Mayfair School

1 Context

Mayfair School caters for Year 1 to 6 students from its local community in Hastings. The majority of students transition into school from a local kindergarten and on to the local intermediate. Most students are Māori. Other groups of students are Pākehā or of Pacific heritage.

Since the July 2013 ERO report, there have been substantial staff changes, including four changes of principal. The school roll has declined. The school has implemented a number of changes to improve school operation and practices. A major initiative for improvement has been participation in the Ministry of Education Positive Behaviour for Learning project (PB4L). Some new trustees have joined the board, following the recent election.

2 Equity and excellence

The vision and valued outcomes defined by the school for all children are for 'Growing Great Kids - Kia Whakatipu Tamariki Miharo' through educating students with identity, resilience, integrity and respect. A framework for a 21st Century curriculum is being developed to enact these.

Recent review of the school's vision and values was prompted by the school's involvement in PB4L during 2015. These were developed through a well-considered, inclusive process of consultation with the school community and provide direction for development of curriculum and expectations for student outcomes.

The school’s achievement information shows that significant groups of students continue to achieve below in relation to the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. The board and senior leaders are highly focused on reaching the Ministry of Education goal of 85% of students reaching National Standards by 2017. Student achievement targets were successfully achieved in 2015, with increased achievement overall in each of the learning areas. The school recognises that further acceleration of students is required, especially for boys in literacy, for some year groups and for many Māori students. More Pacific learners are achieving below the National Standards than other groups of students.

The school has had a strong focus on improving the use of assessment information and the robustness of teachers' overall judgements in relation to National Standards. Internal and external moderation in writing has occurred to support teachers' understanding and improve the validity of judgments. The introduction of systems and evidence summary sheets supports teachers to gather relevant evidence of students' progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics. These assist leaders to strengthen the use of reliable and consistent achievement information.

Since the last ERO evaluation the school has participated in PB4L to establish consistent schoolwide expectations and practices for positive student behaviour. There has been a strong focus on promoting teachers' professional practice, through establishing processes and systems to support improvement in teaching and assessment. Some professional learning and development (PLD) has occurred in writing and mathematics. A number of teachers are currently participating in Incredible Years PLD to support the teaching of younger children.

3 Accelerating achievement

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

School data shows that Māori student achievement has improved at a greater rate than for students overall. Although there is some evidence of accelerated learning for some students, significant acceleration is still required for many Māori students.

The school recognises the importance of newly established PB4L practices in promoting a learning environment that supports Māori students to develop positive relationships and build their confidence as learners.

Relevant background information is gathered for each Māori student to enable teachers to better respond to their strengths, interests and needs. There are some specific programmes for targeted students, particularly boys, to promote their self-confidence, engagement and leadership. These help to support and value their language, culture and identity.

Māori students are identified as part of target groups in each class, and the progress and achievement of each student is well monitored and reported to the board of trustees. Leaders inquire into and promote individual student progress, and monitor the success of teachers in promoting achievement.

Next steps are to

• identify and promote strategies which successfully accelerate Māori students at Mayfair School
• develop teachers' capacity to respond with strategies that are well matched to students' individual learning needs
• continue to develop systems for monitoring, analysing and reporting the accelerated progress of this group throughout the year.

The school plans to strengthen their response to Māori learners through developing a clear vision for success as Māori, in consultation with whānau Māori and iwi, to align with the principles of Ka Hikitia - Accelerating Success 2013 2017 and guided by Tātaiako: Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners.

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

The school is focused on raising the achievement of students who are currently working below the National Standard. Systems have been developed to enable close monitoring of all students' achievement and progress. Strengthened systems for assessment and planning are helping teachers to better identify and more deliberately respond to the needs of these learners.

Senior leaders have developed a student achievement plan that aligns a range of initiatives and actions for promoting achievement. They regularly monitor each student's progress towards reaching the National Standard and report to the board in relation to the overall student achievement target. A next step is to track groups of learners in relation to specific targets and deliberate actions for accelerated learning. More in-depth analysis of trends and patterns would support this.

Target groups are identified in each class for each of the three learning areas in response to data and action plans are developed. Teachers support these students through identified strategies in differentiated learning groups. Students' progress and outcomes are monitored through a newly established teacher inquiry process.

