Sefton School

Education institution number:

3501

School type:

Full Primary

School gender:

Co-Educational

Definition:

Not Applicable

Total roll:

131

Website:

http://www.sefton.school.nz

Telephone:

03 312 9755

Address:

603 Upper Sefton Road, Sefton

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Sefton School - 23/12/2019

23 Dec 2019

School Context

Sefton School is a full primary school in North Canterbury. It has a roll of 129 students. School staffing is stable, and the board has a mixture of both new and experienced trustees.

The school’s mission statement is ‘Sefton School is committed to providing a positive learning environment in which students strive for excellence and fully develop their potential in order to face the future with confidence’.

The school has recently implemented a core set of values: whanaunatanga/relationships, manaakitanga/respect, manawaroa/resilience and whaiwhakaaro/reflection.

To support the school’s mission and values, the current strategic goals and targets include creating and sustaining an effective learning environment, developing the school profile within the wider community and developing the physical environment of the school. The school has set specific targets in relation to literacy and mathematics.

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 and achievement in relation to school targets
outcomes for students with additional learning needs
outcomes related to student wellbeing.

The school is an active member of the Puketeraki Kāhui Ako|Community of Learning.

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?

The school is effectively achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for most of its students. School achievement information for 2017 and 2018 shows that most students achieve at or above expected curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics. There is, however, ongoing disparity for boys and for students identifying as Māori in reading and writing, in relation to girls and NZ European/Pākehā students. Achievement for Māori students in mathematics has been variable.

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

The school is effective in accelerating learning for those students who need this. 2018 school information shows that most students made accelerated progress in reading and writing and slightly less than half made accelerated progress in mathematics. Priority students are effectively identified, supported with interventions, and their ongoing progress is monitored to prevent the achievement gap from widening.

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?

Students benefit from responsive, inclusive and caring learning environments. Classes are
well-resourced with high quality teaching in evidence, underpinned by strong student teacher relationships. Play-based learning is supporting the development of opportunities for students to take increasing ownership of their learning. The play-based approach is providing a collaborative and flexible teaching and learning framework that is being used across the school.

The newly implemented values are embedded throughout the school and are impacting positively on teaching and learning. Recent whole school initiatives are closely aligned to the value statements which are prominent throughout the school. Students are clear how the statements are enacted.

Leaders have implemented effective systems and processes to support the tracking and monitoring of students including wellbeing and pastoral care. Teacher appraisal processes contribute to the continuous improvement of teaching and learning. Internal evaluation practices help inform the school’s direction and vision.

Trustees have a shared understanding of the board’s roles and responsibilities. Leaders provide the board with good quality information to support decision making. The board are beginning to enact their responsibilities to strengthen community consultation. Trustees have a good range of skills and capabilities to support the school going forward.

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

Leaders need to document the learning and teaching happening in classrooms. This will inform the development of the current curriculum document so that it:

includes the school’s bicultural plan, practices and perspectives across all learning areas
embeds a values-based approach to support all schoolwide initiatives
improves levels of consistency across the whole school including within assessment and moderation practices.

Trustees and leaders recognise, and ERO agrees, that the school needs to review and refine the strategic and annual plan to reflect whole school priorities and valued outcomes.

Leaders need to continue to strengthen internal evaluation. While there are very good systems and processes in place these could be further developed by:

creating an annual work plan linked to the strategic priorities for internal evaluation
using evaluative judgements rather than descriptive statements, that are focussed on student outcomes
prioritising collective sensemaking as a crucial aspect of the process.

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 Sefton School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Developing.

ERO’s Framework: Overall Findings and Judgement Tool derived from School Evaluation Indicators: Effective Practice for Improvement and Learner Success 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:

staff having a good knowledge of learners and promoting responsive teaching practices
a values-focused approach to all aspects of learning relationships
stewardship practices that focus on improving outcomes for learners and the community.

Next steps

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

developing a responsive curriculum to reflect current practice and clarify expectations for teaching and learning
refining the school’s strategic documents to reflect school priorities and learner outcomes
strengthening internal evaluation to focus on improving student outcomes.

Dr Lesley Patterson

Director Review and Improvement Services Te Tai Tini

Southern Region

23 December 2019

About the school

Location	Sefton
Ministry of Education profile number	3501
School type	Full primary (Years 1-8)
School roll	129
Gender composition	Female 51%, Male 49 %
Ethnic composition	Māori 6% NZ European/Pākehā 89% Other ethnicities 5%
Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS)	Yes
Provision of Māori medium education	No
Review team on site	October 2019
Date of this report	23 December 2019
Most recent ERO report(s)	Education Review October 2015 Education Review August 2012

Sefton School - 21/10/2015

21 Oct 2015

Findings

Sefton School is a welcoming and inclusive school. Older students care for younger students and support each other with their learning. Teachers are increasingly incorporating Māori perspectives in the curriculum. The principal is working collaboratively with the board and staff to update the school’s policy statements and curriculum. The school is well supported by the parents and community.

