Fraser High School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 18 months of the Education Review Office and Fraser High School working in Te Ara Huarau, an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website. www.ero.govt.nz

Context 

Fraser High School is located in West Hamilton. It provides education for aakonga from Years 9 to 13. There have been recent changes in the senior leadership team. The principal continues in her role.

Fraser High School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

• to build powerful connections through Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnerships and relationships. There is a focus on Ngaati Maahanga, aakonga, kaiako and whaanau

• to build efficacy and equitable provision and outcomes. Ensuring that learning is accessible to all aakonga

• to develop and strengthen culturally sustainable leadership, teaching and inquiry. Grow aakonga agency to determine their pathways

• use a hauora lens and kaupapa so that the mana of all aakonga is enhanced. To see and develop the whole child in their learning.

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan by contacting Fraser High School’s Main Office.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the extent to which school systems and processes are supporting and responding to aakonga. This focus will support the completion of learning and assessment tasks so aakonga can experience success and be motivated to succeed.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

• kaiako and leaders have recognised that systems and processes to support aakonga to complete learning tasks need strengthening and embedding

• the completion of learning and assessment tasks has been identified as an important factor in raising achievement

• regular attendance at school is recognised as key to the completion of learning and assessment tasks for improved outcomes.

The school expects to see:

• improved and more equitable achievement outcomes for all aakonga

• improved levels of attendance at school

• strengthened systems and processes in the school to support aakonga to complete learning and assessment tasks.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support improved rates of completion of learning and assessment tasks to enable equitable outcomes for all:

• areas of good practice are identifiable in the school and these could be shared for further consistency across the whole school

• leaders who have clearly identified the completion of learning and assessment tasks as a barrier to success and are committed to action for improved outcomes for aakonga

• a school-wide commitment to culturally responsive and mana-enhancing approaches to achieve improved and equitable achievement outcomes for aakonga.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• detailed planning for the internal evaluation; this will include progress milestones so information gathered is timely, informs the improvement plan, and clearly demonstrates shifts in practice and improvements for learners

• gathering and analysing achievement data, attendance and work completion data to fully understand the needs of learners and strategise to more effectively meet these

• a review of current systems and processes that support aakonga to meet expectations for work and assessment completion.

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. ERO will support the school in reporting their progress to the community. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.

Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

27 March 2023 

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement.  educationcounts.govt.nz/home

This school has He Puaawai (Teen Parent Unit) onsite.

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2023 to 2026

As of February 2023, the Fraser High School Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:

Board Administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Personnel Management

Yes

Finance

Yes

Assets

Yes

Actions for Compliance

ERO has identified the following area of non-compliance during the board assurance process: 

• renewal of police vets for non-teaching staff every three years.

 [s 104, Education and Training Act 2020]

The board has since addressed the area of non-compliance identified.

Further Information

For further information please contact Fraser High School, School Board.

The next School Board assurance that it is meeting regulatory and legislative requirements will be reported, along with the Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report, within three years.

Information on ERO’s role and process in this review can be found on the Education Review Office website.

Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

27 March 2023 

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home

Findings

Students at Fraser High School benefit from a range of academic, sporting, cultural and leadership opportunities. They participate and enjoy success in an affirming school culture. Relationships between teachers, students and their families are positive and support students’ engagement in learning and contributions to the life of the school.

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.

1 Context

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

Fraser High School is a large, co-educational secondary school in Hamilton catering for students in Years 9 to 13. The roll of 1448 includes 41% Māori and 7% Pacific students.

Since ERO’s 2014 review, the school’s senior leadership and governance have remained the same. A model of wider and more distributed leadership has been introduced with the intention to build teachers’ capability to inquire into their own practice and promote effective pedagogy across the curriculum. The hub initiative that started in 2014 is designed to promote a more responsive, flexible and integrated approach to teaching and learning for students in Years 9 and 10. Professional learning and development has focused on strengthening teachers’ understanding of key principles and effective teaching approaches from The New Zealand Curriculum. The school has continued to embed Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) and LEAD values of learning with purpose, engaging with pride, acting with respect and daring to succeed, to guide improvements in behaviour and learning. This is having a positive impact on students’ wellbeing and engagement.

2 Learning

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

The school is yet to use achievement information effectively to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement. Key areas of development for using achievement information are:

• setting specific and evidence-based charter targets, with planned actions for raising the achievement of all students at risk
• addressing the persistent disparity in National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) for Māori, boys and Pacific students
• developing a consistent and school-wide approach to assessment for students in Years 9 and 10, and regularly reporting on the progress and achievement of this cohort of learners
• evaluating curriculum effectiveness in accelerating the progress and achievement of at-risk learners.

The school uses a range of information, including National Standards data from its contributing schools, to inform class placements and support positive transitions into secondary school for Year 9 students. Data shows that most Year 9 students who were at or above the expected curriculum level on entry to school in 2014, achieved well in NCEA Level 1 in 2016. This data also shows that the significant majority of Year 9 students who entered the school below expected curriculum levels in 2014, made accelerated progress in gaining their literacy and numeracy credits in 2016 with half of students gaining NCEA Level 1.

