Papatoetoe North School

School Context

Papatoetoe North School in Mangere East, Auckland caters for children in Years 1 to 6. The school roll of approximately 830 children which includes 28 percent Indian, 24 percent Samoan, 22 percent Maori, 20 percent of other Pacific heritage and a small variety of other ethnicities. Thirty percent of children speak a language other than English at home.

An experienced principal and senior leadership team guide the school direction. Current aims, goals and targets for learner success are focussed on supporting all children to achieve success. In 2016 the school opened Tupuranga o Papatoetoe ki te Raki Māori Unit with three whānau classes for new entrants to Year 6 learners. This demonstrates the school’s commitment to biculturalism and enables children to increasingly learn in te reo Māori and succeed as Māori.

The school’s overall goal is for children to experience excellence in an inclusive and vibrant learning environment, so they are well prepared to be productive citizens in the twenty first century. The school promotes high quality relationships and high quality conditions for powerful learning.

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

• progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics

• progress and achievement in other learning areas in relation to the levels of the New Zealand Curriculum

• implementation of the Te Tupurunga o Papatoetoe ki te Raki curriculum

• progress and achievement of specific student cohorts, particularly at Year 6

• participation in inter-school sporting and cultural events.

The school is part of the Papatoetoe West Community of Learning|Kāhui Ako.

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 very effective in achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for students.

Achievement information shows that the school is successfully reducing disparities among groups of learners over time. A substantial group of students enters the school below expected curriculum levels in reading and writing. By the end of Year 6, almost all students are achieving at or above expected levels in mathematics, reading and writing.

There has been very little disparity in achievement for different ethnic groups over the last four years. Māori and Pacific students’ progress and achievement compares well with other groups. Differences in writing success between boys and girls in 2017 are being addressed.

Overall, achievement in reading and mathematics has been higher than for writing, a trend that is reflected nationally. School information indicates that children’s progress in oral language is accelerated significantly as they move through the school, and that this improvement is sustained over time. Given that up to 70 percent of the children are learning English as an additional language at any given time, this successful development of oral and written literacy skills is particularly noteworthy.

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

The school is highly effective in accelerating learning progress for those Māori and other students who need this.

Leaders quickly identify all children, including Maori, who need to make accelerated progress. School achievement information shows that almost all students make accelerated rates of progress by the time they leave Papatoetoe North School.

Leaders have a clear line of sight to any child who is achieving below expectations and to those children with diverse learning needs. They regularly analyse and use achievement data to identify shifts in achievement levels and respond appropriately to children’s ongoing learning needs.

The school has very effective English Language Learning support to develop literacy skills. This learning support is closely aligned to classroom programmes. Children’s progress is carefully monitored to ensure that second language learners are achieving at or above national expectations in reading and writing by the end of Year 6.

Assessment and moderation practices are sound. Systems have been refined to ensure good teaching practices are maintained, especially in responding to children who need to make accelerated progress.

Leaders and teachers place value on teachers knowing the learner well, and creating strong partnerships with parents and whānau to support children’s learning. They actively seek children’s prior knowledge at the beginning of new learning, and plan collaboratively to ensure children’s different cultures are recognised and understood. Teachers, learning support staff and external agencies cater effectively for all children who need more individualised support.

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 school promotes powerful learning relationships within an inclusive and vibrant environment. Relationships are respectful and productive, and intergenerational connections to the school are held in high regard. Community aspirations are reflected in the school’s vision and values.

Children experience a culturally-connected, localised curriculum. This promotes children’s ownership of their learning. It also provides powerful learning opportunities underpinned with strong foundations for literacy. Since ERO’s 2014 report, leaders have continued to use educational research to promote greater equity and excellence for children. Leaders and teachers have further developed teaching and learning strategies that support acceleration. These include:

• developing the The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) key learner competencies
• detailed descriptions of learning progressions that guide teaching and learning programmes
• a play based developmental learning approach that supports new entrant and Year 1 learners
• innovative, purposeful learning activities that promote the concepts and skills children need for success
• integrating inquiry learning with an oral language focus that is authentic and relevant to learners.

Leaders have high expectations for teachers and children. They use ongoing professional learning to improve teachers’ individual and collective practice. Teachers are well supported to build their professional capability through external expertise, coherent curriculum systems and appraisal processes.

Parents and whānau are respected and valued partners in learning. Learner centred partnerships extend and enrich opportunities for children, and strengthen parents and whānau sense of belonging and connection to the school. Effective strategies to promote learning success include:

• recognising and honouring parents and whānau as children’s first teachers
• providing home learning packs to promote relevant vocabulary and contexts for new learning
• strong cultural events that celebrate children’s language, culture and identity.

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

The school’s planned development priorities include continuing to:

• develop and embed the new spiral of inquiry model to further increase student agency

• embed and review the new leadership and coaching models.

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.

4 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

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

• a culture of high expectations

• educationally powerful relationships with parents, whānau and community that positively impact on learning outcomes for children

• support programmes for children with additional learning needs.

Next steps

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

• implement high impact literacy strategies and evaluate their effectiveness in accelerating progress

• investigate personalised learning to identify strategies that promote efficacy for learners

• use strategies that promote learning using the boards’ investment in digital technologies.

