New Lynn School

New Lynn School

School Evaluation Report 

Tēnā koutou e mau manawa rahi ki te kaupapa e aro ake nei, ko te tamaiti te pūtake o te kaupapa. Mā wai rā e kawe, mā tātau katoa.

We acknowledge the collective effort, responsibility and commitment by all to ensure that the child remains at the heart of the matter.

Context 

New Lynn School is in West Auckland and provides education for learners in Years 1 to 6. In 2024, more than one third of the student population were new to the school. The school is ethnically diverse with nearly two thirds of all learners having English as an additional language. The school motto is Whāia te iti Kahurangi: Reaching for the Sky’ encouraging everyone to strive to do their best.  

There are two parts to this report.

Part A: An evaluative summary of learner success and school conditions to inform the school board’s future strategic direction, including any education in Rumaki/bilingual settings. 

Part B: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle. 

Part A: Current State 

The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.

Learner Success and Wellbeing 

Most students are engaged; some make accelerated progress and achieve at expected curriculum levels.
  • Overall school achievement information shows that less than half of all learners achieve at expected curriculum levels in reading and mathematics; and a few learners achieve at expected levels in writing. Due to several factors, leaders tracked the progress of learners who completed 2024 at New Lynn School. School data shows most learners in this group achieved at or above expected levels in mathematics; many learners made progress in reading; some learners made accelerated progress in writing.
  • Continuing to prioritise accelerating achievement outcomes for all learners, and groups of learners, in literacy and mathematics are key next steps.
  • Students experience an inclusive environment where their emotional, physical, and cultural safety is well promoted.
  • The majority of students attend school regularly; the school does not yet to meet the national Ministry of Education attendance targets.

Conditions to support learner success

Leaders foster a collaborative culture and provide supportive conditions that increasingly ensure good quality teaching and learning outcomes. 
  • Leaders and teachers work well together to maintain a positive learning environment that celebrates and reflects the school’s vision, values and community.
  • Leaders intentionally foster opportunities for targeted professional learning with staff that supports their individual goals, and the schools' strategic goals.
  • Leaders and teachers are proactive in engaging with a range of external agencies to successfully support learner wellbeing. 
Teachers work well together to increasingly embed effective teaching practice in their classrooms that improves learner outcomes.
  • Leaders and teachers regularly analyse and use assessment information to inform planning, teaching and learning to meet students’ needs.
  • Teachers use a range of teaching strategies to adapt learning to meet students’ needs; monitoring the impact of effective teaching strategies is a key next step.
  • Teachers implement strengths-based approaches to support learning outcomes for all learners, especially Pacific learners and Māori learners.
The school is working towards embedding key organisational conditions that support student engagement are being embedded.
  • Well-considered learning support programmes are provided for all learners, especially for those with complex needs, to successfully access the curriculum.
  • Parents are regularly encouraged to participate in the life of the school and are appropriately supported to understand the learning pathways for their children.
  • Children’s cultures are highly valued and celebrated, including te reo Māori and mātauranga Māori, to support learners’ sense of belonging.
  • The board is learner focused and receives regular student achievement information that informs evidence-based resourcing decisions and key next steps.

Part B: Where to next? 

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

  • implement structured literacy and structured mathematics programmes to accelerate outcomes for all learners
  • evaluate the impact of teaching and learning strategies that support the acceleration of outcomes for all learners to determine what is working well and identify next steps for learning
  • increase regular student attendance rates.

The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.

Within six months:

  • establish structured literacy and mathematics programmes to improve learner outcomes
  • engage with whānau to identify the barriers to attending school regularly and develop a plan for improvement

Every six months:

  • monitor and review the implementation of structured literacy and mathematics programmes on learner outcomes, especially Pacific learners and Māori learners
  • identify and monitor effective teaching and learning strategies and interventions which support the acceleration of progress and achievement for all learners
  • continue to monitor attendance and respond to needs as they arise

Annually:

  • evaluate and report progress against impact of literacy and mathematics programmes, effective teaching and learning strategies and interventions and attendance rates, for better learner outcomes, to the board and community, to help them know what is working and for which groups of learners. 

Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:

  • improved student achievement outcomes for all learners, particularly Māori and Pacific learners
  • increased engagement and attendance rates
  • successful structured literacy and mathematics programmes embedded across the school. 

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

Me mahi tahi tonu tātau, kia whai oranga a tātau tamariki
Let’s continue to work together for the greater good of all children

Sharon Kelly
Acting Director of Schools

3 March 2025

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

New Lynn School

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2024 to 2027

As of June 2024, the New Lynn 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

Further Information

For further information please contact New Lynn 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.

Sharon Kelly
Acting Director of Schools

3 March 2025 

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

New Lynn School 

Provision for International Students Report  

Background

The Education Review Office reviews schools that are signatories to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020.

Findings

The school is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code. 

No international students were enrolled at the time of the ERO review.

Sharon Kelly
Acting Director of Schools

3 March 2025

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 

New Lynn School - 26/07/2019

School Context

New Lynn School caters for children in Years 1 to 6. The school values its history and heritage and significant community links in New Lynn and West Auckland. The school is culturally diverse. Many children and families speak more than one language. The school enrols a high number of children each year who stay for a short period of time. A satellite class of Oaklyn Special School also operates in the school grounds.

The school vision “Whaia te iti Kahurangi” - Reaching for the Sky” is a strong foundation for successful learning. It prepares children for the future by nurturing, developing and valuing every learner. The school values of respect for self, others, and the environment, support all learning. Positive relationships between children, teachers, families and whānau are regarded as essential foundations to learning, underpinning equity and excellence.

