Education REVIEW REPORT:
NGAHINAPOURI SCHOOL
SEPTEMBER 2009
1............ About the School
2............ The Education Review Office (ERO) Evaluation
3............ The Focus of the Review
4............ Areas of National Interest
5............ Board Assurance on Compliance Areas
|
Disclaimer Individual ERO school and early childhood centre reports are public information and may be copied or sent electronically. However, the Education Review Office can guarantee only the authenticity of original documents which have been obtained in hard copy directly from either the local ERO office or ERO Corporate Office in Wellington. Please consult your telephone book, or see the ERO web page, http://www.ero.govt.nz, for ERO office addresses. |
|
Location |
Ngahinapouri |
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
1844 |
|
School type |
Full Primary (Years 1 to 8) |
|
Decile rating[1] |
10 |
|
Teaching staff: |
|
|
School roll |
149 |
|
Gender composition |
Boys 51% |
|
Ethnic composition |
New Zealand European/Pākehā 93% |
|
Review team on site |
August 2009 |
|
Date of this report |
17 September 2009 |
|
Previous ERO reports |
Education Review, August 2006 |
Most students, including Māori, continue to achieve at and above national expectations in aspects of literacy and numeracy. The school caters for a small group of students with identified needs through both in-class support and withdrawal programmes. Evidence gathered indicates that students on these programmes make good progress over time. Students identified with special abilities and talents are provided with challenging programmes in a range of curriculum areas.
Teachers have been involved in a sustained professional development programmeto enhance their teaching and learning practice in line with the introduction and implementation of the New Zealand Curriculum. An integral component of this programme has been the sharing of best practice among teachers and teams across a cluster of local schools.
Classroom environments are attractive, well organised and enhance students' learning. The school places priority on developing information and communication technologies (ICT) as a tool for learning. The range of technologies provides students with the opportunity to investigate, share and present their work in a variety of ways.
Teachers use a wide range of effective strategies to engage students in the learning process and to take increasing responsibility for their own learning.
Over the last three years staff have undertaken a comprehensive review of the school's behaviour management plan, systems and practices. A consistent approach to behaviour management is evident and assists in ensuring that children are safe, treated with respect, and engaged in learning.
The experienced principal is building a team culture and effectively delegates responsibilities among staff to capitalise on their strengths and abilities. The deputy principal and acting assistant principal have key roles to guide curriculum implementation and review within their teams and school wide. The board and principal now need to review the school's performance management system to ensure it meets requirements.
Trustees bring a wide range of complementary skills and knowledge to implement their roles and responsibilities. Board self-review practices have been focused on strategic and annual planning, and rationalising policies and procedures to bring them into line with the National Administration Guidelines.
The school community has a strong and long-standing connection with the school. Parents and community members are actively involved in school celebrations, activities and events. Attention to reviewing the board's strategic goal of building an inclusive community through regular communication should further enhance the school's partnership with its community.
ERO is confident that the board of trustees can govern the school in the interest of the students and the Crown and bring about the improvements outlined in this report. ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Student Achievement Overall
ERO's education reviews focus on student achievement. What follows is a statement about what the school knows about student achievement overall.
The school collects and reports on a wide range of assessment information using standardised assessment tools and other anecdotal information. A detailed assessment schedule provides clear expectations and sound guidelines for teachers.
Students causing concern and students making the most progress are closely monitored over the year in key curriculum areas and in areas of confidence building and behaviour. Teachers effectively track the rate of all students' progress in mathematics and reading each term. They use this information to complete an analysis of the strengths and challenges evident in their programmes and identify next steps for learning.
In 2009 Progress and Achievement Tests (PATs) in reading comprehension, vocabulary and mathematics for Years 4 to 8, indicates that most students, including Māori, are achieving at and above national expectations with 34% achieving in the above average and superior range in reading comprehension. A similar pattern is shown in term 2, 2009 in results from the Prose Reading Observation, Behaviour and Evaluation of Comprehension (PROBE) for Years 4 to 8 where 94% of students are reading at or above their chronological age.
Written language achievement information gathered school wide using Ministry of Education national exemplars in 2008 and 2009 also indicates a similar pattern to reading with most students, including Māori, working at appropriate levels for their age.
The school has identified the needs of the small group of students school wide that are underachieving in aspects of literacy and mathematics. These students are catered for through withdrawal programmes such as Reading Recovery and Rainbow Reading, teacher aide assistance and external advice and guidance from specialist services. Evidence gathered indicates that students on these programmes make good progress over time.
