Glen Innes School

Findings

On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO ‘s overall evaluation judgement of Glen Innes School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.

1 Background and Context

What is the background and context for this school’s review?

Glen Innes School in Auckland is a full primary school that provides education for children in Years 1 to 8. Approximately 24 percent of children identify as Māori and just over 70 percent are of Pacific heritage.

ERO’s 2018 report identified areas of schoolwide systems and practices that required improvement. This resulted in a longitudinal review of the school by ERO. A longitudinal review is designed to ensure schools are supported to progressively address the recommendations, and aspects of performance identified as requiring improvement in the ERO report.

The school received support from the Ministry of Education (MoE) including a Student Achievement Function (SAF) practitioner. There have been significant improvements to leadership, assessment systems and practices, the quality of teaching and learning, and internal evaluation.

Evidence collected through the longitudinal review has been used to evaluate the progress the school has made. The findings are outlined in the following sections of this report.

A major government housing initiative has impacted on the school roll over the last few years. The Ministry of Education (MoE) is planning an extensive property development in readiness for a significant roll increase.

The school is a member of the Manaiakalani Community of Learning | Kāhui Ako.

2 Review and Development

How effectively is the school addressing its priorities for review and development?

Priorities identified for review and development

Glen Innes School has been involved in a review with ERO to support school progress and development. ERO established the following priorities for the review:

• developing robust assessment systems, processes and practices
• strengthening internal evaluation capability and capacity
• building leadership capability to sustain and embed changes.

Progress

The board, principal and senior leaders have made very good progress across all the improvement priorities identified in the 2018 ERO report.

Developing robust assessment systems, processes and practices

Leaders and teachers have benefitted from external professional development to increase their understanding of effective assessment for learning. Teachers use appropriate assessment tools to evaluate students’ progress and achievement and develop next learning steps. More robust moderation processes, internally and externally, have increased the accuracy and consistency of teachers’ assessment judgements.

Teachers are using effective strategies to support children to make accelerated progress in literacy and mathematics. Schoolwide achievement data show significant gains in literacy and mathematics since 2017. The 2019 achievement information show that most children are achieving at national curriculum expectations in literacy and the majority in mathematics. The data also show many children made accelerated progress.

Strengthening internal evaluation capability and capacity

Internal evaluation capability is continuing to improve. School achievement information is well analysed, understood and used by leaders, teachers and trustees. Teachers collaborate well, and good systems and processes allow teachers to inquire into and share effective teaching practices.

Evaluation information is being used increasingly well for generating solutions and decision making about how to most effectively improve outcomes for all children. Leaders and teachers continue to be more evaluative practitioners. Good examples of this include evaluating the suitability of assessment tools and their purposes and evaluating the impact of new initiatives to accelerate the progress of children.

Building leadership capability to sustain and embed changes

The board, leaders and teachers are committed to ensuring the best outcomes for children. A new distributed leadership structure is impacting positively on the school’s ‘big picture whole school’ approach to ensure an orderly and supportive environment conducive to staff and student learning. Leadership PLD has been successful in developing middle leaders. The school recognises the benefit in continuing to evaluate and build the capability of school leaders to promote and sustain school improvements.

Leaders have increased the capability of staff to collectively contribute to achieving the school’s goals and improving outcomes for all children. Leaders have made worthwhile strategic resourcing decisions to support new teachers to the school. Senior leadership succession plans have been developed. These include further embedding distributed leadership and ensuring the school responds well to change including property redevelopment, teaching and the learning, and the wellbeing of children.

Key next steps

The board, school leaders and teachers should continue to:

• embed and sustain effective assessment systems and practices
• develop acceleration strategies to increase parity for all students, particularly Māori students in literacy and mathematics
• evaluate the impact of new initiatives for lifting and sustaining accelerated progress, and schoolwide improvements
• engage in externally facilitated professional learning to grow leaders’ capability and capacity to lead change for equity and excellence.

3 Sustainable performance and self review

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

The school is well placed to sustain and continue to improve its performance. An effective leadership team and more coherent school systems, processes and practices support a school culture that is focused on children’s learning and wellbeing. Leaders and teachers are continuing to build their capability to sustain and improve children’s progress and achievement. Sustainable planning and self review processes are being used to evaluate school improvement and assist the board, leaders and teachers to respond effectively to future emerging issues.

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
• school policies in relation to meeting the requirements of the Children’s Act 2014.

Conclusion

On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO ‘s overall evaluation judgement of Glen Innes School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.

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.

Steve Tanner

Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)

Northern Region - Te Tai Raki

30 June 2020

About the school

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement.

School Context

Glen Innes School caters for students from Years 1 to 8. Approximately, 24 percent of students identify as Māori and just over 70 percent of students are of Pacific heritage. Many children and families in the multi-cultural community speak more than one language.

The school benefits from intergenerational support and strong links to the community. A recent major government housing initiative in the community has seen a lot of children and families move into and out of the area. The school has worked to provide children and families with stability and support where necessary.

The school aims to provide “a caring environment that provides children with the foundations for success, happiness and respect in an ever changing world”. In partnership with families, the values of respect, leadership, citizenship, responsibility and independence are promoted.

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

• progress and achievement of all children against targets set by the school and the Kāhui Ako |Community of Learning (CoL)
• information about children with additional learning needs
• information about children who are making progress
• initiatives related to engagement and wellbeing.

Since the 2014 ERO evaluation there have been changes to the school leadership team. The school curriculum has been refined and teachers have participated in professional learning programmes in writing. Glen Innes School is a member of the Manaiakalani Kāhui Ako|Community of Learning (CoL). 

