Target Road School

Education institution number:
1528
School type:
Contributing
School gender:
Co-Educational
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
365
Telephone:
Address:

80 Target Road, Totara Vale, North Shore

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Target Road School - 24/10/2019

School Context

Target Road School, on Auckland’s North Shore, serves a diverse ethnic community. The growing roll caters for students from Years 1 to 6, with approximately 16 percent of children identifying as Māori and nine percent with Pacific heritage.

The school values of Respect - Manaakitanga, Resilience - Takohanga, and Responsibility - Manawaroa, underpin the school’s culture. The school’s vision, Whaia Te Iti Kahurangi, is to develop independent learners who aim high and are courageous in their pursuit of learning.

Since the 2014 ERO evaluation, the school has responded well to roll growth, and the number of staff who are new to the school or new to teaching. Leadership has been restructured, with some leaders new to their roles. The school has strengthened learning partnerships with whānau and the community and has embraced Kāhui Ako initiatives and ways of working across schools.

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

  • achievement in reading, writing and mathematics in relation to New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) levels
  • attendance
  • Kāhui Ako Visible Learning reports
  • School values in action.

Target Road School is a member of the Kaipātiki Kāhui Ako | Community of Learning (CoL).

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 working towards achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for children.

School achievement data prior to 2018 show that most children achieve at expected curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics. Appropriate systems and processes are in place to ensure reliability of data.

Leaders have identified some gender disparity in writing and have implemented a range of initiatives to increase parity. They have identified initiatives to accelerate achievement, including that of target groups in mathematics. Leaders are now planning systems to extend and deepen analysis of data to help them further support parity for all groups of learners.

The board of trustees demonstrates a commitment to resourcing learning support. An extensive range of useful interventions and programmes helps children to successfully access the curriculum.

Students achieve well in relation to other valued outcomes. These include:

  • demonstrating school values that support positive interactions with others

  • using the Target Road Learner Profile to guide school behaviours and practices

  • using self-assessment and inquiry process tools, such as the Solo Taxonomy, to guide learning

  • participating in events within the local and wider community.

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

School leaders are developing a more robust focus on accelerating learning for specific groups of learners.

The school’s three tier model of learning support provides a useful structure for accelerating children’s learning. Individual learning plans are developed collaboratively by teachers, children and whānau, as appropriate. Teachers and leaders use digital platforms and tools to share knowledge to further support children with additional learning needs.

Teachers and support staff provide a wide range of interventions to ensure that children who are at risk of underachieving are supported to experience success. Teacher aides play an important role in supporting these children and teachers within an inclusive environment. Leaders have identified that a next step is to evaluate these initiatives to identify their impact on accelerating student learning.

A special feature of the school is the twice weekly Gateway whānau class, Roopu Raranga, which has been in place for three years. This programme promotes opportunities for some Māori children to further enhance their success as Māori, and to learn collaboratively with and from others. Leaders and staff are monitoring this programme, and almost all children who participate experience success within the programme and in other aspects of their learning in the wider school environment.

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 school has very strong, educationally powerful connections and relationships with parents, whānau and community. Children, teachers and adults benefit from these learning centred, reciprocal relationships. These relationships empower whānau/families to contribute to their children’s learning with confidence. Teachers use reporting to parents and digital initiatives as opportunities to build learning focused partnerships. Leaders promote a values-based culture with a community that is focused on everyone working together to support each other.

The school's vision, values, goals and priorities underpin the positive learning environment, and are evident in curriculum processes and practices. Senior leaders work collaboratively with staff to review and adapt the curriculum to guide programme planning and implementation. The increasingly responsive curriculum is continuing to evolve. There is an appropriate focus on literacy and numeracy. Purposeful learning experiences use real life contexts. All children have opportunities to learn languages other than English, including te reo Māori, Mandarin and Sign Language.

Teachers use assessment well to plan for differentiated learning programmes. They support children to understand their learning and make links across different curriculum areas.

The school’s distributed leadership model provides opportunities to grow leaders and capitalise on teachers’ and children’s strengths. Continuing to develop leadership capability should support the school’s good work towards achieving the vision for learning.

A well-established teacher inquiry model and effective coaching and mentoring processes provide very good guidance for teachers and promote professional dialogue and reflection. This fosters shared understandings, high expectations and consistency in good teaching practice.

Strong networks within the Kaipātiki Kāhui Ako are resulting in useful connections and initiatives to improve educational outcomes for children. One example is effective school transition practices that support student wellbeing.

