Selwyn Park School

School Evaluation Report

Tēnā koutou e mau manawa rahi ki te kaupapa e aro ake nei, ko te tamaiti te pūtake o te kaupapa. Mā wai rā e kawe, mā tātau katoa.

We acknowledge the collective effort, responsibility and commitment by all to ensure that the child remains at the heart of the matter.

Context 

Selwyn Park School in Dargaville provides education for learners in Years 1 to 6. The school aims to give students opportunities to develop the skills to make positive life choices.

There are two parts to this report.

Part A: An evaluative summary of learner success and school conditions to inform the school board’s future strategic direction, including any education in Rumaki/bilingual settings.

Part B: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle.

Part A: Current State

The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.

Learner Success and Wellbeing 

Some students are engaged, progressing and achieving at expected levels.

• The majority of learners achieve at or above expected curriculum levels in reading and writing, and most learners achieve at expected levels in mathematics.
• The school has yet to achieve equitable outcomes for all Pacific learners in reading and writing.
• Positive and trusting relationships between teachers and learners enhance learner wellbeing and inclusion.
• The school does not yet meet the Ministry of Education attendance target for 2024. 

Conditions to support learner success

Leadership is beginning to set and pursue improvement focused goals.

• Leadership is establishing relational trust at every level of the school to support collaboration and focus on improvement goals for learner success.
• Leaders are beginning to introduce a professional growth cycle for teachers aligned to teaching and learning goals; a key next step is to link professional development to the school’s improvement goals and learner need.

Teachers are taking steps to provide a responsive curriculum.

• Students benefit from orderly and settled environments in which learning time is maximised.
• Teachers are beginning to use assessment information to support next steps for teaching and learning; a priority is to ensure the consistent use of reliable assessment tools schoolwide.
• Teachers, particularly in the junior school, implement specific initiatives to respond to learners’ strengths and needs; learners with additional learning needs are well supported with targeted resourcing and learning assistance.

Key conditions are beginning to be put in place to create successful outcomes for learners.

• Leaders, the school board, and staff recognise and celebrate the unique status of tangata whenua; these connections support learners to have a strong sense of identity and belonging.
• Parents are regularly included in conversations about their children’s learning, as respected partners in the learning process.
• The board effectively serves and works with the school community, including mana whenua, to seek their aspirations for the future direction of the school.

Part B: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

• implement structured literacy programmes and curriculum expectations to support teaching and learning and improve learner outcomes
• continue to reduce achievement disparity for Pacific learners in literacy and increase achievement outcomes for all learners
• regularly collect and report on progress and achievement and attendance rates to the board, parents and whānau
• provide professional learning opportunities for teachers to discuss, reflect and collaborate on their practice particularly to improve outcomes for learners at risk of not achieving.

The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.

Within three months:

• plan strategic actions to increase rates of attendance and improve achievement outcomes for all learners including Pacific learners
• access and implement professional development in structured literacy
• strengthen schoolwide documentation and professional learning goals for teachers to focus on learners needing extra support and identify the specific support required

Every six months:

• monitor and report to parents and the board rates of student progress and attendance and adjust planned responses as necessary
• review and implement curriculum expectations that support effective assessment processes and teaching and learning; monitor how well teachers are using these expectations to improve learner outcomes
• monitor and evaluate how well professional learning opportunities support teachers to collaborate, reflect on their practice and improve teaching and learning

Annually:

• report to the board the annual and over time progress and achievement of Pacific learners, and other targeted groups of students in literacy
• report to the board the school’s attendance trends and patterns against the Ministry of Education targets and the school’s strategic plan. 

Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:

• higher levels of achievement and attendance for all learners
• improved parity for Pacific learners in their academic achievement
• a well-developed school curriculum and teaching and learning processes.

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.

Me mahi tahi tonu tātau, kia whai oranga a tātau tamariki
Let’s continue to work together for the greater good of all children

Sharon Kelly
Acting Director of Schools

11 March 2025

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement.