Carey Street, Longburn, Palmerston North
View on mapLongburn School
Longburn School - 15/05/2020
School Context
Longburn School, for students in Years 1 to 8, is located on the southern outskirts of Palmerston North. Of the 122 students enrolled, 37% are Māori.
Shared school values are articulated in the ‘LongbuRn School RiPpLe Effect’, promoting ‘Respectful, Responsible Positive Learners’.
Strategic goals to 2021 aim to:
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provide a safe and stimulating child-centered learning environment, fostering positive, strong relationships and well-being
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provide a variety of rich learning experiences supported by effective teaching, fostering high levels of personal achievement whilst cultivating the individual’s passion
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develop and nurture, within our learners, the skills, knowledge and cultural capital to enable them to be successful in our ever-changing world, operating as independent lifelong learners.
Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:
- progress and achievement for students in Years 1 to 8
- attendance.
Several teachers are new to the school over the previous 12 months. Schoolwide professional learning and development (PLD) has been undertaken in using the Progress and Consistency Tool (PaCT) to support assessment practice in 2019 with further work planned for all staff in 2020.
The school is member of the Te Oro Karaka Rua 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?
Embedding assessment systems and processes, and continuing to build teacher practice aligned to school expectations, are ongoing developments to achieve equity and excellence for all students.
In 2019, many students achieved at or above curriculum expectations in reading, writing and mathematics, with over a third of learners exceeding expectations in reading. Trends from 2017, show the school has significantly increased achievement in writing, especially for boys and Māori boys, supporting equity for these learners when compared to other groups. Similar outcomes have been achieved in reading and mathematics over the same period with most students achieving curriculum expectations by the end of Year 8. To further promote equity for all students, targets have been established for 2020 aligned to those learners requiring their learning and progress accelerated.
The school reports high levels of attendance for most students.
1.2 How well is the school accelerating learning for those Māori and other students who need this?
The school provides a wide range of well-considered actions and initiatives to respond to Māori and other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration. In 2019, teachers accelerated the progress of some targeted students in reading, writing and mathematics. Ongoing development to assessment processes and teacher practice is planned to further strengthen the school’s response to Māori and other students who need their progress accelerated.
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?
Students follow their interests and passions through a wide range of authentic learning opportunities. Learners’ skills, competencies and capabilities are fostered through their active participation and self-directed learning. Core curriculum priorities in literacy, mathematics and other areas of learning are comprehensively documented. Students regularly access digital learning technologies to support their learning. Classroom conditions and strategies used by teachers, guide students in their decisions that reflect their individual learning goals.
Staff and trustees collaboratively pursue the school’s vision and valued outcomes for students and their community. Trustees demonstrate a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. Strategic and annual planning reflect relevant priorities to promote ongoing development. Staff are highly collaborative, sharing strategies that inform their response to the learning and engagement needs of students. PLD for staff is suitably matched to relevant priorities. Systems and processes used to monitor teacher practice and inquire into the school’s curriculum are comprehensive.
Students identified with additional and complex learning needs receive appropriate support. Regular tracking, monitoring and collaborative review of student progress supports a timely response to learners. Staff know students and their families well. Board resourcing of additional programmes and teacher aide support is suitably matched to the specific needs of students.
Inclusive environments purposefully foster the engagement of student, families and whānau in school life. Daily interactions reflect the shared school values and promote positive relationships between staff, students and their peers. The language, culture and identity of Māori students are integral to student learning experiences delivered through relevant contexts. Student leaders contribute well in promoting the positive culture of the school. Parents, families and whānau are provided with appropriate information to encourage learning partnerships. Students share and celebrate their learning and achievements with families and community.
2.2 What further developments are needed in school processes and practices for achievement of equity and excellence, and acceleration of learning?
Leaders and teachers have implemented a range of curriculum initiatives designed to promote self direction and encourage student decision making in relation to their learning. It is timely for the school to collectively strengthen their knowledge and use of evaluation. Undertaking systematic evaluation should enable, teachers, leaders and trustees to determine how well curriculum initiatives and actions impact on priority learners and further promotes equity and excellence for all students.