The school recognises the need to strengthen their provision for Pacific learners. They are currently building their capacity to respond more effectively to the needs of these students and promote their language, culture and identities. Consultation with community and families is beginning. A next step is to develop a plan which responds to The Pasifika Education Plan 2013 – 2017 and promotes success for these learners.

Students with additional learning needs are supported through Individual Learning Plans and by a Special Educational Needs Coordinator who works alongside personnel from external agencies. The school is currently reviewing and strengthening the use of teacher aide support for these learners.

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 is well positioned to develop and enact the revised vision and values. There are strengthened systems for school operation and for supporting teaching and learning. Establishing a positive learning culture has been a key focus for trustees, leaders and teachers. There is improved consistency and coherence of expectations and practices across the school.

The new senior leadership team has a clear vision for improvement. They provide strong professional leadership and direction and demonstrate a responsive, strategic and collaborative approach to change. They are exploring ways to make change manageable and sustainable.

Trustees and leaders are actively engaging with the local educational and wider community to promote positive long-term outcomes for learners and their families. They are exploring ways to foster relational trust with their community and build on community networks. Further strengthening these and parent/whānau partnerships for learning, especially for learners at risk, are next steps.

The board continues to build understanding of their roles and responsibilities and clarity about what is going well and why, particularly in relation to successful outcomes for students. Review of the charter has occurred to align it with the school's vision for success and improvement. There has been a major review of the school's policies and procedures. Some good practices have been established for promoting and monitoring health and safety.

Extensive review and development of curriculum is occurring. Development shows:

• improved documentation to align with the vision, values and aspirations for learners held by their community
• values being deliberately promoted in classrooms and the school environment
• an articulated vision for the 21st Century learner and a clear and appropriate focus on promoting formative assessment and student agency in learning
• provision of teaching more targeted to student needs
• promotion of positive learning relationships and student collaboration.

Further improvements should include:

• developing clear guidelines for curriculum implementation and progression
• enriching and broadening of the curriculum through meaningful and authentic learning opportunities
• articulating a clear vision and expectations of cultural responsiveness for Māori and Pacific learners.

Senior leaders recognise that supporting the development of teachers and leadership is a key factor in promoting sustained improvement. Extensive, ongoing review of the appraisal process is occurring, that aligns with school priorities and recent developments. The process supports growth in teachers' professional practice and the gathering of evidence in relation to the Practising Teacher Criteria. Further development of clarity and expectations for appraisal, teacher inquiry and leadership practice should enable teachers to take greater responsibility and ownership of the process and support the evaluation of goals and priorities.

Internal evaluation is in the early stages of development. Regular reviews are occurring in response to identified concerns and need for improvement. These are helping to determine appropriate actions and identify some outcomes. A next step is to further develop a schoolwide process to evaluate the success of initiatives and developments. This should include clear expectations for data-gathering and analysis against specific indicators of success.

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 to the strengths, needs and interests of each child
• regularly evaluate how teaching is working for these children
• are building capacity to systematically act on what they know works for each child
• have a plan in place to build teacher capability to accelerate the achievement of all children who need it.

Significant improvements have occurred to promote student engagement and learning success. Improved systems for school operation, collaboration and practice are promoting consistency and an improved school culture. Further developing and refining these should sustain improvements and support further acceleration of learning for students at risk of poor educational outcomes.

Action: The board, principal and teachers should use the findings of this evaluation, the Effective School Evaluation resource, the Internal Evaluation: Good Practice exemplars and the School Evaluation Indicators to strengthen the school's Raising Achievement Plan to further develop processes and practices that respond effectively to the strengths and needs of children whose learning and achievement need to be accelerated.

As part of this review ERO will continue to monitor the school’s Raising Achievement plan and the progress the school makes. ERO is likely to carry out the next full 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

• provision for international students

• provision for students in school hostels.

Trustees need to take steps to meet new requirements (taking effect July 2016) under the Vulnerable Children Act 2014, by aligning their appointments procedures and child protection policies.[Vulnerable Children (Requirements for Safety Checks of Children’s Workers) Regulations 2015, Vulnerable Children Act 2014]

7 Recommendation

ERO recommends that the school continue to strengthen its processes, systems and practices to promote accelerated progress and improved achievement for all its learners. Fostering partnerships with families and sustaining improvement through effective internal evaluation should be a focus for development.

Joyce Gebbie

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central

1 September 2016

About the school