Oaklynn Special School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report 

Background

This Profile Report was written within 6 months of the Education Review Office and Oaklynn Special School working in Te Ara Huarau, an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website. www.ero.govt.nz

This report is part of a nationally coordinated evaluation of 27-day specialist schools during the second half of 2023. This included the development of day specialist school evaluation indicators by ERO with significant input from principals, staff and the Special Education Principals’ Association of New Zealand (SEPAnz).

Context 

Oaklynn Special School is in New Lynn, Auckland and caters for students in Years 1 to 15 with ongoing resourcing scheme (ORS) funding. Students learn in a variety of age specific settings, ranging from primary, secondary through to tertiary. The school has a base school, satellite classes at eleven local host schools and a tertiary unit in the local community district. 

A specialist therapy team provide transdisciplinary support for students’ wellbeing and access to their learning. The specialist teacher outreach service based at the school works with ORS funded students enrolled in local schools. The school supports a small group of learners in their home setting.

The school continues to navigate and manage roll growth pressures along with the employment and property demands associated with this. 

Oaklynn Special School School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are that:

• rangatahi leave Oaklynn Special School with a functional communication system
• the school’s local curriculum will be embedded in the local area to meet its obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi 
• pedagogical assessments are evidence-based and culturally responsive, so that they provide robust information for individualised learning and teaching programmes.

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Oaklynn Special School School’s website.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the effectiveness of the pedagogy and assessment practices, so they are reflective of a culturally responsive environment.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to:

• more closely follow the progress of ākonga between 5 to 21 years of age
• further develop clarity about each student’s learning pathway.

The school expects to see pedagogical assessments being evidence based and culturally responsive, so they provide robust information for successful individualised learning and teaching programmes.

Strengths 

The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to evaluate how effective the pedagogy and assessment practices are reflective of a culturally responsive environment.

• Students experience a highly collaborative environment where the curriculum fits the learner and staff focus on how they can support each ākonga to thrive socially, emotionally and academically.
• Highly effective pedagogical school leadership that grows personal and professional leadership and through a coaching culture encourages critical thinking and innovation from all staff at every level of the school. 
• Sustained, reciprocal and valuable long-term relationships with local iwi, Te Kawerau ā Maki, which improves learning opportunities for students. 
• Comprehensive school systems that support ongoing monitoring, reporting and evaluation of each students’ progress, achievements and personal successes including strategies to enhance engagement.
• Carefully researched evidence-based teaching and wellbeing approaches and targeted professional learning and development contribute to high levels of staff expertise in a wide range of pedagogical practices.
• Students and staff live and enact the school values and expectations for being a member of a learning community that promotes student wellbeing, cultural identities and a strong sense of self as a learner.
• Educationally powerful partnerships with whānau that informs individualised teaching and learning programmes.
• Sustained active participation and contributions from the wider school community that positively impact on students in the base school, satellites in host schools and in the tertiary setting. 

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise continuing to develop a culturally responsive teaching practice model that provides:

• an overarching curriculum document that reflects all that happens at Oaklynn Special School in a meaningful and authentic way 
• a comprehensive curriculum matrix to guide teaching staff in all learning areas.

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

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

2 April 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