Maidstone Intermediate

School Context

Maidstone Intermediate in Upper Hutt caters for 473 students in Years 7 and 8 and 25% are Māori.

The school’s vision is: ‘inspiring positive self-belief in learners to think critically and contribute meaningfully in an increasingly changing world’. Valued outcomes are for students to be motivated and inspired to success.

Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, school wide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:

• progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics
• progress and learning of students with additional needs
• wellbeing.

Evaluation Findings

1 Equity and excellence – valued outcomes for students

1.1 How well is the school achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for all its students?

Raising achievement to promote equity and excellence across the school remains a priority.

The school recognises that, generally, achievement in reading, writing and mathematics is low. There continues to be disparity for some groups of learners.

1.2 How effectively does this school respond to those Māori and other students whose learning and achievement need acceleration?

School data shows that there is an increase in students achieving at or above expectation by the time they leave the school at the end of Year 8. School reported data for 2017 shows that many Year 8 Māori students have made accelerated progress. The most significant gains have been in writing.

The school continues to focus on reducing disparity for Māori students.

2 School conditions for equity and excellence

2.1 What school processes and practices are effective in enabling achievement of equity and excellence?

Students’ progress is promoted through teachers using a wide range of responsive, learner-focused initiatives and strategies. Curriculum developments have led to increased student engagement in learning through the use of authentic, high interest contexts.

Staff know students well. Respectful relationships across the school promote student wellbeing in a positive learning environment. A school counsellor supports students who are faced with challenges that could impact on their learning.

School leaders and teachers efficiently use analysed progress and achievement information to inform teaching and learning priorities and school direction. Trustees are well informed. They receive timely information that allows them to monitor progress towards the school’s strategic goals and priorities, and supports their decision making.

The school has further developed processes and systems for building teachers’ and leaders’ capability. Collaboration with other schools, learning institutions and community agencies is well considered and is focused on improving outcomes for all students.

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

School leaders recognise, and ERO’s evaluation confirms, the need for a coherent approach across school practices and initiatives.

Leaders are appropriately focused on building processes and practices to achieve equitable outcomes for those Māori and other students whose learning, progress and achievement need acceleration. Consistently implementing these practices should better support response to those students most at risk of underachievement.

Building leaders’ knowledge and collective capacity to use focused internal evaluation should support a systematic approach to determining what works well to promote students’ learning progress, and what is needed to lift achievement overall and reduce disparities. The findings of such internal evaluation should better inform decisions and actions for improvement toward achievement of equity and excellence.

Developing partnerships with parents and whānau that support learning particularly for students identified in the school’s achievement targets is also a next step. 

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.

4 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

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

• provision of a positive and respectful environment that supports students’ engagement and learning within curriculum contexts that are of high interest
• pastoral care, that systematically responds to students’ needs and promotes their wellbeing for learning success
• analysis and use of achievement information for decision making about teaching and learning by the board, leaders and teachers.

Next steps

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

• achieving equity and excellence for all groups through promoting consistent practice across the school to raise overall achievement and reduce disparities
• developing learning partnerships with parents and whānau to further support students’ engagement and learning
• internal evaluation processes and practices, to evaluate the impact of initiatives and inform ongoing improvement

[ERO will provide and internal evaluation workshop as requested by 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
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)

Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region

12 February 2018

About the school