Ashburton Netherby 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 

Ashburton Netherby School is situated in Ashburton and provides education for students in Years 1 to 6. The school PRIDE values are ’perseverance, responsibility, integrity, diligence and excellence’, and these underpin the curriculum.

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 in August 2022, the school and ERO have worked together to evaluate how effectively the school supports improved outcomes for learners in reading.

Expected Improvements and Findings

The school expected to see:

Increased equity between boys’ and girls’ achievement in reading and accelerated reading outcomes for students who were not achieving at an expected level.

• Significant improvements in reading outcomes for learners are evident; a large majority of students now achieve at or above curriculum expectations.
• Students at risk of not achieving had a range of programmes and initiatives put in place to support their learning; as a result, some students’ learning was accelerated.
• Equity in outcomes between groups of students has shown significant improvement for Pacific students and Māori students, particularly for boys in reading; continuing to improve outcomes for Māori students remains a priority.

A strengthening and building of teacher capacity and capability in the science of reading.

• Sustained participation in schoolwide targeted professional learning and development for teachers in the science of reading, has strengthened their collective knowledge and delivery of reading approaches.

Other Findings

The greatest shift that occurred in response to the school’s action was the introduction of a consistent approach to the teaching of reading that ensures a cohesive approach for learners as they transition through the school.

Part B: Current State

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

Learner Success and Wellbeing

• A large majority of students achieve at or above curriculum expectations in reading and writing, and most students achieve well in mathematics.
• Increasing equity across groups of students is evident with significant improvement for Pacific students; improving outcomes for Māori students remains a priority for the school.
• Students at risk of underachievement have a wide range of supports in place; effective rates of accelerated progress in reading, writing and mathematics for these learners is evident.
• A small majority of students are attending school regularly; the school is not yet meeting the Ministry of Educations target for attendance in 2024.

Conditions to support learner success

• Leaders and teachers carefully monitor and track progress and achievement for those students who are at risk of not achieving, so that responsive changes are made to teaching strategies and programmes.
• Leadership continually engages in professional knowledge building with teachers; this intentional approach enhances teaching and learning.
• Leaders set targets and use evidence-based interventions to facilitate ongoing innovation, improvement and development of teacher capabilities for improved outcomes for learners.

• Teachers work collaboratively to develop and implement teaching and learning opportunities that are increasingly inclusive of students’ languages, cultures and identities.
• Teachers are highly reflective and make appropriate changes to their practices based on, and targeted to, the identified needs of learners.
• Teachers consistently create learning environments that foster improved learner engagement, inclusive participation and positive, mutually respectful teacher-learner relationships.

• The board is well informed by leaders about teaching and learning across curriculum areas and progress and achievement for all students; this supports effective decision making for resourcing.
• Leaders and teachers undertake regular analysis of student wellbeing information to identify and plan improvement focused actions that promote student engagement and outcomes.
• Leaders and teachers increasingly use internal evaluation to identify areas of strength and target ongoing improvement in teaching and learning.
• The school has established community partnerships that guide the development of the school’s vision and values and informs improvement priorities; they continue to strengthen partnerships with whānau, hapū and iwi and the Pacific community.

Part C: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

• continue to strengthen teaching practice to accelerate achievement and improve equitable outcomes for Māori students in reading, writing and mathematics
• increase the range of strategies used to improve students’ regular attendance.

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

Within six months:

• identify effective practice in literacy and mathematics teaching; use this to inform enhanced strategies for responding to learner needs, particularly for Māori students
• consult with students and parents to understand attendance issues and develop an improvement plan

Every six months:

• collate and analyse student progress and achievement data for trends and patterns, use this to inform actions towards improving outcomes and improving equity in reading, writing and mathematics, particularly for Māori students
• review intentional strategies used to improve attendance, acknowledge what is working and identify where to next

Annually:

• use indicators of effective practice to evaluate the impact of initiatives for continued improvements in attendance, engagement, wellbeing and achievement
• report on student outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics to the board and community to inform progress towards achieving annual targets and identify strategies for where to next
• report to the board on improvements in rates of regular attendance and prioritise goals accordingly.

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

• sustained and improved outcomes for Māori and Pacific students
• improved progress and achievement outcomes for all learners
• more students attending regularly.

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