ERO Reports

ero_title

Education REVIEW REPORT:
MATIPO ROAD PRIMARY SCHOOL

AUGUST 2008

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

6.           Recommendation

7.           Future Action

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.

This report has been prepared in accordance with standard procedures approved by the Chief Review Officer.

1.                About the School

Location Te Atatu, Waitakere City
Ministry of Education profile number 1365
School type Contributing (Year 1- 6)
Decile rating[1] 5
Teaching staff:
Roll generated entitlement
Other
Number of teachers		 20.33
0.17
21
School roll 355
Number of international students 3
Gender composition Girls 52%, Boys 48%
Ethnic composition NZ European/Pākehā 53%, Māori 25%,
Samoan 8%, Asian 5%, Cook Island 2%,
Indian 2 %, Tongan 2%, other European 1%,
other 2%
Review team on site May 2008
Date of this report 8 August 2008
Previous ERO reports Education Review, August 2005
Accountability Review, March 2002
Accountability Review, February 1998
Effectiveness Review, February 1995
Assurance Audit, December 1992

2.                The Education Review Office (ERO) Evaluation

Matipo Road Primary School is located in a well established, residential area.  The school has a history of positive ERO reports.  This review finds that Matipo Road Primary School continues to provide high quality educational opportunities for its students.

Students enjoy school and engage well in their learning tasks.  They talk confidently about their activities, showing an increasing understanding of the ways in which they learn and of how to achieve.  The school’s achievement information in literacy and mathematics indicates that the majority of students attain at the levels expected of them.  Students are friendly and interact positively and respectfully with adults and their peers.  They work well, both independently and cooperatively in groups.  Students benefit from a broad range of experiences that complement their classroom programmes.  Senior students participate in a media programme taught in a recently established media suite, using state of the art technological equipment.  Students experience music, drama and dance opportunities in a recently built performance arts centre.

Teachers are committed to improving student achievement, and, as a result, teaching is of a high standard.  Teachers are involved in ongoing individual and collective evaluation of how effectively they teach and how well their students learn.  They analyse assessment information to ensure that their programmes cater for students’ diverse learning needs.  Teachers see themselves as ongoing learners and respond positively to alternative ways of teaching so that they can better support students to achieve.  They encourage students to develop thinking skills that give them the confidence and competence needed for lifelong learning.

The principal is a strategic thinker who keeps informed about educational trends and research and is fully involved in professional learning initiatives for staff.  He recognises teachers’ aptitude and potential and creates opportunities to develop their leadership capacity.  Senior leaders operate in a committed and collaborative team, making good use of their complementary strengths, skills and perspectives.  They use sound evaluative processes to ensure that students receive optimal learning experiences.

Trustees have a clear understanding of teachers’ aspirations for the development of teaching and learning in the school.  The interests of students are the prime focus for all board decision-making.  The principal and senior leaders ensure that the board is well informed about the management of the school and the achievement of students.  Trustees are appreciative and supportive of management and staff.  The board is responsive to its community’s perspectives and proactively seeks to include parents’ involvement in their children’s learning.

For this review ERO agreed to evaluate the quality of teaching and learning, with a particular focus on numeracy.  ERO also reviewed the achievement of Māori and Pacific students, professional learning and development, and the school’s provision for international students.  As part of every review, ERO evaluates the board’s provision of a safe physical and emotional environment for students.  ERO finds that senior leaders and staff are well placed to continue their reflective practices to ensure that teaching and learning focuses on raising student achievement.

Future Action

ERO is confident that the board of trustees can manage the school in the interests of the students and the Crown and bring about the improvements outlined in this report.

ERO is likely to review the school again as part of the regular review cycle.

3.                The Focus of the Review

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.

Achievement information is analysed and used to raise student achievement at the school.  Since the last ERO review, teachers and senior leaders have reviewed their assessment tools and systems to ensure that information about how well students are achieving is reliable and valid.  Teachers engage in continual dialogue about the purpose of assessment and its relevance to students’ learning needs.

Senior leaders collate and thoughtfully analyse assessment data in reading and mathematics.  The resulting information indicates that the majority of students are achieving at or above nationally expected levels in both of these curriculum areas.

