Sanson 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 

Sanson School is a rural primary school located in the Manawatū region, providing education for learners from Years 1 to 8. The school's vision and values are underpinned by the whakataukī ‘Kia Tū, Kia Kaha, Kia Manawanui – encouraging students to Stand tall, Be strong, and Be your best’. A new principal was appointed at the beginning of 2024.

There are three parts to this report.

Part A: A summary of the findings from the most recent Education Review Office (ERO) report and/or subsequent evaluation.

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

Part A: Previous Improvement Goals

Expected Improvements and Findings 

Since the previous report in December 2022, ERO and the school have worked together to evaluate how well the individual learning needs of each student are being met for equitable and excellent outcomes.

The school expected to see:

Continued and extended use of EDUCA to support learning focused partnerships between school learner and whānau providing the foundation for individual learning pathways.

• The school is in the early stages of using a range of digital tools to provide learners with different, responsive learning opportunities and to support strengthened communication with whānau/parents.

The use of learning progressions to identify and guide learner next steps.

• Learning progressions for reading, writing and mathematics have been developed and aligned to revisions in The New Zealand Curriculum. These will be fully implemented by Term two, 2025.

The embedding of the school’s established te reo Māori learning progressions.

• School staff highly value te reo Māori and are building schoolwide capacity to implement practices to support learners progress in their learning of te reo Māori.

Internal evaluation systems and processes focused on continuous improvement of practice.

• A professional growth cycle is in place and supporting staff to reflect on the impact of their teaching on improving learner outcomes and to grow their professional practice.

Other Findings 

The greatest shift that occurred in response to the school’s action is that a range of practices, systems and processes for high quality teaching and learning have been put in place to support successful learner outcomes.

Part B: Current State

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

Learner Success and Wellbeing

• A small majority of learners achieve at expected curriculum expectations in reading, writing and mathematics; addressing inequity for some groups of learners is an area of priority.
• Positive and mutually respectful relationships are embedded in classrooms, promoting an evident, positive sense of learner wellbeing.
• Most learners regularly attend school; the school is yet to consistently meet the Government’s target for regular attendance.

Conditions to support learner success

• School leadership is strengthening relational trust and collaboration at all levels of the school community to achieve strategic and improvement goals.
• Leadership has developed a cohesive curriculum about what to teach and set clear expectations for high-quality teaching and learning.
• Leaders are strengthening relationships with whānau/parents, community groups and other education providers, to provide learners with a broad range of learning experiences and a rich curriculum informed by the mātauranga of local hapū and iwi.

• Leaders and teachers are improving the ways they collect, analyse and interpret data to better inform teaching and learning.
• Leadership is strengthening the culturally responsive practices that support improved learner engagement, progress and cultural connectedness.
• The curriculum is beginning to reflect local contexts so that learners can see themselves and their peers in their learning.

• Professional learning for teachers is appropriately targeted and aligned with strategic goals and achievement targets.
• Staff increasingly engage in collaborative practices focused on improving practices and outcomes for all learners.
• Te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori are in the early stages of being implemented and integrated into the school curriculum and school wide practices.
• The board is meeting its statutory obligations; they are yet to undertake professional learning to develop an in depth understanding of their roles and responsibilities.

Part C: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

• grow capability in data analysis and evidence-informed practices, so teachers are better able to plan and target teaching and learning to meet the needs of the individual learner and support high levels of engagement and attendance
• strengthen staff capability and capacity to consistently use a range of digital tools to provide individualised programmes and to better meet learner needs
• strengthen culturally responsive practices, and partnerships with whānau/parents and the wider school community to build a curriculum that meets their aspirations and is responsive to learner strengths and needs
• have the board undertake professional learning to develop their understandings and knowledge of governance and stewardship, to effectively govern the school and represent the school community.

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

Within six months:

• build staff capability in data analysis and evidence-informed practices, for better planning and targeted teaching and learning
• embed the use of literacy and mathematics progressions so that learners and their whānau/parents know next steps in learning and how to progress their own learning
• staff to undertake relevant professional development in the use of digital technologies to support them to provide individual learning pathways that better meet the needs of each learner
• school board to undertake training to improve knowledge of their roles and responsibilities and review processes

Every six months:

• staff consistently collect and analyse progress and achievement data and adapt learning programmes based on evidence
• the board rigorously review and analyse attendance, achievement and wellbeing data, to inform decision making
• leaders formally collect learner, whānau/parent, staff and wider community voice to inform school wide practices, curriculum, teaching and learning

Annually:

• through the professional growth cycle, leaders and teachers engage in critical discussion about the impact of their practices on improving learner outcomes and adapt practice and programmes accordingly
• the school board and staff rigorously analyse and scrutinise schoolwide attendance, achievement, progress and wellbeing data to inform decision making for the next school year
• learner, whānau/parent and community voice are collected as part of schoolwide evaluation to inform improvement actions
• the school board follows a process of self-evaluation to ensure the effectiveness of its own performance.

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

• improved attendance and achievement across the school
• all learners progressing and achieving at expected levels
• teachers consistently planning and teaching to meet the individual needs and pathways of all students
• a school curriculum informed by the aspirations of the wider school community
• school board providing strong leadership in their governance and stewardship role.

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

10 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

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2024 to 2027 

As of November 2024, the Sanson 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 and the board have identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:

• the board must undertake appropriate measures to confirm the identity of employees.
  [Children’s Act 2014 - Safety Checking of Workforce].

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

Further Information

For further information please contact Sanson 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

10 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