Amberley School

School Context

Amberley School is a full Year 1-8 primary school located in the semi-rural township of Amberley. It has a roll of 223 students, 15% of whom are Māori. The students learn in multi-level classrooms.

Since ERO’s review in 2015 there have been some changes to the leadership of the school. A new principal was appointed in 2016 and a new board chair in 2019.

The school vision is ‘Learning with PRIDE ’. The school values of ‘personal best, respect, integrity, determination, enthusiasm’, and the New Zealand curriculum key competencies, underpin school priorities and strategic direction.

The 2019 key strategic goals have been collaboratively developed by the school community and focus on environment, communication, connecting, achievement and culture.

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 in relation to school targets
• student engagement and wellbeing for success.

School leaders work in partnership with the Puketeraki Kāhui Ako/Community of Learning (CoL) to support the teaching and learning of all students within the local area.

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 effectively working towards achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for the majority of its students in literacy, mathematics, engagement and wellbeing.

School learning information from 2015 to 2018 shows similar levels of student achievement in mathematics and writing. In 2018 there was some increase in reading achievement. The school has identified that mathematics and writing are areas for further development.

2018 school data shows that:

• most students achieve at or above expected curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics
• overall, students achieve slightly higher in reading than in writing and mathematics
• there is disparity for some Māori students, particularly in writing and mathematics
• the majority of students are well engaged and ready for learning.

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

The school effectively identifies and closely monitors any Māori and other students who need accelerated learning. These students are well supported to make progress in their learning. However, the practices related to accelerated progress for targeted groups of students now need to be strengthened to clearly show how well children’s learning and progress are being accelerated, over time, for specific groups.

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?

School leaders build relational trust and effective collaborations at every level of the school. These are effectively enabling equity and excellence for student learning and wellbeing.

School leaders and teachers provide a caring and inclusive learning environment for students, families and staff. They foster positive and supportive relationships across the school. Importance is placed on developing learning partnerships with families and strong connections to the local community to enhance the curriculum and valued learning for students.

Students are engaged in authentic learning opportunities across the curriculum. Teachers are responsive to the individual needs of students. They work collaboratively to deliver adaptive programmes that provide a holistic approach to students’ learning and wellbeing. Te reo and tikanga Māori are integrated across the curriculum in ways that are respectful to te ao Māori. Transitions into, within and beyond the school are personalised to support success.

Leaders have established high expectations and useful systems and processes for effective operations of the school. They encourage a reflective culture that is open to inquiry, change and ongoing improvement. Purposeful use is made of staff strengths and expertise to build capability and knowledge. Collaborative practices amongst staff promote collective responsibility for student learning, behaviour and wellbeing.

The board, school leaders and staff work well together to achieve their shared vision and school priorities. They have been very responsive to the areas identified for improvement in the previous report. Student wellbeing and learning are at the heart of all collaborative decision making.

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

School leaders and ERO agree that the key next steps are to continue to strengthen:

• the analysis, use and reporting of student achievement to track rates of progress and achievement of specific groups of students over time
• evaluative practice to clearly show the impact of teaching programmes and practices on learning outcomes for students
• the appraisal process, with regard to formal teacher observations.

The recently-reviewed school curriculum needs to be refined and embedded to include indicators that enable assessment beyond literacy, mathematics and the key competencies.

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 ERO’s Overall Judgement

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

ERO’s Framework: Overall School Performance 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:

• relational trust and effective collaboration at every level of the school that promotes shared ownership of student outcomes
• an adaptive curriculum that provides a holistic approach to students’ learning and wellbeing
• learning partnerships with families and strong connections to the local community that enhances valued learning outcomes for students
• useful systems and processes to ensure the effective operation of the school.

Next steps

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

• the tracking and reporting of student achievement and progress for specific groups of students that informs internal evaluation
• extending curriculum documentation to include indicators for assessment beyond core subject areas that supports school-wide consistency
• ensuring that evaluative practices clearly identify the impact of teaching programmes and practices on learning outcomes for students.

Alan Wynyard

Director Review and Improvement Services Southern

Southern Region

29 May 2019

About the school