Teachers have a strong focus on improving students’ learning experiences through evidence-based processes for planning and evaluation and follow clear guidelines for the assessment and evaluation of student learning.  They regularly analyse their students’ assessment data in reading and numeracy to identify implications for teaching programmes and to identify students who require support and extension.

Senior leaders are currently developing systems for reporting to the board about how the achievement of cohorts of students at the school compares to that of similar groups nationally.  It would also be useful for senior leaders to monitor trends and patterns of achievement by tracking the progress of different year groups and of other specific groups of students over successive years.  Longitudinal tracking is valuable for monitoring the effectiveness of curriculum programmes and for ensuring that resourcing is targeted appropriately to meet identified needs of the students.

Achievement targets reported to the Ministry of Education are centred on reading and numeracy.  Senior staff expect that achievement targets will be raised each year.  They will use the school’s comprehensive achievement information to set specific targets for groups of students with identified areas of need.

School Specific Priorities

Before the review, the board of Matipo Road Primary 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 at Matipo Road Primary School.

ERO and the board have agreed on the following focus area for the review:

  • the quality of teaching and learning with a focus on numeracy.

ERO’s findings in this area are set out below.

The quality of teaching and learning with a focus on numeracy

Background

In 2002-2003 staff at Matipo Road Primary School participated in the Ministry of Education numeracy project, which involved intensive professional development for teachers and considerable investment in teaching and learning resources.  Sustaining this approach to teaching has remained a strong focus for staff.  The board requested an evaluation of numeracy teaching to ascertain how well the teaching strategies gained through the numeracy initiative have been sustained.

Student progress and achievement

Each year, teachers have used the numeracy project diagnostic test to monitor student achievement.  Collated numeracy information indicates that the majority of students are achieving at and above the nationally expected strategy stages.  Students with achievement concerns are identified and their progress is specifically targeted within teachers’ planning and programmes for each class.

After recently reviewing the usefulness of this time-intensive diagnostic assessment tool, teachers have decided to now rely more on tools such as GloSS (Global Strategy Stage), which can more quickly identify the strategy stages that students are working at.  Teachers will continue to use the PAT (Progress and Achievement Test) in mathematics to verify their assessment of students’ achievement in numeracy.

Areas of good performance

Positive learning environment. Respectful and supportive relationships amongst teachers and students contribute to an environment that is conducive to learning.  Staff provide good role models for children by working together in inclusive and collaborative ways.  Teachers demonstrate genuine interest in their students and care for their wellbeing.  Students’ efforts and successes are affirmed.  As a result, students are motivated to participate in activities and to take risks in their learning.  This engagement in the learning processes helps students to develop confidence in themselves as successful learners.

School-wide numeracy programme. A consistent approach is taken to the teaching of numeracy across all year levels of the school.  Students are familiar with learning expectations and with the structure of numeracy lessons.  As a result, transition to a new class has minimal impact on the progressive development of students’ thinking strategies.  Teachers also benefit from this unified, school-wide approach, as their common understanding of the processes used in teaching numeracy supports meaningful dialogue about teaching strategies and students’ learning.

Numeracy leadership. Teachers and managers continue to value the national approach to teaching numeracy.  The quality of numeracy teaching, observed at all year levels is commendable.  Strong curriculum leadership has been instrumental in sustaining the numeracy initiative effectively in the school.  Curriculum leaders have a sound knowledge of the teaching strengths and needs at each year level.  They keep staff updated on the findings of continuing research, and the advice and resources available through the numeracy project.  Senior teachers observe numeracy teaching and give teachers sound professional advice on their performance and identify areas for development.  These practices help to sustain the school’s numeracy approach to teaching mathematics.

Student engagement. Students show high levels of engagement in active numeracy learning.  Teachers ensure that their well prepared and well paced numeracy sessions are interactive so that students are involved in learning.  Supporting activities match well with the numeracy strategies that groups are working on.  Mathematics learning centres provide students with activities linked to relevant numeracy focuses.  Learning opportunities are maximised as teacher focus on learning rather than on behaviour management.  Students readily respond to teachers’ clear expectations and routines and develop good self-management skills.

