Seddon 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 

Seddon School is located in Marlborough and provides education for students in Years 1 to 8. The school values of the VINES - Versatility, Integrity, Nurturing, Enterprise and Sustainability underpin the curriculum and life of the school.

There are three parts to this report.

Part A: A summary of the findings from the most recent Education Review Office (ERO) report and/or subsequent evaluation.

Part B: 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 C: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle.

Part A: Previous Improvement Goals

Since the previous ERO report of August 2022, ERO and the school have worked together to evaluate the effectiveness of the localised curriculum.

Expected Improvements and Findings

The school expected to see:

Improved academic outcomes for Māori students.

• Outcomes for students schoolwide in writing have significantly improved.
• Most Māori students achieve at or above curriculum expectations in reading, writing and mathematics; outcomes are continually improving.
• Māori students have equitable outcomes in reading and mathematics; improvement of equity in writing remains a priority.

A strengthening of partnerships with parents, whānau and community.

• The school has strengthened reciprocal partnerships with parents, whānau and the wider community through a number of well thought out initiatives; this strengthens student wellbeing and engagement.

Strengthening of curriculum provision.

• A consistent and cohesive schoolwide approach to teaching and learning across the local curriculum was developed by teachers and leaders following an in-depth evaluation of the local curriculum; this enables increasingly smooth transitions and uninterrupted learning for students across and through learning levels.

Other Findings

The greatest shift that occurred in response to the school’s action was the significant improvement in achievement and wellbeing outcomes for Māori students.

Part B: Current State

The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.

Learner Success and Wellbeing

Most students are engaged, make good progress and achieve well.

• Almost all students achieve at or above curriculum level expectations in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Māori students achieve at similar levels to their school peers in mathematics and reading.
• Teachers and leaders consistent focus on improving equity in outcomes for Māori students and male learners is resulting in increasing equity between groups of students; Māori students in writing and boys in mathematics remains a priority.
• The large majority learners attend school regularly, the school is not yet meeting the Ministry of Education’s target for regular attendance; strong partnerships with outside agencies support the wellbeing and improved attendance for those learners at risk of not achieving.

Conditions to support learner success

Collaborative leadership sets and actively pursues evidence-based improvement goals.

• Leaders and teachers effectively use and analyse a wide range of achievement information to inform responsive changes to teaching and learning.
• Board members and leaders regularly consult with parents, whānau and the school community to gather feedback and ideas; this informs strategic priorities for improved learner outcomes.
• Teachers and leaders have well-established and ongoing partnerships with local education providers and agencies to support student wellbeing, including their successful transitions into, through and beyond the school.

Teaching and learning are increasingly responsive to students’ languages, cultures and identities.

• Learners’ engagement is enhanced through deliberate connections to the localised curriculum.
• Students with additional learning needs are well supported to access the school curriculum and experience success.
• Teachers are highly reflective and inquire into their practices to make appropriate changes based on, and targeted to, the identified needs of learners.

Key organisational conditions that support student achievement and wellbeing are well embedded.

• Teachers and leaders use in depth evaluation processes to better understand what is working well and what is needed to bring about continuous improvement in outcomes for all learners.
• Teachers access well considered professional development that builds teacher capability and targets identified priorities to improve outcomes for learners.
• Leaders and teachers maintain a strong focus on improving culturally responsive practices, this is increasing learner engagement and success in learning; staff have identified a need to continue to strengthen their understanding and use of te reo Māori.
• Partnerships with parents, whānau, iwi and the wider community are strategically planned and used to inform improvement priorities.

Part C: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

• engage with students, parents and whānau to identify strategies to improve regular attendance at school
• strengthen leaders’ and teachers’ knowledge and use of effective literacy and numeracy strategies for ongoing improvement of Māori learners in writing and boys in mathematics.

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

Within six months:

• leaders and teachers review current strategies in use for addressing attendance concerns to identify what is working and what is not

Every six months:

• staff take deliberate action in response to emerging trends, with particular attention to those learners at risk of not achieving especially Māori students in writing, boys in mathematics and those with lower rates of regular attendance
• identify effective practice in literacy and numeracy teaching and use these to inform enhanced strategies for responding to learner need

Annually:

• continue to use and report to the board student progress and achievement and wellbeing data to inform responsive decision making, and effective strategies for improving attendance, teaching and learning
• use indicators of effective practice to evaluate the impact of initiatives for continued improvements in achievement and attendance.

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

• improved and sustained rates of regular attendance at school
• improved student outcomes, particularly for Māori students in writing and boys in mathematics.

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

2 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