Hornby Primary School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

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

Hornby Primary School is located in north-west Christchurch and provides education for students in Years 1 to 6. The school provides two Level 2 bilingual classes, referred to as Te Puna o Te Reo. The Hornby Barnardos Pasifika ECE operates adjacent to the school.

Hornby Primary School School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:

• embed a learner-focused relationship between the teacher and pupil that supports pupil learning

• support wellbeing and enable pupils, families/whānau and staff to flourish

• promote educationally powerful connections and relationships with parents, whānau and communities that promote positive learning outcomes for all learners.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively the school is raising the achievement of mathematics for all learners through consistent school-wide approaches.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to:

• accelerate the learning and progress of identified groups of students across the school, particularly for some groups of boys, Māori and Pacific learners

• build teachers’ pedagogical knowledge and capacity in teaching mathematics and ensure that the approaches that have been introduced are effectively implemented to support student learning and achievement

• support the review and updating of the mathematics curriculum document and assessment practices to reflect current best practices.

The school expects to see a consistent approach and confidence in mathematics teaching across the teaching teams. Teaching approaches will be culturally appropriate, and teachers will have a greater understanding of what best supports Māori and Pacific learners.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to raise the achievement of mathematics for all learners through consistent school-wide approaches:

• a strong ongoing focus on and commitment to building teaching practice, capability, and pedagogical knowledge to support learning and progress based on data and research-informed practice

• an inclusive and understanding culture with strong connections with the school’s whānau and local community

• a collaborative and distributive leadership that supports teaching and learning.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• identifying and implementing high leverage practices in mathematics, to support the learning needs of Māori and Pacific learners

• developing a systematic approach to teaching mathematics across the school.

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

12 August 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

1 Context

Hornby Primary School has experienced roll growth and now serves an increasingly diverse learning community. The school continues to provide an inclusive and positive learning environment for children. This is a contributing factor to the children's engagement and enjoyment of learning. Leaders and teachers professionally benefit from and contribute to the wider education community.

Strong links are maintained with community groups and agencies that work closely with children and their families. Committed parent groups support children, teachers and programmes within the school.

2 Equity and excellence

The vision and valued outcomes defined by the school for all children are that they will become lifelong learners who are digitally competent and critical thinkers, communicators and participators. The school's valued outcomes of honesty, individuality, kindness, excellence, respect and self-management are demonstrated by both children and staff. The Māori values and concepts of manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, ako and tuakana-teina are understood and present in all aspects of the school environment.

The school’s achievement information shows that most children are achieving at the National Standards in reading and mathematics. Māori children are achieving higher than their peers in reading and mathematics. Pacific children are achieving at similar levels to their peers in reading. There is clear evidence that good rates of progress have been achieved by Māori children over time, in reading, writing and mathematics.

Teachers have strengthened their expectations and decision-making about children's achievement levels through their shared moderation with other schools in the cluster. They regularly discuss individual children's progress and share the strategies that have proven most effective in supporting children's engagement and progress in learning.

Since the last ERO review, the school has responded positively to the recommendations outlined in the report. A special needs coordinator (SENCO) has been appointed and has developed systems and practices to support the diverse needs of the children. Ongoing monitoring of children's progress and the provision of effective learning support are in place. There is a shared understanding between teachers and parents of the definition of gifted and talented - including Māori giftedness. Specific programmes are in place to meet the needs of these children including extension activities or working in an extension group for mathematics.

Senior leaders have sought feedback from parents about the school's reporting format. This has been changed to a more visual presentation which provides specific feedback on how a child is achieving in relation to the National Standards. Leaders are developing further the final report form to ensure parents are well informed of how well their children are achieving in each of the learning areas of the curriculum.

3 Accelerating achievement

How effectively does this school respond to Māori children whose learning and achievement need acceleration?

The principal and teachers are highly responsive to Māori children whose learning and achievement need acceleration. They know the children and their whānau well. They proactively maintain an environment that reflects the children's language, culture and identity.

Māori children have authentic, meaningful contexts in which to hear, learn and use te reo Māori and experience tikanga Māori. They are able to create their own ways of sharing their learning. Tuakana-teina relationships build a sense of whanaungatanga and deepen manaakitanga amongst children and staff. The bilingual option continues to be available for all students who wish to learn through te reo Māori.

Teachers regularly analyse achievement information as a team and make shared decisions about ways to meet the needs of individual Māori children. They share strategies that they have found effective in improving children's levels of achievement. The provision of appropriate and ongoing learning support adds to children's opportunities to achieve success. Community and school groups provide caring support for Māori children and their whānau.

The board actively funds additional resources to ensure Māori children have access to the use of technology. This has resulted in children being motivated, highly engaged and able to work independently or in groups. Extra learning support and additional teachers also funded by the board, help to maintain smaller classes and provide specific assistance to at-risk children.

Ongoing feedback and feedforward from teachers and peers through the class blogs have enhanced Māori children's focus on and enjoyment of learning.

How effectively does this school respond to other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration?

Hornby Primary School responds very effectively to the needs of other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration. The actions and strategies outlined above are in place for all students.

4 School conditions

How effectively do the school’s curriculum and other organisational processes and practices develop and enact the school’s vision, values, goals and targets for equity and excellence?

The school's curriculum and other organisational processes and practices are highly effective in supporting the enactment of the school's vision, values, goals and priorities.

The curriculum is learner-centred and provides a broad, holistic and rich range of experiences that enable all children to reach their potential. Children have many opportunities to collaborate and learn from each other. The use of technology supports student engagement and deeper involvement in their own learning and progress.

The school and community are well engaged in positive relationships that support children's learning and wellbeing. The principal and staff collaboratively work to promote partnerships with parents and the wider education community to support new entrants' readiness and transition into school. They focus on making sure the school is ready for new children who are beginning their school education. The inclusive school culture positively encourages parents' involvement and community support for the school's initiatives.

Leaders and teachers are guided by systematic and collaborative inquiry practices that continue to increase their professional capability and strength as a team. They have built a reflective culture and collectively model life-long learning. Clear and purposeful expectations support consistency and coherence across the school. Targeted, school-wide professional learning and development add to these desirable outcomes.

The schools' internal evaluation and inquiry processes are well developed and focus on specific areas for improvement that lead to positive outcomes for children.

The school is well led and managed. The board of trustees use their commitment and collective strengths to provide effective governance of the school.

5 Going forward

How well placed is the school to accelerate the achievement of all children who need it?

Leaders and teachers:

• know the children whose learning and achievement need to be accelerated
• respond effectively to the strengths, needs and interests of each child
• regularly evaluate how well teaching is working for these children
• act on what they know works well for each child
• build teacher capability effectively to achieve equitable outcomes for all children
• are well placed to achieve and sustain equitable and excellent outcomes for all children.

Senior leaders and teachers make good use of achievement data to make decisions about learning programmes and resources to support these. The board regularly reflects on the usefulness of their resourcing in meeting the needs of children and staff.

Senior leaders and teachers should continue to:

• strengthen appraisal process to better reflect expectations of Education of Council
• extend moderation processes across both syndicates
• develop and embed collaborative practices in preparation for the redevelopment of the school buildings and environment.

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.

6 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 the following:

• board administration

• curriculum

• management of health, safety and welfare

• personnel management

• 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

• processes for appointing staff

• stand down, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions

• attendance

• compliance with the provisions of the Vulnerable Children Act 2014.

7 Recommendation

The school leaders should continue to strengthen opportunities for teachers to share professional knowledge and skills that will benefit their learning and that of all children. 

Lesley Patterson

Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern

18 October 2016 

About the school