Annual targets were set in 2008 to encourage students to make the right choices and stay within the school's behavioural guidelines, and provide a differentiated programme for gifted and talented education (GATE) students who demonstrated exceptional achievement in one or more curriculum areas. The 2008 analysis of variance indicates that both these targets were achieved, and identified GATE students experienced challenging programmes in written language, science and mathematics. The implementation of the consistent behaviour guidelines showed that during 2008 incidents of inappropriate behaviour among students were considerably reduced. The school is continuing with this target in 2009.
School Specific Priorities
Before the review, the board of Ngahinapouri School was invited to consider its priorities for review using guidelines and resources provided by ERO. ERO also used documentation provided by the school to contribute to the scope of the review.
The detailed priorities for review were then determined following a discussion between the ERO review team and the board of trustees. This discussion focused on existing information held by the school (including student achievement and self review information) and the extent to which potential issues for review contributed to the achievement of the students atNgahinapouri School.
ERO and the board have agreed on the following focus area for the review:
· systems and practices that engage students in learning.
ERO's findings in this area are set out below.
Systems and Practices that Engage Students in Learning
The board, through its vision statement, wants students to be confident, connected and actively involved life-long learners. All students have the opportunity to learn and achieve to the best of their ability, within their needs, interests and prior knowledge. As part of working towards achieving this vision the board and staff place high priority on reviewing the school's systems and practices. Key areas that have been reviewed in the last three years include the behaviour management policy for students, teacher planning, reporting to parents, and systems and practices for the performance management of staff. The staff has also been involved in an ICT professional development contract focused on empowering students to develop thinking skills, as well as the overall use of ICT to enhance teaching and learning.
Governance: The board has a clear understanding of governance. Trustees bring a wide range of complementary skills and knowledge to implement their roles and responsibilities. Board self review has been focused on rationalising policies and procedures to bring them in line with the National Administration Guidelines. Regular reports from the principal on student achievement outcomes enable the board to prioritise funding decisions based on learning and teaching needs. Monthly reports from the board on board operations and school activities are included in the school newsletter. Strategic and annual planning have clear links to the New Zealand Curriculum and effectively guides school review and improvement. The board's systems and practices are responsive to school needs ensuring decisions are made in the best interests of students and the school.
Leadership: The experienced principal is building a team culture and effectively delegates responsibilities among staff to capitalise on their strengths and abilities. He is supportive of staff and encourages them to trial new ideas and initiatives in their classroom programmes. The deputy principal and acting assistant principal have key roles to guide curriculum implementation and review within their teams and school wide. The leadership team is contributing to a collaborative school-wide approach to ongoing improvement in learning and teaching.
Professional development: Teachers have been involved in a sustained professional development programmeto enhance their teaching and learning practice in information and communication technologies. An integral component of this programme has been the sharing of best practice among teachers and teams across a cluster of local schools. Dialogue between teachers on relevant professional readings about the use of tools and technology for inquiry learning has encouraged a culture of reflective practice. Professional development of teachers is improving the engagement of students in the learning process.
Teaching practice: Teachers use a variety of effective teaching strategies. Some positive examples include:
· actively teaching questioning and thinking skills for inquiry learning;
· grouping students for mathematics and literacy based on collated assessment data;
· using learning prompts and charts to facilitate the learning process;
· incorporating authentic contexts within an integrated curriculum;
· student self and peer assessment;
· sharing teacher and community expertise to enhance programmes;
· older students providing role models for younger students through the buddy system;
· teachers modelling high expectations for learning; and
· celebrating student achievement through comprehensive and attractive portfolios.
These teaching strategies empower students to take increased responsibility for their own learning.
Teacher planning As part of the current professional development focus staff have developed an effective planning format for an integrated approach to enquiry learning. This format includes reference to the values, principles and key competencies of the New Zealand Curriculum. A school-wide focus on Aōtearoa New Zealand for 2009 provides meaningful contexts for learning, while enabling each teacher and team to plan and adapt units of work to meet the needs and interests of students. The planning format provides a framework to guide teachers in empowering students with the skills and attributes for life-long learning.
Classroom environments: Classroom environments are attractive, well organised and enhance students' learning. Students' work is valued and well displayed. Learning prompts, frameworks and activities support the development of students' self management skills. Students benefit from environments that motivate and reinforce their learning.
Information and communication technologies (ICT): The school places priority on developing ICT as a tool for learning. Technology hardware such as computers, digital cameras, MP3 players and data projectors provide students with the opportunity to investigate share and present their work in a variety of ways. The use of ICT effectively supports the school-wide focus of engaging students through enquiry learning.
