23 Ray Small Drive, Papakura
View on mapPapakura Central School in South Auckland caters for students in Years 1 to 6. Of the 396 students on the roll, 20 percent have Māori heritage, 46 percent are Pākehā, and 18 percent have Indian heritage. A further 16 percent of students represent other members of the local multi-ethnic community.
Since the 2015 ERO report, the board has appointed a new principal, and there have been several changes to the senior leadership team. A new board chair has been elected. The school is fully staffed. In 2018 five classes moved into modern learning environments where students work with more than one teacher.
The school’s vision is for learners to develop lifelong skills and attitudes to achieve their goals, meet life’s challenges and achieve their full potential. School values include respectfulness/manaakitanga, responsibility/kawe-nga, Integrity/pono, and resilience/taikaha.
The school’s strategic goals for improving students’ learning outcomes include:
maximising students’ potential as learners by providing them with opportunities where every learner can participate and achieve
establishing strong, positive, connected and open relationships within the school community to support students’ learning.
Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:
achievement in reading, writing and mathematics
progress in writing
trends and patterns in attendance.
The school is working towards achieving equitable outcomes in achievement for all students. Trustees and leaders recognise the need to continue to focus on raising overall student achievement. They are aware of the work needed towards achieving parity between Māori and non-Māori learners, and between the achievement of boys and girls in writing.
The school draws on a wide range of assessment tools to determine how well students are achieving excellent and equitable outcomes. Data gathered using these tools show an upward trend over the last two years, with the majority of students achieving at expected New Zealand Curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics.
Recent data show students achieving at higher levels, with some making accelerated progress in writing. Data from specific standardised assessments show that children who have had most of their schooling at Papakura Central School reach good levels of achievement.
Students with additional learning needs are well supported in their learning. Staff provide appropriate programmes and resources for these students’ learning needs, and they closely monitor each student’s progress.
Leaders should continue to develop and collect data to demonstrate how well students are achieving in relation to other valued outcomes for students. For instance, they could use the school’s values-based framework and the recent wellbeing survey to establish baseline data.
The school is building its capability to accelerate the learning of those students who need to make more rapid progress.
The school has made thoughtful efforts to support these students. As a result of recent professional learning, teachers are using assessment processes to identify and teach next learning steps for specific groups of students. This approach is already resulting in accelerated progress for some children. School leaders are making these successful practices a priority throughout the school.
School leaders and teachers prioritise the provision of positive learning climates. Tuakana/teina practices enable students to work alongside each other to access the curriculum and to support each other’s progress.
Leaders are strengthening the school’s conditions for equity and excellence. The relatively new leadership team has increased the momentum for change that is likely to raise achievement. Leaders are supporting teachers to adapt to evidence based approaches.
Equity, excellence and acceleration of learning are promoted by teachers placing greater value on their contribution to supporting the best outcomes for all students. Leaders have strengthened teacher appraisal processes, and have individualised professional learning. As a result, staff are now engaging more explicitly with the school’s goal to improve student outcomes. They have aligned their inquiries and practices with students’ learning needs.
The board supports the principal to grow the capability of the senior leaders to coach teachers. The principal makes valuable use of current research to guide this work. Leaders of learning areas support teachers to improve their practice. Extensive and well-considered links to external providers, agencies and experts provide valuable learning networks for all staff, and give feedback to the school about the impact of its teaching strategies.
The board actively represents and serves the school and community. Trustees are dedicated to student wellbeing, learning, achievement and progress. They are well informed and future focused. Trustees plan strategically to promote the school’s valued student outcomes for all learners. The board has increased opportunities for parents, students and the wider school community to have input into the school’s strategic directions.
Leaders have identified the need to review the documented curriculum so it better reflects the school’s current teaching practice expectations. Curriculum review could also promote a stronger focus on student choice and agency in their learning. It could help extend the range and depth of the curriculum provided for students.
The school’s internal evaluation could be used more meaningfully to inform the board of the effectiveness of school practices and resourcing decisions by:
collecting a wider variety of perspectives, such as children’s voice
identifying the evaluation purpose and its significance to improving teaching and learning practice
building on the school’s evidence-based practices to improve outcomes for all learners.
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:
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student safety and wellbeing:
To improve current practice, the board of trustees should ensure there is a shared understanding by children, teachers, the school community and the board about the school’s complaints and bullying policies and procedures.