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?

Sefton School is a rural school catering for students from Years 1 to 8. The school’s roll has steadily increased over time. Students learn in a positive and caring environment. The board is committed to supporting the health, safety and wellbeing of students and staff.

Since the previous ERO review in 2012, there have been changes in staffing and board membership. A new principal was appointed in 2013. The staff work collaboratively and use their collective skills to support students in their learning.

Meaningful and ongoing links with other local schools and boards of trustees are extending learning opportunities for the principal, teachers and board members. Parents and the wider community continue to be actively involved in the school.

The school has made good progress in addressing the areas identified for improvement in the 2012 ERO report.

Teachers have improved the ways they use plans to develop programmes to meet students’ specific learning needs. Students are showing greater independence and taking more responsibility for their learning. The principal is effectively monitoring and tracking students’ progress over time through the school’s student management system.

2 Learning

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

Teachers effectively use achievement information to plan appropriate programmes to meet students’ identified needs. Teachers know the students and their families well and provide a caring and nurturing environment for all learners. Most students are achieving at or above the National Standards in literacy and mathematics.

The school is inclusive of diverse learners. Well-planned programmes that include targeted interventions and learning support is provided for students at risk of not achieving at the National Standards. Teachers and teacher aides use specific learning plans to make sure students are well supported in their learning. Able students are given challenging opportunities to further extend their learning. New entrant children are very well supported to transition into school.

There is a strong focus on supporting students’ oral language development as they progress through the school. This results in high quality presentations by senior students during the annual speech competitions.

Teachers use local school cluster meetings to share moderation in reading, writing and mathematics to ensure accurate judgements of student achievement are made against the National Standards.

Parents are well informed of their children’s progress and achievement in relation to the National Standards. They receive good information about their children’s next learning steps and how these can be supported at home. Teachers also provide useful information about how well students are acquiring skills and knowledge in other learning areas such as science, technology and physical education.

Area for review and development

Teachers could further strengthen the evaluation of their planning by identifying the effective strategies they use that have a positive impact on outcomes for students.

3 Curriculum

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

Students have a wide range of learning experiences in and beyond the classroom. Many of these experiences reflect their rural background and include Māori perspectives. Community members share their expertise to help ensure students have a good knowledge of their local area.

Teachers use an integrated approach to provide a range of learning contexts that enable students to learn and succeed across the full curriculum. They provide encouragement and informative feedback that motivates and encourages students in their ongoing learning.

Students have positive relationships with each other and their teachers. Older students are encouraged to take leadership roles. Students are increasingly using digital technology to support their opportunities for learning. High levels of engagement were observed in all classrooms.

Area for review and development

The principal and teachers have identified, and ERO agrees, that the next step is for the staff to work together to update the curriculum so that it more closely reflects the values and expectations of the school community, as well as current best educational practice.

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

The school effectively uses different ways to promote educational success for Māori students, as Māori. All students have many opportunities to experience tuakana-teina relationships where older students care for and support younger students with their learning.

Most Māori students are achieving at the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. They participate in meaningful activities that enable them to celebrate their language, culture and identity. They have some opportunities to hear and use te reo Māori and learn about tikanga Māori through mihi mihi and kapa haka.

Teachers are increasing their knowledge and confidence in te reo Māori and tikanga Māori with the support of an expert Māori facilitator.

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 principal has a clear vision for the school’s future direction and works collaboratively with the board and staff to address the school’s priorities.

Trustees have a good range of skills to help them carry out their governance roles. They make good use of their training to develop and improve school systems and practices. Together with the principal they have developed a strategic plan which provides guidance for the board in meeting its priorities. Some clarification of long and short-term plans are already underway.

Parents and the wider school community have good opportunities to participate in or contribute to the school programmes or provide feedback to the board to inform decision making.

The board, principal and teachers are working collaboratively to update the school’s policy statements and curriculum.

Areas for review and development

The board have identified and ERO agrees the board now need to:

continue clarifying policies and procedures so that staff, parents and whānau are well informed of school processes
further strengthen review practices by incorporating a stronger evaluative focus
report to parents of Māori students on the school’s plans and programmes to support Māori students’ learning, progress and achievement.

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.

Conclusion

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.

Chris Rowe

Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Acting)

About the School

Location	North Canterbury
Ministry of Education profile number	3501
School type	Full Primary (Years 1 to 8)
School roll	115
Gender composition	Girls 51%; Boys 49%
Ethnic composition	Pākehā Māori Tongan Other ethnicities	85% 7% 1% 7%
Review team on site	September 2015
Date of this report	21 October 2015
Most recent ERO reports	Education Review Supplementary Review Supplementary Review	August 2012 January 2009 December 2007