Review 12 May 2025
LatestSchool 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.
About the School
Bradford school is situated on the outskirts of Dunedin city and provides education for learners in Years 1 to 6. The roll sits at 93. European | Pākehā make up 56% of learners, 22% identify as Māori, 11% Asian and 9% Pacific peoples. Bradford School’s mission is to be an inclusive community and its values are: We Care; We Grow; He Waka Eke Noa, we are all in this together, with no exception.
Part A: Parent Summary
Progress since November 2022 ERO report
Bradford School leaders have worked to strengthen teacher practice in mathematics, so all learners have an increased sense of confidence and self-esteem when solving mathematical problems. This has resulted in mathematical plans that are more responsive to learners' needs and significant improvement in progress in mathematics for those learners at risk of not achieving.
Processes to better support these improvements include better analysis of achievement information to identify trends and patterns for groups of learners so that disparity can be addressed in a timely and responsive manner. Utilising this information, the school has strengthened its learner first focus which drives all planning initiatives related to learners’ engagement and attendance.
How well placed is the school to promote educational success and wellbeing?
| How well are learners succeeding? | Success and progress for all learners is increasing. |
| What is the quality of teaching and learning? | Learners benefit from high quality teaching practice that improves progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics. |
| How well does the school curriculum respond to all learners needs? | Learners have rich opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum. There is a consistent focus on supporting learners to gain skills in literacy and mathematics. Learners with complex needs are well supported to achieve their education goals. |
| How well does school planning and conditions support ongoing improvement? | School planning and conditions to support ongoing improvement to the quality of education for learners are well established. |
| How well does the school include all learners and promote their engagement and wellbeing? | The school successfully promotes learners’ engagement, wellbeing and inclusion. |
| How well does the school partner with parents, whānau and its community for the benefit of learners? | The school reports usefully and accurately to parents / whānau about their child’s learning, achievement and progress. The school responds well to a wide range of information gathered through community consultation, to inform strategic planning and curriculum decisions. |
| Student Health and Safety | The school board is taking reasonable steps to ensure student health and safety. |
Achievement in Years 0 to 8
This table outlines how well students across the school meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.
Foundation Skills | |
| Reading | A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners. |
| Writing | Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners. |
Mathematics
| Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners. |
Attendance
The school is behind the target of 80% regular attendance.
The school has a suitable plan in place to improve attendance.
Regular attendance is improving towards or beyond the target.
Chronic absence is reducing over time.
Assessment
The school uses an appropriate approach and reliable practices to find out about achievement against the curriculum.
Teachers are developing assessment information to adjust teaching practices to ensure ongoing improvement in teaching and student progress.
Progress
The school has good quality planning to increase the rate of progress for all groups of students.
The school has to some extent improved achievement and progress for those learners most at risk of not achieving since the previous review.
The school has to some extent extended achievement and progress for learners working at or above curriculum levels since the previous review.
The school is making progress towards meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets and/or pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau targets for 2030 and agrees this will need to be a key strategic priority.
An explanation of the terms used in the Parent Summary can be found here: Reporting | Education Review Office
Part B: Findings for the school
This section of the report provides more detail for the school to include in strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school.
Areas of strength
The school has strong, collaborative leadership team that effectively and consistently drives strategic goals to raise outcomes for all learners. Inclusive practice is at the forefront of all teaching and learning contexts and strongly emphasises parents as partners in learning.
Learning programmes reflect local contexts and strong connections with learners, whānau and the wider community. Reading, writing and mathematics are explicitly taught in the wider curriculum and there is a consistent focus on supporting learners to gain these foundation skills at each level of learning.
Teachers at Bradford School have been using the Science of Learning approach for over two years. This is successfully embedded across both English and mathematics.
All teachers are supported to develop initiatives and take on extra responsibilities that continue to keep the needs of learners at the centre of school planning.
Key priorities and actions for improvement
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
- identify the groups of learners for whom achievement is not equitable and develop plans to address this in order to raise their achievement
- incorporate learner feedback in the design of selected learning contexts and in key decisions about learning
- extend the use of data to more widely inform decision making around school improvement for all groups of learners
- monitor and improve attendance levels and share the attendance plan with the community.
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Within six months:
- resource and embed the play-based learning plan to increase student attendance and engagement
- gather learner feedback about contexts that learners are interested in and consider these in future planning
- monitor learner achievement and engagement and communicate with parents regarding the impact of low attendance
Every six months:
- respond to learner engagement in the curriculum so far in the year to inform planning for the next six months
- analyse mid-year data to inform next steps for all learners and to monitor the equity of progress and achievement
- meet with whānau to better understand whether the school is meeting their aspirations for learners
Annually:
- share achievement and wellbeing data with the Board to inform resourcing and interventions
- review the impact of interventions for those learners who are below and above expectations
- monitor student attendance for those students most at risk of not attending school to evaluate the impact of the play-based learning initiative and reflect and respond with any changes needed
- continue to monitor student attendance and review the attendance plan if necessary.
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
- improved progress for those students at risk of not achieving in reading, writing and mathematics
- enhanced equity in achievement outcomes for all groups of learners
- heightened community awareness of the importance of attendance in relation to learners' achievement
- increased opportunities for learners to set their own learning goals and lead learning contexts that they are interested in.
Part C: Regulatory and Legislative Requirements
Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements
All schools are required to promote student health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
During this review the Board has attested to some regulatory and legislative requirements in the following areas:
Board Administration
Yes
Curriculum
Yes
Management of Health, Safety and Welfare
Yes
Personnel Management
Yes
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 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
Acting Director of Schools
12 May 2025
Education Counts
This website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home