Hampstead 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 

Hampstead School is located in Ashburton, in mid-Canterbury and provides education for learners in Years 1 to 6. The present senior leadership team was established in 2022. The school is a member of Te Kāhui Ako o Hakatere/Ashburton Community of Learners. 

The school’s vision, Living to Learn – Learning to Live, is underpinned by ako, kotahitanga, ora, manaakitanga, aroha and whanaungatanga, representing the school’s‘Learn, Live and Love’ values.

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. 

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

Part A: Previous Improvement Goals

Since the previous ERO report in September 2022, the school has evaluated how effectively teachers engage learners in reading and writing, to promote greater success across all learning areas. 

Expected Improvements and Findings

The school expected to see:

All learners experiencing success, feeling valued for their cultural identity, and experiencing a supportive environment that promotes a sense of belonging and care.

• Reading and writing data show overall consistent improvement over time; particularly junior data, resulting from a structured literacy approach since 2021.
• Learner wellbeing is strongly fostered through embedded values and well-considered routines, and staff nurture a strong sense of belonging and self-esteem for all.

A coherent vision, strategic planning, policy, and localised curriculum that promote greater learner success.

• A collaborative approach to strategic development connects staff, learners, board and whānau to the school’s vision and priorities, including for literacy. 
• Targeted professional development has strongly influenced the creation of coherent guidelines and shared expectations for effective literacy teaching.

The leadership team engaging with staff, learners and community identify key priorities and work collaboratively to achieve these.

• Successful, deliberate engagement with parent, whānau and families includes sharing resources and information that can be used at home to support reading and writing, and hosting events that celebrate students’ successes.
• Leaders and staff value the school community’s diverse cultures, and family and learner feedback are actively sought to further enhance literacy experiences. 
• A data-informed professional growth cycle strengthens literacy teaching capability, with a collective responsibility for improving learner achievement.

Other Findings

During the course of the evaluation, it was found that learner feedback showed increased confidence and engagement in literacy learning, prompting leaders to introduce structured mathematics approaches.

The greatest shift that occurred in response to the school’s action was that in consultation with parents structured learning approaches have been integrated into teaching and learning for Years 1 to 6. 

Part B: Current State

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

Learner Success and Wellbeing 

• The majority of learners achieve at or above curriculum level expectations in reading, writing and mathematics, including Māori students.
• By the end of Year 6, most learners are at the expected curriculum level for reading and writing and the majority achieve at the expected level for mathematics, demonstrating good progress over time as they move through the school.
• Leaders have set targets and actions to further improve boys’ overall literacy achievement and have developed an action plan to achieve equity in attendance and achievement for Pacific students.
• The majority of students attend regularly; overall attendance has steadily improved, and the school takes purposeful actions to work with the community to minimise absence and lateness. 

Conditions to support learner success

• Leaders use a collaborative approach to pursue deliberate goals and targets that builds staff capability and supports learner success.
• Professional development for staff promotes more consistent assessment practices; data is used to measure the impact of teaching on learner progress and achievement. 
• Leaders assist teachers to use assessments and achievement data for planning and teaching in 
  well-considered ways, fostering improved student outcomes. 
• Teachers are supported to recognise their strengths and contribute collectively to achieve the school’s learner-centred vision, values and goals.

• Structured reading, writing and mathematics approaches have raised achievement for many learners, who express feelings of increased confidence and self-esteem in relation to their learning. 
• Staff build supportive relationships with learners, increasingly personalising teaching to respond to their strengths, interests and needs.
• Learners benefit from science and technology initiatives that promote engaging and authentic
  real-world exploration and inquiry.

• Staff affirm the diverse cultures of learners, whānau and families through responsive relationships, and a range of co-planned events that celebrate their strengths.
• The school continues to foster multiple opportunities for engagement with families, both through formal hui and fono, and informal communication that supports individual wellbeing and learning.
• Parents receive regular progress updates via face-to-face meetings, newsletters and a digital platform for sharing current learning and successes, giving effective information on progress and achievement.

Part C: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• consolidate structured approaches to literacy and mathematics teaching to further improve and sustain student achievement across reading, writing and mathematics 
• continue to develop the school’s localised curriculum document to reflect the collective teaching approaches that are being embedded, and reflect community cultures
• enact the school’s action plan to improve boys’ achievement
• enact the school’s Pacific action plan to address a trend for low attendance and achievement. 

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

Within six months:

• leaders hold hui for whānau Māori to discuss the school’s approach to promoting Māori success as Māori, and respond to whānau suggestions
• leaders hold fono for families from Pacific communities to discuss and strengthen the school’s Pacific Education plan, with input on how the school can support students’ academic success.

Every six months:

• teachers collaboratively analyse and review their data, including student feedback, to monitor progress and inform teaching adaptations
• hold community events that support whānau and families’ understanding of the curriculum and strengthen learning partnerships.

Annually:

• undertake a learner wellbeing survey and analyse responses to identify needs, and respond to findings
• report formally to the board and community on achievement, attendance, and wellbeing information 
• use learner, whānau and family feedback along with the analysed attendance, achievement and wellbeing data to review and inform strategic and annual priorities. 

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

• improved student attendance, achievement, and wellbeing outcomes for all learners
• whānau and family, hapū and iwi engagement in the localised curriculum and learning developments
• leaders and teachers regularly reviewing the impact of their practice on improved student progress and achievement.

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

19 September 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