Mangakahia Area School

Findings

On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO ‘s overall evaluation judgement of Mangakahia Area School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Developing.

1 Background and Context

What is the background and context for this school’s review?

Mangakahia Area School in Titoki village, west of Whangarei, caters for students in Years 1 to 13, mostly from the Mangakahia Valley area. The school roll has increased since ERO’s 2017 external evaluation. There are currently 90 students and most of them are Māori.

ERO’s 2017 report identified significant areas for development in governance, leadership, community partnership and the quality of teaching. The report recommended the school continue ongoing development work with the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the New Zealand School Trustees Association (NZSTA) aimed at increasing the school’s capability to improve student achievement. ERO also decided to carry out an ongoing evaluation, over the course of 1 to 2 years, to support and evaluate the school’s progress.

The MoE worked with the school to plan improvement in alignment with ERO’s recommendations. This planning formed the basis for evaluating progress during the 1 to 2 year review. A significant part of the improvement process involved a MoE Student Achievement Function (SAF) practitioner working with the school. ERO visited the school twice in 2018, and concluded the evaluation process with a visit in April 2019.

During the time of ERO’s 1 to 2 year evaluation, there have been changes to the composition of the board of trustees and teaching staff. A new deputy principal was appointed in 2018 with responsibilities that include the Year 1 to 8 programmes and shared leadership of teachers’ professional learning.

2 Review and Development

How effectively is the school addressing its priorities for review and development?

Priorities identified for review and development

The focus areas identified in the Review and Improvement plan were:

• improving teaching capability and student outcomes

• developing productive partnerships and community relationships

• building quality leadership and governance.

These were accepted as the priorities for review and development through the 1 to 2 year review, by both the board and ERO.

Progress

Teaching capability and student outcomes

The quality of teaching across the school has improved. Classroom environments are more conducive to learning. Teachers are setting clear expectations for students. Programmes and teaching approaches are more culturally responsive and focused on establishing good relationships between learners and their teachers.

New initiatives include the introduction of learning through play approaches in the junior school. In addition, there is more targeted teaching through the use of individual learning portfolios in the senior school. Some improvement is evident in the literacy and mathematics achievement of students in Years 1 to 8. Student engagement in learning has also increased across the school.

The Professional Learning Community (PLC), developed during the SAF intervention, involves teachers from all parts of the school. It provides improved connections between primary and secondary programmes. PLC leaders are now leading teacher professional learning and development (PLD). A new school curriculum is being developed and beginning to be implemented. Leaders recognise that the priority is to continue to strengthen teaching and assessment strategies that effectively accelerate student progress and achievement.

Productive partnerships and community relationships

Partnerships with, and support from, the local community is increasing. Community hui in 2018 have assisted the development of connections with the community. These connections include involving community members in school-initiated ‘action teams’ tasked with reviewing the curriculum, school events and communications. Responses in hui, and to community surveys, indicate improving community perceptions of the school. Parents and whānau are more positively engaging in pastoral, cultural and learning partnerships with the school.

The principal has encouraged a growing involvement of te rōpū takiwā o Mangakahia kuia (the valley ‘nannies’). This has strengthened connections with local marae, hapū and iwi. The ‘nannies’ affirm the development of a curriculum that teaches children to understand the history and tikanga of the Mangakahia Valley, and connects Māori students to their whakapapa and cultural heritage. They have assisted with a whole-school pōwhiri and cultural learning day at a local marae early this year. They are willing to be further involved in curriculum development, supporting liaison with whānau, and the pastoral care of students.

Quality leadership

The leadership team has increased connections and partnerships with the community and lead development of a new localised curriculum. It is also providing stronger leadership of teaching and learning. This is resulting in a more collaborative staff culture. This is supporting the continuation of the SAF developments, and providing better learning connections and transitions for students between primary and secondary programmes. School leaders have introduced an improved staff appraisal system. This supports ongoing development of teacher inquiry and evaluation of the effectiveness of programmes and practices. All of these developments are increasing the quality and sustainability of education provision for students.

Governance

The board continues to support school leaders’ initiatives for improving the school. Trustees have managed school finances well. The board is responsive to identified student needs through its resourcing of support programmes and interventions. The board also supports initiatives aimed at; reducing the concerning levels of student absence, improving community connections, and promoting school growth.

Regular governance policy review is undertaken. The specific policy review requirements identified in ERO’s 2017 review have been completed. Trustees are willing to further develop their governance capability. They are now considering the best timing for intensive governance training given the forthcoming board elections.

