Stanmore Bay School

1 Context

Stanmore Bay School is led by an experienced principal and senior leaders. The recently elected board includes both new and experienced trustees. They are successfully managing very significant roll growth with an increase of approximately 50 percent since the 2013 ERO review. The school now has an enrolment zone. Most children are Pākehā and eight percent are Māori. Some children are taught in learning environments that promote greater collaboration between classes and the use of innovative teaching and learning approaches.

Recent professional development has focused on accelerating achievement in writing and mathematics, and promoting children's positive behaviour to support teaching and learning. The school is a member of the Whangaparāoa Community of Learning | Kāhui Ako (CoL), that is currently developing common achievement targets across the local college (Years 7 to 13) and its contributing schools.

2 Equity and excellence

The vision defined by the school for all children is; "empowering our community of learners to strive for excellence through effort and achievement'. The valued outcomes are defined by the school's STARS acronym (striving/takakawenga, thinking/whakaaro, active learning/mahi akoranga, respect/whakaute and sharing/mahi tahi).

The school’s achievement information shows that, for the last three years, more than 80% of children achieved at or above the National Standards. From 2013 to 2015 the school met the government's 2017 achievement target of having 85% of learners at National Standards in mathematics and reading. Since 2012 achievement information in writing is showing an upward trend.

The percentage of Māori children achieving at the National Standard for writing in the last three years has increased and has remained close to 85% for reading and mathematics. This is similar to all children. However, there is still some disparity in achievement for the school to address. In 2015 a smaller percentage of Māori students achieved above the National Standards than Pākehā. In addition, a higher percentage of Māori students were achieving well below the Standards.

There are only a small number of children from Pacific families at the school and it is not appropriate to report overall achievement in relation to National Standards or to identify trends over time.

The school implements many useful strategies to be assured that overall teacher judgements are robust and rigorous.

Since the last ERO evaluation the school has continued to focus on improving learning outcomes in literacy and mathematics. There is a wide range of interventions in place, including Ministry of Education initiatives to accelerate student learning in these areas of the curriculum. Effective strategies from these initiatives are being used to improve learning in classroom programmes.

3 Accelerating achievement

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

Effective processes are in place to ensure that all Māori children whose progress needs accelerating are identified and targeted for support.

Staff meet regularly in teaching teams to share information about student outcomes and to discuss future learning and teaching. These teams use achievement information to evaluate the impact of teacher practice on student learning.

There is a clear expectation that targeted children will make accelerated progress. The principal and deputy principal monitor all Māori children's achievement regularly and review school-wide processes to ensure that they are effective.

Targeted children take part in relevant support programmes. The numbers of Māori children at each year level and curriculum area are identified in a plan to raise achievement for 2016.

The school works with the local college with the expectation that the progress of Māori children will continue to be monitored in Year 7.

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

The school effectively responds to other children whose learning needs accelerating. The same processes for identifying, addressing and monitoring the learning needs and progress of Māori children are followed for other children whose progress needs accelerating. Targets related to National Standards are also set for identified Pacific children and their progress is reported to the board.

The learning of children with special learning needs is scrutinised and monitored by the deputy principal and assistant principal who share the Special Education Coordinator role (SENCO). The SENCOs liaise closely with classroom teachers, teacher aides and, when appropriate external agencies to ensure that these children receive appropriate support.

The school's plan for raising achievement outlines a three tiered approach including effective classroom teaching, intensive support and special support. The plan identifies best teaching practice, prompts for teacher monitoring, and the support available for learners who need their progress accelerating.

Senior leaders have recently reviewed how children's learning levels can be recorded to show progress over time. A new, more graphic, recording method should assist teachers and parents to see how children are progressing against clear identified expectations.

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?

The school's curriculum, and other organisational processes and practices effectively promote equity and excellence for children. While the school curriculum emphasises reading, writing and mathematics, it provides a broad range of learning opportunities for children to experience success, build on their talents and interests and develop leadership skills. For example, children enjoy success in areas such as kapa haka, the school band, enterprise, drama, and environmental education for which the school has won a Silver Enviro School award.

