Clifton School (Bulls)

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 

Clifton School (Bulls) is a full primary located in Bulls, Manawatū, and provides education for students in Years 1 to 8. The school’s mission to create a community of learners that are successful, curious and resilient risk takers is supported by the values of respect, responsibility, courage and diversity.

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 shows most learners in mathematics and a majority of learners in reading and writing achieve at or above the expected curriculum levels.
• Achieving equity for groups of learners, particularly for males, Māori and Pacific students in writing and mathematics, remains a priority.
• Attendance information shows a majority of students attend school regularly in relation to the Ministry of Education target, but not consistently for groups of students; close monitoring and support is provided by leaders and teachers to improve attendance rates of learners.

Conditions to support learner success

• Leaders set and pursue evidence-based improvement goals and targets with a focus on increasing the achievement of learners at risk of not achieving.
• Clear expectations for high quality, inclusive teaching and learning practices are regularly monitored for continuous improvement, making evidence-informed decisions that prioritise positive outcomes for all learners.
• Leaders and staff promote a positive school culture with a clear focus on improving learner engagement and wellbeing.

• Teachers and staff implement meaningful, structured learning programmes that help individual students and groups of learners make progress, particularly those with additional learning and wellbeing needs.
• Students needing additional in-class learning support are identified and provided with effective assistance; this contributes to a positive and inclusive environment that progresses learning.
• Curriculum delivery increasingly reflects the aspirations of the community and the local context so that students see themselves, their identity, culture and local environment in their learning.

• The board, leaders and teachers undertake regular review of achievement data, learning programmes and initiatives to inform decision-making; evaluating the impact of these practices on learner progress and improvement is developing.
• Leaders and teachers work alongside whānau as respected and valued partners in learning to inform strategic priorities that guide ongoing school improvement.
• Leadership and staff are taking steps to build collaborative partnerships with iwi and hapū, to ensure the curriculum reflects local contexts and te ao Māori. 

Part B: Where to next? 

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• continue to improve achievement outcomes for all learners, particularly for males, Māori and Pacific learners in writing and mathematics
• further modify the school's evaluation process to focus on the most significant initiatives for improving learning and attendance outcomes
• embed a localised curriculum in ways that sustain and build on student engagement and achievement, including strengthening partnerships with local iwi, hapū and the community.

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

Within six months:

• engage and consult with iwi and hapū to inform curriculum content and delivery

Every six months:

• moderate, monitor and report on the progress and achievement of all learners, with a particular focus on achieving equity for target groups of learners and those at risk of not achieving
• review and refine a systematic way to monitor the impact of key improvement actions on attendance and achievement
• meet and work alongside whānau, iwi and hapū to sustain active participation and engagement in the decision-making of the school  

Annually:

• analyse achievement information of target groups of learners to identify initiatives that have been most successful in accelerating progress and develop next steps for strategic planning
• analyse and report schoolwide achievement and attendance data to the board, to strategically plan actions that will improve achievement and learner outcomes
• gather whānau, iwi and hapū voice on the success of partnerships with the school, to assist with strengthening responsive practices to further engage learners with the local curriculum.

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

• improved and sustained learner progress, achievement and attendance for all learners
• embedded, systematic evaluation practice that effectively uses multiple sources of evidence to determine the impact of actions and deliberate decision making on the outcomes of learners
• improved and sustained levels of engagement between the school and its community, including iwi and hapū, that contribute to the depth and breadth of teaching and learning programmes.

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

20 September 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