Clendon Park School

Findings

There are high levels of commitment at Clendon Park School to providing well for students in Māori and Samoan bilingual units, and in mainstream classes. Whānau/aiga and community engagement in the school is a positive feature. The school's strong focus on supporting students’ wellbeing and continually raising their achievement in literacy and numeracy is supported by robust self-review.

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

1. Context

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

Clendon Park School serves a largely Māori and Pacific community in Manurewa. The school is committed to the principle of providing education for children in bilingual settings. Bilingual classes cater for students in Years 0 to 8.

There are seven bilingual classes in Te Whānau Awhina. The kaupapa of Te Whānau Awhina is underpinned by tikanga Māori, and expressed in the whakataukī, Ko tōku reo tōku ohooho, Ko tōku reo tōku māpihi maurea. A carved waharoa leads to Te Whānau Awhina classes, alongside a whare nui, whare kai and mahau covered outdoor meeting space. The bilingual classes are funded to provide Level 2 te reo Māori. In addition, five Te Puawai classes have been established as part of the mainstream to enrich students’ knowledge of te reo Māori at Level 4.

Four Samoan bilingual classes in Tautua o Tupulaga Samoa provide an opportunity for children to learn through gagana and fa’a Samoa. The malu outdoor area is a gathering place for Pasifika students in the school.

Nine classes are classified as ‘mainstream’ and cater for children up to Year 6. They include children from diverse cultural backgrounds. In this part of the school approximately 30 percent of students are Māori, and 56 percent are of Samoan, Tongan or Cook Island descent. These mainstream classes are also expected to integrate te reo Māori in everyday instruction.

The school is underpinned by the principle of respect. There is a clearly articulated kawa that contributes to a strong sense of wairua, manaaki and whānaungatanga. Students affirm that they feel their diverse cultures and languages are valued. Positive, caring relationships across the school promote students’ sense of belonging, connection and community.

The school is committed to an inclusive and collaborative approach for promoting the wellbeing of students and their whānau/aiga. This commitment is captured in the school's whakatauaki "He aha mea nui he tangata he tangata, he tangata. Every effort is made to include and support students who have learning challenges, and to work with their whānau. The high number of student experiencing residential transience are well supported by the school. There is approximately a forty five percent turnover of students each year.

The school grounds are extensive and the board plans ongoing improvements. The library and former computer suite are currently being used as classrooms pending Ministry of Education approval for new buildings. The school has good relationship with an adjacent early childhood education service and maintains networks with other local schools.

ERO’s 2011 report identified many high quality features in the school. In 2011 the school's focus was developing students’ ownership of their learning, maintaining a culture of inquiry and strengthening partnerships with whānau/aiga and community. Whānau and community partnerships are well developed and impacting positively on children's learning. Teaching as inquiry is the school's current development focus.

2. Learning

How well does this school use achievement information to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement?

Information about students’ progress and achievement is well analysed and used to identify next steps in teaching and learning, and to report to the board and community.

Teachers use assessment information to identify specific support for targeted students. Target students include students at risk of not achieving to their potential and students who teachers expect to be able to raise from “below”, to “at” the National Standard. Successful strategies for monitoring progress and improving achievement are being identified and implemented school wide. As a result, the progress of many targeted students has been significantly accelerated, particularly in reading and mathematics. Specific support for children with special education needs is well planned and carefully monitored.

School achievement information shows that approximately 60 percent of students in mainstream classes achieve at or above the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. The school reports that the number of students who are well below the National Standard has been gradually reduced. School information also indicates that about 70 percent of students in Te Whānau Awhina achieve at or above the standard in Ngā Whanaketanga.

Senior leaders collate information about the achievement of students in Tupulaga and report this with the results for the whole school cohort. The school's reason for not reporting the collated Tupulaga results separately is because they believe it would not fairly reflect students' progress and learning. This is because the progress of students who are developing bilingual competencies is not consistent with the progress of students who are not learning bilingually.

Students' transitions into, within and beyond the school are very well managed. The school's collaboratively developed graduate profile and focus on key competencies supports students' smooth progress through the learning levels. As a result, students are aware of the expectations of them in each setting and level of schooling. Preparation of students in Years 7 and 8 includes well developed careers guidance programmes. Students spoken to by ERO talked confidently about their high aspirations for achievement, learning and careers.

School leaders use their analysis of student achievement information to set broad aspirational goals for lifting student achievement. Each teaching team develops more specific and targeted goals for accelerating the learning and progress of their groups of students. Bi-termly achievement reviews help school leaders and teachers to continuously monitor and respond to students' learning needs. This is positively impacting on teaching and student progress and achievement.

Students are developing skills to understand and manage their own learning and to make more independent decisions about their progress and next learning steps.

3. Curriculum

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

The school has a responsive and cohesive approach to curriculum and students are well engaged in, and focused on their learning. They are respectful, keen to learn and confident to contribute to class discussions.

There are clear expectations and guidelines for implementing the curriculum across the school. Curriculum plans guide teachers in all learning areas of The New Zealand Curriculum, and for the inclusion of te reo Māori lessons across the school. There are clear and direct links between the charter, strategic and annual planning and curriculum priorities. The school's curriculum focus on raising student achievement levels in literacy and mathematics is very effective.