Positive behaviour management: Over the past three years staff have undertaken a comprehensive review of the school's behaviour management plan, systems and practices. A consistent approach to behaviour management, including clear links to charter values and expectations, helps to ensure that children are safe, treated with respect and engaged in learning. Students' articulate a clear understanding of the behaviour management system and take increased responsibility for their own and others learning and behaviour.
Support programmes: The board plans carefully to ensure funds are targeted to provide support programmes that meet the identified needs of students. Programmes such as Reading Recovery, Rainbow Reading and opportunities for extension of high achievers are implemented throughout the year. Individual education plans which are regularly reviewed are in place for students with high needs. These support programmes benefit students and enable them to participate and contribute as active, confident and engaged learners.
The Ngahinapouri life-long learner: The school is yet to document a framework of expectations and strategies to underpin the school's vision 'to passionately prepare students for life.' While the board and staff articulate a desire to continually 'lift the bar' they have not yet developed indicators of what this looks like in practice as students move through the school. This framework is likely to clarify expectations and ensure the cohesive development of confident, connected, actively involved life- long learners.
Use of school-wide achievement information: Some progress has been made in collating and reporting student achievement in aspects of literacy and numeracy for groups of learners and school wide. There is now a need to further analyse collated achievement information to show trends and patterns, assist in the setting and evaluation of targets, identify next learning steps and report progress over time for groups of students school-wide. Attention to these areas is likely to further enhance evidence-based decision making by board and staff and achieve the school's goal of raising student achievement.
Consultation and communication: The school provides opportunities for liaising with the school community through newsletters, the school web site, wiki sites, class emails, parent information evenings, surveys and parent interviews. Information gathered by the school and meetings held by ERO during the on-site stage of the review indicate that there is now a need to revisit systems and practices so the board and principal can be more responsive to a small group of parents thereby achieving the school's strategic goal to continue to build an inclusive communitythrough open and regular communication.
Overview
ERO provides information about the education system as a whole to Government to be used as the basis for long-term and systemic educational improvement. ERO also provides information about the education sector for schools, parents and the community through its national reports.
To do this ERO decides on topics and investigates them for a specific period in all applicable schools nationally.
During the review of Ngahinapouri School ERO investigated and reported on the following areas of national interest. The findings are included in this report so that information about the school is transparent and widely available.
Success for Māori Students: Progress
In this review, ERO evaluated the extent to which the school was familiar with the Māori Education Strategy – Ka Hikitia: Managing for Success and progress made since the last review in promoting success at school for Māori students.
The school reports it has not yet discussed the document but expects to do so in the near future.
Support for Māori students: There is a variety of initiatives to support Māori students. These include the reflection of a Māori perspective in class programmes through the inclusion of te reo and tikanga Māori practices, an annual visit to a marae for senior students and the year long school-wide focus on developing understandings around Aōtearoa New Zealand. Māori students are valued and inclusive members of the school community.
Preparing to Give Effect to the New Zealand Curriculum
Schools are currently working towards implementing The New Zealand Curriculum by February 2010. During this review ERO investigated the progress Ngahinapouri School is making towards giving full effect to the curriculum as part of its planning, organisation and teaching practice.
ERO found that school leaders and teachers at Ngahinapouri School are making good progress towards giving effect to The New Zealand Curriculum in their planning, organisation and teaching.
Including Students with High Needs
During this review ERO investigated the extent to which the board and school leaders of Ngahinapouri School provide an inclusive education for students with high needs. This included collecting evidence about the school's policies, processes and practices to support the enrolment and induction of students with high needs and to support their participation and achievement at school. The information collected during this review will contribute to information that will be reported in a national education evaluation report.
Prior to a review, a board of trustees and principal attest in the Board Assurance Statement that they have taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal requirements including those detailed in Ministry of Education circulars and other documents.
The board of Ngahinapouri School was asked to attest to whether it had 'ensured that teachers of students with disabilities, and other contact staff, have a sound understanding of the learning needs of students with disabilities and, where necessary, have put in place support systems centred on each individual with disabilities.' The board was also asked to attest that 'policies and procedures that relate to students who have special education needs are implemented without discrimination'.
ERO's findings confirm these attestations.
Overview
Before the review, the board of trustees and principal of Ngahinapouri School completed an ERO Board Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. 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; and
· asset management.
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on students' achievement:
· emotional safety of students (including prevention of bullying and sexual harassment);
· physical safety of students;
· teacher registration;
· stand-downs, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions; and
· attendance.
