Temuka Primary School

School Context

Temuka Primary School provides education for students in Years 1 to 6. The school has a roll of 230 students, with a small number for whom English is a second language.

The school’s vision and valued outcomes are for students to uphold its ACER values (Acceptance, Caring, Excellence, Respect), to be literate and numerate, and to become independent, confident learners. To support these outcomes, the school’s current strategic goals are to:

• involve parents in their child’s learning to achieve success
• successfully transition the school into collaborative learning environments
• enhance students’ learning through a creative, relevant, lively curriculum with strengths in language, identity and culture.

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

• achievement in reading, writing and mathematics against the school’s expectations
• trends and patterns of achievement for year levels of students over time
• proportions of targeted students who have made accelerated progress in reading, writing or mathematics.

The school has stable staffing and an established principal. The classes are divided into three teams. The juniors (Years 0 to 2) learn in mixed-age groupings, the middle-school (Years 3 and 4) students learn in a collaborative learning environment, and the seniors (Years 5 and 6) are mixed-year levels. A notable proportion of students enrol and/or leave throughout the year, often associated with local employment opportunities.

A Ministry of Education advisor is working with the school to support its strategic aim of improving home-school partnerships in support of children’s learning.

The school is part of the North Timaru 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 achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for its students increasingly well.   

It can show that over the last three years (2015-2017) approximately two thirds of all of its students achieved at or above its expectations in reading and mathematics. Most students over this time achieved at these levels in writing.

Māori students’ achievement (2015-2017) indicates they achieve as well or better than their peers at the school in reading and writing, but not as well in mathematics. This disparity is decreasing. At the time of this review in 2018, just over half of the school’s Māori students were achieving at or above the school’s expectations in reading and two thirds at these levels in writing and mathematics.

There is significant and increasing (2015-2017) disparity for boys in writing. Leaders and teachers have identified this and made it a priority in student target setting and staff development.

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

The school is accelerating the learning for those Māori and other students who need this.

Recent analysis of student progress in 2017 shows that most Māori students are making sufficient or accelerated progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

The school specifically targets those students whose learning needs to be accelerated. Data over the last three years shows it is increasingly effective in accelerating the progress of these students in reading. In 2017 it accelerated the majority of these learners in this area. Accelerated progress for targeted learners in mathematics in 2015 and 2016 was not as effective, with less than half of these learners accelerating their progress.

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?

School processes and practices that are effectively enabling achievement of equity and excellence in acceleration of learning are:

• a strong focus on building and sustaining secure relationships for students
• the provision of a responsive curriculum
• individual learning planning for students who need their progress accelerated
• the close monitoring and reporting of students’ achievement and progress.

Leaders and teachers recognise that students learn best when they have caring, positive and inclusive relationships with their teachers and each other. The school is structured in such a way as to enable young children to stay with their teacher for two years. Teachers know their students well and are able to identify and provide for their specific learning needs.

Significant development of the curriculum has occurred since the 2015 ERO review. It provides students with a variety of rich, authentic learning experiences. This has raised levels of student engagement in their learning. The aims of growing students who uphold the ACER values and become confident, independent learners are well integrated throughout the curriculum. These aims have contributed positively to the development of student pride and engagement in their school.

Students who need extra support to succeed are identified and well provided for so that their learning is tailored to their specific needs. Their progress is very closely monitored. Teachers’ inquiries into what best supports these learners’ progress, as part of a strengthened appraisal system, are improving equitable outcomes. The board ensures this support is well resourced, with additional staff and a range of specific programmes designed to accelerate students’ learning.

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

Internal evaluation processes and practices could be further developed and strengthened. This should include a much greater evaluative component to all reporting, including that to the board. This reporting should make more explicit the intended and actual outcomes for students. Deeper analysis of student achievement and progress, and achievement with respect to the school’s valued outcomes for learners should also be an integral part of this. More evaluative reporting focused on outcomes for specific groups of learners should better inform the board for its decision making.

It would be timely for leaders to ensure that there is a shared understanding amongst teachers and themselves about what constitutes sufficient progress across learning areas and with respect to the school’s valued outcomes for learners. Once this is in place, teachers and leaders will be better placed to evaluate the sufficiency of progress learners are making and have clearer information about what is working and what is not. This should enable teachers and leaders to more deeply inquire into trends and patterns in achievement information over time.

There is scope for greater clarity in reporting student achievement and progress information to the board. Leaders and teachers could refine this reporting so that the board receives clearer overviews of achievement and progress information at a whole school and identified group level.

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 Vulnerable Children Act 2014.

4 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

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

• positive, caring, inclusive relationships within the school that enable all children to feel welcomed and supported
• school’s responsive curriculum that empowers learners and builds their sense of responsibility
• specific, well-planned support students receive that is tailored to meet their learning needs.

Next steps

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

• strengthening internal evaluation, inquiry and knowledge building that creates greater understanding and sharing of what makes a bigger difference for all learners
• deepening analysis of students’ achievement and progress overall and for specific groups to provide the teachers, leaders and trustees with relevant information for decision making
• clarifying teachers’ expectations for what constitutes sufficient progress for students across all learning areas, and evaluating and reporting against these.

ERO’s next external evaluation process and timing

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

Dr Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern

Te Waipounamu - Southern Region

14 May 2018

About the school