Education REVIEW REPORT:
ANDERSON'S BAY SCHOOL

 

FEBRUARY 2008

 

1.           About the School

 

2.           The Education Review Office (ERO) Evaluation

 

3.           The Focus of the Review

 

4.           Areas of National Interest

 

5.           Board Assurance on Compliance Areas

 

6.           Recommendations

 

7.           Future Action

 

              Community Page

Disclaimer   Individual ERO school and early childhood centre reports are public information and may be copied or sent electronically.  However, the Education Review Office can guarantee only the authenticity of original documents which have been obtained in hard copy directly from either the local ERO office or ERO Corporate Office in Wellington.  Please consult your telephone book, or see the ERO web page, http://www.ero.govt.nz, for ERO office addresses.

This report has been prepared in accordance with standard procedures approved by the Chief Review Officer.

 

1.                About the School

Location	Anderson’s Bay, Dunedin
Ministry of Education profile number	3703
School type	Contributing (Year 1 – 6)
Decile rating[1]	10
Teaching staff:        Roll generated entitlement        Number of teachers	13.09 15
School roll	279
Gender composition	Girls     52% Boys    48%
Ethnic composition	NZ European/Pākehā   90% Māori                             6% Other                              4%
Review team on site	October 2007
Date of this report	15 February 2008
Previous ERO reports	Education Review                      April 2005 Accountability Review       November 2001 Effectiveness Review                  May 1997 Assurance Audit               November 1994 Effectiveness Review              August 1992

2.                The Education Review Office (ERO) Evaluation

Anderson’s Bay School provides a caring and safe environment for its students to learn, work and play.  Teachers promote students’ self esteem.  Students are friendly and respectful of others.  The students that spoke with ERO said they enjoyed their learning and enjoyed being at Anderson’s Bay School.

 

Students and teachers receive strong support and involvement from their parents.  Parents coach sports teams, help fundraise for the school and help in some class programmes.  The board of trustees provides good resources for the wide variety of learning and teaching programmes.  It has high expectations that all students will succeed in their learning. 

 

There are strong links between the school, homes and the community.  Parents are consulted about the future direction of the school.  They are invited to celebrate student success at school assemblies, viewing their child’s work on web pages and at parent teacher interviews.  Students are involved in wider community activities.  For instance, collecting for a foodbank, selling ANZAC poppies. 

 

The school offers students before and after-school care.  Parents accompany students to school on the “walking school bus”.  Five year olds are introduced to school through an effective transition programme.

 

The 2005 ERO report made several recommendations.  These included improving how the school reported student achievement to parents and community, and setting more challenging targets to raise student achievement.  The school also had to make sure that planned developments in information and communication technologies (ICT) took place.  The board, principal and teachers have made good progress with these recommendations. 

 

The focus of this review is the quality of learning and teaching with emphasis on mathematics and physical education. ERO also reviewed the achievement of Māori students, the school’s provision for gifted and talented students and pandemic planning.  The school’s systems for providing a safe physical and emotional environment were investigated and no concerns were found. 

 

The senior managers provide regular reports to the board about student achievement.  These reports show that nearly all students are achieving at or above national expectations in all areas.  Māori student achievement is similar to their non-Māori peers.  A three-year study of scores in mathematics shows that Anderson’s Bay students are achieving above average against national and international averages.  The board and senior managers could make more use of the student achievement information to identify groups of students whose achievement could be raised even further.  In physical education students’ abilities are recognised and extended.  The next step for teachers is to make sure these abilities are extended within lessons.

 

Students receive purposeful teaching in all curriculum areas.  Teachers have a very good knowledge of students’ abilities.  They provide a range of learning experiences that engage students in their learning.  Students told ERO that mathematics, physical education and the arts were their favourite subjects.  The learning support programme provides specific help for identified students.  Some students are involved in enrichment and extension programmes within and outside the school.  The board, teachers and school community have yet to define what giftedness and talent is at Anderson’s Bay School.  Then useful programmes could be extended to cater for the diverse abilities of students.

