Dyer Street 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

Dyer Street School, in Lower Hutt Wellington, provides education for learners in Years 1 to 6. The current principal was appointed mid-2022. The values of manaakitanga, aumangea, ngākaunui and ako were adopted in consultation with students, staff, whānau and mana whenua, to enhance the mana of all students.

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

• A large majority of students are achieving at or above curriculum levels in mathematics, reading and writing; Māori students are achieving as well as their peers.
• Students’ sense of wellbeing is evident, supported by an inclusive culture and responsive teaching practices. 
• The majority of students attend regularly; the school is not yet meeting the Ministry of Education attendance targets.

Conditions to support learner success

• Leaders are developing clear, shared expectations for teaching and learning to improve student engagement and outcomes.
• Progress and achievement information is collated for individual students and reported to the board; a key next step is to consider all groups of students and the specific support they might need going forward. Progress and achievement information is collated for individual students and reported to the board; a key next step is to consider all groups of students and the specific support they might need going forward.
• Leaders deliberately collect whānau voice to inform strategic initiatives including the school vision and values.

• Teachers work collaboratively to deepen their knowledge of evidenced based teaching practice in reading, writing and mathematics to accelerate student progress; there is some consistency in teaching practice. 
• Professional learning, facilitated by leadership and outside providers, supports and develops teaching practice, aligns to strategic initiatives and improves outcomes for students.

• Students with additional learning needs are well supported to progress; teachers and whānau work together to clearly identify strengths and individual needs.
• Leaders value the diverse school community; they are developing schoolwide culturally responsive practices to strengthen partnerships in learning and curriculum development.
• Positive and respectful learning relationships between teachers and students promotes inclusivity and supports engagement.

Part B: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

• strengthen assessment practice and moderation processes to inform learning initiatives and interventions to accelerate progress and achievement
• develop a consistent, evidenced-based approach to teaching and learning to meet the needs of all learners
• establish a local curriculum in partnership with students, whānau and iwi; strengthen the use of te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori learning across the school
• strengthen systems and processes for monitoring and improving student attendance.

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

Within six months:

• review assessment practice and moderation processes and develop schoolwide consistency to support planning for accelerated learning
• develop explicit expectations using evidenced-based approaches for teaching and learning; analyse and report progress and achievement for all groups of learners
• strengthen capacity in te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori to support the development of a local curriculum
• use attendance data to identify and implement targeted strategies

Every six months:

• analyse assessment information to plan learning initiatives and interventions to improve learning outcomes
• review the impact of evidenced based teaching and learning on student achievement using classroom observations, student voice and progress information
• evaluate the local curriculum with students, whānau and iwi, focusing on improvement to student engagement, progress and achievement
• track and monitor mid-year attendance information; review and adjust targeted strategies

Annually:

• track, analyse and report on achievement, progress and attendance information to the board to identify and plan priority actions
• evaluate the impact of evidenced-based teaching, including interventions for accelerated progress and achievement
• evaluate and report to the board on engagement with whānau and iwi to inform future partnership initiatives.

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

• improved student progress and achievement as a result of a consistent, evidenced-based approach to teaching, learning and assessment
• a local curriculum developed in partnership with students, whānau and iwi; strengthened capacity in the use of te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori
• 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

8 November 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