The school is seeking to further develop the collective capability of teachers and build leadership roles to support curriculum delivery and coordinate special needs processes. Sharing strategies between teachers and continued participation in PLD for staff and leaders should enhance their capacity and support sustainability of the school’s valued outcomes.
Teachers have participated in initial PLD to support their understanding of assessment for teaching, learning, moderation and to promote students’ self-directed learning. Staff should continue to review and refine their assessment practices and processes to further strengthen their collective capability and support positive outcomes for students.
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 Children’s Act 2014.
4 ERO’s Overall Judgement
On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of Longburn 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.
5 Going forward
Key strengths of the school
For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:
- providing a well-considered response to learners with additional and complex learning needs that supports their learning and engagement
- inclusive school and classroom environments that foster positive student involvement at school
- well considered curriculum developments that encourage the active involvement of students in learning
- staff and trustees collaboratively pursuing the school’s valued outcomes that promotes purposeful outcomes for students and the school community.
Next steps
For sustained improvement and future learner success, priorities for further development are in:
- continued involvement in PLD to further strengthen assessment practice to support teaching, learning, moderation and students to self-direct their learning
- strengthening the collective capability of staff and build leadership roles to further promote equity and excellence for students and sustain the school’s valued outcomes
- building evaluation capability and practice to determine the impact of curriculum changes on students experiencing disparity in their achievement or engagement.
Darcy Te Hau
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services Central
Central Region
15 May 2020
About the school
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement.
Longburn School - 27/04/2017
Findings
A variety of experiences assist learners to extend knowledge and skills relevant to future learning. Since the April 2015 ERO review trustees, leaders and teachers have built capacity to promote learning for all students. The need to improve overall achievement remains a focus.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
1 Background and Context
What is the background and context for this school’s review?
Longburn School caters for Years 1 to 8 students and is located on the southern outskirts of Palmerston North. Of the 99 students enrolled, 34 are Māori.
The school values of ‘Respectful, Responsible, Positive Learners’ are strongly reflected in the school environment, curriculum and strategic plan. A focus on providing students with varied experiences supports learners to develop a range of knowledge and skills relevant to future learning.
The April 2015 ERO review identified areas requiring improvement to strengthen the school’s effectiveness in promoting student outcomes. The school has responded positively to the opportunities this has provided.
Since the previous review a number of new staff have been appointed. The new deputy principal’s responsibilities include assessment practices, literacy and teacher appraisal. The two senior leaders have worked in association with teachers and trustees to successfully strengthen practices.
Links to the local community and other schools are promoted. The school is part of the recently formed Palmerston North City and Rural Number Two 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
To continue to improve outcomes for students, the April 2015 ERO report identified the following areas for further development:
- clarifying guidelines for assessment practice and National Standard judgements
- strengthening the monitoring and reporting of interventions, student progress and achievement, particularly for those at risk of underachievement
- developing clear expectations for teaching and learning and implementing these consistently across the school
- extending teachers’ use of inquiry and strengthening appraisal
- building on existing school provision for Māori students
- completing review of the board of trustees' policy and procedure framework.
Progress
The dependability of National Standard judgements have been significantly strengthened. Greater shared understanding of expected end-of-year learning levels, better use of a range of assessment tools and moderation practices have developed. Judgements for the end of 2016 are likely to have been more robust and reliable than previously.
Assessment information is more effectively used to inform teaching and consider student progress. In some cases, individual assessments indicate accelerated progress. The school’s 2016 National Standard data indicated the need to improve:
- Māori and male literacy (reading and writing) achievement
- early years literacy levels
- writing achievement at all year levels.
School targets for 2017 focus appropriately on these areas of learning. Teachers and senior leaders have put additional supports in place for students at risk of underachievement.