Thinking focus. Teachers encourage students to talk about their thinking and the strategies that they have used to solve mathematical problems.  They use questions to help students clarify and justify their ideas and to enable them to experience success.  Students confidently explore ideas when thinking of alternative opinions, strategies, and solutions.  Teachers often allow time for students to reflect on their learning at the end of a numeracy session.  Teachers have recently been transferring this good practice to encourage student reflection on their learning in other curriculum areas.

Purposeful mathematics. Many of the contexts for practising numeracy strategies and knowledge are based on real life situations for problem solving.  Genuine problems are posed to provide meaningful mathematical exercises and so that students can easily relate to the contexts.  This good practice helps students to have greater awareness of the value and usefulness of mathematics.

Resources. Classrooms are well-equipped with good quality numeracy resources.  Concrete materials are used well to help students to have visual images of abstract concepts and thought processes.  Teachers match appropriate activities to students’ strategy stages.  These factors lead to classroom environments that help to support children’s independence in learning.

Catering for diverse learning needs. Collated information on student achievement is used to guide the selection of students who would benefit from learning support programmes.  A Year 4-6 extension class and a Year 4-6 learning support class provide opportunities for students to interact and learn with peers of similar ability.  A special needs team of teachers, external agencies and professionals follows sound processes to ensure that underachieving students and those with specific behavioural needs are supported to experience success.

Formative assessment. Teachers are developing formative assessment practices to help students to become confident and self-directed learners.  This teaching approach has been implemented gradually over the past three years, alongside other professional development initiatives.  Teachers have a growing shared understanding of the value of formative assessment.  They are becoming increasingly confident in integrating the use of formative assessment strategies into all curriculum areas.

Areas for improvement

Student involvement in assessment. Teachers could consider ways of giving students greater knowledge of their achievement levels and the criteria that are used to measure this achievement.  Teachers could encourage students to discuss and help develop the criteria that would indicate the extent to which learning intentions of tasks have been achieved.  Students would be better able to evaluate their own progress if they had access to criteria against which they could assess their progress and determine their next steps for learning.  Reciprocal peer evaluation is also an effective learning technique that would help students to clarify their knowledge and understanding and would enhance cooperative learning.

Numeracy. To ensure that good quality practices for teaching and learning numeracy are fully consistent across the school, teachers could:

  • consider further ways to encourage students to reflect together about their learning.  In small groups, students could talk about what they have achieved and the challenges that they faced in their learning.
  • use assessment information to focus on improving particular areas of learning in their class.  The use of flexible groupings for specific aspects of learning, rather than groups based on broad ability levels or strategy stages, would help teachers to provide programmes that are more individualized to meet students’ needs.

4.                Areas of National Interest

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 Matipo Road Primary 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.

The Achievement of Māori Students: Progress

In this review, ERO evaluated the progress the school has made since the last review in improving the achievement of Māori students and in initiatives designed to promote improved achievement. The school roll shows that 25% of students are identified as being of Māori descent. 

Areas of progress

Student achievement. Since the 2005 ERO review, senior managers have continued to monitor the achievement of Māori students separately to track their progress and to compare their achievement with that of non-Māori students.  Information is collated from the school’s literacy and mathematics data and indicates that Māori students achieve at levels similar to or above those of non-Māori in reading and mathematics.  All students with specific learning needs, including Māori students, are identified and support programmes are provided where appropriate.

Consultation. Consultation with parents of Māori students takes place on an individual basis during parent-teacher conferences and in other more informal settings.  Whānau are annually invited to hui to discuss Māori student education in the school.

Te reo and tikanga Māori. Students have opportunities to participate in the junior te reo class or the senior kapa haka group.  In 2007, staff reviewed the school’s provision for Māori education and participated in professional development sessions that focused on te reo and tikanga Māori.  This involvement has helped to increase teachers’ knowledge and confidence as they develop students’ awareness of tikanga Māori and use of the Māori language.  Teachers implement the school’s te reo programme and also integrate te reo and Māori perspectives in the wider curriculum.

