We maintain a regular review programme to evaluate and report on the education and care of young people in schools.
We are in the process of shifting from event-based external reviews to supporting each school in a process of continuous improvement.
There may be delays between reviews for some schools and kura due to Covid-19 and while we transition to our new way of reviewing.
Read more about our new processes and why we changed the way we review schools and kura.
Cook Flat Road, Fox Glacier
View on mapFox Glacier School is a full primary with a roll of 9 children from Years 1 to 8. The school is located in the small West Coast township of Fox Glacier. It caters for a diverse, transient community.
The school’s overarching vision is to be a community of caring, confident, successful learners who respect themselves, others and the environment. The valued outcomes are for children to:
enjoy learning and develop strategies to be life-long learners
succeed, develop knowledge and acquire skills
be able to relate well to others.
The board and teachers’ key aims and goals are to improve children’s achievement in literacy and mathematics. They want children to enjoy learning and be able to transition confidently between school and the wider community.
The school’s 2018 targets are to improve the standard of reading, and provide opportunities for senior students to participate in programmes beyond the school, including online learning networks.
Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:
strategic and annual goals and targets
children’s learning and progress in all areas of learning, particularly literacy and mathematics
the impact of teaching practices to support children’s learning, achievement and progress
broader curriculum within and beyond the school.
Since the 2015 ERO review, there have been a number of changes in staffing, including a new principal. There have also been changes in numbers of children enrolled.
The school is a member of the Westland Kāhui Ako|Commuity of Learning.
The school is being more effective in achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for children. Achievement information over time shows that the majority of children achieve well.
Most children achieve best in mathematics and writing. There were overall significant increases in the achievement of writing and mathematics for all children in 2017. Achievement in reading has remained at similar levels to 2016 achievement data. The school has identified that some children achieve less well in reading and this is an area of focus for 2018.
The small number of children at the school enables a strong focus on individual needs, progress, achievement and wellbeing.
The school has made some good progress in accelerating the learning for those children who need it. There are some children with additional needs that have not yet made expected levels of progress. These children’s needs are clearly identified and plans are in place to support them to achieve and make sufficient progress.
Children are provided with high levels of student-to-trained staff ratios. Individual student achievement information shows that some children have made good progress as a result of intentional one-on-one teaching practices and this is helping to ensure and sustain their learning success.
The school’s values are well known and enacted. There is a warm, welcoming and inclusive culture. Older children are highly supportive of younger children and are given specific leadership opportunities. The small class size ensures that all children are very well supported and teachers proactively respond to their individual learning needs and interests.
The local community and unique environment are highly influential in the school programme. Children are provided with a wide range of broad and meaningful learning opportunities that offer rich experiences within and beyond the school. Teachers deliberately plan for children to engage and socialise with others beyond the school to extend their learning.
There is a strong focus on improvement and provision for quality teaching and learning. Clearly defined priorities and expectations for teaching and learning have been developed. Teachers use well considered, targeted and deliberate teaching strategies to support and extend children’s learning and progress.
The experienced board and teaching staff work collaboratively. The board is highly supportive and ensures that teaching staff are able to access relevant professional learning. Trustees are kept well informed about children’s achievement and learning within and beyond the school. The school has been responsive to the findings of the previous review. This includes improved strategic planning, newly-introduced policy and procedures and better reporting of progress to the board and parents.
The school has strong links to its local community and has a combined approach to supporting children’s learning and wellbeing. Good use is made of local expertise within the local and wider community. There are also close links with other schools and education providers that provide teachers and children with other views and ways of working.
The board and principal need to develop a shared understanding and planned process for internal evaluation. An effective internal evaluation process will enable them to be better informed about the impact of initiatives and how well teaching and learning is supporting children to achieve the valued outcomes for learning.
Aspects of the school’s strategic plan could be further strengthened by defining priorities over time. In addition to this, student achievement targets should be more specific and focused on those children who are not progressing as expected.
The principal has identified, and ERO confirms, that the documentation of the localised curriculum needs to be completed. This includes:
clearly documenting all learning areas
reflecting the localised context
representing children’s language, culture and identity.
The school’s appraisal process needs to consistently align to the 2017 Education Council Code of Standards. This includes ensuring that all teaching staff set clear annual goals and are provided with useful feedback.
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.
For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:
the responsive approach to individual learning needs and interests that support one-on-one learning at appropriate levels
the strong collaborative community links that provide children with rich and meaningful learning opportunities that reflect their local context
clear expectations and provision for quality teaching and learning, through connections with other educational providers and appropriate professional learning opportunities for teachers.