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

  • achievement in reading, writing and mathematics
  • achievement in relation to school targets
  • additional learning support
  • student wellbeing and attendance.

Since the 2014 ERO evaluation, the school has:

  • opened innovative and collaborative learning environments
  • introduced three-way conferences and on-line communications systems for reporting children’s progress to parents.

New Lynn School is a member of the Kotuitui Kāhui Ako|Community of Learning (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?

New Lynn School is making very good progress towards achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for all children through deliberate, targeted approaches. The school maintains a strong focus on 'knowing the learner'.

School achievement information over the last four years show that the majority of children achieve at expected levels in reading and mathematics. Lifting writing achievement remains a key goal for leaders and teachers. School leaders identify in-school achievement disparity for specific groups of children, including boys’ writing. A range of effective initiatives are in place to target cohort and individual learning needs. By the end of Year 6, most of the children are achieving at curriculum expectations in literacy and mathematics.

Leaders and teachers have an unrelenting focus on responding to the learning and wellbeing needs and progress of all children. The school makes a positive difference for those children who enrol at the school for a short period of time.

Children with identified additional learning and wellbeing needs make very good progress in relation to their individual learning goals.

Children achieve very well in relation to other valued outcomes. They:

  • demonstrate and live the school values enthusiastically in everyday school life
  • experience a wide range of learning opportunities and experiences that enable equitable outcomes for all.

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

The school responds very well to those children who need to make accelerated progress.

Robust systems and processes are in place for identifying and responding to children who are at risk of not achieving in literacy and numeracy. Detailed and highly individualised achievement documentation is regularly updated, monitored and used.

The school has numerous programmes and initiatives that successfully accelerate the progress of target learners. School achievement documentation show that many target learners make accelerated progress. Teachers collaborate well and routinely share effective practice for acceleration.

Leaders, teachers and teacher aides are responsive to children with additional learning needs within an inclusive learning environment. A collaborative and holistic approach ensures children are well supported to experience success and make progress in relation to their individual learning goals. Those children who have English as an additional language are very well supported.

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?

Leaders have established a strong school ethos and inclusive culture. Relational trust is highly evident at all levels of the school, and with parents, whānau and the community. Leaders emphasise the importance of relationships and wellbeing as foundations for learning success.

New Lynn School’s foundations for successful learning include:

  • high expectations for all children to experience success
  • a collective staff responsibility for accelerating the progress of children at risk of not achieving
  • valuing diversity and honouring children’s home languages, culture and identities
  • school values that are well enacted and support children’s engagement with learning.

School leadership is highly effective. The principal has established high expectations for teaching and learning. Leaders ensure an orderly and supportive environment that is conducive to children’s learning and wellbeing. A distributed leadership model supports teachers’ professional practice.

Transparent decision-making assists team leaders to implement shared and consistent expectations for responding to children’s learning. A deliberate decision to access an external appraiser for team leaders contributes significantly to growing and sustaining leadership capacity.

The principal promotes relevant professional learning. Leaders use appropriate expertise to build teachers’ capability for ongoing improvement. Well considered professional learning programmes in oral language and individual teaching inquiries are impacting positively on building teachers’ practice and improving outcomes for children.

The curriculum is inclusive, authentic and relevant. A strong emphasis is placed on literacy and mathematics, and on building children’s oral language and vocabulary. Differentiated learning programmes cater for children’s needs, strengths, and abilities. Teachers are continuing to develop self-directed learners by promoting student agency.

The school develops effective educational partnerships with parents and whānau. Parents receive useful information about their children's progress and achievement. Very good communication is evident between the parents of children with additional needs and outside support agencies. Parents who spoke with ERO value the school App that allows parents to share and contribute to their children’s learning.

School systems and teaching practices are underpinned by effective internal evaluation. School leaders use evaluation information well to inform decision-making that meets the requirements of learners and the changing school population. Teaching as inquiry is a feature of teachers’ professional practice. This is supporting leaders and teachers to respond holistically to the learning and wellbeing of all children.

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

School leaders agree the school’s development priorities include continuing to:

  • focus on the rate of acceleration for all children who are at risk of not achieving
  • provide children with increased opportunities to take more ownership of their learning.

3 Other Matters

Provision for international students

The school is a signatory to theEducation (Pastoral Care of International Students) Code of Practice 2016(the Code) established undersection 238F of the Education Act 1989. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code. At the time of this review there was one international student attending the school.

International students benefit from the school’s pastoral care systems and its inclusive, positive environment. English language programmes support the students to participate successfully across the curriculum and help them to integrate into all aspects of school life.

4 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.

5 ERO’s Overall Judgement

On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of New Lynn School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Strong.

ERO’s Framework: Overall School Performance is available on ERO’s website.

6 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

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

  • leadership that supports and demonstrates high expectations, pride, and a professional culture for improvement
  • highly inclusive and caring environments that are responsive to children’s wellbeing and learning needs
  • a curriculum that continues to evolve to meet the needs, interests and strengths of all children.

Next steps

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

  • focus on the rate of acceleration to achieve equitable outcomes
  • promote student agency.

Steve Tanner

Director Review and Improvement Services Northern

Northern Region

26 July 2019

About the school

Location

New Lynn Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

1389

School type

Contributing (Years 1 – 6)

School roll

340

Gender composition

Boys 56% Girls 44%

Ethnic composition

Māori 11%
NZ European/Pākehā 15%
Samoan 18%
Indian 17%
Filipino 8%
Tongan 5%
Chinese 5%
Cook Island Māori 4%
other ethnic groups 17%

Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS)

Yes

Provision of Māori medium education

No

Review team on site

June 2019

26 July 2019

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review August 2014
Education Review September 2009
Education Review July 2006