3 Wentworth Street , Gore
View on mapEast Gore School
East Gore School
School Evaluation Report
Tēnā 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.
Context
East Gore School is a primary school for students in Years 1 to 6, located in Gore. The school’s vision is to provide a welcoming and inclusive learning environment in which all learners thrive and celebrate their diverse heritages. A new principal was appointed for the start of 2024.
There are two parts to this report.
Part A: 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 B: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle.
Part A: Current State
The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.
Learner Success and Wellbeing
Outcomes for learners are increasingly equitable and excellent. |
- School information shows most learners achieve at expected curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics and there are equitable outcomes for Māori learners.
- Some disparity is evident in girls’ achievement in mathematics and boys’ achievement in reading and writing.
- A majority of learners attend school regularly; the school is yet to meet Ministry of Education targets for regular attendance and continues to work constructively with students and their families to improve levels of attendance.
Conditions to support learner success
New school leadership is establishing trusting relationships and effective collaboration at every level of the school community to achieve the school’s strategic goals. |
- Leaders value the many different identities, languages and cultures of learners and their families; they provide increasing opportunities for parents and whānau to participate in the life of the school and contribute to their child’s learning.
- Leaders are taking steps to attract, retain and grow teaching teams and foster leadership throughout the school.
- Leaders are beginning to plan and coordinate the school’s curriculum and teaching and to set expectations for high quality teaching.
Curriculum and teaching are becoming more responsive and consistent. |
- Leaders and teachers collaboratively develop useful guidelines for consistent approaches to curriculum planning and teaching; structured approaches to teaching reading, writing and mathematics are being implemented.
- Learners’ engagement is enhanced through increasing opportunities to learn in a range of community settings; te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori are increasingly integrated in learning programmes.
- Leaders and teachers are reviewing and strengthening the way they use assessment information to adapt teaching practice and gain more accurate and useful insights into individual, class and whole school progress and achievement.
Supportive partnerships with parents and the local community enhance learning, inclusion and wellbeing outcomes for learners. |
- Leaders and teachers work closely with families and community partners to reduce barriers to education and support access to learning for all.
- Leaders and teachers are strengthening programmes and practices that promote learners’ wellbeing, inclusion and confidence in their identities and cultures.
- Leaders and teachers engage in professional learning that is aligned with the school’s improvement goals and are increasingly using evidence to monitor anticipated changes in practice and learner outcomes.
Part B: Where to next?
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
- complete the development of the school’s curriculum and guidelines for quality teaching
- embed and sustain the school’s structured approaches to teaching mathematics and reading
- strengthen planning, monitoring and evaluation of targeted teaching to accelerate the learning of those students who need this most
- review and strengthen practices for collecting and analysing assessment information to ensure board, leaders and teachers have good quality information to inform goal setting
- continue to work with the school community to encourage regular school attendance as the foundation for success in learning.
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Within six months:
- leaders and teachers continue to collaboratively update the schools’ curriculum and teaching guidelines and expectations, including induction materials
- leaders develop processes for termly planning and monitoring of targeted teaching for learners who need adapted teaching to be successful in learning
- leaders and teachers implement and support new assessment practices and deepen their analysis of assessment information to inform future planning and teaching
Every six months:
- teachers have opportunities to build their capability to deliver the school’s structured approaches to teaching mathematics, reading and writing
- leaders and teachers review how consistently curriculum and teaching expectations are being implemented and identify areas for improvement
- board, leaders and teachers evaluate the effectiveness of targeted teaching for learners needing additional support to succeed and use these findings to set goals to improve outcomes
- board and leaders monitor attendance data and review the success of strategies to encourage regular attendance and remove barriers to school attendance
Annually:
- board, leaders and teachers use quality assessment information to evaluate all students’ progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics and use this to inform future school improvement goals.
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
- an increasing proportion of learners attending school regularly
- learners needing additional support having success in learning and making appropriate progress
- learners experiencing a coherent, well-coordinated curriculum and having equitable opportunities to make progress in reading, writing and mathematics
- board, leaders and teachers making good use of quality assessment information to identify student achievement and teaching goals.
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
27 September 2024
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
East Gore School
Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2024 to 2027
As of July 2024, the East Gore School Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:
Board Administration
Yes
Curriculum
Yes
Management of Health, Safety and Welfare
Yes
Personnel Management
Yes
Finance
Yes
Assets
Yes
Actions for Compliance
ERO has identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:
- the school needs to check a primary identity document and a secondary identity document and complete a risk assessment as required for safety checking of workforce [Children’s Act 2014].
