Discovery 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 

Discovery School is located in Whitby, Wellington and provides education for students in Years 1 to 8. At the time of this review, a new school vision, developed with students and mana whenua, was being considered by the community. The school’s values are excellence, respect, integrity and responsibility (Hirangi, Whakaute, Ngākau tapatahi, Takohanga).

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 achieve well, and outcomes are increasingly equitable.

• Most students achieve at or above curriculum expectations in reading, writing and mathematics.
• The school recognise a disparity in achievement in writing and mathematics for Māori students and is working to address this with targeted interventions to support progress and achievement.
• Students’ sense of wellbeing and belonging is evident, supported by a range of successful initiatives.
• The majority of students are attending school regularly; the school has strategies in place to address attendance but is not yet meeting the Ministry of Education 2024 targets.

Conditions to support learner success

Strategic and well-informed leadership drives improvement and sets high expectations for teaching and learning.

• Professional strengths and development needs are regularly identified and addressed to sustain high quality teaching and improved outcomes for learners.
• Leaders use assessment information to ensure timely and relevant interventions are in place to further improve student achievement and accelerate progress; systems to collate student information vary across the school.
• Leadership is strengthening partnerships with hapū and iwi; their aspirations are reflected in strategic initiatives.

Responsive teaching and learning reflect learners’ strengths, needs and interests and builds on existing knowledge and skills to promote progress. 

• Teachers regularly work together to plan engaging learning programmes; students are challenged and experience success.
• Teachers identify and effectively respond to the individual learning needs of students; assessment information informs next steps to accelerate progress.
• Teachers demonstrate a commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi by purposefully integrating te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori throughout the curriculum. 

Well-aligned systems, structures and practices are embedded and underpin successful learner outcomes.

• Leaders and teachers draw on community resources to develop learners’ sense of cultural connectivity and awareness of others.
• Parents and whānau are respected partners in learning and are well informed about progress and achievement.
• The board developed the strategic initiatives in consultation with the school community and regularly reviews progress against the goals of these those initiatives. 

Part B: Where to next? 

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• develop the local curriculum to align with the new school vision, including student, whānau and mana whenua feedback, with a focus on engagement, progress and achievement 
• refine a schoolwide assessment system to deepen teacher understanding of next steps for learning 
• continue to monitor and strengthen processes to improve student attendance.

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

Within six months:

• leaders and teachers deepen understanding of the schools’ new vision, connections to learning and the developing local curriculum
• review assessment systems and implement professional development to enhance teachers’ and leaders’ understanding and use of student information
• continue to use data to measure the impact of targeted strategies for improving attendance.

Every six months:

• evaluate and share findings with whānau, mana whenua and the board about the impact of the local curriculum on student engagement
• undertake an in-depth analysis of achievement information; respond to any disparity and plan to accelerate student progress 
• continue to track and monitor attendance information; identify what is working and adjust targeted strategies for ongoing improvement.

Annually:

• review the impact of the local curriculum on learner outcomes; report progress and planned future actions to the board
• analyse and report student progress, achievement, wellbeing and attendance information overtime and plan further improvement priorities and initiatives.

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

• improved progress, achievement and equitable outcomes for all learners
• a responsive local curriculum that reflects community aspirations and promotes high levels of engagement
• an assessment system that is consistently understood and implemented 
• improved levels of attendance that meet or exceed the Ministry of Education’s target for regular attendance. 

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

4 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