8 Westney Road , Mangere, Auckland
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Al-Madinah School
Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
Background
This Profile Report was written within 10 months of the Education Review Office and Al-Madinah 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
Context
Al- Madinah School is a state-integrated, special character Years 1 to 13 school, catering mainly for Muslim students from many different ethnic backgrounds, drawing from all parts of Auckland. The school aims to develop students’ spiritually, intellectually, and physically to their full potential in an Islamic environment. The school continues to work with the Ministry of Education to establish a new board of trustees.
Al-Madinah School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:
- develop and design a local curriculum from Years 1 to 13 that is well aligned, coherent and supports students’ pathways
- develop staff to strengthen teaching leadership and learner support capabilities
- implement wellbeing programmes to enhance staff relationships in supporting students’ wellbeing.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Al-Madinah School’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively consistent school-wide assessment practices align and support students’ learning, and consequently improve achievement outcomes.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is that effective assessment can better inform teacher targeted planning to improve overall student outcomes.
The school expects to see teachers using achievement data to more explicitly address individual learning needs, and students using achievement data to self-assess, peer-assess and become increasingly aware of their progress and next learning steps.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate how effectively consistent school-wide assessment practices align and support students’ learning, and consequently improve students’ achievement outcomes.
- Learners experience a school learning climate that is positive and culturally responsive.
- Teaching staff collaboratively plan and teach to cater to individual students’ learning needs.
- The school and community are engaged in reciprocal learning centred relationships and partnerships.
- School-wide leadership, both for and of teaching and learning, is well established and focused on continuously improving teaching capability.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
- improving learner attendance and punctuality across the school
- enhancing pastoral care aspects to further support student wellbeing
- following through with the strategies to improve early childhood transitioning, and school growth
- transitioning to the usual state of governance to enhance community decision-making.
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.
Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools
9 February 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
Al-Madinah School
Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2023 to 2026
As of March 2023, the Al-Madinah 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 Al-Madinah 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
9 February 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
Al Madinah School
Provision for International Students Report
Background
The Education Review Office reviews schools that are signatories to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020.
Findings
The school Al-Madinah School has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code and has completed an annual self-review of its implementation of the code.
At the time of this review no international students were attending the school, and no exchange students.
Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools
9 February 2024
About the School
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school's population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Al-Madinah School - 07/02/2020
School Context
Al-Madinah School in Mangere is an integrated school with an Islamic special character. The school caters for students from Years 1 to 13. The majority of the 550 students currently enrolled are of Fijian-Indian heritage. There are significant other groups of students whose families originate from Afghanistan, the Middle East and Africa.
The school’s charter vision is for students’ all-round achievement within a commitment to the mission of Islam and citizenship of Aotearoa New Zealand. Aligned with this vision, the school’s valued outcomes for students are for each child to achieve and to develop skills and qualities that are school-based, linked to The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC), and Islamic special character qualities.
The school’s educational goals and objectives are centred on providing a safe, caring and healthy learning environment that supports the intellectual, physical and spiritual development of each child. Under the school’s special character traditions, this includes providing Islamic studies and segregating boys’ and girls’ teaching and learning spaces, from Year 7 onward.
Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:
- progress and achievement in relation to school targets for reading, writing and mathematics
- achievement within the New Zealand Qualifications Framework
- outcomes for students with additional learning needs, including gifted and talented students
- participation and success in academic, sporting and cultural events.
Ineffective board governance has been a long-standing issue for the school. Support through the Ministry of Education (MoE) statutory interventions and other professional support for trustees have not resulted in sustainable, effective governance.
In 2016 the MoE put in place a Limited Statutory Manager (LSM) intervention. This intervention responded to findings of a 2015 MOE investigative report and the recommendations in ERO’s 2016 external evaluation of the school. In April 2019 the board of trustees was dissolved, and a commissioner was appointed to govern the school.
The school is part of the Mangere Community of Learning | Kāhui Ako (CoL).
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 supporting students to achieve excellent outcomes very well. However, students do not have equitable access to a curriculum that caters for their diverse needs and interests. The smaller range of subjects and option choices available to the secondary girls’ classes limits their opportunity to succeed in areas to realise their strengths and interests.
Senior students achieve very high levels of success in National Certificates of Educational Achievement (NCEA). Achievement in NCEA has continued to increase since ERO’s 2016 review. In 2018 almost all students achieved the appropriate NCEA qualification for their year level. Most 2018 school leavers attained Level 3 NCEA and University Entrance (UE).
Reports on students’ achievement in reading, writing and mathematics show that most students achieve expected curriculum levels when transitioning from the primary syndicate at the end of Year 6. Students continue to progress in these learning areas through Years 7 to 10, with a large majority of students achieving at or above expectations at the end of Year 10. The reports identify some areas where achievement needs to be lifted to attain school targets or provide more equitable outcomes.
