Figure 1.--Many private schools have been integrated into the state system. This former private college now operates as a state coed secondary school. Most New Zealand secondary schools are now coeducational..
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Figure 1.--Many private schools have been integrated into the state system. This former private college now operates as a state coed secondary school. Most New Zealand secondary schools are now coeducational.. |
The Educational Review Office (ERO) prepared the following CONFIRMED DISCRETIONARY REVIEW REPORT of a state coed secondary school in Cambridge on South Island.
A discretionary review evaluates the quality of education received by students and the performance of the Board of Trustees in relation to specific areas of concern. The terms of reference for this review are specified in section 1.3 of this report. This discretionary review report was prepared in accordance with standard procedures approved by the Chief Review Officer.
Location: Christchurch
Type: Co-educational Secondary School
Special features: Bi-lingual Unit (Whanau)
Years: 9-13 Academies
Teaching staff:
Roll generated entitlement: 68.23
Other: 5.80
No of teachers: 75.00
Teacher salary funding: Central payroll
Number of foreign (fee-paying) students: 20
Roll number: 1137
Ethnic composition: Pakeha 64%; Mäori 26%; Pacific Island 9%; Others 1%
Gender composition: Girls 49%; Boys 51%
Previous Office reports Review, February 1992 Assurance Audit, 1995; Accountability Review, February 1998; On site investigation 21 - 23 April 1999; Date of this report 22 June 1999.
To evaluate the performance of the board of trustees in addressing concerns related to:
· curriculum management;
· health education consultation;
· performance management;
· Mäori education;
· self review; and
· the time the school is open for instruction.
The teachers and staff have made considerable progress in improving the quality of the school’s management practices. The school curriculum is now more tightly managed. A curriculum co-ordinator provides clear direction for staff. As a result, the
department schemes and class programmes are more closely linked to the national curriculum statements. The teachers have made significant progress in improving the quality of curriculum delivery in two of the four departments focused on in this review. English and
science departments are now implementing programmes that are consistent with their respective national curriculum statements. Further development is needed in technology and mathematics before all of the national curriculum requirements are met.
The staff are now able to identify and manage risks to students’ learning more effectively. They have improved the quality of the practices used to assess student achievement. An assessment coordinator has developed and documented a thorough school-wide
assessment programme. The senior managers now need to ensure that all teachers monitor students’ progress against the national achievement objectives and
develop reporting practices that show how well the students achieve these objectives.
The trustees and staff have extended provisions for supporting students and their learning. There is a school-wide literacy programme,
new junior academies and strategies for increasing the participation and success of Mäori students. The performance management system now meets requirements. It could be improved by identifying indicators of effective teaching performance. The board has still some matters that need to be addressed. The programme for ongoing self review should be completed and implemented. The principal needs to complete the procedures for consulting on the health education programme. The next Education Review Office review is likely to be part of a regular review cycle.
Documentation
The senior management staff have implemented a comprehensive curriculum action plan. This plan provides clear direction and timelines for staff with curriculum responsibilities. It has resulted in the heads of department aligning their schemes more closely to the National Education Guidelines (NEGs).
The English department has developed an appropriate scheme. It provides a comprehensive guide for staff and is clearly linked to the NEGs, the school goals and the department goals. Teachers’ planning is now consistently based on the national English curriculum
statement.
The science teachers have developed thorough planning procedures that make sure teachers consistently base their class programmes on Science in the New Zealand Curriculum. The unit plans and record systems make sure the teachers implement the New Zealand Curriculum. Further progress is needed in the technology area. The technology coordinator and teachers have developed a strategy to deliver the technology curriculum across a range of subject areas. They have planned a coordinated programme for Year 9 students only for 1999. Programme plans also need to be based more clearly on the achievement objectives of the national curriculum statement. [Action 4.1.1]
Documentation within the mathematics department should be improved. The scheme assists staff in delivering programmes at each year level that relate to the national curriculum and examination prescriptions. It includes no reference to the mathematical processes
strand and contains few guidelines to indicate how teachers should plan, cater for individual differences, monitor student progress and
incorporate a problem-solving approach in their programmes. The head of department needs to document how the teachers will implement a mathematics programme that is consistent with national curriculum requirements.[Action 4.1.1]
The senior management has not yet fully implemented the planned changes to the curriculum management structure. When the review committee is fully operational, the senior management will be better able to monitor the quality of the curriculum documentation.
