Wesley Intermediate

Wesley Intermediate

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within six months of the Education Review Office and Wesley Intermediate working in Te Ara Huarau, an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website. www.ero.govt.nz

Context 

Wesley Intermediate is an intermediate school in Mt Roskill, Auckland, an area of planned urban development. The school values are Whanaungatanga – belonging, Rangatiratanga- leadership, Hiranga ki mua – excellence and is guided by the whakatauki – ‘Whāia te mātauranga hei oranga mō koutou seek learning for the wellbeing of all’.

The board appointed a first-time principal during 2022 and is currently supported by a Limited Statutory Manager. The school is a member of the Mt Albert Kāhui Ako and Ako Hiko Cluster. Wesley Intermediate hosts a satellite class for Central Auckland Special School (CASS).

Wesley Intermediate’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

  • create a culturally sustaining positive environment for learning

  • grow teacher capability to raise and accelerate achievement for all

  • enhance community partnerships in order to increase engagement.

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Wesley Intermediate’s website.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the extent to which an ākonga focused, positive learning environment promotes engagement and achievement for all ākonga.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

  • the school community has recently revised the school values and working norms

  • teachers are participating in restorative practice professional learning

  • the strategic plan has a key focus on positive learning environments.

The school expects to see ākonga who are engaged in a positive learning environment which supports their engagement and accelerated progress. A sustained commitment to both wellbeing and achievement will lead to improved ākonga outcomes and an increasingly positive school profile.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate the extent to which an ākonga focused, positive learning environment promotes engagement and achievement for all ākonga:

  • leaders who demonstrate a strategically aligned vision for change

  • values based learning which supports ākonga in their wellbeing and sense of belonging

  • teachers who are committed to explicitly targeted professional learning and development that supports accelerated learning.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • embedding of relational and restorative practices across the school

  • identifying and using teaching practices which have a rigorous focus on accelerated learning

  • implementing collaborative and targeted teaching practices

  • strengthening learning focused relationships with parents, whānau and community.

Recommendation

ERO recommends that the Ministry of Education continue to support the board to achieve its improvement goals.

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. ERO will support the school in reporting their progress to the community. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.

Shelley Booysen
Director of School

3 May 2023

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement.  educationcounts.govt.nz/home

Wesley Intermediate

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2023 to 2026

As of March 2023, the Wesley Intermediate Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:

Board Administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Personnel Management

Yes

Finance

Yes

Assets

Yes

Further Information

For further information please contact Wesley Intermediate Board.

The next Board assurance that it is meeting regulatory and legislative requirements will be reported, along with the Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report, within three years.

Information on ERO’s role and process in this review can be found on the Education Review Office website.

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

3 May 2023 

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home

Wesley Intermediate - 26/11/2019

School Context

Wesley Intermediate provides for children in Years 7 and 8 in Mt Roskill. The school serves an ethnically diverse community. The roll has fluctuated over the last three years as a result of a local housing development. The current roll is approximately 160 children. Approximately 20 percent of children enrolled are Māori and 50 percent have Pacific heritage.

The school’s mission statement is “to provide quality education for lifelong learning”, and its vision is for students to become “confident, connected and actively involved learners”. School values emphasise the importance of students respecting themselves, others and the environment.

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

  • reading, writing and numeracy achievement
  • attendance and engagement.

The long-serving principal now works with a newly formed and extended leadership team. Since ERO’s 2016 report, the board of trustees has appointed a new deputy principal and two assistant principals.

The school is a member of the Mt Albert Community of Learning | Kāhui Ako.

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?

School leaders are making good progress in achieving equitable outcomes for all children.

Over the past three years, over half of all students achieved at or above expected New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) levels in reading, writing and mathematics. Overall achievement has been trending upwards.

Māori and Pacific student achievement is comparable overall. However, there is persistent and significant disparity in achievement for boys, including Māori and Pacific boys. The challenge is for leaders to more deliberately gather and use schoolwide achievement to address this in-school disparity.

