Wellington S D A School

Wellington S D A 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 

Wellington S D A School is located in Tawa, Wellington. The state integrated school provides education for students in Years 1 to 8. The current principal was appointed at the beginning of 2024. The school vision, Growing lifelong learners who are spiritually connected, emotionally strong and socially skilled are underpinned by their values, Godliness, Relationships, Ownership and Wisdom. 

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 becoming more equitable and excellent.
  • Most students achieve at or above curriculum levels in mathematics and reading with a large majority in writing; Māori and Pacific students are achieving as well as their peers.
  • Students’ express a strong sense of wellbeing; this is supported by an inclusive culture and responsive teaching practices.
  • The school is below the Ministry of Education 2024 attendance targets; the school has a community plan to improve attendance.

Conditions to support learner success

Leadership is establishing a culture of high-quality teaching to progress student outcomes.
  • Leaders are developing clear, shared expectations for teaching and learning to improve student engagement and outcomes.
  • Leadership initiatives are encouraged to promote growth in teacher capacity to promote learning and wellbeing experiences.
  • Leaders deliberately collect whānau feedback and ideas to set strategic initiatives and inform the local curriculum. 
Teachers are increasingly delivering effective, evidenced-based programmes that meet students’ needs.
  • Teachers collaborate with each other to build their knowledge of evidenced-based teaching practice in reading, writing and mathematics to accelerate student progress.
  • Assessments are used to plan teaching and learning experiences, track progress and achievement, and improve student outcomes; students’ ability to discuss their learning is inconsistent.
  • Professional learning is facilitated well by leadership to support and develop teaching practice to improves outcomes for students.
Key conditions that underpin successful schooling are strengthening.
  • Students with additional learning needs are well supported to make progress; teachers and whānau work together to identify strengths and individual needs.
  • Leaders recognise the diverse school community, and they are developing schoolwide culturally responsive practices to strengthen partnerships in learning and extending curriculum development.
  • Positive and respectful learning relationships between teachers and students support student wellbeing and success in learning.

Part B: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

  • strengthen the consistency of evidenced-based approaches to teaching and learning to meet the needs of all learners and improve outcomes
  • develop leadership capacity across the school to support improvement initiatives for students learning and wellbeing
  • deepen assessment practices to support teachers and students to evaluate ongoing progress and achievement gather student feedback and ideas to support evaluating the impact of evidence-based teaching to improve outcomes
  • strengthen systems and processes for monitoring and improving student attendance.

The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.

Within six months:

  • review and clarify evidenced-based approaches to teaching and learning to develop consistency across the school using observations and student voice
  • identify leadership opportunities which focus on improvement initiatives, clarify roles and responsibilities
  • broaden assessment systems and processes to include student knowledge of current learning and next steps
  • use attendance data to identify and implement targeted strategies.

Every six months:

  • evaluate the impact of evidenced-based teaching and learning on student achievement using classroom observations, student voice and progress information to improve student outcomes
  • report the impact of leadership initiatives on student learning and wellbeing to the board and review impact to develop further initiatives and adjust roles and expectations accordingly
  • analyse assessment information and plan learning initiatives and interventions to improve learning outcomes
  • track and monitor mid-year attendance information; review and adjust targeted strategies.

Annually:

  • analyse the impact of evidenced-based teaching, including interventions for accelerated progress and achievement to inform improvement initiatives
  • track, analyse and report on achievement, progress and attendance information to the board to identify and plan priority actions.

Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:

  • improved student progress and achievement; assessment practice which includes students articulating learning and next steps for learning
  • consistent, evidenced-based approach to teaching, learning and assessment
  • confident leaders with defined leadership roles and responsibilities targeted to improvement initiatives
  • improved levels of attendance that meet or exceed the Ministry of Education’s target for regular attendance.

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

13 December 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

Wellington S D A School 

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2024 to 2027

As of September 2024, the Wellington S D A 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

Further Information

For further information please contact Wellington S D A 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

13 December 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

Wellington S D A School - 25/09/2018

School Context

Wellington S D A School, Porirua, is a small, integrated Seventh-day Adventist school providing for students from Years 1 to 8. At the time of this review there were 65 students on the roll, with 47 identifying as of Pacific heritage, five as Māori and eight as Asian.

The school’s vision is ‘Connected to God, Connected to Others and Connected Learning’. ‘GROW’ values of ‘Godliness, Rich relationships, Ownership of learning and Wisdom in decision-making’ are the school’s valued outcomes. Strategic goals aim to ‘motivate, challenge and engage akonga’ through ‘working positively and collaboratively to experience equitable learning outcomes’.

