Whitiora School

1 Context

Whitiora School is located in central Hamilton and provides an education for students from Years 1 to 8. The school has a roll of 163 children and 57 are of Māori descent. In addition, there are 29 children of Pacific descent, 37 Indian and 12 Asian, of whom a significant proportion are English as Second Language Learners (ELL).

The school has two purpose-built centres designed to facilitate teaching in modern learning environments. The experienced principal and deputy principal are long serving leaders for the school. A new board of trustees has been elected in June 2016.

The school is a member of the newly formed North West Hamilton Community of Learners. This group of nine schools will work together to raise the achievement of all students with a particular focus on accelerating progress of boys and Māori.

2 Equity and excellence

The vision and valued outcomes defined by the school for all children are for them to be members of a community of empowered connected learners making a difference. These outcomes are underpinned by the school's whakataukī, 'whakapono ki a koe.' The school states that it celebrates the New Zealand bicultural heritage and the diversity of its multicultural community.

The school's 2015 achievement information shows that a significant number of Māori students are not achieving at the expected National Standards (41/56). This pattern of low achievement in reading, writing and mathematics (2013 to 2015) is similar for Pacific (19/26). Over half of the 44 Asian/Indian and European children are achieving at and above the National Standards.

The school reports that in 2015 it enrolled 102 children and recorded 90 withdrawals. The school has evaluated the progress of children who have remained at the school for more than one year, and reports that the proportion of these children achieving expected levels has increased. For 2015, in reading 8/22 Māori and 4/13 Pacific have made accelerated progress in the year. In writing 6/22 Māori and 2/13 Pacific, while in mathematics it is 4/22 Māori and 3/13 Pacific children.

Leaders of learning have participated in external professional development to strengthen moderation processes. They support teachers to use evidence from multiple sources to make Overall Teacher Judgements (OTJs) about each child's achievement in relation to National Standards.

Since the last ERO evaluation the school has:

• implemented an improved electronic system for managing student achievement information
• reviewed and strengthened written reports to parents on their child's achievement
• continued to develop culturally responsive practices across the school
• continued the integration of digital technologies into learning centre programmes
• extended the opportunities for teachers to participate in professional development in aspects of literacy.

3 Accelerating achievement

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

The school has identified and implemented specific initiatives to better respond to Māori children whose progress needs acceleration. They have an ongoing monitoring process in place and can identify current progress for these children in 2016 in reading, writing and mathematics.

Currently charter targets are expressed as an intention to increase the proportion of students at and above the expected levels of achievement. School leaders recognise that to accelerate student progress, they need more specific targets focused on at risk learners. More clearly defined targets and expected action, is likely to enable trustees, leaders and teachers to monitor and evaluate individual and overall progress and achievement.

Leaders have identified low levels of oral language as a school-wide trend. The provision of professional development for teachers in this area, and additional funding for teacher aide support is leading to intentional teaching in oral language.

In 2016 the school leaders and teachers introduced a targeted action plan to accelerate the achievement of identified Māori students. Assessment information is analysed against expected levels of achievement to identify those children below and well below. Teachers consult with parents and plan strategies and resources for individuals and small groups of children in response to identified learning needs in reading, writing and mathematics.

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

The school has identified and implemented specific initiatives to better respond to Pacific and other children whose progress needs acceleration. School leaders and teacher have taken the same approach to identifying and planning support for Pacific and other children, as has been recently implemented for Māori children. Targeted actions plans for children and teaching as inquiry initiatives are showing some good outcomes of accelerated progress being made.

Effective systems are in place for identifying the level of English language for children whose first language is not English. These children receive additional support from an appropriately qualified teacher who also provides guidance for teachers in ELL strategies. The board has provided resources to allow teacher aides to undertake professional development to support these learners. Data gathered over time indicates that many of these children make accelerated progress at expected levels.

The school reports that children who have experienced repeated changes of school are over represented in the at risk category of learners on entry. Leaders and teachers ensure that the learning needs of these children are promptly identified, and appropriate strategies are developed and implemented. Data shows that the progress of these children is adversely affected by their short period of attendance at the school. 

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 is working towards meeting its goals and targets for equity and excellence, and acknowledges that there is still more work to do.

The principal and senior leaders have successfully established and maintained a school culture where children are valued and celebrated for who they are and what they bring to their learning. There is an increasing awareness of the importance of engaging parents and whānau as contributing partners in their children's learning. The school has reviewed and modified its process for reporting to parents and whānau. Children's participation in parent teacher meetings allow them to be involved in setting goals for their learning. Teachers know children and their families well and successfully establish respectful, caring and affirming relationships.

Innovative learning environments are promoting for teachers an opportunity to provide greater flexibility of curriculum delivery. Children are highly engaged in their learning activities, which are planned to respond to their interests and identified needs. Mixed-age settings of the learning centres promote the tuakana-teina principle where children engage with younger and older peers. Teachers share the purpose of learning and encourage increasing independence, particularly in older children. They are maintaining a strong focus on literacy and numeracy in their programmes.

The Special Education Needs Coordinator (SENCO) effectively coordinates the support programmes and interventions for children with identified special learning needs. This includes extensive liaison with external agencies that support equitable outcomes for these children and their families. Transition programmes into the school from early childhood education centres and to secondary school effectively support parents, whānau and their children.

School leaders model and articulate the value of engaging in ongoing professional learning. They ensure that all staff have opportunities to be involved in quality professional learning and development. The principal has guided the revision of the appraisal process, which gives importance to teachers reflecting on their practice through teaching as inquiry.

A next step for school leaders is to review the effectiveness of quality assurance processes to ensure that agreed expectations for professional practice are being effectively and consistently implemented.

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 to the strengths, needs and interests of each child
• regularly evaluate how teaching is working for these children
• need to systematically act on what they know works for each child
• need to have a plan in place to build teacher capability to accelerate the achievement of all children who need it.

Strengths are:

• the experienced and well-informed senior leadership team
• the shared commitment of teachers to the learning and wellbeing of all children, reflected in significant participation in professional learning and education reading
• the well-resourced environment for learning and teaching including digital technologies
• membership of the Community of Learning (CoL).

Challenges are:

• to develop shared and agreed understanding of effective teaching practices most likely to raise achievement and accelerate progress
• to develop more specific targets that are focused on at risk learners in each learning centre and aligned to revised school-wide targets
• strengthen the role of whānau and parents as active partners in their children's learning.

Action: The board, principal and teachers should use the findings of this evaluation, the Effective School Evaluation resource, the Internal Evaluation: Good Practice exemplars and the School Evaluation Indicators to develop more targeted planning to accelerate student achievement. Planning should show how processes and practices will respond effectively to the strengths and needs of children whose learning and achievement need to be accelerated.

As part of this review ERO will continue to monitor the school’s planning and the progress the school makes. ERO is likely to carry out the next full 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.

7 Recommendations

School leaders will work with teachers and the board to address the following matters:

• Develop more specific targets focused on priority learners in each learning centre and aligned to revised overall school targets.
• Strengthen the school's existing action plan placing greater and more specific emphasis on the expectation for accelerating learning for identified at risk learners.
• Review the effectiveness of quality assurance processes so that the school leaders are certain that agreed expectations for professional practice are being effectively and consistently implemented.
• Strengthen the role of whānau and parents as active partners in their children's learning. 

Lynda Pura-Watson

Deputy Chief Review Officer

3 November 2016

About the school