The Achievement of Pacific Students

During the review ERO evaluated the extent to which the school has knowledge of and strategies for promoting the achievement of its Pacific students.  The school roll identifies 12% of students as being of Pacific descent. 

Areas of good performance

Pacific student achievement.  Pacific students, as a cohort, do not achieve as well as non-Pacific students.  However, senior managers report that Pacific students make good progress during their years at the school.  Senior managers’ intentions to further develop their skills in electronic data management should help them to track the progress of Pacific students as a group over successive years.  All students with specific learning and language needs, including Pacific students, are identified and support programmes are provided where appropriate.

Area for improvement

Pacific family and community engagement. The board and staff are seeking further ways to encourage their Pacific parents to be more involved in the school and in their child’s learning.  This should help to build a partnership between home and school and should give parents the confidence to ask school personnel about any matters related to the education of their children.

Professional Learning and Development

In this review ERO evaluated how well Matipo Road Primary School is managing professional learning and development.  This includes how well the school makes decisions about professional learning and development, the extent to which these decisions are influenced by principles of effective practice, and the changes that have occurred for students and teachers as a result.

Background

Since the 2005 ERO review, staff have been involved in a range of professional learning and development opportunities that have focused on sustaining previously implemented initiatives of inquiry, numeracy, ICT and formative assessment practices.  Assessment processes have been further developed through the school’s participation in a local school cluster initiative, Extending High Standards Across Schools (EHSAS).

Areas of good performance

Strategic process. Clear links are evident between professional learning initiatives and the school’s strategic planning and goal setting.  The underpinning intention of these initiatives is to help reinforce student skills and strategies that are transferable throughout the wider curriculum.  Decisions about professional learning are made by senior managers and are based on information provided from student achievement data, the school’s charter, national education priorities, and the local principals’ group.  The school’s quality assurance systems, including the performance management of teachers, are used to enhance the development of teaching and learning practices.

Impact of professional learning. The school consistently uses self review to evaluate the impact of its decision making.  A strong feature of this school is the high degree to which initiatives implemented through professional learning and development have been sustained.  Regular reviews help to ensure that adopted learning approaches are still relevant within this school’s context.  Senior leaders collate information from teachers’ reflections and observations of teaching and consider implications for further professional development needs.

School-wide professional learning. A whole school perspective for the direction of learning helps to foster shared teacher understanding of and responsibility for student achievement across the school.  Professional learning initiatives link well to the principles of the new national curriculum and focus on reinforcing student skills that are transferable throughout the wider curriculum.  They also focus on helping students to take more responsibility for their learning.  The continuity of teaching approaches used school wide helps students to move more easily to the next class.

Collaboration. Distributed leadership is encouraged so that teachers who have expertise take a leadership role in the introduction or implementation of initiatives.  Teachers have opportunities to work with colleagues from different year levels within the school and with different areas of experience and expertise.  They report that such collaboration is beneficial as it provides broader perspectives on teaching and students’ learning.  EHSAS provides opportunities for professional discussion within the cluster of participating schools.  The principal has identified the need to pursue these opportunities more actively in 2008.

Reflective climate. Teachers are well supported to reflect critically on their teaching in order to make changes and enhancements to their practice.  As a result, they are becoming increasingly able to challenge themselves, knowing that professional support to change and sustain their practice is available.  School leaders report that an increased amount of teachers’ talk is professional dialogue about extending teaching practice to benefit student learning.  Regular analyses of achievement information, and reflections on teaching practice and professional learning all contribute to a climate of critical reflection.

Recommendation

ERO recommends that senior managers and teachers continue their reflective processes that underpin all planning, decision-making, implementation, and evaluation of the impact of professional learning and development.

Provision for International Students

Compliance with the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students and the Provision of English Language Support

Matipo Road Primary School is a signatory to the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students (the Code) established under section 238F of the Education Act 1989.  This is a requirement of all schools that enrol international students in terms of the Act.  Schools are also required to provide English language support for their international students.

The school complies with all aspects of the Code.

Areas of good performance

Social integration. The inclusive social climate of the school benefits international students.  These students report that they enjoy the opportunity of attending this school and have established friendships with their peers. 