Key next steps

• raising achievement in senior school qualification pathways
• continuing to develop and implement the local curriculum in partnership with the community
• continue building the individual and collective strengths of the leadership team
• undertake board governance training facilitated by NZSTA.

3 Sustainable performance and self review

How well placed is the school to sustain and continue to improve and review its performance?

The school is developing the capacity and capability to sustain and continue to improve and review its performance. Improvements in curriculum, teaching and learning, and in community connections have strengthened the quality and sustainability of school’s educational provision.

Key next steps

The effectiveness of the stewardship partnership between school leaders and the board should be strengthened. Firstly, this should be done through targeted governance development, and secondly through professional learning that builds capacity and capability in internal evaluation that is focused on stewardship.

The board should also ensure that strands of its strategic planning are aimed at providing for ongoing capacity and capability building of school leadership and governance.

These key next steps should support and complement the school’s teaching and learning developments. They should also help to increase the schoolwide focus on significantly improving the equity and excellence of student outcomes.

Board assurance on legal requirements

Before the review, the board of trustees 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:

• board administration
• curriculum
• management of health, safety and welfare
• personnel management
• financial management
• asset management.

During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student achievement:

• emotional safety of students (including prevention of bullying and sexual harassment)
• physical safety of students
• teacher registration
• processes for appointing staff
• stand-downs, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions
• attendance.

ERO’s evaluation identified two areas where the board’s legislative obligations have not been met. Police vetting of some non-teaching staff, as part of ensuring a safe environment for children, has not been conducted as regularly as required. Also, the most recent annual appraisal of the principal has not been completed.

To meet its legislative obligations, the board must:

1. establish and implement procedures for the police vetting of employees and contractors as required by The Education Act 1989 Sections 78C to 78CD

2. annually assess the principal against all the professional standards for principals.
   [NZ Education Gazette and the Area Schools Principals’ employment agreement]

4 Recommendations

Recommendations, including any to other agencies for ongoing or additional support.

ERO recommends that:

• NZSTA provide a programme of governance training targeted to the needs of the school board and individual trustees

• ERO provides an internal evaluation workshop focused on increasing the collective stewardship capacity of school leaders and trustees to evaluate the effectiveness of school actions focused on improving outcomes for students.

Conclusion

On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO ‘s overall evaluation judgement of Mangakahia Area School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Developing.

ERO’s Framework: Overall School Performance is available on ERO’s website.

Steve Tanner

Director Review and Improvement Services Northern

Northern Region

30 May 2019

About the School

Summary

Mangakahia Area School has 73 students enrolled in Years 1 to 13. Ninety percent of learners are of Māori descent, and eight percent identify as Pākehā. Since the last ERO review a new principal was appointed in 2015, and there are new members of the senior leadership team, and new teachers and trustees.

Senior leaders have led a focus on developing a holistic approach to pastoral care based on knowing individual learners well. This is creating a positive foundation for students’ learning.

Over the past two years a Ministry of Education, Student Achievement Function (SAF) facilitator has worked in the junior school to increase student progress and achievement in reading and writing. Senior leaders report that this support is helping teachers to develop their practice and strategies to promote positive learning outcomes for students.

In 2016, approximately half of the students in Years 1 to 8 achieved the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Data show some disparity between boys’ and girls’ achievement across the standards. In 2016, the majority of Year 10 to 13 students had achieved NCEA Level 1. Smaller numbers achieved NCEA Levels 2 and 3.

Senior leaders and the board acknowledge that an ongoing, deliberate focus on accelerating progress, and lifting the achievement of the majority of learners is an urgent priority. Areas for development identified in the 2014 ERO report also remain priorities for development. ERO affirms the planning that is in place for embedding and extending the progress made through the SAF initiative, across and into the senior area of the school.

ngoing training to build trustees’ capability and understanding around their stewardship role is likely to help ensure that the charter is implemented successfully.The school has recently refocused around the motto ‘to strive, to seek, to find’. This motto is underpinned by the school values of wairua, kotāhitanga, whanaungatanga and matauranga. The board, senior leaders, teachers and parents are developing a new school charter that prioritises student achievement and success. O

The school is a member of the Ngā Kura mo te ako o Whangarei (Group 4) Community of Learning |Kahui Ako.

How well is the school achieving equitable outcomes for all children?