The board has since taken steps to address the areas of non-compliance identified.
Further Information
For further information please contact East Gore 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
27 September 2024
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
East Gore School - 14/02/2020
School Context
East Gore School provides education for students from Years 1-6. There are 126 students attending the school, 40 of whom identify as Māori.
The school’s vision states that it aims to empower children with the skills, knowledge and attitudes to successfully meet all of life’s challenges, and provide all children with the opportunity of reaching their full potential.
The school is committed to the achievement and success of all students in its care so that they will be confident, have a good work ethic and strong communication skills, and be responsive citizens, problem solvers, team players and life-long learners.
Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:
- student achievement in reading, writing and mathematics
- intervention programmes.
The school has had significant staffing changes. It is currently in an appointment process for key teaching and leadership positions. The school provides education for a high number of children who need additional support and has a large pool of teacher aides who work with these students inside the classroom, and across the school.
The school is a member of the Eastern Southland Kāhui Ako| Community of Learning.
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?
East Gore School is working towards achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for most of its students. The majority of its students are achieving at or above the school’s expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. From 2016 – 2018 there has been a steady upward trend in reading achievement, and a downward trend in mathematics, and from 2016-17 a downward trend in writing. Mid 2019 school achievement data indicates that the school is on track to continue an upward trend in reading and making improvements in mathematics.
The school is yet to address ongoing and significant disparities for Māori students and boys and in reading and mathematics. Achievement for boys in writing continues to be lower than girls.
1.2 How well is the school accelerating learning for those Māori and other students who need this?
The school’s achievement data shows that over 2018 and to mid-2019 the school has had limited success in accelerating the progress of those students who need this, particularly in writing.
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?
Students learn through a curriculum which provides them with a wide range of interesting learning experiences. Teachers make good use of local features and expertise to enhance contexts for learning. They have useful guidelines for all learning areas, and clear and well-thought-out learning progressions for each level.
Teachers are adapting programmes and teaching strategies to meet the learning needs of their students. For example, they are trialling strategies to better engage boys in writing.
School leadership ensures that policies and practices promote students’ wellbeing and engagement in learning. This is driven by a commitment to removing barriers that could hinder children’s learning. The school has a very strong pastoral care programme that includes both in-school and external support.
Students with additional needs are very well supported to participate in class and whole school activities and learning experiences. Teacher aides provide a valuable service and enable teachers to focus on students who need additional help.
There is a very inclusive school culture that fosters positive relationships between children. Leaders and teachers work closely and effectively with external agencies to ensure students’ wellbeing remains a strong focus of the school.
2.2 What further developments are needed in school processes and practices for achievement of equity and excellence, and acceleration of learning?
The board, principal and teachers have identified the need to redevelop the strategic plan to better reflect the school’s current priorities and better align strategic direction with policies, processes and practices.
The board, leaders and teachers need to strengthen evaluation practices to better know what is/is not working well and the impact of initiatives and programmes on students’ learning.
The principal and teachers need to strengthen moderation practices to ensure the validity of student achievement information.
It would be timely for the principal and teachers to access professional development to help them in accelerate the progress of those students who need extra support to succeed.
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 Children’s Act 2014.
4 ERO’s Overall Judgement
On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of East Gore School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Developing.
ERO’s Framework: Overall Findings and Judgement Tool derived from School Evaluation Indicators: Effective Practice for Improvement and Learner Success is available on ERO’s website.
5 Going forward
Key strengths of the school
For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:
- the pastoral care and support of students and families to give students equitable opportunities to learn
- the inclusive culture of the school community that allows the leaders and the board to make decisions and improvements that have the wellbeing and children’s learning as their shared focus
- the support provided for students with additional needs that builds children’s readiness to learn.
Next steps
For sustained improvement and future learner success, priorities for further development are in the board, principal and teachers:
- redeveloping the strategic plan to reflect the school’s current priorities
- strengthening evaluation practices
- further strengthening moderation practices
- accessing professional development to help them to accelerate the progress of those students who need extra support.
