Glenbrae Primary 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 

​​Glenbrae Primary School​ is a full primary school located in Glen Innes, Auckland and provides education for Year 1 to 8 students. The school’s vision is ‘Grow, Believe and Succeed’. The school is a member of the Manaiakalani Kāhui Ako.  

There are three parts to this report. 

Part A: A summary of the findings from the most recent Education Review Office (ERO) report and/or subsequent evaluation. 

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

Part A: Previous Improvement Goals  

Since the 2022 ERO report, the school has had a focus on developing a local curriculum that supports improved achievement and engagement.  

Expected Improvements and Findings 

The school expected to see: 

The development of an authentic curriculum. 

• The Glenbrae Curriculum, developed in conjunction with mana whenua Ngāti Paoa, is relevant to the local environment, and the identities of learners. 
• Student leaders speak confidently about how their learning demonstrates the skills and attributes of a Glenbrae learner. 

A local curriculum that enables leaders and teachers to believe in themselves as leaders of learning through effective practices to support the progress and achievement of all learners. 

• Teachers and leaders have developed and introduced a Glenbrae Curriculum handbook that sets out teaching and learning expectations. 
• Teachers are beginning to use a range of assessments to inform their teaching and to measure their impact. 
• The progress and achievement of the majority of learners has improved. 

Other Findings 

During the course of the evaluation, it was found that teaching as inquiry provides the leadership team with important information about what initiatives and practices have the most impact in raising engagement and achievement. 

The greatest shift that occurred in response to the school’s action was the development of clear and consistent expectations for teachers. Leaders designed and implemented curriculum and pastoral care guidelines to support coherence across the school. 

Part B: Current State  

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

Learner Success and Wellbeing 

Outcomes for learners are becoming more equitable and excellent.  

• Assessment information in reading, writing and mathematics is more accurate as a result of professional learning and development for teachers; data shows a majority of learners are meeting curriculum level expectations in reading and mathematics. 
• Overall achievement in writing is an area for improvement and some disparity for Māori learners in writing is evident. 
• Attendance information from 2023 shows less than half of learners attend school regularly time; leaders have implemented initiatives to improve the attendance of learners. 

Conditions to support learner success

Leaders set strategic, targeted improvement goals that are improving engagement and achievement. 

• Leaders implement clear school-wide systems and processes for planning and teaching to respond in a more targeted way to learners’ needs. 
• Leaders regularly monitor progress and learning outcomes to drive ongoing improvement in learner achievement. 
• Teachers are well supported through appropriate professional development to build their knowledge of curriculum and assessment to raise achievement and improvements to practice are evident. 

Learners have opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum. 

• Teachers are increasingly reviewing and adapting their practice to meet learners’ needs and interests. 
• Teachers are continuing to strengthen their planning and teaching to provide purposeful, well-paced learning opportunities in an inclusive environment. 
• Learners have a relevant local curriculum that encompasses school values, embeds te ao Māori and promotes the Glenbrae Learner Profile of an engaged, independent and successful learner. 

School improvement is supported by respected partnerships. 

• A meaningful relationship with mana whenua Ngāti Paoa is strengthening the local curriculum and building teacher knowledge. 
• Te ao Māori and te reo Māori are becoming more embedded across all curriculum areas to meet community aspirations. 
• The school board is proactive in encouraging community involvement, and works with leaders, staff and whānau to set strategic goals for improvement. 

Part C: Where to next? 

The agreed next steps for the school are to:  

• monitor the success of attendance initiatives to improve regular attendance and sustain improvements in achievement of all learners 
• consistently use and analyse assessments that are fit for purpose, to design, plan and implement deliberate, consistent teaching and set ambitious and achievable goals for all learners 
• develop systems to further monitor the progress of learners, so that there is a clear understanding of the required rates of progress and the impacts of various initiatives.  

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

Within six months: 

• identify learners who are achieving below expected curriculum levels in writing so that appropriate interventions are in place to support accelerated progress 
• revise the Glenbrae Curriculum to incorporate government priorities for literacy and mathematics 

Every six months: 

• leaders evaluate the impact of strategies used to support target learners’ improved attendance, progress and achievement 
• monitor and adapt attendance initiatives to ensure all learners attend school regularly 
• evaluate how well learners apply new ideas and knowledge and design their own learning 

Annually: 

• analyse the achievement information of target learners to identify initiatives that have been successful in accelerating progress and improving attendance 
• use school-based review and evaluation to set strategic goals for continuous improvement 
• revise schoolwide curriculum and pastoral care guidelines so that these guidelines reflect the findings of evaluation. 

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

• improvements in learner achievement, particularly in writing 
• the majority of learners attend school regularly 
• teacher practice reflects the Glenbrae Curriculum and has a deliberate focus on accelerated learner progress. 

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 

​​29 July 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