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

The school is increasingly effective in accelerating student learning, particularly for those students who enter Year 7 significantly below expected curriculum levels.

The school has good systems in place to identify students whose achievement needs accelerating and who need targeted support, including those with additional needs. Leaders and teachers set specific targets, and achievement data show that some individuals and groups have made accelerated progress.

The school offers a number of interventions and programmes to support students who are at risk of underachieving, with a focus on literacy and numeracy. The school uses resources and professional learning from the Kāhui Ako to support effective teaching and to accelerate student learning.

Leaders now need to build greater schoolwide capacity to identify and use successful acceleration strategies and context specific approaches to strengthen teacher knowledge and adaptive expertise. Evaluating the effectiveness of interventions and programmes would support this development.

ERO recommends that senior leaders:

  • support teachers to plan deliberately for accelerated learning for all students who need this

  • identify the rates of acceleration annually, and monitor specific targets for accelerated progress

  • measure and report students’ learning progress during their time at the school.

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 a variety of practices and processes that are effective in enabling improved achievement and acceleration of students’ progress. These include a positive school culture, building professional capability, increasing student ownership and understanding of their own learning, and educationally focused partnerships with parents and the community.

A culture of care and a commitment to students’ holistic wellbeing are evident in the school. Teachers and leaders maintain respectful and affirming relationships with students. They adapt teaching and learning approaches to suit individual students. Pastoral care and learning support for students is clearly focused on supporting engagement and reducing barriers to learning. These practices promote an inclusive environment where students have a strong sense of belonging and experience success.

Leaders and teachers have made very good progress in promoting students’ understanding and ownership of their own learning. Students are able to talk about how well they are achieving in reading, writing and mathematics, and know their next learning steps.

The school has a long-term commitment to building teachers’ individual and collective professional capability. There is high relational trust between school leaders, teachers, trustees, staff and parents. This provides a safe and supportive environment for teachers to develop innovative practices and to build professional expertise that enhances student learning. The challenge now is to establish systems and processes that are sustainable in the event of staff changes.

Leaders, trustees and teachers have a strategic commitment and coherent approaches to digital learning. They ensure that all students have equitable access to digital devices. Teachers are making very good progress in integrating digital learning into teaching programmes. Students manage their learning, set learning goals and monitor their own progress and achievement using digital devices.

Educationally focused partnerships with parents and the community are having a positive impact on fostering equity and excellence for students. Parents appreciate opportunities to be involved in their children’s learning. Leaders and teachers collaborate with other schools in the Kāhui Ako to build collective capacity to accelerate student learning and achievement.

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

Leaders should access external expertise to facilitate an in-depth review of the curriculum. This should include:

  • a review against the intent of theNew Zealand Curriculum, including the extent to which the curriculum principles underpin teaching and learning

  • deliberate planning for a more localised curriculum that draws on the local history and recognises current issues that impact on students

  • integrating culturally responsive learning contexts, building on students’ prior cultural knowledge and affirming their language and identity

  • integrating careers education in learning programmes

  • building on the opportunities students have to lead their own learning, and increase their creative and critical thinking skills.

Leaders should also access external expertise to help build evaluation capacity at all levels, especially within leadership and governance. This should include:

  • building leader, trustee and teacher understanding of effective internal evaluation
  • establishing a framework for internal evaluation
  • establishing a regular, planned and manageable cycle of policy review
  • evaluating programmes, initiatives and strategies to measure their effectiveness and impact on outcomes for students, including accelerated learning and rates of progress.

These developments should include student, staff and whānau contributions and the evaluation of teaching practices, to lead greater improvement.

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. At the time of this review there were no international students attending the school.

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 Wesley Intermediate’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Developing.

ERO will maintain an ongoing relationship with the school to build capacity and evaluate progress.