For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:
For sustained improvement and future learner success, priorities for further development are in:
ERO is likely to carry out the next external evaluation in three years.
Julie Foley
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
7 August 2018
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Location |
Papakura, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
1421 |
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School type |
Contributing (Years 1 to 6) |
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School roll |
396 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 51% Boys 49% |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
20% |
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Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS) |
Yes |
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Provision of Māori medium education |
No |
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Review team on site |
June 2018 |
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Date of this report |
7 August 2018 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
September 2015 |
In May 2019 ERO published an Exemplar Review
Please read it here Exemplar Review - Papakura Central School - Writing - May 2019
Papakura Central School is a well established multi-cultural primary school catering for students in Years 1 to 6. It has a history of being a well functioning school. Attractive, well maintained buildings and grounds showcase students’ and adults’ artworks, several of which reflect Māori culture. The colourful and inviting art garden reflects the successful school wide focus on enhancing the outdoor environment.
Fifty four per cent of the students identify as New Zealand European/Pākehā, nineteen percent identify as Māori and eighteen percent as Indian. The roll also includes much smaller numbers of Pacific and Asian students.
Students are proud of their school and confidently acknowledge it as a good place to be. The long serving senior leadership team work collaboratively with the board, staff and parents to provide an inclusive learning environment for students. There is a school-wide emphasis on working with parents to support student wellbeing and learning. A team of professional staff are led by a well respected principal. The deputy and assistant principals each lead a syndicate team.
The principal, staff and board of trustees remain focused on developments and initiatives that promote the interests of children. School leaders and teachers have been involved in professional development in reading, writing and mathematics. The school also contributes to wider educational community, with the principal and deputy principal mentoring and leading local professional forums. These include those providing support for first time principals, for provisionally registered teachers and for those involved in teaching new learners of the English language.
The school continues to demonstrate the positive strengths that were acknowledged in the last ERO report. The board has made good progress to address most identified areas for development in the 2012 ERO report. There is a continuing need to strengthen bicultural perspectives within the curriculum. This has been identified as an area for development in the past two ERO reports.
Senior leaders and teachers make good use of achievement information to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement.
Public achievement information (PAI) indicates overall student achievement sits below national averages, however, many students achieve well against the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics and compare well with local and regional levels. Pacific students as a group generally achieve very well against the National Standards, exceeding local and national averages.
Data also indicates that Māori student achievement in mathematics and reading is lower than overall success rates for the school. The lower achievement of boys in comparison to girls is also evident in the data. These are areas that require further targeted action to ensure equitable outcomes for all students.
Students are motivated and engaged in their learning. They benefit from positive learning environments, where teachers are increasingly skilled at supporting students to better manage their own learning. Students confidently talk about the purpose of their learning. They have a good knowledge of the steps they need to take to progress towards their goals. Many students are able to assess their own work and are becoming more confident to assess the work of their peers. Students experience a variety of learning that allows them to work co-operatively and independently. Teachers prioritise strategies to support students’ oral language development.
Leaders and teachers implement strategies to engage parents in students’ learning and to support positive outcomes for students. Reporting to parents on student progress and achievement includes learning conferences where students share their learning journey and next steps. Formal written reports complement this information.
The transition programme for new entrants has been a beneficial development. Parents have found this an extremely useful programme to support their children’s wellbeing and sense of belonging upon starting school. Senior leaders are working with local early childhood services to further strengthen the transition programme. Through these initiatives, senior leaders demonstrate a significant commitment to further strengthening partnerships with parents.
Senior leaders use self review purposefully to respond to student achievement. They evaluate and report on the impact of teacher professional development, school programmes and initiatives on student learning. These reports help to keep the board well informed about patterns and trends in student achievement. The board makes effective use of this information to guide its resourcing and planning decisions.
As a next step for further improving the value of reporting to the board, senior leaders are focused on students at risk of poor educational outcomes through school wide target group teaching in reading and maths. Closer alignment of school strategic targets to achievement information and class targets would also be useful. Work to implement these next steps should help to ensure that senior leaders and teachers are focused on the students that need to make the biggest shifts.
Senior leaders acknowledge that teachers are continuing to improve their moderation skills to strengthen the consistency of their judgements about student progress and achievement. School‑wide and cross-school moderation of these judgements should further increase teachers’ understanding of National Standards and student achievement information.