Annual targets for 2018 focus on accelerating the progress of those students who need it, in writing and mathematics.

Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, schoolwide information about outcomes for students in relation to reading, writing and mathematics.

Teachers have participated in professional learning and development (PLD) in mathematics and in collaborative practice and digital learning. Some trustees have undertaken board training.

Since the July 2015 ERO report, there have been significant changes in board membership and some staff changes. A new principal and assistant principal were appointed in 2016. A number of children receive support from English as a Second Language funding.

The school is a member of Te Puna Mātauranga Kāhui Ako.

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 majority of students achieve at or above school expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. Pacific students are achieving better than other groups. Most Māori students and boys achieved at or above expectations in mathematics.

Disparity in achievement between boys and girls has been evident since the previous ERO report. This has lessened over time. Māori learners’ achievement has improved during this time. Data for 2017 shows that girls are achieving better than boys in writing. Boys achieve better than girls in reading and mathematics.

Recently analysed 2018 midyear data, indicates that boys are achieving better than girls in reading, writing and mathematics.

1.2 How well is the school accelerating learning for those Māori and other students who need this?

The school has data to show that students who require support to achieve well make good progress over time. Additional learning support programmes contribute to improved student outcomes. There are examples of some students making accelerated progress through this focused approach.

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?

The principal and staff and highly collaborative. They know their students well and share a holistic approach to their learning and wellbeing. Classrooms are settled and welcoming and interactions are respectful. Teachers have clear expectations that are well understood by their students and draw on a range of effective strategies to engage and promote active participation in learning.

Thoughtful curriculum design, planning and enactment provides rich and authentic opportunities for children’s learning. Participation in mathematics PLD, supported with additional staffing, has improved student achievement.

A range of effective strategies and resources is used to support students with additional learning needs. Suitable external support is accessed.

Trustees, leaders and staff develop and grow strong partnerships with the school community. Families, aiga and whānau are welcome and highly involved in school activities, events and celebrations. A range of appropriate, effective communication strategies is used to inform and promote community participation.

The board is committed to promoting the school’s special character and serving the community. Well considered resourcing enables students to experience success as learners. Trustees proactively and strategically develop networks with the local community that extend and enrich the curriculum.

2.2 What further developments are needed in school processes and practices for achievement of equity and excellence, and acceleration of learning?

Trustees, leaders and staff should continue to develop a local curriculum that includes shared expectations for effective teaching, learning and assessment practices and acknowledges the school’s unique place in its community, faith, whakapapa and history.

The principal and teachers should build their understanding of appraisal, inquiry and evaluation for improved teaching and learning. Strengthening the teacher appraisal process and inquiry should lead to increased knowledge, skills and capability. Strategic evaluation should enable leadership and staff to align key systems and processes and evaluate the impact of their practice on student learning outcomes.

Strengthening the analysis of achievement information to identify trends and patterns should enable trustees, leaders and teachers to better monitor and systematically evaluate the impact of teaching strategies and student outcomes.

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.

 

Actions for compliance

ERO identified non-compliance in relationto the delivery of the health curriculum.

In order to address this, the board of trustees must:

  • consult the school community, at least once every two years, on the delivery of the health curriculum.[Section 60B, Education Act 1989]

To improve current practice, trustees should strengthen their review of health and safety policies, procedures and related practices.

4 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:

  • the shared approach by the board, leadership and staff that grows and contributes to students’ holistic development, wellbeing and learning success
  • strong partnerships with the parent community that support learning and provide students with a range of opportunities and experiences.

Next steps

For sustained improvement and future learner success, priorities for further development are in:

  • strengthening the curriculum so that it clearly states the expectations of teacher practice and acknowledges the unique place of the school within its community
  • building shared understanding of appraisal, inquiry and evaluation to improve teaching and learning
  • strengthening the analysis of trends and patterns in achievement information to more strategically address disparity and evaluate the impact of teaching on student outcomes.

The school has requested, and ERO will provide, an internal evaluation workshop for trustees and senior leaders.

ERO’s next external evaluation process and timing

ERO is likely to carry out the next external evaluation in three years.

Alan Wynyard Director

Review & Improvement Services

Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region

25 September 2018

About the school

LocationPorirua
Ministry of Education profile number4150
School typeIntegrated Full Primary (Years 1 to 8)
School roll65
Gender composition

Male 34,

Female 31

Ethnic composition

Māori 5

Pacific 47

Asian 8

Pākehā 5

Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS)No
Provision of Māori medium educationNo
Review team on siteAugust 2018
Date of this report25 September 2018
Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, July 2015

Education Review, June 2013

Education Review, April 2010