Rutherford School

​Rutherford School​

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report 

Background 

This Profile Report was written within 24 months of the Education Review Office and ​Rutherford 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 

Rutherford School is a Year 0-6 school in Te Atatū Peninsula, Auckland. The school aims to provide an inclusive environment where tamariki can develop the learner qualities of resilience, courage, creativity, and critical thinking. These qualities aim to empower learners to have a positive influence on their world. 

Rutherford School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to: 

  • embed effective and consistent teaching practices 
  • grow collaborative teaching practices that promote cohesion and student engagement 
  • strengthen our sense of community. 

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on ​Rutherford School​’s website. 

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well assessment is used to support teaching and learning, ensuring equity and excellence for all learners.  

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:  

  • to further strengthen teachers’ use of achievement information to adapt their teaching to support the needs of all learners and groups of learners who need targeted support 
  • to ensure a responsive curriculum which offers a broad range of experiences to support all learners to be successful 
  • teachers developing learning partnerships with learners and their whānau, to ensure aspirations are met and whānau are part of the learning journey. 

The school expects to see improvement in teaching and learning practices built on positive culturally responsive relationships and partnerships, to ensure excellence and equity. 

Strengths  

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate how well assessment is used to support teaching and learning, ensuring equity and excellence for all learners.  

  • ongoing professional learning for staff focused on assessment for learning 
  • effective partnerships across the Kāhui Ako, with a commitment to the development of te reo Māori 
  • strong whānau partnership and community support 
  • an experienced leadership team who takes collective ownership for achievement and outcomes for learners 

Where to next? 

Moving forward, the school will prioritise: 

  • teachers work collaboratively to review and streamline quality assessment practices through the school to enhance equity and excellence for ākonga 
  • teachers intentionally sharing assessment evidence so that learners can reflect on their learning and identify their next steps 
  • professional learning and development opportunities to build teacher capability in using assessment information to improve outcomes for all learners 
  • evaluate and adapt initiatives that make a difference for Māori learners. 

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.  
 

Shelley Booysen​ 
​​Director of Schools​  

12 February 2024​   

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 

Rutherford School

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2022 to 2025 

As of May 2022, the Rutherford School Board of Trustees 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 Rutherford School Board of Trustees.

The next Board of Trustees 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.

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

12 February 2024 

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

 

Rutherford School - 30/06/2017

Summary

Rutherford School has a current roll of 275 of whom 28 percent are Māori, 30 percent Pākehā and 13 percent from islands in the Pacific. The remaining children are from more than 25 diverse ethnicities. The school hosts a satellite unit for Arohanui Special school.

The board consists of mainly new trustees. They have a professional approach to their stewardship role and are proactive in expanding their knowledge. Many families and staff have longstanding and inter-generational connections with the school. A new experienced principal was appointed at the beginning of 2017. She and five leaders of learning make up the leadership team.

The school has sustained areas of strength identified in the 2014 ERO report and made some good progress in response to ERO’s recommendations. Teachers have participated in professional learning to help raise children’s achievement in writing. However, this is yet to be reflected in achievement results.

The school’s 2016 achievement information shows that about three-quarters of the children achieve at or above the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Over the past three years there has been no significant shift in thisoverall achievement.

The school is part of the Te Atatu Community of Schools|Kāhui Ako (COL). This group of local schools includes the adjacent college.

How well is the school achieving equitable outcomes for all children?

Rutherford School’s systems and practices are partially effective in achieving equitable outcomes for all children. School leaders and teachers know which children are at risk of not achieving equitable outcomes. The leadership team is committed to increasing equity in outcomes for children.

School leaders have begun to share more useful, well analysed achievement information with the board. However, they are yet to develop robust processes for collating, analysing and using achievement information to plan responsive, effective programmes.

Improving outcomes for children whose learning needs acceleration is a school priority. At the time of this review, the school’s internal professional development and learning is focused on raising the capability of all teachers. The revised teacher appraisal process will support this growth, as teachers use evidence based inquiry into the effectiveness of their teaching practice.

Children are achieving well. The school demonstrates strong progress toward achieving equity in educational outcomes, supported by effective, sustainable processes and practices.

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

Equity and excellence

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

Rutherford School is working towards responding well to Māori and other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration. The school has the capacity and capability to accelerate learning for all children. There are useful strategies for ensuring teachers’ judgements about achievement in relation to the National Standards are robust. Involvement in the CoL will enhance these moderation practices.

