One Tree Point School

School Context

One Tree Point School caters for students from Years 1 to 6. The roll of 226 includes 34 percent Māori students, and shows an increasing diversity in students’ ethnicities and home languages.

The school has undergone staff and leadership changes over recent years. The senior leadership team consists of a newly appointed principal, a deputy principal, and two senior teachers.

In 2017 the school’s vision was revised. The overall vision of ‘Empowering Learners who CARE’ incorporates values of Confidence, Aroha, Respect, and Encouragement.

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

• achievement in reading, writing, and mathematics
• self review including the impact of professional development on student outcomes
• curriculum developments
• wellbeing and pastoral care.

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

• developing an integrated and authentic curriculum to empower and engage learners
• empowering learners, teachers and leaders in a genuinely collaborative culture of learning
• developing a vision of learning to empower the community.

The school is part of Bream Bay Community of Learning | Kāhui Ako.

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?

School data show that the school is making some progress in achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for students. A large majority of students achieve at or above expected national curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics. This level of achievement has been sustained over the past three years. Some disparity remains for Māori students and for boys.

Leaders and teachers identify students’ needs early and put in place appropriate supports and interventions. They have further developed specific targeting, monitoring and reporting processes to raise the achievement of children whose learning needs to be accelerated.

School leaders and teachers focus on knowing the whole child. School data show that most students achieve well in relation to the school’s valued outcomes. These are for students to:

• be confident in self and in problem solving
• show aroha towards others in word and action
• be respectful to self, others and the environment
• be encouraging to self and supportive to others.

Leaders and teachers emphasise students’ abilities and skills to:

• be curious through inquiry, goal setting and reflection
• be collaborative through building relationships and team skills
• be creative through thinking innovatively
• develop citizenship through care and awareness of the local and global environment.

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

The school implements strategies to support the acceleration of learning for Māori and other students who need this. School leaders and teachers share collective responsibility for all students’ success and prioritise raising their achievement. School data show that almost all students who attend the school from Years 1 to 6 achieve at or above the appropriate New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) level in reading, writing and mathematics by the time they leave. Māori students in this group achieve similarly to other students.

Team leaders and teachers are strengthening their assessment practices and analysis of information to help them respond to students’ learning needs and support accelerated progress. They identify target groups of students to lift achievement in literacy and mathematics.

Teachers use effective approaches to build students’ prior knowledge and confidence, and to help students to engage readily in new learning. Leaders and teachers are developing culturally responsive practices to better support student learning. These include tuakana/teina relationships and mixed ability groupings to grow learners’ confidence and engagement.

The Special Education Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) has introduced good schoolwide systems and processes to improve provision for children with additional learning needs. Intervention programmes are responsive to students’ learning needs and their holistic wellbeing. Learning assistants support students in the classroom within an inclusive environment. The school invests in professional development for learning assistants. Individualised programmes for some students incorporate ongoing collaborative planning and review with parents, whānau and external agencies.

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?

The principal is building strong relational trust and opportunities for effective collaboration at all levels of the school. She is developing a culture that values reflective practice, innovation and evidence-based research, with a focus on outcomes for students. The principal works in a coherent and planned way to progress the school’s identified priorities. Change is managed effectively.

Leadership is distributed. Leaders and staff are empowered in a collaborative culture of learning through inquiry and reciprocal relationships. School systems and structures support the vision of empowering staff. Staff strengths are valued, and opportunities provided for staff to grow as leaders. Current leaders are participating in relevant leadership professional learning and development (PLD).

Leaders are building teacher capability effectively and have implemented relevant PLD. Good use of internal and external expertise is resulting in improved learner-focused teaching practices.

Teachers and leaders are regularly involved in professional learning communities within the school. Teachers use their knowledge of students’ holistic wellbeing and shared achievement data to inform decisions about improving learning programmes. They use collaborative inquiry processes to enhance student outcomes and support the acceleration of learning for specific students.

PLD includes schoolwide and ongoing strategies that are building teachers’ knowledge and capability in te reo and tikanga Māori, and culturally responsive practices to better support student learning.

The principal has led a consultative process with all stakeholders to develop the school’s shared vision. Learners, staff and community are developing clear understanding around taking shared responsibility and working together to support success for tamariki. Strong connections have been made with the local iwi and the school values this relationship.

The board of trustees and the senior leadership team work collaboratively, with a coherent approach to school operations. The board is well informed through comprehensive reporting from senior staff. The chairperson has established robust systems for planning and review, to ensure sustainability of practices. Trustees make good use of their skills and knowledge to support and strengthen school stewardship. They value ongoing governance training.

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

The newly elected board of trustees should now access governance training. Trustees are keen to develop their awareness of culturally responsive practices, to fully support school direction and sustain developments.

Leaders and teachers have participated in a number of PLD opportunities over the past three years. Leaders are supporting teachers to make changes to teaching and learning practices. These new learnings and changes now need time to be reviewed, refined and embedded by leaders and teachers. This should ensure that changes have the desired impact on students’ learning, and that effective practices are consistent and sustained.

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 One Tree Point School, One Tree Point, Whangarei’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.

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:

• leadership that builds relational trust, reflects community aspirations and provides a strong foundation for continued school development
• a supportive board that works collaboratively with the senior leadership team to develop coherent organisational conditions
• professional capability building to continue to grow teachers’ practice.

Next steps

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

• board governance training
• reviewing and embedding initiatives and outcomes from recent professional development.

Steve Tanner

Director Review and Improvement Services Northern

Northern Region

2 December 2019

About the school