Te Kura o Wairau

Education institution number:
2363
School type:
Contributing
School gender:
Co-Educational
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
156
Telephone:
Address:

45 Somerset Crescent, Highbury, Palmerston North

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Somerset Crescent School - 03/07/2019

School Context

Somerset Crescent School in Palmerston North caters for students in Years 1 to 6. At the time of this review, the roll of 233 students includes 51% Māori and 24% of Pacific heritage.

Several changes have occurred to staffing, including the appointment of a principal in 2017 and senior leader in Term 3, 2018. The board is comprised of long serving and newly elected trustees.

The school’s mission states ‘We work toward achieving our dreams We are raising the bar.’

The school is currently involved in a Ministry of Education initiative focused on developing mathematical inquiry.

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

  • achievement and progress in reading, writing and numeracy.

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?

Senior leaders are in the initial stages of reviewing assessment practice to strengthen their understanding of how well the school achieves equitable and excellent outcomes for all its learners.

Current assessments show most students enter school requiring their achievement to be accelerated in reading, writing and mathematics to meet expected levels. Progress for year groups overtime shows increased numbers of students achieve these expected levels by the end of Year 6.

Reported achievement at the end of 2018 showed approximately half of students achieved at or above expectations in aspects of reading and writing. Multiplication and division results showed a similar pattern with greater numbers achieving expected levels in addition and subtraction. Outcomes for Māori students demonstrate a similar pattern to achievement overall. Girls achieve slightly higher than boys in literacy.

Many Pacific students are English language learners. Their progress is tracked individually.

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

Further developments to assessment and teacher practice are required to increase the effectiveness of the school in responding to Māori and other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration.

In 2018, data for students targeted to raise their achievement in aspects of reading, showed many accelerated their progress. Data in writing for targeted students in Years 4 and 6, showed most made progress with fewer numbers accelerating their achievement.

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?

Senior leaders and trustees collaboratively pursue the vision and values of the school. Their internal reflection has identified relevant priorities for ongoing development. Restructured leadership roles provide greater clarity of responsibilities and expectations to achieve the school’s priorities. Systems have been developed to ensure children with special and additional needs are regularly monitored to inform a timely response and support evaluation. Professional learning and development (PLD) is suitably focused on building teacher practice and aligned to shared expectations.

A wide range of well-considered strategies and actions ensure students with complex learning needs receive equity in their learning opportunities. School personnel are highly committed to promote the holistic development of all learners and advocate for families and whānau. School culture and daily actions affirm and support the social and emotional competencies of learners. Individual education plans are used appropriately to plan, monitor and review the specific goals of students with high needs. Additional personnel and specialist external knowledge is resourced and well used to promote learner engagement, progress and achievement. Well considered strategies encourage parent and whānau engagement in partnerships to promote student learning.

The school environment is highly inclusive of students, parents, families and whānau. The shared values of ‘U-ROCK: U – You! Respect, On to it behaviour, Co-operation and Kindness’ are evident in interactions. A wide range of well-considered strategies encourage positive behaviour for learning (PB4L) and underpin the conditions to promote purposeful engagement and participation at school. Senior student leadership is valued for their contribution to the school culture. The promotion of relational teaching creates a caring and welcoming classroom environment. Student success and events of significance are celebrated and acknowledged collectively.

The school demonstrates a purposeful response to the cultural identities of students, families and whānau. Tauparapara and regular involvement in cultural activities celebrates Māori and Pacific languages and cultures. Pōwhiri and performing arts are valued learning opportunities for students to demonstrate their pride to their whānau and wider community. Cultural diversity is celebrated making connections to learners’ lives and encouraging a strong sense of belonging at school.

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

Assessment practices require further development to support the school in promoting equity and excellence for students. Implementing robust assessment tools to cover the breadth of the curriculum levels should be undertaken as a first step. Improved assessments should then be used to strengthen teaching, learning, moderation and reporting practices.

Teaching requires further development. Involvement in PLD, observation of practice and teaching inquiry should be aligned to ensure teaching is strengthened to meet the school’s priorities.

The curriculum requires review to determine priorities for learning and establish expectations for delivery of core and contributing subjects. Leaders are currently reviewing the school values with the community to establish their key priorities. Development of a localised curriculum should ensure greater consistency of practice and provide a foundation of expectations that can be used to inform ongoing evaluation.

Leaders seek ongoing improvement. They are in the initial stages of implementing changes to increase student achievement and further develop teacher and curriculum practices that promotes increased learner agency. As development occurs, the school should align evaluation and inquiry processes to establish the impact of these changes on targeted learner outcomes.

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

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:

  • inclusive practices that support the meaningful engagement of students, families and whānau
  • strategies and actions that ensure a purposeful response to students with complex needs
  • leaders and trustee’s working collaboratively to strengthen structures and processes that are aimed to increase equitable and excellence for students
  • cultural inclusion that encourages a strong sense of belonging at school.