ERO’s Framework: Overall Findings and Judgement Tool derived from School Evaluation Indicators: Effective Practice for Improvement and Learner Success 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:

  • a culture of care and collaboration that focuses on children’s wellbeing and learning success
  • increasing student ownership and understanding of their own learning and achievement
  • a strong commitment to building teachers’ professional capability and collective capacity
  • a strategic commitment to integrating digital learning into the curriculum
  • strengthened partnerships and collaboration with parents and local schools to accelerate student learning.

Next steps

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

  • an in-depth review of the curriculum and the extent to which it meets the intent and principles of the New Zealand Curriculum document
  • building evaluative capacity at all levels, especially in leadership and governance
  • evaluating programmes, strategies and initiatives to measure their effectiveness and impact on outcomes for students, and to inform ongoing improvement.

Areas for improved compliance practice

To improve current practice, the board of trustees should seek support from the New Zealand Trustees Association (NZSTA) to:

  • review all health and safety policies and practices, to give the board assurance that they meet the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015

  • build the governance capacity of all trustees, including rationalising and organising all policies and developing a systematic, rigorous and meaningful cycle for policy review.

Steve Tanner

Director Review and Improvement Services Northern

Northern Region

26 November 2019

About the school

Location

Mount Roskill, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

1564

School type

Intermediate

School roll

161

Gender composition

Boys 51% Girls 49%

Ethnic composition

Māori 20%
NZ European/Pākehā 12%
Tongan 25%
Samoan 22%
Cook Island Māori 6%
Niue 4%
other ethnic groups 11%

Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS)

No

Review team on site

August 2019

Date of this report

26 November 2019

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review February 2016
Education Review October 2013
Education Review March 2010

Wesley Intermediate - 22/02/2016

Findings

Wesley Intermediate has made significant progress to improve student achievement, teaching approaches and school governance. Students are experiencing a broader curriculum with increased access to more personalised, relevant learning experiences. Students come from diverse backgrounds and enjoy a settled school learning environment. They are proud and optimistic about their future.

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

1 Background and Context

What is the background and context for this school’s review?

Wesley Intermediate is a small Year 7 and 8 school located in suburban Auckland between Mt Roskill and Mt Albert. The school occupies a large site with spacious facilities that include specialist technology and music rooms. The majority of students are of Māori and Pacific island heritage. The school roll is becoming more diverse, reflecting population and housing change in the local area.

The October 2013 ERO report recommended that the school receive additional assistance from the Ministry of Education (MoE) to strengthen school governance, improve the curriculum and raise student achievement. The MoE appointed an experienced Limited Statutory Manager (LSM) to support the board and school leaders in these areas.

Over the past two years, ERO has provided support for, and monitoring of, school improvement. ERO has visited the school regularly, working closely with the MoE and the LSM. During the two years, the school has received targeted external professional development to strengthen teaching and learning. Other significant changes include the:

  • board’s appointment of a new board chair
  • board’s participation in externally facilitated governance training
  • appointment of a new deputy principal and a new assistant principal
  • school’s relationship with the Ako Hiko digital learning cluster and establishment of three new digital learning classes
  • development of a more student-centred curriculum
  • use of Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) approaches to support the school’s learning culture.

In December 2015, LSM provisions were withdrawn by the MoE in recognition of the school’s progress. ERO also acknowledges the school’s progress and is concluding its current work with the school. ERO is likely to review the school again in three years.

2 Review and Development

How effectively is the school addressing its priorities for review and development?

Agreed priorities for review and development for this review were to:

  • strengthen governance and improve outcomes for students
  • review and improve curriculum design to promote student success and engagement
  • improve the delivery of the curriculum to accelerate student achievement.

Progress

Overview

The school has effectively addressed its priorities for review and development.

School leaders, trustees and teachers have made considerable progress in improving outcomes for learners. The board, school leaders and LSM have developed strong and positive working relationships that are respectful and inclusive. The LSM has been highly effective building governance and leadership capability within the school.

A large part of the school’s improvement has come through a unity of purpose and maximising the use of the skills and talents of trustees, staff and students. High levels of trust are now balanced with more robust systems for school accountability and for reviewing student achievement.