Implementation of the national curriculum statements
The staff have made significant progress in improving the quality of curriculum delivery. The students are receiving learning programmes
in English and science that are consistent with the national curriculum statements. The programme in technology provides the students
with a sound covering of the strands, but does not cover the six required technology areas. The students receive a mathematics
programme based on the content strands and achievement objectives, but the students are still not receiving sufficient experiences in the processes strand.
Assessment
The assessment coordinator has provided staff with effective training and detailed guidelines. She has also established systematic procedures for monitoring the implementation of the guidelines. As a result, the teachers have significantly improved the quality of
assessment practices. However, the way teachers use assessment information does not always show how it improves students’ achievement or the quality of
programmes, or that it is used for monitoring progress. Heads of department need to make sure that teachers consistently assess
against learning outcomes derived from the achievement objectives.
Monitoring
The teachers have made some progress in meeting the requirement to monitor student progress against the national achievement objectives. English and science staff have developed systems to track the progress of individual students. Teachers of English are
introducing portfolios to assist with this process. Senior managers need to implement procedures so that this requirement is met in all curriculum areas.[Action 4.1.2]
Barriers to learning
There are several innovative ways for addressing barriers to learning. The board, principal and staff continue to implement a range of effective strategies at school, department and classroom level. New initiatives since the previous review include a comprehensive school-wide literacy programme and junior academies that are designed to motivate students and improve their learning skills. The staff could include clearer statements in their curriculum management documents on how they identify and address barriers to learning so that consistent practices are followed by all teachers. When the quality of assessment information improves this should provide a wider source of information for identifying barriers to learning.
Reporting
The quality of the teachers’ reports on student progress varies considerably between departments. Senior management staff need to
make sure that reports to parents give a clearer indication of how well students have achieved.
The improvements being made to assessment procedures should give better information about how well students are achieving in
relation to the national achievement objectives. Teachers should include this information in their reports on student progress. Reports to parents should indicate what stands and at what level of the national curriculum students are working.
The board has still to fully meet the requirements related to health education consultation and the approval of sex education in the
school’s curriculum. The health coordinator has sought parent and caregiver opinion on the treatment of the school’s health
programme. The principal has still to present a written report to the board on the nature and the results of this consultation and the
proposed future treatment of the various elements of the school’s health programme, including sex education.[Action 4.1.4]
The performance appraisal policy was reviewed and ratified by the board in September 1998. It now meets requirements. The
performance management system is well documented and all staff have a set of clear guidelines.
Staff are appraised against the criteria of Appendix G in the Secondary Teachers’ Collective Employment Contract, but no indicators
have been established to assist with self-appraisal or to make consistent judgements. When the Secondary Teachers’ Collective Employment Contract is agreed, the board should consider developing appropriate indicators that match the agreed performance criteria.
The principal and staff have continued to develop effective strategies to increase Mäori students’ participation and success in
education. These strategies include the development of a mainstream Mäori culture group and greater inclusion of mainstream students
in cultural events and celebrations. Whanau teachers appreciate the impact of the literacy initiative on Mäori students. They feel
well-supported by senior management and mainstream teachers. These improvements and the quality of information the staff and
trustees have collected about student achievement demonstrate their obvious commitment to promoting the achievement of Mäori students.
Further developments should be made in this area. The whanau teachers recognise that they could provide more training for all teachers. The senior management needs to make certain that whanau students’ programmes cover the seven learning areas of the national curriculum. They should also evaluate how teachers include a Mäori perspective in their teaching programmes.[Action 4.1.3]
The principal should consider giving a teacher specific responsibility for the pastoral care and learning success for Mäori students in mainstream classes so that their achievement and wellbeing are more closely monitored.