Next steps

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

  • build assessment tools to strengthen teaching, learning, moderation and reporting
  • enhance teaching capability to meet the specific learning needs of students
  • review and re-development of the localised curriculum to establish valued outcomes and support consistency in delivery
  • align evaluation and inquiry practice to determine the impact of introduced changes on strengthening equity and excellence for learners.

Phillip Cowie

Director Review and Improvement Services Central

Central Region

3 July 2019

About the school

Location

Palmerston North

Ministry of Education profile number

2363

School type

Contributing school (Years 1 to 6)

School roll

233

Gender composition

Male 57%, Female 43%

Ethnic composition

Maori 51%
Pacific 24%
NZ European/Pākehā 21%
Other ethnic groups 4%

Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS)

Yes

Provision of Māori medium education

No

Review team on site

May 2019

Date of this report

3 July 2019

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Report December 2016
Education Report September 2013
Education Review October 2010

Somerset Crescent School - 05/12/2016

1 Context

Somerset Crescent School in Palmerston North caters for students in Years 1 to 6.

At the time of this review, the roll of 231 students included just under half who are Māori and a third Pacific. The school recognises Rangitane as mana whenua. Some students are learners of English as a second language, many in their early years at the school. There are several high needs students.

The school's involvement in Ministry of Education initiatives includes focuses on raising achievement in mathematics and writing, and Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L).

2 Equity and excellence

The vision and valued outcomes defined by the school for all children are to: raise the bar and strive for excellence in order to achieve their dreams. Students are encouraged to celebrate differences, foster a passion for learning and pursue excellence. All aspects of school life are underpinned by the values of U-ROCK: U – You! Respect, On to it behaviour, Co-operation and Kindness.

The school’s 2015 National Standards achievement information shows that the majority of students achieve at or above expectations in reading, writing and mathematics.

Schoolwide achievement in writing and mathematics has significantly improved since the September 2013 ERO evaluation. In reading overall, it has remained the same. Māori and Pacific students' overall achievement is generally similar to that of the whole school. Two thirds of the school roll is boys who achieve much higher than the girls in mathematics, but lower in literacy. School targets for improvement appropriately focus on groups most in need of acceleration.

Most students identified in the school's achievement targets for 2015 successfully reached their goals. Leaders have identified that continuing to improve reading in the junior years and mathematics for the seniors is the priority for 2016. They are responding to Year 6 data showing that while more than three quarters of these students are successfully achieving the National Standards in reading, around half who left the school in the past two years had not met the Standards in writing and mathematics.

Reported overall teacher judgements about students' achievement, in relation to the National Standards, for midyear 2016 indicate continued improvement.

Since the previous ERO evaluation, the school has focused on improving outcomes for students in literacy and mathematics. Teachers have participated in whole-school professional learning and development (PLD) aimed at building their knowledge and understanding of effective strategies that accelerate the progress of at risk learners. Leadership has encouraged collaborative practice to create conditions that more effectively promote collective responsibility for raising achievement.

3 Accelerating achievement

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

The school is continuing to develop its response to Māori students whose learning and achievement need acceleration.

Schoolwide National Standards achievement information informs strategic planning and actions that are intended to respond to learners whose progress needs acceleration. Māori students whose progress requires acceleration are identified at class, team and board levels, and targeted for additional support.

The school's data shows that most Māori students who were included in the charter targets in 2015 made progress. Some reporting to the board in 2016 comments on the progress of target students.

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

The school is continuing to develop its response to other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration.

Pacific students' overall achievement in relation to National Standards has improved significantly in mathematics since the previous ERO evaluation. However, school data shows that improvement to Pacific students' reading and writing achievement was not sustained from 2014 to 2015. Pākehā learners collectively have improved their achievement in literacy and numeracy over recent years.

Pacific students who were included in targets in 2015 showed good progress and, in many cases, accelerated progress. Teachers’ classroom targets have been broadened in 2016 to include all children who are achieving below expectations.

Teachers work collaboratively, sharing strategies and practices that successfully promote better learning outcomes. Regular team meetings discuss data and moderate judgements about students’ achievement in relation to National Standards. Teachers use a selection of assessment tools, observations and anecdotal evidence as the basis for their assessment judgements for reading, writing and mathematics.

New approaches to the schoolwide teaching of mathematics have been carefully considered and are supported by PLD. Teachers report that these approaches have a positive impact on children’s learning. Changes in assessment practices place more emphasis on observations and anecdotal evidence to capture students' learning.