 

Each year all students spend a week celebrating things Māori.  Year 5 and 6 students visit a local marae and the school has established a kapahaka group.  This is open to all students and performs at school and out-of-school events.  Class programmes include te reo and tikanga Māori for all students.

 

Teachers are reflective about their practices.  They discuss students’ progress and their teaching programmes at syndicate and whole staff meetings.  The results of these discussions need to contribute to the formal reviews of curriculum areas.  It is likely that with a more organised and indepth self-review system the board would be in a better position to make informed resourcing decisions.

 

The caretaker takes great care to provide attractive and well-maintained grounds and facilities.

 

Future Action

ERO is confident that the board of trustees can manage the school in the interests of the students and the Crown and bring about the improvements outlined in this report. 

ERO will review the school again as part of the regular review cycle.

3.                The Focus of the Review 

Student Achievement Overall

ERO’s education reviews focus on student achievement.  What follows is a statement about what the school knows about student achievement overall.

 

The board receive school-wide achievement information each term.  Over two years all areas of the curriculum are reported.  These reports show that nearly all students are achieving at or above national expectations in all curriculum areas.

 

The school has compared mathematics achievement information over three years.  This information shows that Anderson’s Bay students are, on average, achieving above national and international averages.

 

School Specific Priorities

Before the review, the board of Anderson's Bay School was invited to consider its priorities for review using guidelines and resources provided by ERO.  ERO also used documentation provided by the school to contribute to the scope of the review.

 

The detailed priorities for review were then determined following a discussion between the ERO review team and the board of trustees.  This discussion focused on existing information held by the school (including student achievement and self‑review information) and the extent to which potential issues for review contributed to the achievement of the students at Anderson's Bay School.

 

ERO and the board have agreed on the following focus area for the review:

 

·         learning and teaching, with an emphasis on mathematics and physical education.

ERO’s findings in this area are set out below.

 

LLearning and Teaching, with an Emphasis on Mathematics and Physical Education

Background

The board and ERO agreed to review the effectiveness of learning and teaching, especially in mathematics and physical education.  Teachers have completed training for teaching numeracy and physical education through new approaches.  The school has revised its mathematics and physical education teaching guidelines.  ERO investigated by observing in the classrooms, reading school records and other documentation, and speaking with various groups within the school community.

 

Areas of good performance

·         Student engagement.  Students are highly motivated to learn. The teachers provide a range of appropriate and purposeful activities during lessons.  The variety of activities and range of teaching approaches the teachers use, keep the students interested and focused on their learning.  Students were seen enjoying discussions with their peers about their work.  Students told ERO they feel valued and supported in their learning.

·         Learning environment.  Students learn and work in caring and safe environments. Students are willing to take risks and are encouraged to participate in new experiences.  Teachers have high expectations for behaviour and students have good relationships with each other and adults.  Teachers promptly identify students who require extra support with learning and behaviour. 

·         Programme planning.  Students are provided with a wide range of learning experiences across all areas of the curriculum.  There are clear links between national curriculum statements, school guidelines, class planning and teaching.  Teachers’ individual strengths and interests are used to provide extra depth to learning in topics such as music.  The school employs professional coaches to teach swimming.  Parents and community members help with extra programmes such as Spanish, Gamelan music, art and singing. 

·         Mathematics and physical education teaching.  Students benefit from very good teaching in mathematics and physical education.  The teachers have an indepth knowledge of these curriculum areas.  They make effective use of mathematics assessment information to cater for the different abilities of students.  Lessons are well structured and teaching focuses on specific skills and understandings.  Teachers meet regularly to review student progress and to adjust groupings.  Lessons are well paced and the students show high levels of participation in group and individual learning situations.  Many students spoken with by ERO said mathematics and physical education were their favourite subjects. 

