ERO Reports

PDF 2011 | 2008 Report (ERO Site)

Matipo Road School 16/09/2011

About the School

The Purpose of an ERO Report

The purpose of ERO’s reviews is to give parents and the wider school community assurance about the quality of education that schools provide and their children receive. ERO’s reports are intended to be clear, concise, constructive and evaluative. An ERO school report answers the question “How effectively is this school’s curriculum promoting student learning – engagement, progress and achievement?” Under that overarching question ERO reports on the quality of education and learning outcomes for children and for specific groups of children including Māori students, Pacific students and students with special needs. ERO also reports on the quality of the school’s systems for sustaining and continuing improvements.

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

[*1] School deciles range from 1 to 10. Decile 1 schools draw their students from low socio-economic communities and at the other end of the range, decile 10 schools draw their students from high socio-economic communities. Deciles are used to provide funding to state and state integrated schools. The lower the school’s decile the more funding it receives. A school’s decile is in no way linked to the quality of education it provides.

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.

1 Context

What are the important features of this school’s context that have an impact on student learning?

Matipo Road School, on Auckland’s Te Atatu Peninsula, has a history of positive ERO reports. The school’s clear expectations of high standards and caring for others continue to have a positive impact on student learning and engagement. Well established routines and school traditions complement innovative strategies in teaching and learning. Future-focused learning is promoted across the school. School leaders, staff and students extend their knowledge and skills in areas of need, strength and interest through a reflective process of inquiry learning.

Successful learning extension and support programmes are provided in the school’s curriculum. A one day class for a group of Samoan students is providing good support for these students’ engagement and participation in learning.

2 Learning

How well are students learning – engaging, progressing and achieving?

Student engagement in learning is strongly evident in all classrooms.

Students enjoy learning programmes that fit with their personal learning style and are based on their interests. Relevant and familiar cultural contexts, clarity of learning processes, and understanding of achievement goals enhance student engagement. Students work cooperatively and are confident, competent contributors to group discussions. Their effective interpersonal skills reflect positive relationships and the inclusive tone of the school. Well presented classroom environments provide students with good access to resources and experiences that support and extend their learning.

Students achieve very well and make good progress in their learning. School leaders use assessment data effectively to set cohort-specific achievement goals in relation to the National Standards and to inform the board’s decisions about ongoing resourcing. Achievement data is thoroughly analysed and tracked over time. Teaching targets, the identification of individual student’s next learning steps, and school priorities for professional learning and development are determined on the basis of analysed achievement data. Students whose progress is causing concern and those who lack confidence in their ability are well supported to make good progress and increase their self-esteem.

A planned review of current assessment practices, including the rigour of teachers’ moderation processes, should result in enhanced practices. It would be useful for the school to establish processes for tracking all students’ rates of progress and to develop strategies to increase progress where necessary.

Pacific students are yet to achieve as well as other students in the school. Ongoing review of the school’s well established Pasifika Education Plan has identified a need to consider further initiatives that promote Pacific student success. The recently established one-day class promoting Samoan language and culture is having a positive impact on the students involved. The use of relevant criteria to help assess student participation and engagement shows good progress for all students in the one-day class. The school is now considering further ways to support the participation of Pacific communities in activities to enhance Pacific students’ learning and engagement.

How well are Māori students learning – engaging, progressing and achieving?

Māori students achieve very well, with most achieving at levels that are equal to or above those of their non-Māori peers.

School leaders continue to have high expectations for Māori student achievement. Assessment data for Māori students is well analysed and closely tracked over time. In-depth consideration of the Māori student profile in the school ensures that Māori student success continues to be a priority. The school’s well established Māori Education Plan is regularly reviewed to ensure its effectiveness in promoting success for Māori students. School leaders consult with whānau Māori and make good use of external reference tools, such as Ka Hikitia, the Ministry of Education’s Māori education strategy, to inform the continued development of the school Māori Education Plan.

3 Curriculum

How effectively does this school’s curriculum promote and support student learning?

Matipo Road School’s curriculum is effective in promoting and supporting student learning.

The school’s curriculum reflects the school community and is underpinned by the school’s interpretation of the key competencies of The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC). Māori values of mana, aroha, wero and kia kaha influence the design of the school curriculum. High quality teaching and the provision of relevant learning contexts are a priority in curriculum delivery. A review is underway to determine the suitability of the school’s curriculum for current times and to identify how well it caters for the board’s future focus. Aspects of The New Zealand Curriculum principles are reflected in teaching practice. It would now be useful for the school to identify and document the implications of the curriculum principles for teaching practice and the ways in which Matipo Road School’s curriculum reflects each principle.

Students enjoy a broad, balanced curriculum and ongoing evaluation ensures that the integrity of each learning area is maintained. Senior staff actively seek expertise from the community to support and extend learning programmes in the school. The school’s physical environment is used well to enhance students’ learning.

4 Sustainable Performance

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

Self review is used effectively to inform school development.

The school’s well established and robust self-review processes are improvement focused. Leadership responsibility for self review is shared amongst staff and multiple viewpoints are sought, with staff, parents and students contributing to reviews. At the classroom level, teachers are beginning to use evidence to reflect critically on the impact their practices are having on outcomes for students. This process is helping teachers to assess their own knowledge and areas in which teaching could be improved and to develop strategies to address identified needs.

Forward-thinking, well informed and strategic leadership ensures ongoing school improvement. The principal enables emerging leaders to develop their professional leadership skills. The board of trustees is representative of the community and trustees bring a good range of skills to their roles. They are well informed about student learning and curriculum development and make well considered decisions to support students’ learning. The board has a good knowledge of the National Standards and trustees have included in the school’s 2011 charter targets related to the National Standards.

The school actively seeks to engage parents/whānau in student learning and school life. Parents participate in learning programmes and are provided with resources and information to support learning at home. Parents/whānau are well informed about the National Standards and receive good information about their child’s learning.

Provision for international students

The 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. At the time of this review there were no international students attending the school. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code.

ERO’s investigations confirmed that the school’s self-review process for international students is thorough.

Board assurance on legal requirements

Before the review, the board of trustees and principal of the 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
• 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
• attendance.

When is ERO likely to review the school again?

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.

Richard Thornton
National Manager Review Services
Northern Region

16 September 2011