Evaluation Findings

1 Equity and excellence – valued outcomes for students

1.1 How well is the school achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for all its students?

Trustees, leaders and teachers acknowledge that an ongoing challenge for the school is raising the achievement levels of many children in order to achieve more equitable and excellent outcomes. School achievement information over the last three years indicates that approximately half of the children are achieving at expected levels in reading, writing and mathematics. This data shows that there is some disparity in achievement evident between Pacific and Māori students. ERO reports in 2011 and 2014 also noted the need for the school to raise student achievement.

1.2 How effectively does this school respond to those Māori and other students whose learning and achievement need acceleration?

The school is beginning to respond more effectively to those Māori and other students whose progress requires acceleration. This is evident in the school’s most recent 2017 data, which indicates that by the end of the year a number of Māori and Pacific priority learners are likely to make accelerated progress. School leaders are aware that a further challenge will be to build on and sustain this progress over time.

School leaders use the broad overarching Manaiakalani CoL achievement goals as a basis for developing school acceleration goals. Groups of priority learners who need to make accelerated progress in literacy and mathematics are identified in all classrooms. Numerous programmes, strategies and initiatives are used by teachers to accelerate the progress of these priority learners.

Over the past three years leaders and teachers have made increasing use of achievement data. Leaders now appropriately intend to further refine and extend their data analysis. This should help them to better evaluate the impact that acceleration strategies are having for groups of children, including those who have had most, or all of their schooling at Glen Innes School.

Māori children are increasingly able to experience success as Māori. Classroom based te reo Māori programmes, kapa haka and schoolwide waiata, tikanga and powhiri make an important contribution to this. Continuing to strengthen and embed culturally responsive and bicultural practices should further enhance children’s learning outcomes. Regular consultation with Māori whānau to share progress and achievement reports, targets and plans to raise achievement will support this development.

Children are engaged well in their learning tasks and activities in classrooms. Children are able to talk about their learning, their current levels of achievement and some children are able to talk about their next steps for learning. Leaders and teachers are continuing to develop a schoolwide language of learning and to promote children’s skills in managing their own learning. Teachers use a variety of teaching approaches and align teaching, tasks and resources to children’s individual learning needs.

It is important now for leaders to again revisit and extend the school’s current achievement targets for priority learners. This should help to increase the focus on accelerating the progress and achievement of children at risk of not achieving in reading, writing and mathematics.

2 School conditions for equity and excellence

2.1 What school processes and practices are effective in enabling achievement of equity and excellence?

School processes and practices that are most effective in supporting the achievement of excellence and equity include: very worthwhile links to the community; a strong focus on children and whānau wellbeing; and well managed transitions for children and positive digital strategies.

The school’s well established links with external agencies and volunteer organisations in east Auckland are used effectively to support children and their families. Many of the school’s strategies and initiatives use internal expertise and community resources to support children’s physical and emotional wellbeing.

Teachers plan and manage programmes and resources for close to 90 volunteers who work with children needing additional learning support. This is helping to build children’s foundational skills and confidence and strengthen their ability to engage with classroom programmes. Children also benefit from the school’s good management of transitions from early learning centres, through the school, and on to their various secondary schools.

Children with specific social and educational needs are well catered for. The principal and special needs coordinator meet regularly with numerous support agencies, including the CoL special needs coordinator, to ensure that these children’s needs are met.

The CoL digital strategy is impacting positively on children’s engagement with learning in class and in many cases at home. Information and communication devices are being used across the curriculum to provide reading and literacy resources for parents to use at home. As a result, children are engaging more with their learning and there is greater parent participation in children’s learning.

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

A key further development is to strengthen leadership practices to create and maintain a greater focus and sense of urgency around lifting achievement and accelerating children’s progress.

Setting broader charter targets for all children who are at risk of not achieving is a necessary first step. In addition, it would be worthwhile to strengthen school systems and processes to build greater consistency across the school. This could better support school leaders to monitor progress towards school targets. Increasing opportunities for teachers to take on leadership roles within the school could also help to build collective responsibility and capacity to achieve these targets and raise achievement levels.

Internal evaluation processes and practices need to be strengthened. For example, more formal and rigorous evaluation and reporting about the impact that the school’s various acceleration initiatives are having on student achievement would assist teachers, leaders and the board in their resourcing decisions. During the course of the review, leaders requested an ERO evaluation workshop. This could assist leaders to build leaders’ evaluation capacity to critically evaluate the impact that initiatives and professional development are having on lifting children’s achievement. 

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 Vulnerable Children Act 2014. 

Appraisal audit

School leaders should consider accessing professional learning programmes facilitated by the Teachers’ Education Council to further strengthen appraisal processes and practices. This should assist teachers to take a greater personal responsibility for their ongoing professional development.

Actions for compliance

ERO identified non-compliance in relation to managing hazards.

In order to address this, the board of trustees must:

1. ensure that the school hazards identification system is consistently implemented
   (Health and Safety Act 1996)

4 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:

• pastoral care practices that systematically respond to children’s needs and promote their wellbeing to support learning
• using community volunteers and programmes that support children’s wellbeing and learning
• using technology to build collaborative parent partnerships for children’s learning.

Next steps

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

• expanding the use of targeted planning and monitoring to accelerate and sustain children’s progress and achievement
• strengthening educational leadership capability to grow the professional capacity of staff to meet the learning needs of children
• improving internal evaluation processes and practices so that they better identify what is working well to accelerate children’s progress and achievement, and where improvements are necessary.

ERO recommends the school use support from the Ministry of Education to further improve and sustain overall student achievement.  

ERO’s next external evaluation process and timing

ERO intends to carry out a process of ongoing external evaluation to support development over the course of one-to-two years. 

Julie Foley
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)

Te Tai Raki - Northern Region

12 February 2018

About the school