School leaders have changed the way the school is organised. Most students now have the same teacher over the two years. Communication between the school and home has strengthened with teachers taking more responsibility for the engagement, progress, wellbeing and achievement of individual students.

Strengthen governance and improve outcomes for students

Trustees have developed their capability to govern more effectively through greater understanding of their roles and responsibilities. They have a high level of commitment to ongoing trustee training. The board has strengthened its link with the New Zealand School Trustees Association (NZSTA). With LSM guidance, it has prepared a useful governance manual to guide board induction and operation.

Trustees have more confidence and expertise in their roles. The board effectively uses professional development to inform its review of policies. The board is continuing to seek external advice to meet its legal obligations and plan for the future legislative changes in health and safety.

Trustees have supported the principal well through the provision of a new external appraiser to help inform his leadership growth and development. They are now ready to focus on others aspects of their role as a good employer. They would benefit from further work and input from NZSTA on this area of governance.

The board is more focused on raising student achievement. Trustees are now well informed about student progress in reading, writing and mathematics through clear and regular reports. They now prioritise discussions and decision making about student achievement. They are asking more questions of school leaders that focus on what is working well to improve student success.

The board is representative of the school community and trustees have developed close links with the families they serve. Leaders have also developed closer links with other schools. Trustees have regularly and purposefully consulted with whānau to develop Māori and Pacific education plans. These plans provide a useful foundation to review the effectiveness of the school’s provision for Māori and Pacific students over time.

The board has clearly identified future priorities for strategic planning. A key strategic goal is to increase the roll to help maintain the school’s viability. This would provide more flexibility in budget management. A new ten year property plan is scheduled for 2016. This presents the board with a timely opportunity for formulating a strategic modernisation plan. This plan would complement the improved learning environments in the digital classrooms. The board will require additional MoE support to effectively maintain and improve the property.

To ensure continued positive outcomes for learners ERO recommends that the board:

  • set achievement targets that focus accelerating student learning
  • monitor how well these targets are met and evaluate the reasons for the outcomes
  • evaluate the success of additional actions taken by the school aimed at maximising student learning, including the use of additional personnel.
Review and improve curriculum design to promote success and engagement in learning

School leaders have developed a curriculum that is more effective in promoting and supporting student engagement in learning. Staff meetings focus on designing and sharing of strategies that are more likely to promote student success and engagement. Self-review has improved.

The school curriculum is better aligned with The New Zealand Curriculum. It has an appropriate and strong focus on literacy and mathematics. Students continue to appreciate their access to wider curriculum learning opportunities, including sports, cultural activities, camps and music.

The school values are well understood by students and used to promote positive behaviour for learning. A thoughtful review of the school’s systems for supporting students with additional learning requirements has improved their wellbeing and engagement in education. These students are well known and better supported by staff.

Teachers have established three digital learning classes. Students have their own digital learning devices to use at home and at school. They are highly engaged in learning and are benefiting from a more student-centred programme. Students in these classes are more able to make decisions and choices about their learning. They are well supported to improve their self-management and co-operative skills.

Students in the other classes currently use shared digital devices for some parts of their learning programme. The school has good information to show their level of success does not yet reach those of students working in the digital learning classes. In consultation with families, school leaders are planning to increase the number of classes that learn in this more student-centred way.

The board is working towards ensuring a sustainable strategy is in place so that all students have fair access to digital learning classes. Leaders agree developing a school-wide shared understanding of effective teaching practice is also now required to promote equity and excellence in student outcomes.

The curriculum includes some opportunities for students to learn simple te reo Māori as a second language. To further support Māori students, leaders should continue to help teachers deepen their understanding and use of te reo Māori me ona tikanga. Through kapa haka and cultural events, Māori students have a place to lead as Māori and to celebrate their culture.

