1 Charles Street , Weston
View on mapTēnā 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.
Weston School is in North Otago and provides learning for students from Years 1 to 8. The enviroschool curriculum underpins much of the way the school operates. The school’s mission statement is Learning together, caring about our future; Te ako tahi me te whakairo nui tō tatou anamata.
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.
Over the past 18 months, ERO and the school have been working together to evaluate the implementation of a localised curriculum that responds to the needs and aspirations of ākonga, whānau and community, including enhancing literacy teaching and learning.
The school expected to see:
Increased student engagement and sense of belonging through relevant, authentic and contextualised learning programmes.
Consistency, coherence and effectiveness in the way the curriculum is delivered and evaluated across the school.
Students, parents and whānau are actively involved in the development, implementation and evaluation of a local curriculum.
The greatest shift that occurred in response to the school’s actions is the cohesive approach across the school to teaching literacy. This has improved the consistency in the use of teaching strategies, confidence and capability amongst teachers and placed a greater focus on supporting students with different learning needs. Accelerated progress rates for learners are evident.
The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.
| The school is working towards equitable and excellent outcomes for learners. |
| Leaders drive ongoing improvements to school conditions that increasingly promote student success. |
| The school provides a range of relevant learning opportunities, that connect meaningfully with local people, places and the environment. |
| Leaders and teachers’ evaluation capability is growing to increasingly support student success. |
The agreed next steps for the school are:
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows:
Within six months:
Every six months:
Annually:
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
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
3 September 2024
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
As of June 2024, the Weston School Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
ERO and the board have identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:
The board has addressed the areas of non-compliance identified.
For further information please contact Weston 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
3 September 2024
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
This Profile Report was written within 12 months of the Education Review Office and Weston 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
Weston School is situated in North Otago and caters for students from Years 0 to 8. The school operates in a mix of single cell and open plan learning environments. They are an Enviroschool which underpins much of the way the school operates. The school is part of the Whitestone Kahui Ako.
Weston School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
implementing a localised curriculum based on student needs and community strengths
coherent teaching and assessment practices across the school with a particular focus on Structured Literacy.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Weston School’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the implementation of a localised curriculum that responds to the needs and aspirations of ākonga, whānau and community, including enhancing literacy teaching and learning.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
to make stronger connections to ākonga lives, identities, prior understandings and real-world contexts
to foster a sense of belonging for all ākonga and their whānau
promoting equity in literacy learning for all ākonga.
The school expects to see:
increased student engagement and sense of belonging through relevant, authentic and contextualised learning programmes
consistency, coherence and effectiveness in the way the curriculum is delivered and evaluated across the school.
for students, parents and whānau to be actively involved in the development, implementation and evaluation of a local curriculum.
The school can draw from the following strengths in its goal to implement a localised curriculum:
effective consultation with ākonga and whānau to inform school values, curriculum design and implementation
Reflective and improvement focused leadership team who actively monitor school systems and processes and encourage collective ownership and accountability.
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
developing contextually and culturally responsive teaching and learning programmes, drawing on community resources
ongoing collection of whānau and ākonga perspectives on the effectiveness of the curriculum and using this voice to inform next steps.
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
7 December 2022
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
As of June 2021, the Weston School board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
For further information please contact Weston 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.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
7 December 2022
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Weston School has a roll of 230 children, 36 of whom identify as Māori.
Since the 2013 ERO review, the school has:
This school responds well to Māori and other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration. There are a number of processes and practices that are effective in supporting children to have equitable opportunities to be successful in their learning. The school has effective internal evaluation processes to identify areas that need to be strengthened.
Key strengths of the school include:
At the time of this reviewchildren were achieving well. The school demonstrates strong progress toward achieving equity in educational outcomes, supported by effective, sustainable processes and practices.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
This school responds well to Māori and other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration.
School information for the past three years shows that most children have achieved at or above the National Standards in writing, mathematics and reading. However, there is disparity between the levels of achievement for some groups of children. The school is yet to lift Māori children’s achievement to that of their peers in writing and mathematics.
School progress information shows that over a two-year period many children, including Māori children, whose achievement was at risk made accelerated progress in their learning.
The school has strong moderation and assessment practices. Teachers are well supported to ensure the reliability of their judgements in relation to children’s progress and achievement.
There are a number of processes and practices that are effective in supporting children to have equitable opportunities to be successful in their learning.
Children benefit from a very responsive curriculum. Key strengths are its local content, strong science focus, and flexibility. The ‘skilful thinker’ focus has helped children better understand their progress, achievement and next learning steps.
Teachers and leaders know the children very well as individuals and as learners. They take collective responsibility for their wellbeing and learning. There is a culture of high expectations of both children and staff.
Teachers, school leaders and trustees make very good use of assessment information when making decisions. Priority learners are carefully tracked and monitored, and quickly responded to.
Children with high needs benefit from well-planned and high quality support. There is also a strong focus on children’s wellbeing, so that they are able and ready to learn.
Senior leaders provide strong professional leadership. They model a commitment to ongoing learning. Leaders’ and teachers’ inquiries are relevant to improving children’s learning and engagement. Staff benefit from high quality professional learning and development.
Trustees are very well informed about student progress and achievement. They are strongly committed to improving teaching and learning for all learners.
The school has effective internal evaluation processes that identify areas that need to be strengthened.
The school needs to:
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:
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student safety and wellbeing:
Children are achieving well. The school demonstrates strong progress toward achieving equity in educational outcomes, supported by effective, sustainable processes and practices.
Agreed next steps for Weston School are to:
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Te Waipounamu)
30 June 2017
| Location | Weston, North Otago |
| Ministry of Education profile number | 3864 |
| School type | Full primary |
| School roll | 230 |
| Gender composition | Boys: 50% Girls: 50% |
| Ethnic composition | Māori 16% Pākehā 75% Pacific 1% Filipino 2% Asian 2% Other 4% |
| Provision of Māori medium education | No |
| Review team on site | May 2017 |
| Date of this report | 30 June 2017 |
| Most recent ERO reports | Education Review July 2013 Education Review March 2010 Education Review December 2006 |