41-47 Norwich Street, Hampden
View on mapHampden School
Hampden School - 27/04/2018
School Context
Hampden School is a Years 1 to 8 rural school in North Otago. It has experienced roll growth in the last two years. 39 children are enrolled at the school. A new principal was appointed to the school in 2016.
The school’s valued outcomes are being honest and kind, enjoying learning, striving to be the best and to be a thinker. The school’s mission statement is for the school, in partnership with families, to provide its pupils with the knowledge, skills and attitudes that will form the basis of their future development as responsible, self-assured and caring citizens.
The current strategic aims are for all students to achieve and progress in their learning, to encourage whānau in the life of the school while respecting all cultures represented, and recognising the unique position of the Māori culture. To support these aims, the 2018 school targets are to lift achievement levels in writing and mathematics for identified individuals and groups of children.
Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, school wide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:
- progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics
- progress and achievement in relation to school targets.
The school’s current aims, goals and targets reflect the school’s priorities to improve the wellbeing and learning of all children. The key focus areas include:
- student well-being
- Māori culture and identity.
The school is the tangata whenua school for Moeraki Marae.
Hampden School is part of a local schools’ network. This year this network is focussing on improving the teaching and learning in writing.
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 achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for the majority of its students.
School information shows that for the last two years the majority of students have achieved at or above the school’s expectations in reading and writing. Reading achievement levels are higher than writing.
In 2017, most children met or exceeded the school’s expectations in mathematics. There was a significant increase in the number of children meeting these expectations from 2016 to 2017.
School reports to the board show that children feel safe at their school.
1.2 How well is the school accelerating learning for those Māori and other students who need this?
The school is effectively identifying, supporting and responding positively to individual and groups of children whose learning needs accelerating.
In 2017 the majority of children, including Māori children, needing to make accelerated progress did so. There were higher levels of accelerated progress gained in mathematics.
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?
Children learn in a positive, inclusive environment. The school values are evident and known by the children. The concepts of whanaungatanga/relationships, manaakitanga/caring, and tuakana teina/older supporting younger children are embedded into the programmes and practices of the school.
Children benefit from effective teaching. They have good knowledge of what they are learning and how they are progressing. Teachers scrutinise learning information closely to inform their intentional teaching for individuals and groups. They have a shared understanding about assessment practices and expectations. Teachers collaborate well as a team and have a shared responsibility for children’s learning and well-being. Teachers effectively transfer useful teaching strategies from one learning area to another.
Children experience a rich curriculum, and have effective and equitable opportunities to learn across all learning areas. Teachers make learning relevant and use meaningful contexts. They are culturally responsive and value the different ethnicities within the school, particularly Māori culture. The school has useful and meaningful connections with neighbouring schools to enhance teaching and learning programmes, especially for the Years 7 and 8 children.
Children’s learning is greatly enhanced by the positive connections the school has with parents, whānau and community. Parents are provided with useful resources and ideas to support their children’s learning at home. The principal has established relational trust within the school and wider communities. Children’s learning experiences are extended through the involvement of a range of community groups and individuals. The school is making increased use of their local marae for all children, particularly Māori, to have a deeper awareness of their culture and identity. Children are also gaining a greater understanding of Moerakitaka / their local history.
Leaders, teachers and trustees maintain a strong commitment for children to make sufficient progress over time. This commitment is supported by their:
- clear alignment from charter and planning documentation to classroom practices and reporting
- effective evaluation processes to ensure that practices and programmes are making a positive difference
- strategic resourcing to support identified children to make accelerated progress.
2.2 What further developments are needed in school processes and practices for achievement of equity and excellence, and acceleration of learning?
Trustees and leaders should set targets that focus more on those children needing to make accelerated progress.
School leaders need to report rates of progress to the board for trustees to be assured that children are making sufficient progress over time.
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 Going forward
Key strengths of the school
For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:
- clear direction setting by the board of trustees that establishes a strong focus on children making sufficient progress over time
- its in-depth analysis of learner information that provides useful evidence on children’s progress
- the quality of teaching, a rich curriculum and an inclusive environment.
