Birkdale North 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  

​​Birkdale North School​ is on the North Shore, Auckland and provides education for learners in Years 1 to 6. The school’s vision is to help students be proud, unique, creative, passionate and critical learners. A feature of the school is its French bilingual unit: I’Étoile du Nord. The school hosts a satellite class from Wairau Valley Special School. 

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  

• Most students achieve at or above expected curriculum levels in reading and mathematics and the large majority in writing. 
• Most Māori and Pacific learners achieve the expected levels in reading; however, they achieve significantly lower than other groups in writing and mathematics. 
• Students express a strong sense of belonging and pride in their school. 
• The large majority of students attend school regularly; the school is working towards meeting the Ministry of Education’s target for regular attendance.  

Conditions to support learner success 

• Leaders foster a culture of high relational trust among staff that supports a shared understanding of quality teaching and learning. 
• Leadership carefully sets and implements relevant strategic goals that promote continuous improvement and increasingly benefit all learners.  
• Distributed leadership enables all teachers to lead projects that enhance collaboration throughout the school community and supports learners’ increased engagement.  

• Learners participate in a wide range of experiences that engage them in learning across the breadth of the curriculum. 
• Teachers have well-considered professional development opportunities that advance strategic goals and enhance teaching practice.  
• Teachers continually reflect on teaching and learning initiatives; this increasingly supports students to progress in their learning.

• Students experience inclusive learning environments where their identities, languages and cultures are valued and celebrated among the school community. 
• Parents and whānau actively participate in school events; teachers are strengthening learning partnerships with parents to improve outcomes for all learners. 
• Teachers are increasingly providing responsive learning opportunities, particularly for Māori learners, through engaging with the Māori Achievement Collaborative. 

Part B: Where to next? 

The agreed next steps for the school are to:  

• increase the progress and achievement of Māori and Pacific learners, particularly in writing and mathematics  
• actively strengthen teacher engagement in parent partnerships to better understand learners’ needs 
• continue to implement te reo Māori and tikanga Māori in teaching and learning so that staff and students develop confidence in their understanding of Aotearoa New Zealand 
• continue to improve students’ regular attendance. 

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

Every six months: 

• track and monitor the attendance, progress and achievement of Māori and Pacific learners, with leaders and teachers using this information to inquire into and adapt teaching practice to improve learner outcomes 
• collect, analyse and review information about the impact of learning partnerships with parents to inform actions and next steps 
• monitor the progress of integrating te reo Māori and tikanga Māori in teaching and learning.

Annually: 

• evaluate and report to the board on student attendance, progress and achievement, with a lens on Māori and Pacific learners to set priorities for the following year 
• review the progress of the integration of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori and the impact on learners and teachers. 

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

• improved regular student attendance, progress and achievement, particularly for Māori and Pacific learners 
• teachers and parents report that partnerships have a positive impact on learner progress and outcomes 
• teachers and students express increased confidence in the use of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori. 

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 

​​Shelley Booysen​
​​Director of Schools​ 

​​18 November 2024​   

About the School 

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement.  educationcounts.govt.nz/home