Myross Bush 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  

​​Myross Bush School​ is a contributing primary school in rural Southland providing education for children in Years 1 to 6. The school vision is Kia tu Pakari – From strong foundations we grow and stand tall together. A new principal was appointed at the start of 2024. 

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 

ERO and the school have worked together to evaluate how well the school’s learning pathway, Ako the Active Learner, supported and promoted excellence in learning. 

Expected Improvements and Findings  

The school expected to see: 

A coherent learning pathway for Ako the Active Learner that empowers excellence in learning for all.  

• Students have a greater understanding of themselves as learners and can confidently set goals that promote their ongoing progress and achievement. 
• The implementation of a set of rubrics (the key attributes for learning) has provided a clear learning pathway that can be applied to any age across the school. 
• Individual learners can now clearly engage and talk about their learning and set their future improvement goals. 
• Learners and teachers have gained greater clarity about what is to be learned and the next steps for learning.  

Other Findings 

The greatest shift that occurred in response to the school’s action has been the understanding and capability of the teaching staff in using Ako the Active Learner as a learning pathway; teaching practice is now more defined and deliberate.  

Part B: Current State 

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

Learner Success and Wellbeing 

• Most learners achieve at or above expected curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics. 
• Most Māori learners achieve at or above expected levels in writing and mathematics and almost all in reading. 
• Students with additional needs are well supported to access the curriculum and make good progress; those at risk of underachievement are quickly identified and targeted interventions are put in place. 
• A large majority of learners attend school regularly; the school is not yet meeting the Ministry of Education’s attendance target. 

Conditions to support learner success

• Leaders evaluate the impact of teaching and learning strategies to strengthen clear expectations about learning progress; the findings inform appropriate professional learning for staff.   
• Leaders use assessment information and feedback from students, staff and the community well to plan and monitor improvement priorities. 
• Leaders support teachers to inquire into their practice and the impact this has on learner outcomes, to better understand what is working well and inform where to next.

• Teachers support learners to make progress through effective teaching practices that support a range of individual and group needs. 
• Learners experience meaningful programmes that purposefully incorporate structured literacy strategies; regular reflection by teachers is strengthening consistency of teaching and learning schoolwide. 
• Teachers establish warm, learning-focused environments and learners actively engage in programmes, initiatives and activities. 

• The school facilitates regular parent, whānau and community participation in the life of the school to enhance learning opportunities through the localised curriculum. 
• Staff develop productive partnerships within the local community; the school is perceived as a welcoming and inclusive environment which benefits students’ wellbeing and sense of belonging. 
• The board and leaders have embedded a culture of evaluation, strategic governance and effective professional learning to sustain high quality teaching and learning. 

Part C: Where to next? 

The agreed next steps for the school are to:  

• embed Ako the Active Learner language across the school to support independent learning 
• continue strengthening teachers’ practice in te ao Māori, tikanga Māori and te reo Māori 
• continue to embed structured literacy approaches, and monitor and gather individual and team data to evaluate the impact on learner outcomes over time  
• strengthen strategies and initiatives to improve students’ regular attendance. 

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

Within six months: 

• evaluate teacher professional development needs in mathematics and source appropriate professional learning opportunities to build teacher capability for improving outcomes for learners. 

Every six months: 

• review reading, writing and mathematics progress and achievement information to inform teaching planning and practice for ongoing learning 
• evaluate attendance data to review and refine strategies that increase regular attendance. 

Annually: 

• school leaders provide evaluative reports on learners’ progress and achievement to the board to inform ongoing strategic planning and resourcing 
• evaluate the effectiveness of literacy and mathematics teaching to improve achievement outcomes 
• embed the consistent use of assessment tools to report on student progress and achievement. 

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

• further improved student, progress, achievement and wellbeing outcomes 
• learners who can clearly communicate their strengths and needs as an independent learner 
• increased use of  te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and te ao Māori in classroom programmes 
• increased and sustained regular attendance. 

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 
Acting Director of Schools 

​​13 February 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