·         Teacher’ expectations.  Teachers have high expectations for students’ achievement in mathematics.  Students are encouraged to set and achieve personal goals that focus on aspects of their learning.  The teachers give useful feedback and next learning steps to students throughout the lesson.  Students’ thinking is challenged through the use of effective questioning.  In 2006, achievement levels in fractions were lower than other areas of numeracy.  Teachers focused on this area throughout the year.  As a result, achievement levels were significantly lifted.

·         Linking school and home.  The school promotes parent and community involvement in the school and encourages students to be involved in community activities.  Students collect for a foodbank and sell ANZAC poppies.  Parents receive regular reports from the school about their child’s achievement across the curriculum.  Parents can view their child’s work on a webpage.  Parents are welcome to visit the school at anytime and can contribute anonymous feedback to the school through a triennial survey.  Teachers said the transition-to-school programme benefits parents as well as students and contributes to their sense of belonging to the school.  Parents actively support school and class activities.  They organise successful community events and fund-raising projects. 

 

Areas for improvement

·         Self review of teaching programmes.  For the last few years senior managers and teachers have reviewed curriculum areas at the same time as school-wide development in that particular area.  The school currently has a plan that would allow for all curriculum areas to be reviewed over a 5-year period.  At syndicate level, teachers discuss teaching programmes and units of work.  The results of these discussions do not contribute to the formal reviews of curriculum areas.  The board of trustees acknowledge the need to strengthen their review procedures.  A more rigorous review process should identify practices that are working well and areas that require development.  Reviews should also make recommendations from the findings that are subsequently actioned and the progress reported to the board on a regular basis.  It is likely that students’ learning will be further enhanced when the school’s self-review processes are more deliberate and ongoing.  [Recommendation 6.1]

 

·         Involvement in learning.  Currently students have some involvement in making decisions about their learning.  Generally, teachers decide what the topic for study will be.  In some curriculum areas, students can choose from within a topic, what they will focus their learning on.  All teachers are developing their awareness and skills in teaching through an inquiry learning approach. As this approach becomes more established, students are likely to have greater opportunities to explore their areas of interest and identify the skills they need to do this. 
[Recommendation 6.2]

 

4.                Areas of National Interest

Overview

ERO provides information about the education system as a whole to Government to be used as the basis for long-term and systemic educational improvement.  ERO also provides information about the education sector for schools, parents and the community through its national reports.

 

To do this ERO decides on topics and investigates them for a specific period in all applicable schools nationally.

 

During the review of Anderson's Bay School ERO investigated and reported on the following areas of national interest.  The findings are included in this report so that information about the school is transparent and widely available.

 

The Achievement of Māori Students: Progress 

In this review, ERO evaluated the progress the school has made since the last review in improving the achievement of Māori students and in initiatives designed to promote improved achievement. 

 

At the time of the 2004 ERO review, the school had comprehensive achievement information to show that Māori students generally achieve at or above the school’s expected levels in all learning areas.  This continues to be the case.  The review also reported that the school environment promoted bicultural ideals and values, and a Māori perspective was being integrated in some curriculum areas.  The school had a teaching plan for integrating te reo Māori and aspects of Māori culture into teaching and learning programmes.

 

Area of progress

The school has formed a kapahaka group.  This group is open to all students and currently has 60 members.  It performs at school events and at the annual local schools’ Polynesian festival.  ERO watched an enthusiastic and tuneful performance from this group at a school assembly.  Each year the Year 5 and 6 students visit a local marae.  The principal spoke highly of this experience for students and adults.

 

Area for further improvement

The principal acknowledges the need to revise the Māori teaching plan and include it in the school-wide self-review process.  The school has plans to provide teachers with professional development in te reo Māori to increase their confidence and use in this area.

 

Providing for Gifted and Talented Students

National Education Guideline 1 (iii c) requires schools to identify students with gifted and talented needs and to develop and implement teaching and learning strategies to meet their needs.  ERO is currently evaluating how schools nationally are providing for gifted and talented students.

At the time of the 2004 ERO review the school was providing extension and enrichment learning opportunities for selected groups of students.  The report identified the need to:

 

·        increase the level of monitoring of student progress and achievement in these groups;

 

·         review the selection process to include parent nomination; and

 

·        ensure that individual student’s work habits do not disqualify very able students.