Leaders have identified, and ERO agrees, that it is timely to review aspects of assessment practices in literacy and mathematics. A next step is to strengthen teachers' and leaders' use of achievement information to:

  • inform responsive teaching decisions
  • show progress and achievement
  • contribute to making overall assessment judgements about achievement
  • evaluate the impact of practices, programmes and initiatives.

Clearer and more accurate information about the progress and accelerated progress, particularly of targeted students, should better enable the school to improve its response to all students who are at risk of underachievement.

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?

Many aspects of the school’s curriculum and other organisational processes and practices develop and enact the school’s vision, values, goals and priorities for equity and excellence.

The curriculum is broad and balanced, with a strong focus on literacy and mathematics, supporting students to learn within the context of The New Zealand Curriculum. The school's vision and values are clearly enacted and underpin all aspects of school life. Guiding documents express how the valued outcomes for students can be promoted through relevant contexts for learning.

Student wellbeing is a priority and respectful relationships are evident across the school. Students learn in a highly supportive, inclusive and welcoming school culture, where a sense of connection and belonging is promoted. Children work collaboratively and cooperatively. Tuakana teina, children learning from each other, is clearly evident. Senior students have leadership opportunities through a young leaders' programme.

There is a clear structure and framework for teaching and learning. Building students' engagement, ownership and ability to talk about their learning is a school focus for ongoing development. Teachers value and increasingly integrate students' culture, language and identity into the curriculum to promote success for all. This is evident in:

  • the Tauparapara initiative that establishes a platform for belonging, valuing cultural identity and a common purpose
  • integration of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori into school the curriculum
  • valuing Pacific languages and identity
  • an annual language and cultural festival.

There is an appropriate range of support for students with additional needs. Those with high needs learn alongside their peers in the classroom where possible. Collaborative action plans for these students are suitable and well developed. Parents receive regular feedback about progress towards their child's goals.

Reports to parents provide clear information about their child’s achievement in relation to National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. These include next steps for learning and suggestions about how parents can support their child’s learning at home.

Leaders have established a clear vision and direction for the school. They have prioritised a positive environment that promotes learning and supports wellbeing. They articulate priorities for improvement and promote a school climate of trust and collaboration that values diversity. Leaders have supported teachers effectively to develop their knowledge of culturally responsive practices. They seek to improve teaching practice and outcomes for students through support and PLD.

Staffing and resourcing has been organised to promote students' engagement and achievement. Schoolwide PLD is well considered and aligns with identified priorities for improvement. Externallyfacilitated PLD programmes have had an impact on changing teachers' practice and have contributed to improved success for students.

Performance management processes have been further developed. A new model to support teachers to inquire into the effectiveness of their practice has been introduced and, in 2016, includes a focus on improving the engagement of students in mathematics. The school should continue to strengthen the use of achievement information within appraisal and inquiry processes to better show the impact of changes in practice on further improving outcomes for students.

The school enjoys good relationships with its community. Links are well established with local marae, other schools and early childhood services. A range of strategies promote effective communication. Parents and whānau engage with the school through a variety of cultural activities and sports, and opportunities to build their understanding of their child’s learning.

A wide range of community partnerships extend opportunities for students to become more confident and actively involved learners. Senior leaders and teachers should continue to extend partnerships with parents and whānau to support student learning. Formalising opportunities for consultation with parents will enable their views to contribute to the school’s strategic decision making.

The school continues to build its capacity to understand what works and what makes a bigger difference for all learners. Self-review processes seek improvement to students' achievement, school systems and practices. Systems identify what has contributed to schoolwide gains in student achievement.

The next step is to further strengthen systematic use of evidence-based evaluation to measure the impact of teaching practices and programmes. This should enable the school to better measure the effectiveness of the curriculum and teaching in accelerating student progress, and support the school to sustain and continue to improve its performance.

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
  • need to systematically act on what they know works for each child
  • need to have a plan in place to build teacher capability to accelerate the achievement of all children who need it.

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 develop more targeted planning to accelerate student achievement. Planning should show how processes and practices will 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 planning 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.

7 Recommendation

Leaders and teachers should further strengthen:

  • assessment practices to clearly show students' learning and progress
  • teachers' assessment judgements about students' achievement in relation to the National Standards
  • teaching practices to respond to individual needs
  • use of achievement information within appraisal and inquiry processes
  • systematic use of evidence-based evaluation to measure the impact of teaching practices and programmes.
  • consultation with parents to enable them to contribute to the school’s strategic decisionmaking.

Joyce Gebbie

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central

5 December 2016

About the school

Location

Palmerston North

Ministry of Education profile number

2363

School type

Contributing (Years 1 to 6)

School roll

231

Gender composition

Girls 36%, Boys 64%

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pacific

Pākehā

Other ethnic groups

49%

29%

20%

2%

Review team on site

September 2016

Date of this report

5 December 2016

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

Education Review

Education Review

September 2013

October 2010

June 2007