Students' voice is reflected in the curriculum. They contribute to selecting topics for study, setting goals for learning and assessing and reporting learning outcomes. Students have a wide variety of opportunities expand their learning experiences through connecting with the community and beyond. A very good recent example of this was students' input into and reflection on the haerenga to Tu Wharetoa which involved visiting marae, urupa and whenua. Senior students also have opportunities to take leadership roles and contribute to school self review.

Programmes in Te Whānau Awhina and Tautua mo Tupulaga o Samoa are underpinned and enhanced by additional curriculum documents. Teachers engage in relevant community consultation and partnerships with whānau/aiga, as well as appropriate networks and professional development.

A variety of initiatives help teachers to improve their teaching practice. External professional assistance has helped teachers to develop and extend their ability to inquire into how effectively their teaching is accelerating and improving students' progress and learning. Teachers appreciate the mentoring and support they receive. The impact of this professional learning is closely monitored and supported by senior leaders.

The school involves families and the community in school activities and events. Teachers often work closely with parents to help improve students’ learning. School leaders continue to explore innovative ways to engage whānau/aiga in children’s learning. Innovations include contacting parents to discuss and share students' successes, and visits to students' homes.

How effectively does the school promote educational success for Māori, as Māori?

Students in Te Whānau Awhina are well supported in their identity as Māori. There are high levels of whānau, kaumātua and community support for Te Whānau Awhina and it provides an environment where te reo and tikanga Māori are the norm. An option for students who want to enrich their te reo Māori as part of mainstream schooling are Te Puawai classes.

Māori students are represented on the school council. They have a variety of opportunities for leadership in mainstream contexts, in relation to tikanga Māori, and in the school’s very successful kapa haka.

Many school-wide practices reflect a commitment to biculturalism and te reo me ōna tikanga Māori. The school kawa guides school practices and environments support students’ sense of belonging and identity as Māori. There are clear pathways being developed for students in line with their potential as Māori learners.

School-wide and specific professional development helps teachers to fulfil their kaiako and kaiawhina roles. School leaders use the competencies of Tātaiako - Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners, as part of teacher reflection and appraisals.

How effectively does the school’s curriculum promote educational success for Pacific students?

Tautua o Tupulaga Samoa successfully fosters students’ confidence in their identity as Samoan. Students appreciate the opportunity to be part of this community within the school.

Teachers work well as a cohesive team. They use gagana Samoa consistently in instruction and conversation. Targeted support has helped to strengthen their bilingual teaching practice. Teachers have links to the Auckland Samoan Bilingual Network and are contributing to developing assessment for Samoan bilingual settings.

Teachers’ close relationships with aiga are supported by regular fono. School-wide events recognise various Pacific celebrations and groups. Some topic studies in mainstream classes include Pacific themes and contexts. Most of the learning programmes are in English. This is done in response to the aspirations of aiga, who have high expectations for their children’s success.

It would be worthwhile now for school leaders to evaluate how well the school’s policies, strategic plans and practices reflect the Pasifika Education Plan 2013 – 2017.

4. Sustainable Performance

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

The school is well placed to sustain and continue building on its current good practices. The board of trustees is well led and includes kaumātua as well as experienced and new board members. Trustees have clear understandings about their roles and high quality governance practices. Regular, detailed reports about student achievement and the actions being taken to meet strategic goals keep trustees well informed.

Community loyalty and increasing whānau involvement in the school are positive features. The school's ongoing commitment to strengthening partnerships with families, and relationships with iwi and Pasifika communities is clearly evident.

The school’s senior leadership team has expanded to eight to include representatives of the four teams, and of the junior and senior schools. The leadership team has a relentless focus on supporting students, improving teaching practices and raising levels of achievement. Senior leaders are currently working with an external advisor to strengthen leadership strategies through specific development goals and evaluative inquiry.

The staff team, including support staff, are dedicated and work collaboratively to implement school-wide priorities and achieve professional development goals. This is supporting the school’s drive to foster effective teaching practices and lift student achievement.

School self-review practices are comprehensive and systematic. There are good examples of the school conducting purposeful strategic, regular and spontaneous review leading to improvement for students. An example of this is the robust and ongoing review of the implementation of Ka Hikitia which is resulting in useful recommendations for improvement reflected in strategic and annual planning.

Future priorities identified by the board and senior leadership team are to:

• increase the depth of student voice in teaching and learning programmes to further enhance the impact of teaching as inquiry on improving outcomes for students
• implement more student led learning in literacy in order to help accelerate students' progress and lift achievement
• develop guiding principles and shared understandings and practices with students, teachers and the community to underpin the development and direction of Tu Puawai (the Māori enrichment classes).

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 two international students from one family 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 processes for international students are thorough. The school carefully supports the international students to be involved in school activities and to progress in their education.

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:

• 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 student achievement:

• emotional safety of students (including prevention of bullying and sexual harassment)
• physical safety of students
• teacher registration
• processes for appointing staff
• stand-downs, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions
• attendance.

Conclusion

There are high levels of commitment at Clendon Park School to providing well for students in Māori and Samoan bilingual units, and in mainstream classes. Whānau/aiga and community engagement in the school is a positive feature. The school's strong focus on supporting students’ wellbeing and continually raising their achievement in literacy and numeracy is supported by robust self-review.

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

Dale Bailey Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

12 November 2015

About the School