Aspects of the school’s curriculum promote and support student learning well. Senior leaders have worked with staff to review the school’s curriculum. This has been supported by teacher professional development in reading, writing and mathematics and related aspects of The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC).
The shared process of curriculum review has led to a consistent understanding of agreed teaching practices, and the school’s curriculum framework provides good guidance about effective teaching and learning that is linked to the school values. Further review against the vision and principles of the NZC should strengthen the school’s future focused curriculum. Senior leaders agree that this review would be timely, given the school’s upcoming involvement in a local e-learning initiative, Kotuitui.
Some teacher professional development has been undertaken to strengthen bicultural dimensions of the school’s curriculum and understandings of culturally responsive teaching and learning approaches. All students have opportunities to participate in kapa haka, sing waiata and to learn about the significance of celebrations such as Waitangi Day and Matariki. Senior leaders are aware that there is a need to seek external professional input to further progress work on the bicultural curriculum. This work should include development of a progressive programme of te reo Māori for all students.
Senior leaders and teachers are committed to focusing their practices more consistently on target students. Teachers have identified their priority learners in reading, writing and mathematics and are personalising learning to students’ needs. There are some very good models of formative teaching. Teachers are sharing and reflecting on their practice through professional learning discussions. Teachers should continue to improve school-wide consistency in these good practices so that students’ are becoming increasingly skilled at leading their own learning.
Students have access to a wide variety of learning opportunities that enrich the school’s integrated curriculum. These include opportunities to participate in cultural, sporting, leadership, performing arts and education outside the classroom (EOTC) activities. These opportunities provide a rich stimulus for students’ discussions and further learning.
Students with special needs and new learners of the English language are very well catered for. The Special Education Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) maintains systematic records to track student progress and she monitors the effectiveness of programmes and initiatives. She has undertaken a comprehensive review of inclusive provision for special needs students. Increasing numbers of students receive extra support through these programmes and initiatives.
The school has 66 Maori students, constituting 19 percent of the school roll.
The board has adapted its consultation strategies to more successfully gather information from whānau. Much of this feedback provides the board with positive affirmations, including whānau appreciation of staff willingness to be learners of te reo Māori.
A future focus could include further supporting all teachers in promoting a school wide te reo me ona tikanga Māori programme through professional development. The recent addition of Tātaiako - Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners, to teachers’ performance appraisal should be beneficial in helping teachers further promote educational success for Māori learners.
The collaborative development of an action plan to progress success for Māori, as Māori would enhance the relationship the school has with Māori whānau to support children's learning. External expertise could be used to lead this initiative.
The school is well placed to sustain and improve its performance.
The principal provides good leadership and direction. She sets high expectations for staff and students, and is well supported by a professional senior leadership team and staff. The senior leadership team work collaboratively to support improved outcomes for students. Relationships within the school and with the community are positive. There are clearly defined school systems and processes in place to promote a positive environment for learning.
Senior leaders support and guide teachers to promote regular professional dialogue and reflection. The new appraisal system includes requirements for teacher reflections against selected registered teacher criteria. Professional development is aligned to the school-wide strategic focus and is differentiated to cater for teachers’ individual goals and needs. Senior leaders support staff to sustain and embed professional learning and development into their teaching practices.
The board of trustees is committed to maximising students’ potential and board members are focused on improving students’ learning. Trustees have accessed useful governance training and bring a range of professional skills and experiences to their roles.
The board has implemented a well documented strategic plan and follows a regular cycle of self review. Review enables the board to monitor progress toward annual goals and evaluate the impact of current practices. Annual goals are well resourced by the board and link well to strategic planning.
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:
Papakura Central School provides a positive environment that supports student wellbeing and learning. Students are respectful, engaged learners who benefit from a wide variety of learning opportunities. Many achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics. Work to accelerate the learning of those not yet achieving to expectations is a strong focus.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
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Location |
Papakura, Auckland |
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|
Ministry of Education profile number |
1421 |
|
|
School type |
Contributing (Years 1 to 6) |
|
|
School roll |
356 |
|
|
Gender composition |
Girls 53% |
|
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
19% |
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Review team on site |
May 2015 |
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Date of this report |
28 September 2015 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
June 2012 |