Fairlie School

Fairlie 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

Fairlie School is located in Fairlie in the MacKenzie district. It provides education for students in Years 1 to 6.

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

Since the previous ERO report of July 2022, the school has evaluated the extent to which the local curriculum contributes to positive outcomes for students in achievement and wellbeing.

Expected Improvements and Findings

The school expected to see:

Ongoing monitoring and evaluation of achievement, valued outcomes, and other indicator data to show improved outcomes for all students.

  • Student achievement in reading, writing and mathematics has improved, and students report that they are happy and supported at school.

Strengthened assessment, moderation and reporting practices to monitor student achievement.

  • The school has strengthened standardised school wide assessment practice and is developing progressions that inform next steps for learning.

A local curriculum that provides a coordinated approach to teaching and learning, incorporates the changes in the national curriculum and reflects the local context.

  • Teaching programmes provide well-paced learning opportunities, reflective of local contexts, and support for learners to experience success across the curriculum.

Other Findings

During the course of the evaluation, it was found that the greatest shift that occurred in response to the school’s action was improvement in student achievement in literacy and numeracy.

Part B: Current State

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

Learner Success and Wellbeing

Most students make sustained progress and achieve at the appropriate curriculum level.
  • Almost all students are achieving at or above the expected curriculum level in mathematics.
  • Most students are achieving at or above the expected curriculum level in reading and writing; the school has yet to address disparity for boys in literacy.
  • The majority of students attend school regularly; the school has identified this is a focus for further improvement.
  • The school provides an inclusive learning environment that promotes resilience and effectively meets the diverse needs of students.

Conditions to support learner success

Leadership increasingly fosters a culture committed to quality teaching and equity and excellence in learner outcomes.
  • Leaders prioritise school improvement, progress and achievement; information is increasingly used to target areas for teacher professional learning and development.
  • Targeted and data-informed professional development builds teacher capability and consistency of teaching practice; writing has been identified as the next area of focus for professional development.
The curriculum increasingly reflects local contexts in ways that students can see themselves, their identity and culture. 
  • Local history and contexts are increasingly incorporated in the local curriculum.
  • Te ao Māori, tikanga Māori, and mātauranga Māori are beginning to be included in all aspects of the school’s curriculum.
  • Student voice is gathered and informs strategic planning and supports the development of responsive teaching programmes.
Organisational conditions are coherent and drive strategic improvement. 
  • The systematic collection and management of data is used to evaluate the impact of teaching strategies and programmes on student success and to identify further areas for improvement.
  • The school has an effective behaviour management system that is responsive to data and student need.
  • The school is establishing positive partnerships with whānau and iwi, to support what Māori whānau want for their children.

Part C: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

  • embed best practice for literacy and mathematics programmes that foster explicit teaching and improve student achievement and equity in writing across the school
  • improve school attendance
  • strengthen the consistency of assessment practices, moderation, and use of progressions to inform teaching practice and next steps for learning.

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

Within six months:

  • strengthen moderation of student work and monitor student progress in writing
  • engage in appropriate professional development for school wide assessment and writing best practices.

Annually:

  • analyse and report student progress, achievement and engagement data, and the perspectives of whānau and students to identify further areas for improvement
  • evaluate the effectiveness of changes in the teaching of literacy and mathematics to inform further improvement steps
  • continue to engage in professional development to support teacher capabilities in literacy and mathematics.

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

  • continued improvement in student achievement in reading, writing and mathematics and reduced disparity for boys
  • improved rates of student attendance
  • strengthened teacher capability and confidence in teaching writing to improve student outcomes
  • consistent teaching and assessment approaches across the school with common language and expectations.

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

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

17 October 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

Fairlie School

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2024 to 2027

As of May 2024, the Fairlie 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

Further Information

For further information please contact Fairlie 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.

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

17 October 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

Fairlie School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within twelve months of the Education Review Office and Fairlie 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 

Fairlie School is a state full primary school located in Fairlie in the MacKenzie district. It caters for students in Years 1 to 6.

Fairlie Schools strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:

  • revise the local curriculum, strengthen structured literacy approaches, and review assessment and reporting
  • strengthen student resilience through the explicit teaching and integration of growth mindset across learning areas
  • uphold the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi through our policies, practices and local curriculum.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate to what extent the local curriculum at Fairlie school contributes to positive outcomes for students in terms of equity and excellence in achievement, wellbeing and resilience. 

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is the: 

  • need to review the current curriculum to incorporate the Ministry of Education's curriculum refresh programme, the digital technology and New Zealand history curriculums
  • school is reviewing its assessment, moderation and reporting practices to monitor student achievement and promote excellence and equity for all students.

The school expects to use the outcome of the evaluation to develop a local curriculum which provides a coordinated approach to teaching and learning, incorporates the changes in the national curriculum and reflects the local context. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation of achievement, valued outcomes and other indicator data will show improved student outcomes in terms of excellence and equity for all students. 

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to review the localised curriculum and maintain focus on achieving excellent and equitable outcomes for all students:

  • A focus on supporting the progress of all learners, and for teachers to share high, clear and equitable expectations for student learning, achievement, progress and wellbeing
  • A commitment to using internal evaluation to support the gathering, analysis and use of evidence of student learning and outcomes to improve practice.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • implementing a localised curriculum which is responsive to the aspirations of students, parents, and whānau
  • using assessment, moderation and reporting to monitor and promote the progress and achievement of students needing acceleration 
  • implementing staff professional development to support curriculum delivery in line with updated local curriculum targets.

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.

Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

8 July 2022 

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

Fairlie School

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2022 to 2025

As of March 2022, the Fairlie 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 Fairlie 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.

Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

8 July 2022 

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