing learning culture by:

• using board planning and review processes more strategically to promote the school’s ‘stages, not ages’ vision
• supporting the development of teacher leadership capability
• helping embed the school’s values at board, staff and student levels.

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.

Graham Randell

National Manager Review Services Northern Region (Acting)

14 August 2013

About the School