Next steps
For sustained improvement and future learner success, priorities for further development are in:
- using individual children’s data to be better informed about the sufficiency of progress of all children
- rewording charter targets to provide a greater focus on those children needing to make accelerated progress.
ERO’s next external evaluation process and timing
ERO is likely to carry out the next external evaluation in three years.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern
Te Waipounamu - Southern Region
27 April 2018
About the school
Location |
North Otago |
Ministry of Education profile number |
3746 |
School type |
Full Primary |
School roll |
39 |
Gender composition |
Boys: 22 Girls: 17 |
Ethnic composition |
Pākehā: 25 |
Provision of Māori medium education |
No |
Review team on site |
February 2018 |
Date of this report |
27 April 2018 |
Most recent ERO reports |
Education review: 2015 Education review: 2011 Education review: 2009 |
Hampden School - 09/02/2015
Findings
The principal and teachers effectively support students’ wellbeing. Students benefit from small class sizes with plenty of individual support. Most students achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics. Teachers ensure students enjoy their learning, use their time well and make good progress. Trustees and teachers have positive relationships with parents.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
1 Context
What are the important features of this school that have an impact on student learning?
The school’s values of honesty, respect, responsibility and appreciation of difference are evident in the ways students learn and interact. Teachers help students live the school’s values. Students generally work and play together well. The principal and teachers place a strong focus on developing positive relationships to promote wellbeing for students and their families.
The school’s roll is stable at about 40, with an increased percentage of Māori students. The board funds extra teaching time to make class sizes small and ensure useful one-to-one interactions between teacher and students.
About half the students travel to school by a bus service managed by the school. Any new students and their families are warmly welcomed and quickly made to feel a part of the school and its community. Families are not asked for donations or to pay for school activities that are part of the curriculum. Trustees want to ensure there is no financial barrier to any student’s participation in their learning.
School grounds have a variety of spaces and resources that support students’ wellbeing and learning. These include a bushy area for imaginative play, a gym/hall, a heated swimming pool and other sports areas, an edible garden and orchard, and playground equipment that challenges a range of ages.
Since the 2011 ERO report, the classrooms have been significantly refurbished and updated. During the time it took to complete this work, well-planned alternative arrangements ensured the focus for students remained firmly on learning. The school’s 150th jubilee was a major event in 2014 and aspects of these celebrations were well linked into learning for current students. The board and principal responded well to the next steps identified in the last ERO report.
2 Learning
How well does this school use achievement information to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement?
The school makes very good use of achievement information to make positive changes to students’ engagement, progress and achievement.
Achievement information shows most students achieve at or above the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics.
Students are able to talk knowledgeably about their learning, what they enjoy, and the high expectations teachers have for them. Students can talk confidently about their goals and what they need to do to improve. The principal agrees a next step is for teachers to extend the ways students can be more fully involved in discussions about their learning in relation to national expectations.
The principal and teachers use achievement information to:
- monitor the progress students have made
- identify and respond effectively to students who need extra challenge or support
- identify aspects of teaching that are going well and what needs to be improved
- report clearly to parents about students’ progress, next steps and how parents can help.
The principal uses weekly newsletters to share successes with parents and the community so that students see their learning valued.
3 Curriculum
How effectively does this school’s curriculum promote and support student learning?
The school’s curriculum effectively promotes and supports students’ learning. Students enjoy and benefit from:
- rich experiences across the curriculum
- learning related to the local environment and history
- a wide range of authentic learning experiences.
Students appreciate:
- the sense of fun included into much of their learning, while being efficient with learning time
- the way their opinions and ideas are gathered, shared and well used
- the opportunities for responsibility and leadership they get
- the way ICT is integrated into teaching and learning, especially in the senior class.
Students are effectively supported by stimulating classroom environments with their learning valued and purposefully displayed. They are well guided by the school’s ‘safer school agreement’ to help make the playground a positive environment for all. The welcoming and inclusive school culture supports students well.
The principal and teachers focus on the development of the whole child. They deliberately emphasise all dimensions of wellbeing (hinengaro/emotional, wairua/spiritual, tinana/physical, and taha whānau/family wellbeing) to promote success for all students. The positive and caring relationships they have with their teachers are based on the key competencies of the New Zealand Curriculum in action.
