School Context
The Gardens School provides education for students from Years 1 to 8. Thirty percent of students are Indian. The roll also includes smaller numbers of Māori and Pacific students and others from diverse ethnic backgrounds. There are a high number of English language learners and students with additional learning needs. A satellite class of Rosehill Special School operates in the school grounds.
Since ERO’s 2014 evaluation, the school has been rebuilt on the existing site. The new building, opened in 2018, provides innovative learning environments. Teachers have participated in professional development to build the skills and knowledge of adaptive teaching approaches required to maximise student learning in this new environment.
The school’s vision is to provide “education that prepares learners for their future and challenges them to continually strive”. Developing independent learners through student-driven learning is supported by the school’s core values of wonder, innovate, nurture, grow and succeed (WINGS).
Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:
- achievement in reading, writing and mathematics
- outcomes for students with additional learning needs
- progress and achievement in relation to school targets for reading and writing
- outcomes related to student wellbeing.
The Gardens School is a member of the Alfriston Kāhui Ako | Community of Learning (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 continuing to work towards achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for children.
School achievement data indicate that over the last three years the majority of students achieved at or above expected national curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics. The majority of Māori students achieve well. Students who attend the school for most of their learning make very good progress over time.
Students with English as an additional language receive regular and appropriate support. Home languages and cultural diversity are recognised and celebrated within the school’s curriculum.
Students achieve well in relation to the school’s broader valued outcomes. They develop learning dispositions and show persistence and resilience. Students interact positively with each other and with adults. They can talk about what helps them to learn and can make decisions about what and how they learn.
1.2 How well is the school accelerating learning for those Māori and other students who need this?
Leaders and teachers are continuing to work towards achieving parity for students who need to make accelerated progress.
Most children in their first three years of learning make accelerated progress. The achievement data indicates ongoing in-school disparity for boys in literacy and for Pacific students in literacy and mathematics. Since 2016, half of Pacific students have achieved at or above curriculum expectations.
Over the past three years the school has implemented a range of approaches and strategies which have resulted in some students making accelerated progress. Achievement data for 2018 indicate that small groups of Māori and Pacific students made progress in reading and mathematics.
Teachers use appropriate strategies to increase parity in achievement. They engage in collaborative professional conversations to track and monitor rates of progress and identify next steps for learning.
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?
Key school conditions that enable equity and excellence include quality leadership, a responsive curriculum, a teaching culture of collaboration and inquiry, and learning-centred partnerships with families. Leaders and teachers have a shared responsibility for student learning and wellbeing.
Leaders enacted high quality change management processes during the significant property redevelopment. They continue to provide progressive professional leadership and a clear direction for improvement.
Leaders effectively support the ongoing development of teachers’ individual and collective capability. They maintain high levels of relational trust across the school community.
Leaders and teachers create an environment that successfully promotes students’ ownership of their learning. Students enthusiastically participate in learning opportunities that promote creativity, collaboration, initiative and leadership.
The broad, responsive curriculum builds students’ oral language and vocabulary. Digital technologies are well integrated. Teachers inquire into the effectiveness of their teaching practice. Professional learning is deliberately focused on adapting teaching approaches to maximise student learning.
A coherent approach helps students with additional learning needs to make progress in relation to their individual goals. These students feel accepted, enjoy positive relationships with their peers and teachers, and are active, visible members of the learning community. Students build social and emotional competencies to help them to be successful learners.
Parents and whānau have meaningful opportunities to contribute to and participate in many aspects of school life. Parents, and increasingly students, have access to learning and achievement information through a digital platform. This ongoing communication and consultation are supporting learning-centred relationships.
The board supports the vision and future strategic direction of the school very well. They are committed to supporting positive outcomes for students and staff. Trustees bring a range of expertise and experience to their roles. The board makes well-informed resourcing decisions and seeks external expertise where appropriate.
2.2 What further developments are needed in school processes and practices for achievement of equity and excellence, and acceleration of learning?
Leaders are committed to gaining greater parity to achieve equity and excellence for all students. This could include teacher appraisal processes having a stronger focus on culturally responsive teaching practices.
Strengthening internal evaluation systems could assist leaders and trustees to monitor improvements through focused strategic planning. This includes:
- developing the school’s strategic direction for Māori success using Hautū (Māori Cultural Responsiveness tool) to strengthen the board’s understanding of ways to promote success for Māori learners
- continuing to focus on the rate and sufficiency of acceleration to achieve equitable outcomes, particularly for Pacific students and boys.
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 The Gardens School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed
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:
- leadership that supports a professional culture of improvement
- teacher capability and collective responsibility for student wellbeing and achievement
- a responsive curriculum that supports the development of student-directed learning
- reciprocal learning-focused relationships with parents and whānua.
Next steps
For sustained improvement and future learner success, priorities for further development are in:
- continuing to focus on the rate of acceleration to achieve equitable outcomes, particularly for Pacific students and boys
- increasing the focus on culturally responsive practices in the appraisal process
- leaders and trustees evaluating the impact of school improvements through focused strategic planning.
To improve current practice, the board of trustees need to strengthen their procedures for when the public should be excluded from a board meeting.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services Northern
Northern Region
24 January 2020
About the school
| Location | Auckland |
| Ministry of Education profile number | 6947 |
| School type | Full Primary (Years 1-8) |
| School roll | 588 |
| Gender composition | Girls 51% Boys 49% |
| Ethnic composition | Māori 14% NZ European/Pākehā 19% Indian 30% Chinese 10% Samoan 5% South East Asian 4% other Pacific 5% other Asian 4% other ethnic groups 9% |
| Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS) | Yes |
| Provision of Māori medium education | No |
| Review team on site | August 2019 |
| Date of this report | 24 January 2020 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review December 2014 Education Review October 2011 Education Review October 2008 |