For sustained improvement and future learner success, priorities for further development are in:
developing an increased and shared understanding of internal evaluation to support board decision making and provide clarity about how well the school’s valued outcomes are being achieved
further strengthening and embedding bicultural practices within the localised curriculum so that all children learn about New Zealand’s bicultural heritage.
ERO is likely to carry out the next external evaluation in three years.
Dr Lesley Patterson Deputy Chief Review Officer
Te Waipounamu - Southern Region
12 June 2018
|
Location |
Fox Glacier |
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
3342 |
|
School type |
Full Primary |
|
School roll |
9 |
|
Gender composition |
Boys 2 : Girls 7 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Pākehā 8 Asian 1 |
|
Provision of Māori medium education |
No |
|
Review team on site |
April 2018 |
|
Date of this report |
12 June 2018 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review February 2015 Education Review February 2012 Education Review June 2008 |
Students benefit from very good quality teaching. They are actively involved and take responsibility for their own learning. There are positive and supportive relationships within the school. The next step is for the board to improve aspects of its governance.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Fox Glacier School is a small school situated in South Westland. The roll is stable at 24 students.
The school has maintained its current staffing of two teachers for 2015. Since the last ERO review in 2011, there have been changes of staff. Currently a relieving principal is in place. At the time of this review the board was in the process of appointing a principal.
The school’s values are highly evident in the school. Students speak confidently about the school’s values. They told ERO, “we show respect, we focus on excellence, we are curious, we want to learn and we have a great sense of community”. There are positive relationships between students and teachers, and amongst students.
The community is very supportive of the school. Adults share their knowledge and expertise to enhance students’ learning and help maintain the school’s attractive environment.
The school has responded to some of the identified areas for review and development in the 2011 ERO report. Further work is needed in:
The board is committed to ensuring that students receive a range of experiences beyond the school, despite its isolation. The board has identified two financial challenges due to the school’s location:
Overall, the school makes very good use of achievement information to support students’ learning. Most students are achieving well in relation to the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics.
Students are actively involved in assessing their own learning. They are well supported to understand what the National Standards expectations mean for them and how to aim for excellence. Students know:
Teachers make effective use of achievement information to:
The acting principal is making effective use of achievement information to set achievement targets.
Trustees make good use of achievement information to make decisions about how best to resource and allocate funds for teaching and learning.
The principal and teachers need to:
The school’s curriculum effectively supports students’ learning.
There are explicit guidelines for guiding teaching and learning. These guidelines identify how students are to be involved in their learning and how the key competencies and each of the New Zealand Curriculum principles are enacted in this school. Programmes meaningfully incorporate the local environment and resources.
Other key strengths of the curriculum include:
ERO observed quality teaching practice. Students are well supported by skilful teacher aides. Students told ERO that they appreciate and value the extra support they receive. Support programmes for priority learners are well planned. The student with high needs is actively included in the daily classroom programme.
The school is effectively promoting educational success for their Māori students. There are some good examples of Māori students having success as Māori. Teachers know their Māori students well as learners and individuals.
The board intends to consult with parents. Trustees acknowledge that the next step is to put these intentions into practice and respond appropriately to the information gathered.
Trustees are building their knowledge and awareness of their roles. The school will be better placed to sustain and improve its performance when it addresses the areas identified for review and development in this report.
The board needs to refine strategic planning to a manageable number of priorities. The strategic plan should include:
The school has a schedule for undertaking reviews. The board now needs to develop a process for undertaking self review. Reviews should include:
The board acknowledges that the principal and teacher appraisal process needs more rigour. The process needs to be better documented. Improvements should include more detail as to how well professional standards and registered teacher criteria have been met. The report should outline the evidence that supports the appraiser’s judgements.
The policies and procedures that guide school-wide practices need a thorough review. The recent work on refining the complaints policy and procedure provides a good model for further reviews.
The board sees the benefits of receiving external support to help it address the areas for review and development in this section of the report.
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:
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student achievement:
Students benefit from very good quality teaching. They are actively involved and take responsibility for their own learning. There are positive and supportive relationships within the school. The next step is for the board to improve aspects of its governance.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern
2 February 2015
|
Location |
Fox Glacier, South Westland |
|
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
3342 |
|
|
School type |
Full Primary (Years 1 to 8) |
|
|
School roll |
24 |
|
|
Gender composition |
Girls: 13 Boys: 11 |
|
|
Ethnic composition |
Pākehā Māori Other |
17 6 1 |
|
Review team on site |
October 2014 |
|
|
Date of this report |
2 February 2015 |
|
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review Education Review Education Review |
February 2012 June 2008 February 2005 |