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

Julie Foley

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)

Te Tai Raki - Northern Region

8 June 2018

About the school

ERO has also published an exemplar report on Papatoetoe North School: Exemplar Review - Papatoetoe North School - June 2018

1 Context

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

Papatoetoe North School continues to be high performing. The school’s curriculum is premised on strong and positive beliefs about the potential of all students and the strength of families. The school initiates forward thinking and meaningful ways to help students learn. The efforts being made to work in partnership with parents are significant.

A culture of affirming relationships, high expectations and positive values underpin the school’s vision and operation. Many long-serving staff are well known by students and their families, and many well established families have attended the school for some generations. The school’s sense of tradition and purpose is strong. The school is a welcoming and nurturing place for students, staff and families. It is a place in which all can join together as a community of learners.

The school enjoys high levels of parental support and attracts many students from out-of-zone. It has a large roll, with almost half the students being Pacific and twenty-two percent Māori. The Indian population is also large (twenty percent). Almost half of the students in the school speak English as an additional language.

2 Learning

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

The school makes effective use of achievement information to make positive changes to learners’ progress and achievement. School achievement targets help ensure that students attain the standards necessary for them to experience future educational success.

School leaders monitor achievement levels regularly and well at a school-wide level. They ensure that school resources focus on areas of greatest need. Teachers monitor assessment data well and work with school leaders to select priority students for targeted attention. These students are especially well catered for. They, and students with English as an additional language, often make accelerated progress while on special programmes. Students with special education needs receive well planned and well implemented support.

The school is focused on continuous improvement, and overall student achievement levels are positive. This is especially so for the students who have attended the school throughout the whole of their primary years. The school’s 2012 achievement information for Year 6 students who had been at the school from Year 1 shows particularly high achievement levels in reading, with high numbers of students also achieving at or above National Standards in writing and mathematics. This attests to the effectiveness of school programmes in helping students to achieve and in preparing them for further schooling.

School data shows Māori students achieve as well as, or better than, other ethnic groups in the school in standardised assessments. More in-depth analyses of data within wider-based ethnic groups of students (such as Pacific and Indian) could help school leaders identify any further trends or patterns that could also be considered in future planning. Including more written analysis of numerical data would strengthen reports on student achievement.

Teachers’ processes for making judgements about student achievement in relation to National Standards are increasingly robust. Teachers use assessment records to plan their teaching and learning programmes. Programmes are suited to students’ learning levels and so encourage their participation and academic engagement. Teachers could now consider recording anecdotal, formative findings in the modelling books they use for group teaching purposes.

3 Curriculum

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

The school’s curriculum effectively promotes and supports student learning. Programmes place a strong and appropriate emphasis on good oral language skills as the foundation for academic success. They build on students’ prior knowledge and prepare them well for new learning. The curriculum aids student inquiry and includes many practical and relevant learning opportunities. It aims to produce empowered students who are well balanced citizens.

The school has an extensive teacher development programme that promotes teachers’ subject knowledge and teaching skills. Teachers are reflective on their professional practice and intent on continued improvement. They use their knowledge and skills well to adapt class programmes to suit the diverse strengths and interests of their students. They develop positive and purposeful learning environments that benefit student learning and give students a strong sense of belonging.

A well designed curriculum framework helps align, integrate and connect learning across the school. It provides coherent school-wide learning pathways for students. These pathways begin with high quality practices to support children’s transition to school. Transition programmes effectively connect new entrants’ early childhood education to the school environment. They are individualised to the developmental levels of each child and include prompt interventions, as needed, to help ensure children’s success in their first years at school.

The school curriculum acknowledges and strengthens the place of family as the first teachers of children. Partnership Books are a valued tool for ongoing communication and sharing, and for assisting parents to help their children succeed. These books are treasured records of students’ learning journeys. Teachers consult with parents and use the knowledge parents have about their children and their cultural strengths to help plan and evaluate inquiry topics. This is a particularly worthy initiative.

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

The school continues to promote educational success for Māori students, as Māori. This promotion features strong principal support, strong commitment from Māori teachers and the involvement of whānau. Clear strategic direction, based on recent research and updated educational resources, effectively facilitate ongoing improvement.

4 Sustainable Performance

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

Papatoetoe North School is very well placed to sustain its high performance. School leadership is tightly focused on what is best for students. It promotes ongoing development of teaching and learning, and distributes educational leadership within the school. Processes for teacher accountability and development are very well established. These processes are soon to be complemented by more formal and documented supporting evidence of how well teachers meet teacher registration criteria.

Planned, reflective and insightful practices guide school direction setting. Student and parent opinions are increasingly sought as an integral part of self review. School leaders recognise the value of continuing to develop these good practices. ERO and school leaders also discussed how self review reports could include specific recommendations for the attention of the board of trustees, school leaders and teachers.

The board of trustees is representative of the community. Board operations reflect the school ethos, vision and values. Shared trustee strengths and strong community knowledge promote the work of the board. Trustees undertake their responsibilities with commitment and care. They could now consider including a board development goal in the school’s strategic plan as a means of formalising ongoing enhancement of governance.

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.

When is ERO likely to review the school again?

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

Dale Bailey

National Manager Review Services Northern Region

24 January 2014

About the School