 

This report identifies that there has been progress made in these areas since the last review.

 

Students showing a particular interest and ability in specific curriculum areas, are given the opportunity to be part of an extension class for one hour a week.  Many students are provided with learning experiences in a variety of off-site programmes. 

 

Teachers provide multilevel reading and mathematics programmes within classrooms and across classrooms.  These programmes meet the needs of the talented students.

 

Areas for improvement

·         Understanding of requirements for providing for gifted and talented students.  The current policy does not show a clear understanding of what a gifted and talented programme is or how it will be provided.  The management team, in consultation with trustees, parents and teachers, have yet to develop a definition of what gifted and talented means for Anderson’s Bay School.  The identification process needs to be strengthened to make sure that the wide variety of giftedness and talents are recognised and catered for across a broad range of areas.  By improving its understandings and systems the school should be in a better position to provide good quality programmes for gifted and talented students.

 

·         Monitoring the effectiveness of programmes.  The management team has yet to develop appropriate ways for planning teaching programmes and monitoring student achievement. Planning does not include sufficient detail about what skills and understandings students are expected to be developing and learning.  Without clear learning outcomes and useful achievement information the team is unable to evaluate the effectiveness of the programmes being implemented.  [Recommendation 6.1]

 

Recommendations

4.1      The senior managers:

 

·          consult with trustees, teachers and parents to establish a shared understanding of what giftedness and talent means for students at Anderson’s Bay School; and

·          strengthen the process of identification of all students.

4.2       The management team provides clear guidelines for programme planning and the monitoring and assessment of students involved in gifted and talented programmes.

 

Pandemic Planning

In all school reviews ERO is currently evaluating the extent to which schools have planned for a potential influenza pandemic in terms of the guidelines provided by the Ministry of Education. 

 

In ERO’s view Anderson's Bay School has taken steps to prepare for such a pandemic. 

 

5.                 Board Assurance on Compliance Areas

Overview

Before the review, the board of trustees and principal of Anderson's Bay School completed an ERO Board Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist.  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; and

·         asset management.

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

 

·         emotional safety of students (including prevention of bullying and sexual harassment);

·         physical safety of students;

·         teacher registration;

·         stand-downs, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions; and

·         attendance.

Compliance

ERO’s investigations did not identify any areas of concern. 

 

6.                Recommendations

ERO and the board of trustees developed the following recommendations to improve student achievement. 

 

6.1       The board of trustees and senior managers strengthen the school’s self-review methods to make sure learning and teaching programmes are effectively catering for the abilities and interests of all students.

 

6.2       Teachers extend the involvement students have in making decisions about their own learning.

 

7.                Future Action

ERO is confident that the board of trustees can manage the school in the interests of the students and the Crown and bring about the improvements outlined in this report. 

ERO will review the school again as part of the regular review cycle.

Isabell Sinclair Irwin
Area Manager

 

 

for Chief Review Officer

 

15 February 2008

To the Parents and Community of Anderson's Bay School

 

These are the findings of the Education Review Office’s latest report on Anderson's Bay School.

 

Anderson’s Bay School provides a caring and safe environment for its students to learn, work and play.  Teachers promote students’ self esteem.  Students are friendly and respectful of others.  The students that spoke with ERO said they enjoyed their learning and enjoyed being at Anderson’s Bay School.

 

Students and teachers receive strong support and involvement from their parents.  Parents coach sports teams, help fundraise for the school and help in some class programmes.  The board of trustees provides good resources for the wide variety of learning and teaching programmes.  It has high expectations that all students will succeed in their learning. 

 

There are strong links between the school, homes and the community.  Parents are consulted about the future direction of the school.  They are invited to celebrate student success at school assemblies, viewing their child’s work on web pages and at parent teacher interviews.  Students are involved in wider community activities.  For instance, collecting for a foodbank, selling ANZAC poppies. 

