New Lynn 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 

New Lynn School is in West Auckland and provides education for learners in Years 1 to 6. In 2024, more than one third of the student population were new to the school. The school is ethnically diverse with nearly two thirds of all learners having English as an additional language. The school motto is ‘Whāia te iti Kahurangi: Reaching for the Sky’ encouraging everyone to strive to do their best.  

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 are engaged; some make accelerated progress and achieve at expected curriculum levels.

• Overall school achievement information shows that less than half of all learners achieve at expected curriculum levels in reading and mathematics; and a few learners achieve at expected levels in writing. Due to several factors, leaders tracked the progress of learners who completed 2024 at New Lynn School. School data shows most learners in this group achieved at or above expected levels in mathematics; many learners made progress in reading; some learners made accelerated progress in writing.
• Continuing to prioritise accelerating achievement outcomes for all learners, and groups of learners, in literacy and mathematics are key next steps.
• Students experience an inclusive environment where their emotional, physical, and cultural safety is well promoted.
• The majority of students attend school regularly; the school does not yet to meet the national Ministry of Education attendance targets.

Conditions to support learner success

Leaders foster a collaborative culture and provide supportive conditions that increasingly ensure good quality teaching and learning outcomes. 

• Leaders and teachers work well together to maintain a positive learning environment that celebrates and reflects the school’s vision, values and community.
• Leaders intentionally foster opportunities for targeted professional learning with staff that supports their individual goals, and the schools' strategic goals.
• Leaders and teachers are proactive in engaging with a range of external agencies to successfully support learner wellbeing. 

Teachers work well together to increasingly embed effective teaching practice in their classrooms that improves learner outcomes.

• Leaders and teachers regularly analyse and use assessment information to inform planning, teaching and learning to meet students’ needs.
• Teachers use a range of teaching strategies to adapt learning to meet students’ needs; monitoring the impact of effective teaching strategies is a key next step.
• Teachers implement strengths-based approaches to support learning outcomes for all learners, especially Pacific learners and Māori learners.

The school is working towards embedding key organisational conditions that support student engagement are being embedded.

• Well-considered learning support programmes are provided for all learners, especially for those with complex needs, to successfully access the curriculum.
• Parents are regularly encouraged to participate in the life of the school and are appropriately supported to understand the learning pathways for their children.
• Children’s cultures are highly valued and celebrated, including te reo Māori and mātauranga Māori, to support learners’ sense of belonging.
• The board is learner focused and receives regular student achievement information that informs evidence-based resourcing decisions and key next steps.

Part B: Where to next? 

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• implement structured literacy and structured mathematics programmes to accelerate outcomes for all learners
• evaluate the impact of teaching and learning strategies that support the acceleration of outcomes for all learners to determine what is working well and identify next steps for learning
• increase regular student attendance rates.

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

Within six months:

• establish structured literacy and mathematics programmes to improve learner outcomes
• engage with whānau to identify the barriers to attending school regularly and develop a plan for improvement

Every six months:

• monitor and review the implementation of structured literacy and mathematics programmes on learner outcomes, especially Pacific learners and Māori learners
• identify and monitor effective teaching and learning strategies and interventions which support the acceleration of progress and achievement for all learners
• continue to monitor attendance and respond to needs as they arise

Annually:

• evaluate and report progress against impact of literacy and mathematics programmes, effective teaching and learning strategies and interventions and attendance rates, for better learner outcomes, to the board and community, to help them know what is working and for which groups of learners. 

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

• improved student achievement outcomes for all learners, particularly Māori and Pacific learners
• increased engagement and attendance rates
• successful structured literacy and mathematics programmes embedded across the school. 

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

3 March 2025

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