Since the previous ERO review in 2014 the school’s NCEA results have been below that of schools of a similar profile and schools nationally. This data from 2016 shows that 62% of Year 11 students achieved NCEA Level 1, 65% of Year 12 students achieved Level 2, and 39% of Year 13 students achieved Level 3. The roll based data also shows that overall Māori and Pacific students achieved at lower levels than Pākehā students, and boys achieved at significantly lower levels than girls. A notable success for the school is the high number of Māori students involved in the Hei Taniwha programme who achieved NCEA Level 1 with endorsement in 2016. 

3 Curriculum

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

The school provides a broad curriculum that promotes and supports student learning. The curriculum is well designed to ensure students are able to access a range of academic and vocational learning pathways appropriate to their needs, strengths and interests. The introduction of an integrated and differentiated curriculum at Years 9 and 10 is promoting continuity of learning and relationships with teachers and peers. Students who spoke with ERO expressed appreciation of teachers who have high expectations and support them to have ownership and understanding of their learning. Students also value opportunities to participate in a wide range of sporting, cultural, leadership and extension opportunities. The broad curriculum is contributing to high levels of student engagement in meaningful learning opportunities and pathways.

Students’ pastoral and academic needs are effectively resourced. Established systems and practices include:

• the student health centre that provides a wide range of services that are responsive to student needs
• the deans' network
• the well-established PB4L initiative
• positive engagement and information sharing with parents and whānau, particularly at transition points
• designated unit and mainstream options for students with special needs
• group times, where a specific teacher and students meet regularly to promote positive relationships, a sense of belonging and peer mentoring
• recent initiatives to acknowledge, celebrate and affirm the languages, cultures and identity of Pacific students in the school, and to engage their families.

These responsive approaches contribute to students’ holistic wellbeing and success.

School leaders acknowledge the need to evaluate the effectiveness of current provision of sexuality education for students in Years 9 and 10. 

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

The school has some initiatives that effectively promote educational success for Māori students. The Hei Taniwha and Tama Tu programmes are underpinned by strong Māori values of manaakitanga, mana motuhake, whakapringatanga, wanganga, ako and kotahitanga. These values provide the foundation for high expectations, self efficacy and strong learning-centred relationships. Notable outcomes from these programmes have been student success in gaining NCEA and vocational pathway qualifications, improved engagement and attendance. A next step for the school is to consider how best to build on the success of these initiatives to benefit other Māori students in the school.

The school has an ongoing commitment to building practices and a curriculum that is responsive to Māori learners. Teachers have engaged in sustained professional learning and development with an emphasis on improving Māori student achievement. The influence of this learning for some teachers is strengthening the presence of Māori perspectives and knowledge in contexts that make learning meaningful and relevant for Māori students. School leaders and the board acknowledge that there remains a need to reduce the disparities in achievement between Māori and other students in the school.

4 Sustainable Performance

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

The following factors contribute to school improvement and sustainability:

• Trustees are representative of the community. They contribute a range of skills and experience, and have a strong desire to improve educational outcomes for students.
• The principal and wider professional learning team articulate a clear vision for teaching and learning at Fraser High School.
• An increasing number of teachers engage in opportunities to inquire into their own practice and engage in professional dialogue about effective teaching and responsive curriculum.
• Students experience a broad curriculum that provides them with choices and pathways that support their transition on to further education and employment.
• The school offers a range of opportunities that engage parents and whānau in the life of the school. In addition the school has developed partnerships with the community and tertiary providers to create authentic learning opportunities for students.

The following next steps are required to sustain and improve performance:

• Review and refine the roles and responsibilities of the senior leadership team, to more specifically focus on leadership of learning. This needs to include an emphasis on learner outcomes, particularly in relation to Māori, Pacific and Year 9 and 10 students.
• Strengthen internal evaluation by making better use of achievement information to evaluate the effectiveness of school initiatives. This should enable the school to identify and replicate practices that make the biggest difference for at risk learners.
• Review policies and practices for teacher appraisal. This needs to include increased rigour of appraisal processes and strengthening the quality and consistency of evidence gathered by teachers as the basis for the issue of practicing certificates.

The school needs to develop an action plan to address the next steps identified in this report. In addition, the school would benefit from participating in an ERO internal evaluation workshop to build its capacity to engage in robust internal evaluation and critical inquiry into school programmes and initiatives.

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.

The board of trustees must ensure that:

• an annual performance agreement with the principal is in place.
  [State Sector Act s77]

Recommendation

ERO recommends that the school participates in an ERO internal evaluation workshop to support the school to develop effective planning and monitoring processes that support equity and excellence for all students. 

Conclusion

Students at Fraser High School benefit from a range of academic, sporting, cultural and leadership opportunities. They participate and enjoy success in an affirming school culture. Relationships between teachers, students and their families are positive and support students’ engagement in learning and contributions to the life of the school.

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years. 

Lynda Pura-Watson

Deputy Chief Review Officer Waikato/Bay of Plenty

31 August 2017

About the School 

Location	Hamilton
Ministry of Education profile number	135
School type	Secondary (Years 9 to 13)
School roll	1448
Gender composition	Boys 55% Girls 45%
Ethnic composition	Māori Pākehā Asian Other Pacific Samoan South East Asian Other	41% 41% 5% 4% 3% 3% 3%
Review team on site	July 2017
Date of this report	31 August 2017
Most recent ERO report(s)	Education Review Supplementary Review Supplementary Review	December 2014 July 2013 July 2011