Findings
School priorities are student centred and focused on positive learning and wellbeing outcomes. The curriculum effectively engages students in learning. Parent involvement is actively supported and encouraged. Teachers are very aware of, and increasingly responsive to students’ home cultures. Students’ voice is valued. Next steps include building students ongoing independence in managing their learning.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
1 Context
What are the important features of this school that have an impact on student learning?
The board, leaders and staff have successfully retained, and in many instances built on, the strengths identified in the previous report. For instance, relationships and partnerships with other schools have been further strengthened with a greater focus on professional collaboration and student wellbeing.
A key feature of the school is the shared vision and values that are being increasingly used to determine the school’s future direction.
The board has made purposeful and innovative use of buildings to provide increased opportunities to meet as a whole school, support school related groups, and to provide additional learning spaces.
There is a collective approach to following the principles of maintaining and working towards a more sustainable environment. This is evident in the visually attractive presentation and care of the school grounds and through the school’s curriculum.
The school’s progress towards addressing the recommendation in the 2012 ERO report is evident in the robust way student learning and wellbeing information is being managed and shared by teachers and leaders.
The board actively supports parent involvement in the school. Its well-considered focus on resources strongly supports more inclusive learning opportunities for students.
2 Learning
How well does this school use achievement information to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement?
The school makes increasingly effective use of student information to promote engagement and progress, particularly for those at risk of not achieving.
Leaders and teachers have developed clear guidelines for making more consistent National Standards judgements about students learning in reading, writing and mathematics. This is enabling teachers to identify those students who are not achieving at expectations and to put plans in place to improve their progress.
Syndicate teams regularly review the actions teachers are taking to raise achievement for all students who are below the National Standards. Teachers change learning programmes based on this review. They share ideas and discuss other strategies likely to make a difference. Information is shared with senior leaders who contribute their thoughts and provide additional readings and useful resources.
Teachers also closely monitor and reflect on their practice to better meet the needs of specific focus students in each class. They actively seek students’ views about their learning and have increased parent-school communication to raise students’ learning outcomes. Early results indicate that this approach is effective in accelerating student progress.
Senior leaders consult with teachers about the usefulness of student assessment processes. They make appropriate use of this information to refine practices and inform professional development decisions.
A Ministry of Education supported intervention programme for writing has made a considerable difference to a small group of students’ progress and achievement. The board has made available funding for additional groups of students to take part in the programme.
Teachers make well-considered, suitable provision for students with special needs. A useful register helps provide a school-wide view of needs and provision. It enables many student needs to be met within the classroom. Trustees show commitment to special needs provision through additional resourcing.
Students are aware of their learning goals. They know what they are working towards.
Areas for review and development
Senior leaders recognise a need to improve the clarity of planning and reporting annual student achievement targets to ensure student progress and achievement is recognised, celebrated and improved.
Leaders are investigating ways to ensure teachers’ National Standards judgements for reading, writing and mathematics are consistent with those from other education providers. ERO agrees this is an important next step.
3 Curriculum
How effectively does this school’s curriculum promote and support student learning?
The school’s curriculum effectively engages students in learning and is helping to promote their progress and achievement. The shift in achievement is most evident in reading and mathematics where overall achievement is very good. The school is currently focused on lifting students’ progress in writing.
Teachers provide students with a well-balanced and responsive curriculum that successfully integrates key aspects of the New Zealand Curriculum. Leaders and staff are well-supported in planning for students by clear expectations and guidelines for effective teaching practice.
Features of the school’s curriculum include the way teachers are:
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making meaningful connections to students experiences by including authentic and rich learning contexts in planned programmes
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increasing the effective use of digital technologies, and other good quality resources, to motivate and engage students in their learning
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encouraging and promoting opportunities for students to work independently in groups and consolidate new learning
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actively using students' and parents' views to make decisions about curriculum development and teaching practice.