The board and staff have made significant progress in developing self-review procedures that make sure they meet educational
requirements and provide quality learning opportunities for students. They have begun to collect better information about how well the
students are learning. The board is monitoring the overall progress and development of a sample of Year 9 students as they progress
through the school. The trustees are also reviewing how well policies are being implemented and the extent to which the policies
provide effective guidelines for managing the school. These procedures are giving the trustees and staff a better overview of the
school’s effectiveness and supporting their efforts to sustain school improvement.
The programme needs to be developed further so that it identifies how well the school curriculum meets the national requirements and
the needs of the students. The board needs to make sure the programme is comprehensive and ongoing. It should develop a
self-review policy that establishes procedures for reviewing each area of the school’s operation. The trustees should schedule policy
reviews so that the effectiveness of policies is evaluated regularly.[Action 4 .1.3]
The board needs to make certain that the school provides adequate time for instruction in the national curriculum. It should take into
account the requirements of the Education Act, 1989 and new regulations that may be determined when approving times for staff professional development and discussion and supervision of student sporting activities.
In order to meet its agreed accountabilities, the board of trustees must:
4.1.1: make sure that technology and mathematics programmes are based upon the strands and objectives of the respective curriculum statements; [National Administration Guideline, 1(i), National Education Guidelines, 1993]
4.1.2: monitor student progress against the national achievement objectives in all areas of learning; [National Administration Guidelines, 1(ii), National Education Guidelines, 1993]
4.1.3: extend the self-review programme to make sure that the school curriculum is consistent with national curriculum guidelines, that the programmes reflect a Mäori perspective and that all areas of board operation are included; and [National Administration Guideline, 4; National Education Guidelines, 1993]
4.1.4: complete implementing the legal requirements to consult on the school’s health education programme and formally approve the sex education component of the school’s curriculum. [Education Act, 1964, S105C]
The board and staff have made considerable improvements to school governance and management, especially in the area of curriculum management. The needs of the students are considered and programmes are put in place to meet them. The board and staff need to
monitor their own performance now so that they continue to build on the progress they have made and meet the actions that still need
to be addressed.
Isabell Sinclair Irwin signed
Area Manager
for Chief Review Officer
22 June 1999
22 June 1999 TO THE COMMUNITY OF ARANUI HIGH SCHOOL
A discretionary review evaluates the quality of education received by students and the performance of the Board of Trustees in relation to specific areas of concern as identified during a previous accountability review or as raised with ERO. This is a summary of our latest report on Aranui High School.
The teachers and staff have made considerable progress in improving the quality of the school’s management practices. The school curriculum is now more tightly managed. A curriculum co-ordinator provides clear direction for staff. As a result, the
department schemes and class programmes are more closely linked to the national curriculum statements. The teachers have made
significant progress in improving the quality of curriculum delivery in two of the four departments focused on in this review. English and
science departments are now implementing programmes that are consistent with their respective national curriculum statements.
Further development is needed in technology and mathematics before all of the national curriculum requirements are met.
The staff are now able to identify and manage risks to students’ learning more effectively. They have improved the quality of the
practices used to assess student achievement. An assessment coordinator has developed and documented a thorough school-wide assessment programme. The senior managers now need to ensure that all teachers monitor students’ progress against the national achievement objectives and
develop reporting practices that show how well the students achieve these objectives.
The trustees and staff have extended provisions for supporting students and their learning. There is a school-wide literacy programme, new junior academies and strategies for increasing the participation and success of Mäori students. The performance management system now meets requirements. It could be improved by identifying indicators of effective teaching performance.
The board has still some matters that need to be addressed. The programme for ongoing self review should be completed and
implemented. The principal needs to complete the procedures for consulting on the health education programme.
The next Education Review Office review is likely to be part of a regular review cycle.
When ERO has reviewed a school we ask the board of trustees to let us know how they intend to manage any difficulties set out in their report (copies of which are available from the school or ERO). We also encourage boards to inform their community of any follow up action plan. You should talk to the board or principal if you have any questions about this summary, the full report or their future intentions.
Isabell Sinclair Irwin signed
Area Manager
for Chief Review Officer