Compliance
During the course of the review ERO identified an area of non-compliance. In order to address this the board of trustees must:
5.1 ensure that both the deputy and assistant principals have an annual signed performance agreement and have an appraisal against the professional standards for deputy principals.
[Primary Teachers (including Deputy and Assistant Principals and other unit holders) Collective Employment Contract 2007-2010]
In order to improve current practice, the board of trustees should:
· ensure that the senior leaders
ERO and the board of trustees recommend that:
6.1 the principal and teachers continue to develop a framework and strategies to clarify expectations to ensure that the school's vision and strategic goals are achieved; and
6.2 management continues to review systems and practices of community consultation and communication to ensure the school's strategic goal for building an inclusive community is fully realised.
ERO is confident that the board of trustees can govern the school in the interest of the students and the Crown and bring about the improvements outlined in this report. ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Dr Graham Stoop
Chief Review Officer
17 September 2009
17 September 2009
To the Parents and Community of Ngahinapouri School
These are the findings of the Education Review Office's latest report onNgahinapouri School.
Most students, including Māori, continue to achieve at and above national expectations in aspects of literacy and numeracy. The school caters for a small group of students with identified needs through both in-class support and withdrawal programmes. Evidence gathered indicates that students on these programmes make good progress over time. Students identified with special abilities and talents are provided with challenging programmes in a range of curriculum areas.
Teachers have been involved in a sustained professional development programmeto enhance their teaching and learning practice in line with the introduction and implementation of the New Zealand Curriculum. An integral component of this programme has been the sharing of best practice among teachers and teams across a cluster of local schools.
Classroom environments are attractive, well organised and enhance students' learning. The school places priority on developing information and communication technologies (ICT) as a tool for learning. The range of technologies provides students with the opportunity to investigate, share and present their work in a variety of ways.
Teachers use a wide range of effective strategies to engage students in the learning process and to take increasing responsibility for their own learning.
Over the last three years staff have undertaken a comprehensive review of the school's behaviour management plan, systems and practices. A consistent approach to behaviour management is evident and assists in ensuring that children are safe, treated with respect, and engaged in learning.
The experienced principal is building a team culture and effectively delegates responsibilities among staff to capitalise on their strengths and abilities. The deputy principal and acting assistant principal have key roles to guide curriculum implementation and review within their teams and school wide. The board and principal now need to review the school's performance management system to ensure it meets requirements.
Trustees bring a wide range of complementary skills and knowledge to implement their roles and responsibilities. Board self-review practices have been focused on strategic and annual planning, and rationalising policies and procedures to bring them into line with the National Administration Guidelines.
The school community has a strong and long-standing connection with the school. Parents and community members are actively involved in school celebrations, activities and events. Attention to reviewing the board's strategic goal of building an inclusive community through regular communication should further enhance the school's partnership with its community.
Future Action
ERO is confident that the board of trustees can govern the school in the interest of the students and the Crown and bring about the improvements outlined in this report. ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Review Coverage
ERO reviews do not cover every aspect of school performance and each ERO report may cover different issues. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to student achievement and useful to this school.
If you would like a copy of the full report, please contact the school or see the ERO website, www.ero.govt.nz.
Dr Graham Stoop
Chief Review Officer
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT REVIEWS
About ERO
ERO is an independent, external evaluation agency that undertakes reviews of schools and early childhood services throughout New Zealand.
About ERO Reviews
ERO follows a set of standard procedures to conduct reviews. The purpose of each review is to:
· improve educational achievement in schools; and
· provide information to parents, communities and the Government.
Reviews are intended to focus on student achievement and build on each school's self review.
Review Focus
ERO's framework for reviewing and reporting is based on three review strands.
· School Specific Priorities – the quality of education and the impact of school policies and practices on student achievement.
· Areas of National Interest – information about how Government policies are working in schools.
· Compliance with Legal Requirements – assurance that this school has taken all reasonable steps to meet legal requirements.
Review Coverage
ERO reviews do not cover every aspect of school performance and each ERO report may cover different issues. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to student achievement and useful to this school.
Review Recommendations
Most ERO reports include recommendations for improvement. A recommendation on a particular issue does not necessarily mean that a school is performing poorly in relation to that issue. There is no direct link between the number of recommendations in this report and the overall performance of this school.
[1] Decile 1 schools draw their students from areas of greatest socio-economic disadvantage,
Decile 10 from areas of least socio-economic disadvantage.
