Kelston Intermediate

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

Kelston Intermediate in West Auckland provides education for learners in Years 7 and 8. The school serves a diverse ethnic community and offers bilingual Māori provision. The school has a close working relationship with Te Kawerau a Maki, the local iwi. Kelston Intermediate aspires to empower learners in their identity, language, and culture through authentic learning experiences.

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

• Achievement information for 2023 shows that the majority of learners achieve at expected curriculum levels in literacy and mathematics.
• Closely monitored achievement information shows that some learners make accelerated progress in reading, writing, and mathematics.
• Attendance information shows that the school is not yet meeting the Ministry of Education’s targets for student attendance.
• Students have a strong sense of belonging and are confident in their identity, language, and culture.

Conditions to support learner success

• Senior leaders rationalise the pace of change and the school’s improvement journey that promotes trust and collaboration for staff, students and whānau.
• Leaders proactively connect with agencies in the community that strengthen inclusion and engagement of students.
• Leaders and teachers use research about responsive practices that informs teaching and learning to improve student outcomes.

• Bilingual pathways and Te Korowai o Kerehana (the school’s curriculum) support valuing learner identity and cultures and promotes student engagement to enable better outcomes for learners.
• Students successfully use the school’s T.A.U.M.A.T.A programme, an effective framework that promotes their success through developing ownership of learning, critical awareness and leadership opportunities.
• Teaching and learning is responsive to students' strengths and needs based on school achievement data that is collected and analysed.

• The board regularly receives and uses student achievement information to strategically plan and resource learning appropriately.
• Students and staff give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi by actively participating in te reo Māori and tikanga Māori which allows Māori learners, in particular, to have a strong sense of identity and engagement in their learning.
• Clear and regular communication with whānau and a positive working relationship with Te Kawerau a Maki allows for strong community connection that promotes learning partnerships.
• A strengths-based individualised approach to learners with additional needs fosters effective support and helps learners’ transitions into, through and out of school.

Rumaki/Bilingual Outcomes and Condition to Support Learner Success

Learner success and wellbeing

• Tamariki confidently express knowledge of mātauranga Māori.
• Achievement data shows tamariki are making accelerated learning progress.
• Tamariki are achieving academic, social and cultural success.
• Tamariki are motivated and enthusiastic to learn te reo Māori in a collaborative learning environment.

Conditions to support learner success

• T.A.U.M.A.T.A progressions are used explicitly to scaffold tamariki learning pathways in te ao Māori.
• High expectations for kaiako to diligently track and report on scheduled achievement targets.
• Relational trust, communication and collaboration supports improving teacher pedagogy and practice.
• Tamariki and whānau sharing a vision for progressing te reo Māori.

Priorities for Improvement

• Strengthen iwi relationships and formalise an authentic, meaningful, localised curriculum.
• Implement strategies to develop te reo Māori vocabulary and language structures.
• Develop Ngā Kākano pedagogical leadership capability to support quality teaching and learning through te reo Māori.
• Consistently involve parents and whānau in learner-centred relationships.

Part B: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• review and refresh schoolwide assessment tools and how best the information is used to continue to accelerate students’ achievement
• gather, analyse, and appropriately respond to school attendance and wellbeing information
• consistently involve parents and whānau in learner-centred relationships
• provide clear pathways and leadership opportunities for middle leaders that support improving outcomes for learners.
• develop strategies to engage Ngā Kākano tamariki in reo matatini to develop fluency and comprehension of every day conversational language.

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

Every six months:

• closely monitor and report on attendance, progress and achievement of those students most at risk of not achieving
• evaluate the impact of current school initiatives to improve students’ attendance and engagement
• review and evaluate the appropriateness of standardised assessment tools currently used across the school
• review leadership opportunities for middle leaders and next steps for their learning.
• design and implement the Kerehana T.A.U.M.A.T.A to incorporate te reo Māori progressions in Ngā Kākano.

Annually:

• report on the impact, to parents and the board, about the initiatives that are improving student attendance, progress and achievement; this includes the success of learning-centred relationships with parents and whānau to increase engagement
• use school wide assessment tools to strengthen teaching and learning decisions for improved learner outcomes
• gather student and community wellbeing data, analyse this data and respond to the findings
• evaluate the impact of professional growth cycles on opportunities for leadership, and how these inform improving outcomes for learners
• evaluate the effectiveness of the Kerehana T.A.U.M.A.T.A reo practice in Ngā Kākano.

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

• improved attendance, student progress, engagement and achievement for all learners
• evidence-based assessment tools used confidently throughout the school, to inform teaching and learning and learner success
• clear leadership pathways, and support for middle leadership to grow their practice
• ākonga in Ngā Kākano are confident to engage in te reo Māori conversations.

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

23 August 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