ERO recommends that the school seek support from the Ministry of Education in order to bring about improvements in:
- student achievement.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services Southern
Southern Region
14 February 2019
About the school
Location |
Gore |
Ministry of Education profile number |
3946 |
School type |
Contributing (Years 1-6) |
School roll |
141 |
Gender composition |
Girls 51% Boys 49% |
Ethnic composition |
Māori 36% NZ European/Pākehā 57% Other 7% |
Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS) |
Yes |
Provision of Māori medium education |
No |
Review team on site |
October 2019 |
Date of this report |
14 February 2020 |
Most recent ERO reports |
Longitudinal Review December 2016 Education Review April 2015 |
East Gore School - 01/12/2016
Findings
The school is very effectively addressing its priorities for improvement. Trustees, the principal and teachers have created a strong culture of collaboration and improvement. Children are benefiting from the more consistent and stronger focus teachers have on children’s learning needs. The school is well placed to sustain and continue to improve and evaluate its performance.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
1 Background and Context
What is the background and context for this school’s review?
This report covers the school’s progress in addressing the areas for review and development identified in ERO’s 2015 education review report. That report identified the need for trustees, school leaders and teachers to develop their evaluation and improvement practices, in particular self-review and appraisal processes, and alignment from long-term goals to related plans. It also identified the need for leaders and teachers to develop school curriculum guidelines and increase the analysis and use of learning information.
The trustees, principal and teachers have sought a range of support to provide targeted development in each of the identified areas. They have a sound understanding of the need for strong alignment of school plans to provide a focused approach to identified school and learning priorities. They have developed rigour in their analysis and use of learning information.
This ERO review has found that the board, school leaders and teachers have made significant progress in the areas identified in ERO’s 2015 report.
2 Review and Development
How effectively is the school addressing its priorities for review and development?
Priorities identified for review and development
The last ERO report recommended that the trustees, principal and teachers:
- increase the analysis and use of assessment information
- develop school curriculum guidelines
- increase understanding and use of self review for school improvement.
Progress
The principal, school leaders and teachers have significantly improved the gathering, analysis, recording, reporting and use of assessment information for individual children and school wide. The greater scrutiny of data has led to:
- trustees, leaders and teachers making better informed decisions for teaching, resourcing, future target setting, and professional learning and development
- leaders and teachers having a greater awareness of achievement levels of individual children, groups of children and school wide
- deeper reflection by teachers on the impact of their teaching on outcomes for children.
The principal and teachers are showing greater confidence in the judgements made of students’ achievement in relation to the National Standards for reading, writing and mathematics.
The school has used a planned approach for curriculum development that is leading to a very coherent curriculum. School leaders have made effective use of external expertise to guide this development. The completed sections of the curriculum provides clear guidelines and expectations for teachers. Children’s learning is enhanced through the consistency and coherence of expectations for teaching and learning.
Teachers and leaders regularly share and discuss information about the achievement and progress of each child. This collaboration is building a shared responsibility between all staff for improving the learning outcomes for all learners.
The principal has thorough systems to ensure that the curriculum developments are being embedded into teaching practice and that they are working. These include class observations, and discussions with teachers about their planning and their use of school planning formats.
The strategic plan carefully sets out the community’s goals for the school. These goals provide guidance for annual planning, target setting, teachers’ goals and professional learning and development. The principal has put in place a more robust appraisal process that meets requirements and supports teachers to build their professional practices.
Key next step
The principal and teachers need to more explicitly analyse and report on the sufficiency of progress children have made, in particular in reading, writing and mathematics.
3 Sustainable performance and self review
How well placed is the school to sustain and continue to improve and review its performance?
The school is well placed to sustain and continue to improve and evaluate its performance. This judgement is based on the:
- trustees’ and principal’s strong commitment to providing excellent education for all children
- capacity to reflect, plan, act and report to the board using evidence that includes achievement and progress information
- building of capacity within the teaching staff to sustain and continue to improve children’s achievement
- improved teacher-appraisal process being implemented.
Key next step
School trustees and leaders need to be more systematic in their approach to evaluation. This could include identifying key elements of effective internal evaluation and ensuring reports have a statement about how well a planned action or intervention has impacted on improved outcomes for children.
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 school is very effectively addressing its priorities for improvement. Trustees, the principal and teachers have created a strong culture of collaboration and improvement. Children are benefiting from the more consistent and stronger focus teachers have on children’s learning needs. The school is well placed to sustain and continue to improve and evaluate its performance.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Te Waipounamu Southern
1 December 2016
About the School
Location |
Gore |
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
3946 |
|
School type |
Contributing (Years 1 to 6) |
|
School roll |
117 |
|
Gender composition |
Boys: 57%; Girls: 43% |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Other |
36% 59% 5% |
Review team on site |
September 2016 |
|
Date of this report |
1 December 2016 |
|
Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review Longitudinal Review Education Review |
April 2015 September 2011 August 2010 |