Woodend 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  

​​Woodend School​ is located in Woodend, North of Christchurch and provides education for students in Years 1 to 8. A new principal was appointed since the previous ERO report. The strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to: provide robust curriculum programmes; promote and support success for all students; and form partnerships within the school community. 

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 June 2022 ERO report, the school has evaluated the impact of the local curriculum, assessment and responsive teacher practice on achievement and wellbeing outcomes for students. 

Expected Improvements and Findings  

The school expected to see: 

A responsive local curriculum that integrates the local context. 

• The school has developed and implemented a comprehensive curriculum that reflects the local environment and cultural histories. 

Improved student outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics. 

• Student outcomes in reading. writing and mathematics are high and have been sustained.
• Well-considered reading, writing and mathematics action plans have been established; these identify specific targets for accelerating learners’ progress.
• Real time reporting of student achievement has been introduced; this supports parents and whānau to be better informed of student progress.  

School wide consistent and coordinated teacher practice. 

• Teachers collaborate and share planning; this strengthens the coordination of strategies and approaches to best meet the needs of learners.
• The use of standardised assessment tools and robust moderation is strengthening consistency of teaching practice.
• Assessment data is increasingly used by leaders and teachers to set achievement targets for those students at risk of underachievement and to monitor progress. 

The greatest shift that has occurred in response to the school’s actions to review the local curriculum and teacher practice, is the strengthening of consistency across teacher practice.  

Part B: Current State  

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

Learner Success and Wellbeing

• The large majority of students achieve at or above the expected curriculum level in reading, writing, and mathematics.
• Disparity for boys and Māori learners in reading, writing and mathematics remains and leaders have specific targets to address this.
• The majority of students attend school regularly; the school has not yet met the Ministry of Education’s attendance target. 

Conditions to support learner success

• Leaders have established an explicit, context-appropriate school improvement plan; this reflects the school’s vision, values and aspirations as well as the perspectives of students, families, teachers, and the wider community.
• Leaders have developed clear practices for planning, delivering and evaluating the curriculum; this is strengthening consistency schoolwide.
• Leadership is strengthening the use and analysis of student progress and achievement information; this has improved responsive planning that targets learning needs. 

• Leaders and teachers undertake meaningful community consultation, useful data analysis and gather student feedback and ideas; this informs regular curriculum review to identify ongoing improvements to meet the needs of learners.
• The school has a comprehensive curriculum that is aligned to the strategic plan, reflects the local area and uses available resources to provide a basis for responsive lesson planning.

• Internal evaluation practices support the gathering, analysis, and use of evidence of student learning and outcomes to improve practice.
• The board is strongly supportive of the principal, staff and students; strategic goals are improvement focused, and resulting school initiatives are well resourced.
• Teachers use local histories and stories well to extend learning opportunities to learn te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori throughout the curriculum. 

Part C: Where to next?  

The agreed next steps for the school are to:  

• further strengthen assessment and moderation practices to provide more reliable reporting of achievement and identify next steps for learning
• maintain the focus on consistency of teaching and learning across the school
• further engage with the school community to develop strategies to increase rates of student attendance. 

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

Every six months: 

• using assessment, moderation and reporting to monitor the progress and achievement of all learners including those who need acceleration
• conduct a schoolwide student wellbeing survey and respond to the findings
• consult the community to develop and refine processes to support more students to attend school regularly. 

Annually: 

• analyse achievement information and respond to any disparity identified to inform next steps for learners
• review the impact of teaching and learning programmes on achievement outcomes to know what has been successful and what needs further improvement
• analyse student wellbeing and engagement data. 

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

• sustained high levels of equitable achievement and excellence in learner outcomes
• school wide consistency in high quality teaching and assessment practice
• 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 

​​Sharon Kelly 
Director of Schools (Acting) 

​​22 April 2025​ 

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