There has been a deliberate and planned approach by senior leaders to ensure staff has a good working knowledge and understanding about being appropriately responsive to students’ home cultures. Teachers are more effectively engaging with students and their families to further support learning at home and in the classroom. The school’s inclusive culture is contributing to cultural symbols and language becoming more visible in the environment and students developing a stronger sense of belonging.
Areas for review and development
The board and senior leaders agree the next steps to further improve and increase student ownership of their learning is to:
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support students to become more independent in making decisions about their learning goals, progress and recognising their own levels of achievement
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make the school’s approach to integrated studies more explicit to students so they can become increasingly confident as self-managing learners.
How effectively does the school promote educational success for Māori, as Māori?
The school is effectively promoting education success for Māori as Māori.
The school has successfully gathered parents of Māori students’ aspirations for their children to succeed as Māori. This is now being used to:
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provide direction to school leaders and staff about ways the school can increase the use of language and culture within the curriculum
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enable leaders to provide better support for whānau to help their children’s learning at home, particularly with te reo and tikanga Māori.
Whānau participation in the school whānau group has increased and there is strong support from the principal to ensure the momentum is sustained. The development of the Tātaiako Plan clearly identifies key actions the school will implement to ensure teachers will encourage and promote educational success for Māori students, as Māori.
Recent initiatives to closely monitor and track the progress and achievement of students are likely to improve outcomes for Māori students.
4 Sustainable Performance
How well placed is the school to sustain and improve its performance?
The school is well placed to continue sustaining and improving its performance. The board and staff work well together. School priorities are clear with appropriate strategic goals that are student centred and focused on positive learning and wellbeing outcomes.
Trustees receive regular informative reports on students’ progress towards meeting the boards’ annual achievement targets. School leaders ensure professional development is well linked to the focus of these targets to accelerate student achievement.
The board are well informed and this is supporting them to be effective in their governance role. A significant feature of the school is the way the board seeks other perspectives and external advice to inform decision-making.
The principal and senior leadership work collaboratively. They have established common goals and a shared understanding about the future direction of the school. They recognise and make good use of individual strengths. The board is strategic in its appointment processes and management of staff. Student needs are the basis of decision-making.
The school has developed strong connections with parents, regularly seeking their views and communicating with them about what is happening at school and ways to support students’ learning.
Senior leaders promote a positive, collaborative team culture amongst staff. Robust discussions are encouraged to promote new ideas and ways of thinking about education and student learning. Self review shows that a high percentage of students have positive relationships with their teachers and know teachers care about their learning and wellbeing.
The principal effectively builds the leadership capacity of staff, providing useful professional development and mentoring of staff. Performance management systems also support teachers to strengthen their practice.
Areas for review and development
The board, leaders and teachers would benefit from strengthening the evaluative aspect of self reviews including:
Provision for international students
The school is a signatory to the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students (the Code) established under section 238F of the Education Act 1989. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code.
At the time of this review there was an international student attending the school and since the previous 2012 ERO report several international students have attended.
Students receive appropriate pastoral care with regular contact with parents. Provision for extra learning support is in place, especially for English language development.
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:
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student achievement:
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emotional safety of students (including prevention of bullying and sexual harassment)
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physical safety of students
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teacher registration
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processes for appointing staff
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stand-downs, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions
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attendance.
Conclusion
School priorities are student centred and focused on positive learning and wellbeing outcomes. The curriculum effectively engages students in learning. Parent involvement is actively supported and encouraged. Teachers are very aware of, and increasingly responsive to students’ home cultures. Students’ voice is valued. Next steps include building students ongoing independence in managing their learning.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Chris Rowe
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Acting)
About the School
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Location
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Nelson
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Ministry of Education profile number
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3208
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School type
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Contributing (Years 1 to 6)
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School roll
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445
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Number of international students
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1
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Gender composition
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Boys 50%, Girls 50%
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Ethnic composition
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Pākehā
Māori
Asian
Pacific
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80%
14%
4%
2%
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Review team on site
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June 2015
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Date of this report
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20 August 2015
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Most recent ERO reports
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Education Review
Education Review
Education Review
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March 2012
December 2008
November 2005
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