Overall achievement is low across the school and some disparity in achievement is evident between girls and boys in the junior area.

The school’s new charter appropriately prioritises goals focused on lifting student achievement and promoting student success. Trustees, school leaders and teachers acknowledge that further targeted planning and professional learning will be key to successfully addressing their goals to achieve equity and excellence for all students.

ERO intends to carry out a process of ongoing evaluation over the course of one-to-two years, to support the school’s ongoing development towards equity and excellence in learning outcomes for students.

Equity and excellence

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

Senior leaders and the board are aware of the need to respond more effectively to Māori and other children whose learning needs acceleration.

The junior school’s 2016 achievement information showed that approximately half the students achieved the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. This information shows some disparity between boys’ and girls’ achievement across the national standards.

The SAF facilitator has been working in the junior school for the last two years to increase student progress and achievement in reading and writing. This intervention is strengthening teacher practice. The positive impact of this work is evident in individual learners’ improved achievement. Leaders and teachers recognise that further work is necessary to more consistently accelerate the progress of learners who need this.

Teachers in the junior school have developed processes to ensure that their assessment judgements are reliable. This provides a useful foundation for improving the quality and consistency of assessment across the wider school.

Senior leaders are beginning to address the issues identified in the March 2017 Managing National Assessment (MNA) report. They are reviewing practices to ensure assessment processes and decisions are credible.

Senior leaders and teachers have succeeded in significantly reducing student stand-downs for all groups of students. They continue to explore strategies to improve student attendance rates.

School conditions supporting equity and excellence

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

The school has established a number of processes and practices that have been effective in building a positive school culture and supporting the progress and achievement of all learners.

School processes and practices that have made a positive impact on learning in the past three years include:

• a strategic refocus on the school’s vision and school motto ‘to strive, to seek, to find’, and the school values of wairua, kotāhitanga, whanaungatanga and matauranga

• the development of holistic pastoral care focused on knowing individual learners, establishing restorative practices, and supporting students to build positive relationships

• senior leaders and teachers working to develop a positive, calm and respectful school culture and tone

• a collaborative approach by the board, senior leaders, teachers and parents to developing the school charter

• programmes for te reo and tikanga Māori, including kapa haka, giving Māori children a sense of belonging, identity and engagement in the school

• the Kia Eke Panuku strategy, implemented through the teacher appraisal process, that contributes to strengthening teacher pedagogy and teacher-student relationships.

Sustainable development for equity and excellence

What further developments are needed in school processes to achieve equity and excellence?

The school’s new charter appropriately prioritises lifting student achievement and success. In order to realise their charter goals, trustees, school leaders and teachers should strengthen and extend ongoing targeted and planned approaches for achieving equity and excellence for all students.

Key and ongoing priorities to help drive school improvement include:

• improving the scope and rigour of the school’s internal evaluation practices, using the recent ‘culturally responsive teaching’ evaluation process as a model

• continuing to grow teachers’ capability to promote accelerated shifts in achievement

• board training to build trustees’ capability and understanding around their stewardship role to help ensure the school’s sustainability

• continuing to build partnerships with whānau and the wider school community, and support for parents as partners in their children’s learning.

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

• 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 required

ERO identified non-compliance in relation to the National Administration Guidelines.

In order to address this the board must develop:

1. a policy and procedures to support compliance with the Health and Safety Work Act 2015. National Administration Guidelines, 5

2. a policy to reflect the school’s existing procedures for responding to students with special needs. National Administration Guidelines, 1

Going forward

How well placed is the school to accelerate the achievement of all children who need it?

At the time of this review, this school was not well placed to provide conditions for learners to achieve educational excellence, or to address in-school disparities. Areas for development are:

• lifting overall levels of student achievement

• developing consistency in teacher skills and capability to accelerate student progress

• building on internal evaluation practices to help drive school improvement

• continuing to build board capability and understanding around its stewardship role.

Leaders and teachers:

• have not yet adequately established necessary conditions to effectively accelerate learning and achievement

• are not well placed to achieve and sustain accelerated achievement for all learners who need it.

ERO intends to carry out a process of ongoing evaluation to support development over the course of one-to-two years.

Recommendations

ERO recommends that the school continue ongoing development work with the Ministry of Education and the New Zealand School Trustees Association aimed at lifting student achievement, improving teaching and internal evaluation practice, and building board capability.

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer NorthernTe Tai Raki - Northern Region

29 November 2017

About the school