Waitakere 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

Waitakere School is located in semi-rural West Auckland and provides education for learners in Years 0 to 8. The school promotes the ‘Waitakere Way’ values as the foundation for learning and relationship-building. The school hosts some short-term groups of international students each year.

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 outcomes for students, including Māori learners, are increasingly excellent and equitable. 

• Almost all students are achieving at or above expected curriculum levels in reading and most in writing and mathematics; students with additional needs make appropriate progress in relation to their individual goals.
• Data shows significant improvement for Māori learners in reading and writing; disparity remains in literacy and mathematics; girls outperform boys in writing.
• Student voice gathered reports that learners feel safe and supported in their positive learning environment; they value their relationships with teachers and peers, and feel a strong sense of belonging.
• The majority of students attend school regularly; the school is not yet meeting the 2024 Ministry of Education target, however data shows a significant increase in regular attendance since term 3, 2023. 

Conditions to support learner success

Strategic, collaborative leadership fosters a culture committed to high quality teaching to improve outcomes for learners that are increasingly equitable and excellent. 

• Shared leadership continually focuses on school improvement, with expectations for high-quality teaching that are clear, consistent and effectively monitored.
• Teachers’ professional development is targeted, well-planned and implemented to areas of priority for improving learning outcomes through the school’s localised curriculum.
• Leaders actively mentor teachers to strengthen their practice, enhance teaching capabilities and provide a range of opportunities for professional growth.

Teachers and leaders continually adapt and sharpen consistency of teaching practice to raise student outcomes.

• Teachers use a range of strategies that respond to learners’ needs, strengths, backgrounds and interests, promoting engagement in purposeful, well-paced learning opportunities.
• Comprehensive systems for tracking and monitoring progress are in place, ensuring planning and teaching are responsive to the diverse needs of learners.
• Positive environments and high levels of engagement are established, where learning time is maximised and teachers provide feedback to students that is specific to their learning; a key next step is to further strengthen practices that enhance students’ knowledge of their own learning.

Effective organisational conditions that underpin success in learning are strongly embedded in the school. 

• An established culture of trusting relationships and shared responsibility enables staff to work together to improve outcomes for learners.
• Liaison with a variety of external agencies, and in-class support, contribute to positive inclusion and success for learners with additional needs.
• The school’s values programme underpins and guides the ongoing focus on wellbeing for students.
• The board works alongside leaders to ensure planning is strategic and well-focused on increasing success for learners.

Part B: Where to next? 

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• continue to improve progress and achievement outcomes and attendance for all learners including targeted teaching for priority learners
• further develop assessment practices across the school to support students’ knowledge of their own learning and next steps
• utilise teachers’ growth mindset approach to manage curriculum and assessment change that benefits their practice and student outcomes.

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

Within six months:

• plan and implement professional learning opportunities to extend teachers’ growth mindsets to effectively manage beneficial change in education
• review and explore approaches to increase consistency of assessment practices school-wide that align with annual planning and professional growth cycles

Annually:

• monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of raising achievement for priority students and increasing equitable outcomes
• continue to track, monitor and report on rates of student attendance 
• provide evidence-based reporting to the board in relation to schoolwide consistency of practice and responses to change management, and the impact of these on teaching and learner outcomes.

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

• sustained high levels of achievement, attendance and engagement for all learners, with increasingly equitable outcomes
• changes in curriculum and assessment implemented in a timely, effective manner.

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

5 December 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