Fairlie 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

Fairlie School is located in Fairlie in the MacKenzie district. It provides education for students in Years 1 to 6.

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 July 2022, the school has evaluated the extent to which the local curriculum contributes to positive outcomes for students in achievement and wellbeing.

Expected Improvements and Findings

The school expected to see:

Ongoing monitoring and evaluation of achievement, valued outcomes, and other indicator data to show improved outcomes for all students.

• Student achievement in reading, writing and mathematics has improved, and students report that they are happy and supported at school.

Strengthened assessment, moderation and reporting practices to monitor student achievement.

• The school has strengthened standardised school wide assessment practice and is developing progressions that inform next steps for learning.

A local curriculum that provides a coordinated approach to teaching and learning, incorporates the changes in the national curriculum and reflects the local context.

• Teaching programmes provide well-paced learning opportunities, reflective of local contexts, and support for learners to experience success across the curriculum.

Other Findings

During the course of the evaluation, it was found that the greatest shift that occurred in response to the school’s action was improvement in student achievement in literacy and numeracy.

Part B: Current State

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

Learner Success and Wellbeing

• Almost all students are achieving at or above the expected curriculum level in mathematics.
• Most students are achieving at or above the expected curriculum level in reading and writing; the school has yet to address disparity for boys in literacy.
• The majority of students attend school regularly; the school has identified this is a focus for further improvement.
• The school provides an inclusive learning environment that promotes resilience and effectively meets the diverse needs of students.

Conditions to support learner success

• Leaders prioritise school improvement, progress and achievement; information is increasingly used to target areas for teacher professional learning and development.
• Targeted and data-informed professional development builds teacher capability and consistency of teaching practice; writing has been identified as the next area of focus for professional development.

• Local history and contexts are increasingly incorporated in the local curriculum.
• Te ao Māori, tikanga Māori, and mātauranga Māori are beginning to be included in all aspects of the school’s curriculum.
• Student voice is gathered and informs strategic planning and supports the development of responsive teaching programmes.

• The systematic collection and management of data is used to evaluate the impact of teaching strategies and programmes on student success and to identify further areas for improvement.
• The school has an effective behaviour management system that is responsive to data and student need.
• The school is establishing positive partnerships with whānau and iwi, to support what Māori whānau want for their children.

Part C: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

• embed best practice for literacy and mathematics programmes that foster explicit teaching and improve student achievement and equity in writing across the school
• improve school attendance
• strengthen the consistency of assessment practices, moderation, and use of progressions to inform teaching practice and next steps for learning.

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

Within six months:

• strengthen moderation of student work and monitor student progress in writing
• engage in appropriate professional development for school wide assessment and writing best practices.

Annually:

• analyse and report student progress, achievement and engagement data, and the perspectives of whānau and students to identify further areas for improvement
• evaluate the effectiveness of changes in the teaching of literacy and mathematics to inform further improvement steps
• continue to engage in professional development to support teacher capabilities in literacy and mathematics.

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

• continued improvement in student achievement in reading, writing and mathematics and reduced disparity for boys
• improved rates of student attendance
• strengthened teacher capability and confidence in teaching writing to improve student outcomes
• consistent teaching and assessment approaches across the school with common language and expectations.

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

17 October 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