Somerfield Te Kura Wairepo

Summary

The school has a roll of 464 children, 63 identify as Māori and 11 as Pacific heritage.

Since the 2013 ERO external evaluation, the school has sustained its high performance and continued to progress collaborative teaching and learning practices. The school’s involvement in the Kahukura cluster of local schools has focused on promoting Māori achievement and opportunities for Māori children to succeed as Māori.

School-wide achievement shows that most children have achieved National Standards by the time they reach Year 6. Māori children achieve well against the National Standards. The school responded well to 2016 achievement data, setting specific targets and strategies to support individual and groups of children in their learning.

How well is the school achieving equitable outcomes for all children?

The school is achieving equitable outcomes for many children. Māori and other children whose learning needs accelerating are targeted and closely monitored by leaders and teachers.

The school is improvement focused and has very good systems in place for identifying and monitoring areas that could be improved or developed. To achieve equity and promote excellent outcomes, the school needs to strengthen some assessment practices and report more evaluatively on achievement.

The school is very well placed to continue towards achieving equity and excellence for all children.

Equity and excellence

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

The school effectively responds to Māori and other children whose learning needs acceleration.

School systems and practices support Māori children to achieve well in literacy and mathematics. The school has worked strategically to promote equitable outcomes for Māori children in this school.

School information shows that over 80% of children achieve at or above the National Standards, particularly in reading. The school has targeted programmes and practices to support those learners yet to reach National Standards in writing through individual support approaches.

The school has very clear guidelines to support teachers to make decisions about children’s learning and levels of achievement. They need to check their assessment decisions by using externally referenced tools in Years 3 and 4, and use the new learning progression framework to help inform future teacher judgements.

School conditions supporting equity and excellence

What school processes are effective in enabling achievement of equity and excellence?

The school has many effective processes that are enabling the achievement of equity and excellence for all learners.

The school strongly demonstrates ngākau Māori and its commitment to bicultural practices. Tikanga and te ao Māori are deeply embedded in everyday practices across the school. Māori children are provided with positive role models. They have opportunities to extend the learning of Māori language and culture in ways that affirm their identity as Māori.

Leaders and teachers are highly responsive to children and proactively support children’s wellbeing and sense of belonging. They use a range of effective strategies to engage children in their learning.

Children are provided with many authentic and meaningful learning experiences. Teachers use a range of effective teaching strategies and approaches to meet their individual needs and engage children in relevant and appropriate learning activities. They need to continue to build on children’s knowledge of themselves as learners.

The school uses a robust inquiry process to relentlessly promote improved outcomes for all children. Leaders and teachers have strengthened internal evaluation practices using external evaluation resources.

The school is very well led and managed. Governance and leadership act as strong advocates for children. Resourcing decisions are well considered and based on quality information. Leaders and trustees are committed to raising learning and achievement for those children whose learning needs to be accelerated.

School leaders have high expectations for teaching and learning and make strategic use of teachers’ individual strengths and expertise. They have a well-planned approach to building collective capacity. Teachers receive meaningful and useful feedback through the school’s comprehensive inquiry and appraisal processes.

The board, leaders and teachers have built extensive and professional networks that contribute to their ongoing development and improvement.

Sustainable development for equity and excellence

What further developments are needed in school processes to achieve equity and excellence?

The school has very strong processes and responsive systems to provide equitable outcomes for all children. School leaders and teachers need to:

• deepen evaluation practices to extend the clarity of reporting on learner outcomes over time

• strengthen some aspects of assessment and moderation practices to inform teaching and learning.

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
• 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.

Going forward

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

Many children are achieving excellent educational outcomes. School performance has been sustained over time through well-focused, embedded processes and practices. This school has successfully addressed in-school disparity in educational outcomes.

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

Dr Lesley Patterson

Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern/Te Waipounamu

27 June 2017

About the school 

In May 2019 ERO published an Exemplar Review

Please read it here Exemplar Review - Somerfield Te Kura Wairepo School - Rich Curriculum - May 2019