There are gender disparities in NCEA results, in writing achievement levels, and particularly at UE level. Increasing boys’ achievement in writing is a school priority.
Students develop confidence in their identity as young Muslim New Zealanders through the school’s Islamic special character curriculum. They learn about the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand through NZC-based programmes.
1.2 How well is the school accelerating learning for those Māori and other students who need this?
School achievement data show that the school is accelerating the learning of many of the students who are at risk of underachieving.
Primary syndicate information shows accelerated progress for many of the targeted learners in each primary class over the course of a year. This acceleration is particularly evident in the progress of students in their first three years of school. Years 7 to 10 literacy and numeracy progress reports show some good areas of accelerated progress for learners who need this.
Learning support is well coordinated. Teachers, pastoral and learning support leaders, and external agencies collaborate well to provide programmes and resources that accelerate the learning of these students. The next challenge is to ensure there are equitable outcomes for all students with additional learning needs. This can be further supported by increasing the use of student wellbeing data.
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?
Leaders ensure that the curriculum reflects the school’s vision and develops students’ understanding of, and self-efficacy as, Muslim New Zealanders. The school’s special character and connections to the Islamic community engender a school culture of unity and pride. Students have opportunities to participate in local community and interschool events that build confidence, connections and understandings about citizenship in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Teaching is increasingly responsive to students’ learning needs . The growing use of digital technologies for teaching and learning increases student engagement and provides more personalised learning opportunities. Staff involved in the Innovative Learning Environment (ILE) classrooms are developing strategies to promote learning through student collaboration and integrated curriculum approaches.
Leaders and teachers have high expectations of learners, trusting students to work independently. Students respond well to these expectations. Teachers across the school are developing strategies to increase students’ agency in their learning.
Learning area leaders and teachers make good use of assessment data to identify at-risk learners and provide appropriate interventions to target learning. Senior students at risk of not succeeding in NCEA qualifications are provided with learning pathways and course guidance that supports their attainment of qualifications. The progress of at-risk learners is well monitored. School involvement in the Mangere CoL is supporting developments in the use of assessment information.
2.2 What further developments are needed in school processes and practices for achievement of equity and excellence, and acceleration of learning?
School leaders need to develop a more coherent approach to evaluating and reporting to the board about student progress and achievement, particularly in literacy and mathematics. Currently, reports do not clearly show how well students progress as they move through year levels. They could be better informed by robust evaluation of the impact of school strategies in achieving more equitable outcomes for all students. Reports should include information about progress in relation to priorities such as raising boys’ achievement.
Leaders need to increase the range of data used to evaluate school effectiveness in achieving valued and equitable outcomes for all learners. They should also ensure that secondary girls have access to the same range of curriculum opportunities as boys. The school should use student survey data to provide a more extensive focus on student wellbeing and equity.
As a result of further external investigation regarding the past board’s financial management, the board has not yet received the audited accounts for its annual board report. The commissioner is working with the school leaders to address this.
The commissioner is re-establishing the school’s governance processes and is developing a productive stewardship partnership with school leaders. He has initiated consultation and information sharing with the school community and continues to work with school leaders to improve provision for staff and student wellbeing. The school is at an early stage of moving toward sustainable, effective governance by a board of trustees.
3 Other Matters
Provision for international students
The school is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of International Students) Code of Practice 2016 (the Code) established under section 238F of the Education Act 1989. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code.
At the time of this review there were two international students attending the school. There were no exchange students.
International students are well integrated into the school community and benefit from the school’s educational programmes and pastoral support. Teachers and leaders monitor the progress and wellbeing of these students.
4 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.
5 ERO’s Overall Judgement
On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of Al-Madinah 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.
6 Going forward
Key strengths of the school
For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:
- a curriculum that develops students’ understanding and self-efficacy as Muslim New Zealanders
- teaching and learning practices that increasingly promote student agency
- use of assessment data to inform teaching and learning programmes.
Next steps
For sustained improvement and future learner success, priorities for further development are in:
- providing equitable access to the curriculum for secondary girls
- developing more coherent evaluation and reporting of student progress and achievement
- reviewing the impact of initiatives to promote and support student wellbeing
- continuing developments that lead to effective self-governance.
Recommendations to other agencies
ERO recommends that the Secretary for Education consider continuing intervention under Part 7A of the Education Act 1989 in order to bring about the improvement in governance.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services Northern
Northern Region
7 February 2020
About the school
Location | Mangere, Auckland |
Ministry of Education profile number | 544 |
School type | State Integrated Composite (Years 1 to 15) |
School roll | 557 |
Gender composition | Boys 53% Girls 47% |
Ethnic composition | Indian 78% other Asian 16% other ethnic groups 6% |
Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS) | Yes |
Provision of Māori medium education | No |
Review team on site | October 2019 |
Date of this report | 7 February 2020 |
Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review June 2016 Education Review May 2012 Supplementary Review June 2010 |