Teachers are deliberate and purposeful about making sure their teaching has a sense of urgency so that opportunities for students to learn are maximised. Teachers:
- have high expectations for how teaching will support students and how students will learn
- are well supported by a useful appraisal process and targeted professional learning.
Qualified teachers in small classes support the students who are at risk of not achieving to make accelerated progress.
The next step is for the principal to ensure regular planned curriculum review is carried out and the outcomes reported to the board with full coverage of each area of the curriculum over time.
How effectively does the school promote educational success for Māori, as Māori?
The school is working effectively with whānau of Māori students and the local iwi to promote educational success for and as Māori.
Māori students achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics. Students who need to make accelerated progress are well supported.
The board, principal and teachers are:
- responding well to the challenges presented by the government’s Māori education strategy
- clear about their responsibilities and understandings arising from links with Ngai Tahu
- seeking the ideas of whānau and iwi to determine any new curriculum direction.
Teachers are:
- ensuring the curriculum responds to and reflects concepts that are important to Māori
- implementing a Māori curriculum that includes increasingly challenging levels of learning
- exploring the potential of kapa haka experiences to extend Māori success.
The principal ensures the Māori curriculum plan is well developed, documented and reviewed. The positive impact on Māori students is reported to trustees.
The next step is to record in the Māori curriculum plan how teachers already integrate aspects of te ao Māori through the inquiry-learning approach and in other daily practices in the school.
4 Sustainable Performance
How well placed is the school to sustain and improve its performance?
The school is well placed to sustain and improve its performance.
The board reviews many aspects of school effectiveness well. Trustees:
- gather information from a wide variety of sources
- ask useful, evaluative questions
- record the outcome of this process and identify what needs to happen next
- receive useful monthly reports with a focus on students’ progress
- are well informed about student wellbeing and achievement.
The board has comprehensive guidelines and documented practices in place for the sustainable work of trustees. Succession planning is in hand. The board funds extra teaching time and learning resources. Trustees support teaching and learning well.
Trustees are well focused on building increasingly positive relationships with parents. They work with staff to support students’ wellbeing and learning, and meet the expectations of parents.
The principal has strengthened the appraisal system for teachers. Teachers purposefully record the way they inquire into their practice with a focus on improving teaching and learning.
The principal is leading the school well. He has responded well to several significant challenges during 2014, including the relocation of all classes during building refurbishment and the school’s 150th celebrations. In addition, he:
- reflects in depth about how well the school is operating and makes continuous improvements
- focuses on priority learners, in terms of wellbeing, engagement and progress
- ensures teachers’ strengths and interests are well used to support students’ learning.
Collaborative staff teamwork is a positive feature of the school. The principal works with teachers to:
- establish positive relationships with parents and the community
- identify and support expectations for good-quality teaching
- strengthen the consistency of teachers’ practices to meet high expectations for teaching.
The next steps for the board are to:
- choose more clearly defined targets for improving student achievement
- monitor the ongoing effectiveness of the actions planned to achieve the annual targets
- regularly evaluate the impact and sustainability of board-funded initiatives
- clarify the links between strategic direction and annual planning.
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:
- board administration
- curriculum
- management of health, safety and welfare
- personnel management
- financial management
- asset management.
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student achievement:
- emotional safety of students (including prevention of bullying and sexual harassment)
- physical safety of students
- teacher registration
- processes for appointing staff
- stand-downs, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions
- attendance.
Conclusion
The principal and teachers effectively support students’ wellbeing. Students benefit from small class sizes with plenty of individual support. Most students achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics. Teachers ensure students enjoy their learning, use their time well and make good progress. Trustees and teachers have positive relationships with parents.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern
9 February 2015
About the School
Location |
Hampden, Otago |
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
3746 |
|
School type |
Full Primary (Years 1 to 8) |
|
School roll |
39 |
|
Gender composition |
Female: 21 Male: 18 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Pākehā Māori Cook Island |
21 17 1 |
Review team on site |
November 2014 |
|
Date of this report |
9 February 2015 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review Education Review Supplementary Review |
December 2011 November 2009 November 2006 |