Review 11 December 2024
LatestSchool 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
Weedons School is a semi-rural school in Selwyn, Canterbury. It provides education for learners in
Years 1 to 8. The school’s values are Whanaungatanga, Respect, Honesty, Personal Best, and Responsibility.
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
Learners’ outcomes are increasingly equitable and excellent.- Most learners, including Māori learners, achieve at or above curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics.
- Learners demonstrate a strong sense of belonging; their wellbeing is well-supported by structured, monitored schoolwide programmes.
- A large majority of learners regularly attend school; the school is yet to meet the Ministry of Education target for regular attendance and school leaders have set this as a strategic priority.
Conditions to support learner success
Leaders increasingly foster and sustain a culture committed to high quality teaching and learning.- Leaders are working collaboratively to develop a school-wide understanding of high-quality teaching practices to accelerate learners’ progress and achievement.
- Leaders and teachers increasingly use wellbeing and achievement information to further improve learner outcomes.
- Leaders and teachers are prioritising programmes and interventions that recognise and cater for individual learning strengths and needs; developing a Weedons School Leaver Profile is a part of this.
- Learners experience classroom environments that are welcoming and relational with clear expectations and routines for learning.
- Learners make appropriate progress through teaching and assessment practices in reading, writing and mathematics that are embedded and ensure consistency across the school.
- The curriculum increasingly reflects local contexts and provides learning opportunities that further learner engagement and achievement; leaders and teachers are implementing national curriculum changes.
- Leaders and teachers prioritise the induction of new staff and targeted professional growth and development to support high quality teaching and learning across the curriculum.
- Teachers use effective communication strategies to develop and sustain valued partnerships with parents and whānau to support learning and wellbeing.
- The board, leaders and staff regularly review and evaluate teaching programmes and progress data to inform strategic decision-making for continual improvement.
- Leaders and teachers affirm and value the diversity of learners providing inclusive opportunities and programmes to support all learners experience individualised success.
Part B: Where to next?
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
- maintain the effectiveness and sustainability of reading, writing and mathematics programmes when updating the school’s curriculum in line with national curriculum developments
- continue to develop a local curriculum where learners and their families see their own and the community’s identities reflected
- implement strategies to improve and sustain regular attendance
- create the Weedons School Leaver Profile and develop appropriate learning and social progressions leading to this.
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Within six months:
- develop a comprehensive induction plan for new staff to ensure sustained cohesion of school-wide programmes
- continue to engage with the community on how to increase regular school attendance
- continue to implement national curriculum changes.
Every six months:
- review, evaluate and respond to schoolwide reading, writing and mathematics data
- analyse and evaluate learners’ wellbeing data responding to any emerging trends
- evaluate progress in developing and implementing the Weedons School Leaver Profile.
Annually:
- continue to develop the school’s local curriculum, aligning with national curriculum changes and maintaining relevant local learning opportunities
- analyse and report on attendance, progress and achievement data to inform strategic and annual planning and set improvement targets
- school leaders continue to connect with local high schools to develop and refine structures that support clear transition pathways and contribute to the Weedons School Leaver Profile
- leaders and teachers collaborate to refine inclusive learning programmes that support the increasing diversity of learners.
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
- further increased learner wellbeing
- consistent use of high-quality assessment information to identify the next learning steps for each learner to improve achievement
- a strongly engaging, localised curriculum extending learner attendance, engagement 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
11 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