Bainesse School

School Context

Bainesse School is located in a rural setting near Palmerston North. Of the 57 students from Years 1 to 8, 14 are Māori.

The school vision strives to develop students in a supportive and caring environment. ‘Rural + values’ include fostering ‘respect, understanding, reliability, actions, loyalty plus positivity underpin teaching and learning’. Valued outcomes are for students to ‘respect themselves, others and the environment, accept difference, be dependable, make good choices, contribute to the community and believe in themselves’.

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

• achievement in reading, writing and mathematics
• progress and achievement in relation to school achievement targets.

Since the June 2016 ERO report, the school roll has continued to grow and there have been changes in staff and the board. In mid-2018, the school opened a third classroom for senior students. Property development of this third classroom for Year 6 to 8 students is community funded.

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 continues to develop systems to promote positive achievement outcomes for all students. School data for 2018, shows that most students, including Māori, achieved at or above expectation for reading, writing and mathematics.

School reported data shows that over time disparity has been reduced for Māori in writing and for boys in reading.

Year 8 outcomes show most students leave Bainesse School achieving at or above expectation in literacy.

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

The principal and teachers continue to focus on accelerating progress of those students, including Māori who need targeted support to achieve well. Achievement objectives for 2019, developed in response to 2018 student achievement information, clearly align to teachers’ class targets.

Data provided by the school shows accelerated progress and improved outcomes in 2018 for most students identified as priority learners.

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 effectively focuses on providing an organised and supportive environment to promote student learning and wellbeing. Clear expectations guide teachers to inquire into the impact of their practice and improve outcomes for students.

Teachers use a range of tools to identify and respond to the individual learning needs of students. They use data to monitor, track and report progress over time. Moderation across the school, and with a neighbouring school, support consistency of teacher judgments about progress and achievement. The principal analyses information to identify and report achievement for schoolwide, year level, gender and ethnicity cohorts. Trustees receive useful information about student achievement and curriculum focuses, that supports their decision making. Trustees work collaboratively to meet their statutory obligations and responsibilities.

The staff know students well. They are collectively responsible for all children. Teachers promote positive, inclusive learning environments and support students to be actively engaged in their learning. Students increasingly take responsibility for their own learning. Teachers respond to and adapt strategies to support target students. External expertise is sort to provide support for those students with additional learning needs.

Parents and community are welcome and involved in school activities as respected and valued partners in their children’s learning. Teachers and students share learning with parents through a variety of useful initiatives.

Purposeful curriculum strategies support learners to interact and learn with students from other schools. This includes planned activities for those in Year 8 to help their transition to high school. They have many opportunities to access learning in the local and wider community. A playgroup operating in the school grounds supports a seamless move to school, by building children’s confidence and capability as they transfer in to the new entrant classroom.

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

A tutor from the community with considerable knowledge of te ao Māori is supporting teachers and students to increase understanding of tikanga Māori. This initiative is in the early stages of implementation. Developing teachers’ capability and capacity to support a culturally responsive curriculum is ongoing. Further consideration should be given to ensure that the local community and the bicultural nature of Aotearoa/New Zealand are well reflected.

The principal and teachers are reflective and improvement focused. Further developing a shared understanding and use of robust internal evaluation, should better determine what works and what is needed to support and sustain ongoing improvement for equity and excellence of outcomes, for all children.

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 ERO’s overall judgement

On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO‘s overall evaluation judgement of Bainesse School performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.

ERO’s Framework: Overall School Performance 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 is consistent in its vision for high achievement outcomes for all students
• a culture of collaborative capability building that maintains high expectations for teaching and learning
• inclusive practices that are responsive to student needs, promote their wellbeing and support their learning progress and success.

Next steps

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

• continuing to build teacher knowledge of te reo Māori and understanding of tikanga Māori to support teachers to respond more effectively to student’s identity, language and culture and better reflects the school’s commitment to cultural responsiveness
• strengthening understanding and use of internal evaluation processes and practices to determine what is working well for students’ learning and where improvements are needed.

Phillip Cowie

Director Review and Improvement Services

Central Region

26 April 2019

About the school