Wā Ora Montessori

School Context

Wa Ora Montessori School is a state integrated area school in Lower Hutt. Of the 247 students from Years 2 to Year 13 who currently attend the school, 13% identify as Māori. Over the past three years the school roll has continued to increase, with the greatest expansion occurring in the secondary and senior primary areas. Ongoing property and building work is responsive to this growing roll. There have been recent significant changes in leadership and teaching staff.

The school has a preschool on site. Education from early years through to college is underpinned by the Montessori philosophy. Each classroom caters for three year levels. Students experience long, uninterrupted work cycles in which they have freedom to direct their learning within Montessori limits and order.

The school aims to provide a learning environment that supports children’s physical, moral, emotional and intellectual development. Valued outcomes that sit within the Montessori philosophy and The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) are for students to be:

• confident, independent learners
• part of ‘humanity’ through being contributors to school and wider society
• self managers and independent thinkers.

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

• achievement in reading, writing and mathematics for primary school students

• progress and achievement in English and mathematics for Years 8 to10

• achievement within the New Zealand Qualifications Framework

• effectiveness of specific interventions

• progress and achievement in relation to annual achievement targets

• engagement and wellbeing for 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 working to develop consistent practices and processes to effectively address equity of outcomes for all learners.

School reported data for 2017 indicates that:

• most students continue to achieve National Certificates of Educational Achievement(NCEA) at Levels 1, 2 and 3. A few students achieved merit or excellence
• in the past three years most students finished schooling having gained at least NCEA Level 2. In 2016, all leavers achieved this level
• most students in Years 8 to 10 achieve at or above expectation in English and mathematics
• most primary school students continue to achieve at or above expectation in reading and mathematics and a large majority are successful in writing
• achievement levels have remained static over time
• Māori students continue to achieve less well than their peers in reading and writing
• girls achieve significantly than better than boys in reading and writing

School leaders and the board have appropriately identified key areas of focus for 2018 in response to this data.

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

The school has some useful practices and processes to accelerate learning, progress and achievement for identified students. They have yet to effectively address disparity for Māori and boys.

The school recognises the urgent need to inquire into the effectiveness of action, practices and processes to better promote acceleration for those students at risk of underachieving.

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?

Trustees, leaders and teachers have a shared understanding of and a commitment to the Montessori philosophy, aligned with the NZC. This informs the school’s strategic direction and decision-making, with an appropriate focus on student wellbeing, learning and achievement.

Trustees are strategic, responsive and well informed. They have confidence in the appointment of the new principal to further pursue the school’s vision.

The Montessori philosophy and NZC underpins teaching and learning across all areas of the school. The learning environments are suitably resourced to support students’ engagement in and understanding of their learning. Positive, respectful, reciprocal relationships are highly evident and valued across all levels of the school community.

Well considered processes support children’s successful transitions into and through the school. A collaborative approach and collective responsibility for information sharing and flexibility assist transitions.

Sound systems and processes along with collaboration with parents, whānau and external agencies supports children with high learning or health needs to engage in meaningful learning.

Schoolwide professional development is linked to school priorities. Collaboration and sharing information across the sectors promotes an understanding of holistic development and stages of learning of students.

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

The school has identified the need to build on the good bicultural practices developed in the early years of learning. Having a cohesive and progressive te ao Māori programme across the school is a next step. Continued engagement with and consultation through whānau hui should support this development.

Leaders and teachers should further strengthen their understanding and use of internal evaluation and inquiry. This should help to measure the effectiveness of systems, processes and practices in promoting improvement and to determine how successful strategies could be transferred to other learning contexts.

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.

Appraisal audit

The school’s documented endorsement process is sound, butwas not fully implemented in 2017.

4 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

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

• a shared understanding across the school of and a commitment to Montessori philosophy and The New Zealand Curriculum that guides teaching and learning

• clear direction-setting by leaders and trustees that prioritises student wellbeing as a foundation of learning.

Next steps

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

• the use of data, from a range of sources, for internal evaluation to better identify what is working well for student learning and where improvements are needed

• accelerating achievement for students at risk and promoting equity for all groups in the school

• strengthening understanding and use of internal evaluation processes and practices

[ERO will provide an internal evaluation workshop for trustees and senior leaders.]

ERO’s next external evaluation process and timing

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

Patricia Davey

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)

Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region

15 May 2018

About the school