Bailey Road School

School Context

Bailey Road School provides education for students in Years 1 to 8. The roll of 476 is drawn from a culturally diverse community. Pacific students make up approximately 43 percent of the school population. Māori students, comprising 24 percent, are the second largest group.

The school’s vision is Whaia Ngā Taumata - Aim High. The valued outcomes for students are expressed through the HEART values of Honesty, Empathy, Affirmation, Respect and Trust.

The school’s four key strategic goals are student progress and achievement, effective governance, school culture and engaging with whānau, and leadership. The annual learning goals focus on literacy and mathematics.

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

• reading, writing and mathematics for all groups of students
• results from surveys
• progress against the school’s annual goals.

Since the 2016 ERO review, the school has appointed three principals. The current principal is managing a period of significant change.

The school recently changed the timetable to maximise students’ learning time. The school is about to be restructured into three Year 1 to 8 whānau groups, to support collaborative relationships between teachers at all levels. Mathematics has been identified as a priority area for professional learning and development in 2020.

The school is a member of the Maungakiekie Community of Learning l Kāhui Ako (CoL).

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?

The school is making progress towards achieving equitable and excellent outcomes. Most students achieve at or above curriculum expectations in reading, and the majority achieve at or above expectations in writing and mathematics. Most students have sustained sufficient rates of progress over time.

The school’s achievement information shows the majority of Māori and Pacific students are achieving at or above curriculum expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. Disparity remains for boys.

Students with additional needs make good progress against their individual learning goals. Students who are speakers of English as an additional language achieve successfully. They participate in relevant learning programmes and are fully integrated in the school’s inclusive culture.

The school is currently reviewing its other valued outcomes for students.

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

School achievement information for 2019 shows evidence of some acceleration for students whose learning is at risk in relation to reading, writing and mathematics. The school recognises the need to monitor progress information for Māori and Pacific students. There is more work to do in accelerating the progress of those students who need to make more than one years progress in a year.

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 principal is collaboratively developing the school’s vision, values, goals and targets to gain a schoolwide shared language and pedagogy. He is strategically using professional learning and development to improve teacher content and assessment knowledge. The new school leadership team supports equity and excellence through a considered approach and careful alignment with strategic goals. Leaders have a coherent approach to organisational change and building leadership and teacher capability.

Students participate and learn in a caring, inclusive learning community. The school recognises and supports students’ language, culture and identity. Transitions for students into, within and beyond the school are well managed. Students have equitable access to digital technologies as they pursue the increasingly locally-focused curriculum.

The board has a shared vision for the school and sets a clear direction for future improvement. It has provided continuity throughout changes of school leadership. Trustees know their roles and responsibilities. They identify, seek and use their knowledge, expertise and experience to actively represent and serve the school community in their stewardship role.

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

Leaders and teachers have been working towards ensuring that achievement information is dependable, consistent and well analysed to clearly show the progress and achievement of students. It is now a priority for teachers, leaders and trustees to establish a coherent picture of those students who require acceleration through specific target setting and monitoring of progress to ensure equity and excellence for all groups.

The school should continue to develop and embed a relevant, local curriculum, in partnership with the wider school community. This continued development should enhance engagement and promote equity and acceleration for those learners most at risk of not achieving.

The leadership team is working collaboratively to lead teachers’ professional learning and promote more consistent, quality teaching practices. Reflection on and evaluation of practice should focus on what makes the biggest difference for learners.

To sustain improvement and innovation the board, principal and teachers should strengthen their understanding and use of internal evaluation. They need to develop a useful evaluation framework and embed this in policies, systems and practices across 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 Bailey Road School performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Developing.

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:

• welcoming, settled environments that promote student participation
• a strategic commitment to developing a relevant curriculum that reflects the local context and integrates digital technologies
• a commitment to growing teachers’ and leaders’ professional capability and collective capacity to improve outcomes for all students.

Next steps

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

• building evaluative capability so that trustees, leaders and teachers can ascertain the effectiveness of programmes, strategies, and initiatives on learning outcomes for all students
• developing strategies to help teachers reduce disparities and accelerate the learning of those students whose progress requires this
• strengthening collaboration and developing learning partnerships with parents and whānau.

To improve current practice, the board of trustees should:

• strengthen the implementation of policies and procedures.

Steve Tanner

Director Review and Improvement Services

Northern Region

4 March 2020

About the school