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

Leaders agree that key elements for further development include:

  • continuing to strengthen internal evaluation processes, to identify which initiatives have the greatest impact on accelerating student progress and achievement
  • improved collation and analysis of achievement information, to better differentiate planning and identify outcomes for specific groups of children.

3 Other Matters

Provision for international students

The school is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of International Students) Code of Practice 2016 (the Code), established under section 238F of the Education Act 1989. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code. Two international students were enrolled at the time of the review.

The school has effective systems that support international students’ education and care. Students benefit from the school’s inclusive culture, and opportunities to participate in a wide range of activities.

4 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 Vulnerable Children Act 2014.

5 ERO’s Overall Judgement

On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of Target Road School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.

ERO’s Framework: Overall School Performance is available on ERO’s website.

6 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:

  • strong interpersonal relationships and a schoolwide focus on pastoral care
  • an inclusive learning culture that promotes opportunities for children to experience success and take increasing ownership of their learning
  • responding to the needs of the children and changing diversity of the community
  • leaders and teachers using an effective coaching and mentoring model to develop shared schoolwide expectations.

Next steps

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

  • continuing to strengthen leaders new to their roles and to build sustainability of systems and processes in a growing school
  • continuing to strengthen internal evaluation across the school
  • supporting the training and development of the new board.

Steve Tanner

Director Review and Improvement Services Northern

Northern Region

24 October 2019

About the school

Location

Totara Vale, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

1528

School type

Contributing (Years 1 to 6)

School roll

387

Gender composition

Boys 56% Girls 44%

Ethnic composition

Māori 16%
NZ European/Pākehā 20%
Asian 42%
Pacific 9%
MELAA 9%
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

24 October 2019

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review November 2014
Education Review September 2011
Education Review April 2008

Target Road School - 05/11/2014

Findings

How effectively is this school’s curriculum promoting student learning - engagement, progress and achievement?

Target Road School provides its students with high quality education in a supportive, learning focused environment. School-wide developments are focused on improving outcomes for all students and teachers actively support students to be confident, effective learners. Students’ ideas and contributions are valued and used to shape the curriculum.

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.

1 Context

What are the important features of this school that have an impact on student learning?

Target Road School, on Auckland’s North Shore, provides high quality education for Year 1 to 6 students in a supportive, learning-focused environment. Students receive a broad education that develops their academic, sporting abilities, and cultural interests.

The principal, appointed since the 2011 ERO review, has formed very good working relationships with the board, senior leaders and staff. In response to the areas for development outlined in the 2011 ERO report, she has very effectively led the development of a curriculum that promotes student-centred learning. Students support each other and respect the role that their teachers have in helping them with their learning.

Teacher implementation of their professional learning and development (PLD) initiatives has improved outcomes for students. Strong school leadership and ongoing developments have provided a sound foundation for trustees, senior leaders and teachers to embrace and embed the principles of The New Zealand Curriculum.

2 Learning

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

The principal, senior leaders, teachers and the board use achievement information effectively to improve students’ engagement, progress and achievement.

Teachers reflect on ways they can adapt their teaching practice to cater to learners’ diverse requirements. This focused approach to raising student achievement contributes to students’ very good understanding about ways in which they can improve their learning. Students see themselves as capable, lifelong learners. Their confidence is evident in the way they engage positively in their work.

School leaders, with support from the board, drive school-wide developments focused on raising the achievement levels of groups of students who have traditionally not benefited from the school system. The engagement, progress and achievement of Māori, Pacific students, and students with special needs has increased as a result of this change in the school’s teaching and learning culture. Teachers build on Māori and Pacific students’ cultural knowledge to enhance learning. Their focus on catering for the learning requirements of these priority learners has benefited all students. High expectations of students with special needs are evident in well considered, personalised, social and academic goals. These goals are formed collaboratively by teachers, students and their parents.

Teachers use their understanding of the National Standards to improve learning. They successfully collect and make sense of information from a variety of sources to gauge how well individual students achieve in relation to the Standards. School achievement information shows that, overall, students achieve at national levels in reading, and above national levels in writing and mathematics. Students are tracking well to meeting the Government’s 2017 National Standards targets. Increasingly, teachers assess students’ use of literacy and mathematics in other curriculum areas. Parents receive informative reports that enable them to understand and contribute to their child’s progress and achievement.