The board understands its stewardship role and monitors the school's effectiveness in achieving its vision. Trustees take an active interest in the information they receive about children's learning. They are well-informed about their statutory responsibilities and maintain a set of relevant policies to guide school operations. The board has a three year plan to evaluate how culturally responsive the school is for Māori and to identify priorities for development.

The school is well led by experienced school leaders who use their complementary skills to support children and staff to raise children's achievement. School leaders have high expectations and a strong focus on children's learning. From time to time leadership responsibilities are reallocated within the leadership team, giving fresh perspectives and building increased understanding across the team.

School leaders encourage other staff to take leadership roles and use their professional skills and knowledge for the benefit of learners. Some teachers provide effective leadership of initiatives that are enabling children to accelerate their learning.

Regular meetings of teaching teams encourage teachers to work collaboratively. They also help to ensure that effective teacher practice is shared. There are opportunities to monitor and discuss children's progress, programmes and teaching strategies.

The school curriculum document has been reviewed and refined to reflect improvements to practice. Recent professional learning and development about creating a school environment that supports well-being and achievement for all children has led to the school reviewing its vision statement.

The school has planned strategically to ensure that the school curriculum supports Māori children's identity as Maori and for all children to participate in bicultural New Zealand. The board has funded staffing so that children and teachers can have regular lessons in te reo and tikanga Māori. School leaders could now set curriculum expectations in this area so that teachers more consistently support the bicultural aspect of teaching across the curriculum.

Teaching approaches are increasingly encouraging children to be more active participants in their learning. Children lead discussions and set goals with their parents and teachers about their learning. Senior leaders agree that it would be timely to ensure that these approaches are consistently used across the school. This could help accelerate children's progress.

Other curriculum developments include a review of the way that children learn in science, social sciences and technology. The inquiry approach used is being reviewed so that, as children progress through the school, they take greater control of their inquiries. Innovations in teaching and learning, that include greater collaboration and the use of digital technologies, are well managed.

The 2013 ERO report identified the need to strengthen the school's appraisal processes. Teachers are now more active participants in the management of their own performance in relation to outcomes for children. Teachers are increasing their understanding of Tātaiako: Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners, which could support effective teaching of Māori children.

The school maintains effective partnerships with its community and the wider education community. It has good communication with early learning centres and the local college to ensure that children transition smoothly through their educational pathways. Parents are well informed and regularly consulted about school matters so that a range of views are considered when planning changes.

Internal evaluation is well established. The school conducts regular reviews of areas of the curriculum, school operations and progress in relation to school goals. When appropriate, changes are made in response to these evaluations and appropriate resourcing decisions are made. Senior leaders agree that they could now make greater use of information related to the school's valued outcomes for children including those identified in the STARS values to inform their evaluations.

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 effectively to the strengths, needs and interests of each child
• regularly evaluate how well teaching is working for these children
• act on what they know works well for each child
• build teacher capability effectively to achieve equitable outcomes for all children
• are well placed to achieve and sustain equitable and excellent outcomes for all children. 

Leaders have identified relevant priorities for further development. These include: 

• continuing to develop learning approaches that promote children's active engagement and ownership of their learning
• embedding and monitoring teaching approaches that strengthen the school's bicultural curriculum
• strengthening internal evaluation by putting a greater emphasis on the extent to which valued outcomes for children are achieved
• continuing to embed teaching and learning approaches that are effective in accelerating children's progress. 

ERO is likely to carry out the next 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

• provision for international students

Provision for International Students

The Education (Pastoral Care of International Students) Code of Practice 2016 (the Code) was introduced on 1 July 2016. At the time of this review there no international students attending the school.

The school has begun to align its policies and procedures to meet the requirements of the new (2016) Code of Practice.

7 Recommendation

ERO recommends that the school continues to develop its internal evaluation capacity by including a greater focus on valued outcomes for children as a way of promoting excellence and equity for all children. 

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

22 March 2017 

About the school