Processes and practices to accelerate student’s learning have been strengthened. Target students are identified and their progress is regularly monitored and shared. Teaching is increasingly focused on the specific needs of these students. Teachers are supported to consider how their practice might change to respond more effectively to individual learners. Leaders and teachers are continuing to develop their use of student achievement information to assist consideration of the impact of programmes and teaching.
Deliberate strategies in the early years’ class are assisting students to make greater progress. There is a planned focus on developing oral language to enable students to better access the curriculum.
School-wide data is collated and analysed during and at the end of the year and regularly shared with the board. Useful analysis of achievement information by senior leaders aids board understanding, review and focus on improvement. Including regular reporting on the progress of target students would assist trustees, leaders and teachers to focus further on students most in need of acceleration. In particular this would enable better evaluative information to be gained about the quality of the school’s response to these learners.
The documented curriculum delivery plan provides useful guidelines to support teaching, learning and assessment practices. It continues to be developed to reflect learning from professional development and effective responses to the needs of current students. Curriculum initiatives are assisting teachers to collaboratively build capability to support student learning. The impact of these approaches on engagement and achievement should be regularly evaluated. Embedding the practices that impact most on learner progress, should be an ongoing focus.
Teaching increasingly reflects the expectations valued by the school. Classes observed by ERO displayed generally good levels of student engagement and a positive tone conducive to learning. Learning activities were purposeful and responsive to students varying needs. Flexible, well presented physical spaces enable children to work individually and in small groups. Students are assisted to take greater responsibility for their own learning.
Strategies to build teacher capability to promote learning have been further developed. Opportunities are provided for collaboration that supports sharing of good practice. Regular professional learning and development extends teacher knowledge of explicit teaching strategies in literacy and mathematics. Appraisal and inquiry processes support teachers to reflect on and improve their teaching practice.
The principal and teachers show a commitment to better support Māori learners. Teachers are developing greater understanding of the cultural background of students and how this can contribute to their learning. A facilitator supports integration of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori within programmes. The Māori Succeeding as Māori Action Plan includes aspects designed to promote Māori success. It is timely that implementation of the plan includes sharing and engaging with whānau and putting in place formal information sharing with iwi.
A governance policy framework and procedures to support it have been developed. Procedural documentation, identified in the previous ERO review as being necessary, is in place. A three year work plan for the board that includes ongoing curriculum and policy review has been developed.
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 addressing the areas identified for improvement in the previous ERO report. The processes and practices already in place and those being further developed should support the school to be well placed to sustain and continue to improve its performance.
The school has:
- established a foundation of values, climate and relationships likely to sustain and improve student learning
- increased its capacity to reflect, plan and report using evidence which includes student achievement information
- built capability to improve student achievement
- developed a sustainable cycle of planning, improvement and self review that is responsive to changing situations.
Since the previous ERO review, trustees, leaders and teachers have built their capacity to improve student learning. The 2016 assessment information indicated this was yet to have sufficient impact on the achievement of some students. In 2017 teachers are equipped with a larger range of skills, knowledge and resources. These are to likely to enable them to more effectively respond to the need to accelerate progress for learners at risk of underachievement.
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.
4 Recommendations
Recommendations, including any to other agencies for ongoing or additional support.
The school has developed its capacity to accelerate learning for all students. The need to improve overall achievement remains a focus. The school agrees to:
- further develop targeting to accelerate learning for students
- monitor targeted planning, improved teaching and student’s progress
- discuss the school’s progress with ERO.
Conclusion
A variety of experiences assist learners to extend knowledge and skills relevant to future learning. Since the April 2015 ERO review trustees, leaders and teachers have built capacity to promote learning for all students. The need to improve overall achievement remains a focus.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Patricia Davey
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)
27 April 2017
About the School
Location |
Palmerston North |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
2388 |
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School type |
Full Primary (Years 1 to 8) |
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School roll |
99 |
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Gender composition |
Female 51, Male 48 |
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Ethnic composition |
Pākehā Māori Other ethnic groups |
64 34 1 |
Review team on site |
February 2017 |
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Date of this report |
27 April 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review Education Review Education Review |
April 2015 June 2012 December 2008 |