Identifying needs and monitoring progress. International students benefit from the school’s rigorous assessment procedures to monitor their progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Students who have English as an additional language are well supported in class programmes and, where appropriate, receive tutoring from a teacher aide.

Teaching to engage students. Students benefit from student-centred programmes, which help to ensure that they are fully involved in class activities.  Students are grouped according to their abilities and receive literacy and mathematics teaching that is planned and implemented to meet their needs.  The interactive approach used in classrooms enables international students to work alongside their local peers, who support their learning by rephrasing what is expected of them when necessary, and encourage their participation in learning activities.

Area for improvement

Teacher responsible for international students. It would be useful to strengthen the role of teacher responsible for international students.  This role could involve greater liaison with students, parents, teachers and teacher aides to ensure the welfare and progress of each student.

5.                Board Assurance on Compliance Areas

Overview

Before the review, the board of trustees and principal of Matipo Road Primary 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

ERO’s investigations did not identify any areas of concern.

6.                Recommendation

ERO and the board of trustees recommend that senior leaders and teachers continue to focus on raising student achievement and using strategies that help students to become confident and reflective learners.

7.                Future Action

ERO is confident that the board of trustees can manage the school in the interests of the students and the Crown and bring about the improvements outlined in this report.

ERO is likely to review the school again as part of the regular review cycle.

Elizabeth Ellis

Area Manager

for Chief Review Officer

8 August 2008

8 August 2008

To the Parents and Community of Matipo Road Primary School

These are the findings of the Education Review Office’s latest report on Matipo Road Primary School.

Matipo Road Primary School is located in a well established, residential area.  The school has a history of positive ERO reports.  This review finds that Matipo Road Primary School continues to provide high quality educational opportunities for its students.

Students enjoy school and engage well in their learning tasks.  They talk confidently about their activities, showing an increasing understanding of the ways in which they learn and of how to achieve.  The school’s achievement information in literacy and mathematics indicates that the majority of students attain at the levels expected of them.  Students are friendly and interact positively and respectfully with adults and their peers.  They work well, both independently and cooperatively in groups.  Students benefit from a broad range of experiences that complement their classroom programmes.  Senior students participate in a media programme taught in a recently established media suite, using state of the art technological equipment.  Students experience music, drama and dance opportunities in a recently built performance arts centre.

Teachers are committed to improving student achievement, and, as a result, teaching is of a high standard.  Teachers are involved in ongoing individual and collective evaluation of how effectively they teach and how well their students learn.  They analyse assessment information to ensure that their programmes cater for students’ diverse learning needs.  Teachers see themselves as ongoing learners and respond positively to alternative ways of teaching so that they can better support students to achieve.  They encourage students to develop thinking skills that give them the confidence and competence needed for lifelong learning.

The principal is a strategic thinker who keeps informed about educational trends and research and is fully involved in professional learning initiatives for staff.  He recognises teachers’ aptitude and potential and creates opportunities to develop their leadership capacity.  Senior leaders operate in a committed and collaborative team, making good use of their complementary strengths, skills and perspectives.  They use sound evaluative processes to ensure that students receive optimal learning experiences.

Trustees have a clear understanding of teachers’ aspirations for the development of teaching and learning in the school.  The interests of students are the prime focus for all board decision-making.  The principal and senior leaders ensure that the board is well informed about the management of the school and the achievement of students.  Trustees are appreciative and supportive of management and staff.  The board is responsive to its community’s perspectives and proactively seeks to include parents’ involvement in their children’s learning.

For this review ERO agreed to evaluate the quality of teaching and learning, with a particular focus on numeracy.  ERO also reviewed the achievement of Māori and Pacific students, professional learning and development, and the school’s provision for international students.  As part of every review, ERO evaluates the board’s provision of a safe physical and emotional environment for students.  ERO finds that senior leaders and staff are well placed to continue their reflective practices to ensure that teaching and learning focuses on raising student achievement.

Future Action

ERO is confident that the board of trustees can manage the school in the interests of the students and the Crown and bring about the improvements outlined in this report.

ERO is likely to review the school again as part of the regular review cycle.

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, http://www.ero.govt.nz.

Elizabeth Ellis

Area Manager

for 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.