 

The school offers students before and after-school care.  Parents accompany students to school on the “walking school bus”.  Five year olds are introduced to school through an effective transition programme.

 

The 2005 ERO report made several recommendations.  These included improving how the school reported student achievement to parents and community, and setting more challenging targets to raise student achievement.  The school also had to make sure that planned developments in information and communication technologies (ICT) took place.  The board, principal and teachers have made good progress with these recommendations. 

 

The focus of this review is the quality of learning and teaching with emphasis on mathematics and physical education. ERO also reviewed the achievement of Māori students, the school’s provision for gifted and talented students and pandemic planning.  The school’s systems for providing a safe physical and emotional environment were investigated and no concerns were found. 

 

The senior managers provide regular reports to the board about student achievement.  These reports show that nearly all students are achieving at or above national expectations in all areas.  Māori student achievement is similar to their non-Māori peers.  A three-year study of scores in mathematics shows that Anderson’s Bay students are achieving above average against national and international averages.  The board and senior managers could make more use of the student achievement information to identify groups of students whose achievement could be raised even further.  In physical education students’ abilities are recognised and extended.  The next step for teachers is to make sure these abilities are extended within lessons.

 

Students receive purposeful teaching in all curriculum areas.  Teachers have a very good knowledge of students’ abilities.  They provide a range of learning experiences that engage students in their learning.  Students told ERO that mathematics, physical education and the arts were their favourite subjects.  The learning support programme provides specific help for identified students.  Some students are involved in enrichment and extension programmes within and outside the school.  The board, teachers and school community have yet to define what giftedness and talent is at Anderson’s Bay School.  Then useful programmes could be extended to cater for the diverse abilities of students.

 

Each year all students spend a week celebrating things Māori.  Year 5 and 6 students visit a local marae and the school has established a kapahaka group.  This is open to all students and performs at school and out-of-school events.  Class programmes include te reo and tikanga Māori for all students.

 

Teachers are reflective about their practices.  They discuss students’ progress and their teaching programmes at syndicate and whole staff meetings.  The results of these discussions need to contribute to the formal reviews of curriculum areas.  It is likely that with a more organised and indepth self-review system the board would be in a better position to make informed resourcing decisions.

 

The caretaker takes great care to provide attractive and well-maintained grounds and facilities.

 

Future Action

ERO is confident that the board of trustees can manage the school in the interests of the students and the Crown and bring about the improvements outlined in this report. 

ERO will review the school again as part of the regular review cycle.

 

Review Coverage

ERO reviews do not cover every aspect of school performance and each ERO report may cover different issues.  The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to student achievement and useful to this school.

 

If you would like a copy of the full report, please contact the school or see the ERO website, http://www.ero.govt.nz.

 

Isabell Sinclair Irwin 
Area Manager

 

 

for Chief Review Officer

 

 

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GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT REVIEWS

About ERO

ERO is an independent, external evaluation agency that undertakes reviews of schools and early childhood services throughout New Zealand.

 

About ERO Reviews

ERO follows a set of standard procedures to conduct reviews.  The purpose of each review is to:

 

·        improve educational achievement in schools; and

 

·        provide information to parents, communities and the Government.

 

Reviews are intended to focus on student achievement and build on each school’s self review.

 

Review Focus

ERO’s framework for reviewing and reporting is based on three review strands.

 

·         School Specific Priorities – the quality of education and the impact of school policies and practices on student achievement.

 

·         Areas of National Interest – information about how Government policies are working in schools.

 

·         Compliance with Legal Requirements – assurance that this school has taken all reasonable steps to meet legal requirements.

 

Review Coverage

ERO reviews do not cover every aspect of school performance and each ERO report may cover different issues.  The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to student achievement and useful to this school.

 

Review Recommendations

Most ERO reports include recommendations for improvement.  A recommendation on a particular issue does not necessarily mean that a school is performing poorly in relation to that issue.  There is no direct link between the number of recommendations in this report and the overall performance of this school.