3 Curriculum

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

Student learning is promoted by a well-designed curriculum that successfully connects and builds on students’ interests and contribution of ideas. Increasingly, students give shape to the curriculum. Students apply their learning strategies in a variety of situations. They provide their teachers with useful feedback about how they best learn and the teaching and resources required to support them in this endeavour. This reflects the school charter aim ‘to develop independent learners who are courageous in their pursuit of learning’.

Respectful relationships contribute to student well-being. This inclusive culture promotes effective student learning and sense of worth. Teachers adapt programmes to cater for students’ emerging interests. They provide opportunities for students to relate what they already know to their new learning.

Students report that teachers listen to them and are interested in them as individuals. Students from the senior school have successfully made recommendations to the board. Their views and requests are treated respectfully by trustees and, as a result, modifications have been made to school rules and routines. The broad themes explored by students provide opportunities for Māori students and Pacific students (representing Samoa, Tonga, Fiji and the Cook Islands) to share their experiences and ideas. Pacific students respond well to bicultural practices that promote the school’s positive attitudes to diversity and inclusion.

Teachers are well supported by an effective senior leadership team. Well coordinated professional learning and development has deepened teacher knowledge about the curriculum and effective teaching and learning practices. Teachers and senior leaders are aware of the benefits of networking with educational professionals in the pursuit of improving student outcomes. They willingly share their practice with other colleagues, including visitors from other schools.

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

Māori students experience success as Māori in a variety of meaningful ways. Biculturalism is an integral part of school life. Māori students’ language and cultural identity are valued and built on by teachers.

Senior leaders provide opportunities for Māori knowledge to contribute to and enhance the value placed on te ao Māori. A school haka is being developed to reflect the location of the school and the aspirations of the school community. In order to enhance existing good practice, school leaders are currently reviewing the sequencing of the school’s te reo Māori programme and development of parent partnerships focused on learning. The strengthening of links to the local Māori community will contribute to the school’s goal of building a shared understanding about the history of the local area and Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau. The intention of this and other developments is to enhance Māori students’ sense of place and connection.

4 Sustainable Performance

How well placed is the school to sustain and improve its performance?

The school is very well placed to sustain its performance.

High quality leadership at board, principal, senior leader, teacher and student levels has a positive impact on student learning and wellbeing.

The school is well served by:

  • a board composed of experienced trustees
  • well linked school management systems and practices
  • a skilled principal and senior leadership team
  • committed teachers and staff.

The board governs the school successfully and supports the principal and teachers in their work. Trustees promote and support the school as a community of connected learners. They value parent feedback and contributions, and regularly seek their views through surveys and community meetings. The board’s strategic decision-making supports staff and parents in the promotion of positive outcomes for students. The school uses a variety of means to gauge student safety and wellbeing.

Senior leaders use self review in an ongoing manner to drive initiatives that support the school’s shared vision, which is focused on improving learning. The clarity of school direction, goals and processes encourages contributions from students, staff and community. Teachers reflect on and adapt their practice to cater for students’ diverse learning requirements. Self review contributes to the school sustaining and improving its performance in catering for all students. A future-focused organisational culture contributes significantly to the school’s sustainability.

ERO and the board agree that the school’s self-review processes could be used to further strengthen:

  • parent/whānau and aiga partnerships that are focused on student learning
  • different ways in which the ideas and aspirations of parents, whānau and aiga can be used to inform the school’s strategic direction.

ERO is confident that the board, senior leaders and staff have the capability to use the school’s well developed self-review processes to sustain their provision of high quality education.

Provision for international students

The school is a signatory to the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students established under section 238F of the Education Act 1989. Self review of the provision for international students is used to modify documentation and procedures. No international students were enrolled at the time of the ERO review.

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

Target Road School provides its students with high quality education in a supportive, learning focused environment. School-wide developments are focused on improving outcomes for all students and teachers actively support students to be confident, effective learners. Students’ ideas and contributions are valued and used to shape the curriculum.

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.

Dale Bailey

National Manager Review Services

Northern Region

5 November 2014

About the School

Location

Totara Vale, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

1528

School type

Contributing (Years 1 to 6)

School roll

343

Gender composition

Boys 50%, Girls 50%

Ethnic composition

NZ European/Pākehā

Māori

South East Asian

Indian

Chinese

Samoan

Tongan

Middle Eastern

other Asian

other European

other Pacific

other ethnicities

31%

12%

15%

8%

5%

5%

3%

3%

8%

3%

2%

5%

Review team on site

September 2014

Date of this report

5 November 2014

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

Education Review

Education Review

September 2011

April 2008

February 2005