School wide data from 2013 to 2016 show that children’s overall achievement has not improved significantly over time, especially in reading and writing. Pacific children’s achievement in reading, writing and mathematics has improved over the last three years and is similar to that of their peers.

Māori children are yet to experience the same level of achievement in National Standards as their peers, particularly in writing. School leaders recognise the importance of addressing this disparity so that Māori children are well supported to achieve the National Standards.

A 2017 strategic target is to improve achievement in writing. Leaders identify and monitor a group of children at risk of not achieving and use an action plan to quickly improve teachers’ capability to address inequity. Some of these children are making accelerated progress.

The school’s inclusive practices support children to achieve more equitable outcomes. Their emotional and social competence is promoted. Children who require additional learning support benefit from an inclusive curriculum. Their progress is monitored and planned interventions provide very good learning opportunities that enable these children to make good progress.

School conditions supporting equity and excellence

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

Leaders are building teachers’ professional capability and collective capacity to realise excellence and equity for all. They support teachers to use formative assessment strategies and to establish consistency and coherence across the school. Promoting purposeful, improvement focused internal evaluation is a priority for the school.

Strategic leadership is supporting organisational change. The principal is building a culture of strong relational trust, integrity and openness with the school community. She is working to build collective ownership of the school’s strategic direction.

Settled, organised learning environments support children’s learning well. Teachers use effective teaching strategies to engage learners. Some teachers’ practice increasingly personalises learning for children.Teacher aides are an integral part of the classroom programme and life of the school. They support children very well under the direction of the class teacher.

The curriculum is aligned with The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC), and offers children a wide range of learning opportunities. Children’s ideas and interests are displayed in classrooms. Teachers openly share professional practice with each other as a way to support and progress the learning of all children.

Trustees and teachers are committed to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and to fostering bicultural practices. All children, including Māori, enjoy learning waiata and being involved in school tikanga. Leaders, teachers, whānau and children participate fully in school whakatau. Parents value these learning experiences for their children.

Learning leaders and teachers know the children well and demonstrate a shared responsibility for their wellbeing. The school has a focus on consistently promoting positive behaviour to support learning. The school values of whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, tūrangawaeawae, ako and ‘accentuating the positive’ are interwoven throughout the school curriculum.

Learning leaders and teachers have high expectations for children to succeed. The school’s community advocates for and supports the school in a variety of ways. Parents have many opportunities to contribute to the school and to know about their children’s learning.

The board is well informed about the general progress and achievement that children make over time. They receive useful reports from school leaders about children’s engagement with the school activities and about health and safety matters.

Sustainable development for equity and excellence

What further developments are needed in school processes to achieve equity and excellence?

Further developments for the school include:

  • developing a school-wide understanding about accelerated learning and addressing disparity for groups of children

  • continuing to build partnerships with whānau to support children’s learning

  • increasing opportunities for children to manage their own learning, discuss the knowledge, skills and strategies they are learning, set goals and evaluate their own success

  • strengthening strategic approaches to supporting children whose learning and achievement need acceleration.

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

  • 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.

Actions required

ERO identified non-compliance in relation to of the health curriculum. In order to address this the board must:

  • consult with the community at least once every two years on the delivery of the health curriculum
    Education Act 1989, s60B.

To improve current practice, the board of trustees should:

  • implement systems to ensure that all policies and procedures are regularly reviewed and updated in relation to current legal requirements.

Going forward

How well placed is the school to accelerate the achievement of all children who need it?

Children are achieving well. The school demonstrates strong progress toward achieving equity in educational outcomes, supported by effective, sustainable processes and practices.

Agreed next steps are to:

  • implement and evaluate school-wide strategies for accelerating learning and addressing disparity
  • strengthen partnerships with whānau to support children’s learning
  • increase opportunities for children to manage their own learning.

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

Violet Tu’uga Stevenson

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)

30 June 2017

About the school

Location

Te Atatu Peninsula, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

1478

School type

Contributing (Years 1 to 6)

School roll

275

Gender composition

Boys 52% Girls 48%

Ethnic composition

Maori
Pākehā
Pasifika
Indian
Chinese
other Asian
other European
other

28%
31%
12%
6%
3%
7%
6%
7%

Provision of Māori medium education

No

Review team on site

May 2017

Date of this report

30 June 2017

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review
Education Review
Education Review

June 2014
June 2011
May 2008