Teachers are developing more culturally responsive teaching practices. Te ao Māori and Pacific contexts are often used to make learning relevant for students. Some teachers make very good connections to students’ family backgrounds and prior knowledge. They could now strengthen their connections with children from diverse backgrounds who have recently arrived in New Zealand.

To continue to improve the school curriculum, leaders and teachers could:

  • help students make more connections in their learning across curriculum subjects
  • extend conversations and learning experiences to promote students’ higher order thinking
  • increase opportunities for students to use their home languages to maximise their learning
  • provide further opportunities for student input into what they learn and how they learn.
Improve the delivery of the curriculum to accelerate student achievement

The school has made good progress in improving the delivery of the curriculum.

The school has good evidence to show some students, including some Māori and Pacific students, are making accelerated progress over time. School leaders are looking more deeply for the reasons and conditions that result in acceleration to inform future decision making.

School leaders have purposefully increased the range of assessment tools in order to promote more reliable and robust overall teacher judgements in relation to the National Standards. Continuing to evaluate the validity of assessment information and using multiple sources of evidence to make overall teacher judgements could enhance teachers’ understanding of the National Standards.

The school now has a broader approach to identifying students’ strengths and learning requirements. Leaders have designed very effective systems to collate, monitor and review student progress. Teachers use data better to inform their teaching. Most teachers have also improved the way they share achievement information with students.

Students set more meaningful and relevant learning goals. They are more confident learners and know about their progress and next learning steps. Students have a greater sense of ownership and responsibility for their own learning. They show an optimism for their future with a good understanding of pathways to future careers based on their interests, skills and talents.

The delivery of the curriculum is well supported through relevant and appropriate professional development. Teachers are developing their teaching expertise and working more collaboratively. The school has developed an effective performance management system and that is being aligned to the goal of accelerating student learning and success.

3 Sustainable performance and self review

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

The school is much better placed to continue to improve and review its performance. Self review is helping to enhance outcomes for students. A more thoughtful and inquiry-based culture is developing.

The school participates well in educationally useful networks to improve its performance. The MoE is providing further professional development focused on continuing to strengthen leadership and assessment to accelerate student achievement.

Governance has significantly strengthened. The board is visible and involved in the school in appropriate ways. They are beginning to plan for the succession of longserving trustees. The LSM and trustees have identified that more financial management expertise on the board could help them plan for sustainability.

The new school leadership team has more distributed responsibilities. The team makes good use of external input to help raise school expectations for change and improvement. Most staff are open to working in different ways and are becoming more future focused to benefit their students. Consolidating and embedding leadership roles and new initiatives is a key strategic goal for the board.

The school has a settled and positive tone. Students experience warm relationships with each other and with their teachers. Students are very proud of their school and enjoy its close, connected, and caring atmosphere. They have increased and meaningful leadership opportunities, helping to promote a strong sense of belonging in their school.

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.

In order to improve practice, school leaders should:

  • clearly record the school’s responses to complaints
  • report regularly to the board on patterns and trends in attendance, accidents and illness
  • add photographic identification requirements to employment procedures
  • ensure all adults working with students in unsupervised locations hold a current limited authority to teach (LAT).

4 Recommendations

Recommendations, including any to other agencies for ongoing or additional support.

ERO recommends that the Ministry of Education provide further support to the Board to Trustees to improve and maintain the school property.

Conclusion

Wesley Intermediate has made significant progress to improve student achievement, teaching approaches and school governance. Students are experiencing a broader curriculum with increased access to more personalised, relevant learning experiences. Students come from diverse backgrounds and enjoy a settled school learning environment. They are proud and optimistic about their future.

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

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

22 February 2016

School Statistics

Location

Mount Roskill, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

1564

School type

Intermediate (Years 7 to 8)

School roll

117

Gender composition

Boys 58%, Girls 42%

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

Tongan

Samoan

African

Cook Island Māori

Niuean

other

12%

5%

34%

21%

7%

5%

5%

11%

Review team on site

November 2015

Date of this report

22 February 2016

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

Education Review

Education Review

October 2013

March 2010

May 2007