Manawatu Community High School - Manawatu Kura a Iwi

Background

Introduction

Manawatu Community High School Centre is one of 14 Activity Centres in New Zealand that cater for secondary school students (Years 9-13) who are at risk of disengaging from mainstream schooling and at risk of low educational, social and vocational outcomes.

Activity Centres provide a specialised learning programme that will lead to increased attendance, engagement and achievement at school, social outcomes and successful transition rates. Registered teachers support students to increase their achievement and engagement in education guided by an Individual Learning Programme (ILP) that is responsive to the needs of each student. The ILP details the student’s learning goals and is developed in partnership with the student, teacher, parents/whānau and enrolling school.

A key component of the programme for activity centre students is to successfully transition back into the enrolling school or move on to further education or employment.

Palmerston North Boys’ High School is the managing school for this activity centre. The school Board of Trustees holds governance responsibility for the Activity Centre and is responsible for providing high quality educational service in a physically and emotionally safe learning environment.

Terms of Reference

This review is based on an evaluation of the performance of Manawatu Community High School in relation to the terms of reference developed with the Ministry of Education. The terms of reference are:

• management and governance practices including planning, internal evaluation and professional capacity building
• the use of information to plan and implement individual programmes for, and with, students, and to monitor their progress
• support for students to achieve improved social and educational outcomes
• educational and social outcomes for students, including the extent to which students’ learning has been accelerated
• students’ experience of interagency support for them and their families
• transitions in and out of the Activity Centre.

The key evaluative question is:

How effective is this Activity Centre at achieving positive outcomes for students?

Context

Manawatu Community High School is an Activity Centre managed by Palmerston North Boys’ High School (PNBHS). The director is responsible to the rector and board of trustees. An operations manager based at PNBHS strengthens the supportive partnership between the school and the centre.

The centre is open to all secondary schools in the area and up to 10 schools have enrolled students during the past three years. The director and teaching staff have a long involvement with the centre.

The majority of students attend the centre for less than two terms, with the goal of transitioning back to mainstream education as soon as practical. At the time of the review, there were nine students on the roll. Local agencies are accessed to provide specialised pastoral support.

Findings

How effective is the Activity Centre at achieving positive outcomes for students?

At Manawatu Community High School there is a strong focus on assisting students to re-engage with learning and to succeed in a formal school setting. Data shows that in 2016 most students attended the centre for less than six months and that 62% returned to school and a further 17% moved into further education. The outcome for the remaining students is unclear.

The centre’s values of ‘responsibility and respect’, underpinned by tikanga Māori, are highly evident. Visitors are welcomed respectfully and te reo Māori is often used by staff and students.

On entry to the centre, Individual Learning Programmes (ILPs) are developed with whānau, the enrolling school and the student. These include literacy and numeracy and allow some learning choices by the student. Once core subjects are completed, students move onto mainstream classwork in preparation for re-entry back to their enrolling school. ILPs are updated regularly and general progress is tracked. Feedback is received by the student and whānau on successful work completion

In 2016, the centre did not collect data on student attendance, academic progress or achievement. The report to the Ministry of Education (MoE) was not completed. This is a MoE requirement and must be a priority for the centre. Systematically collecting and analysing data to show the effectiveness and impact of the centre’s programme and outcomes for students should provide valuable information for teachers and the enrolling and managing schools.

What is the quality of governance and leadership of the Activity Centre?

A systematic, documented approach to governance and leadership is not evident.

Relationships between the managing school’s rector, the PNBHS operations manager and centre staff are positive. The bursar, property manager and other key staff members provide the director with specialised support.

A management team from PNBHS meets termly to review operation and progress against annual targets. Reporting to the board does not adequately cover the impact and effectiveness of learning programmes. Improving this would allow trustees to make more informed resourcing decisions. Including representatives from enrolling schools in the management team would increase collective responsibility for the centre.

A written Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the managing and enrolling schools should be completed to meet the expectations of MoE and to clarify expectations, roles and responsibilities.

How effective are the selection and transition processes?

Successful transition to learning is a priority for new students. The centre’s programme is flexible and responsive to the needs of each student assisting them to settle quickly into routines, understand expectations and engage in learning. Paperwork on entry is thorough and conveys well-defined expectations and responsibilities of students, whānau and the centre. Processes to identify and support the needs of Māori students and their families are culturally responsive and embedded in the tikanga of the centre. Parents are encouraged to be actively involved with the centre.

Enrolment processes include sharing a wide range of information about the student by the enrolling school. A regular communication system with the school about learning, attitudes and behaviour keeps the enrolling schools well informed about the overall progress of students and supports the transition process.

How well does the Activity Centre identify the social, emotional and academic needs of each student?

A range of assessments occur over the initial weeks of entry into the centre. These are purposefully observational and are designed to provide staff with information needed to design a useful ILP. Teaching staff are highly responsive to each student’s needs and work closely with whānau, schools and agencies to support positive outcomes.

How well do the specialised learning programmes meet the needs of each student?

Learning programmes are focused on wellbeing, relationship building and social skills, and preparing students to successfully return to school. A settled tone throughout the centre is actively monitored by teachers. A clearly defined timetable provides security and predictability. Students appear settled and engaged in their learning tasks. ILPs enable students to monitor their developments and task completion. Students are actively encouraged to manage their learning and self-regulate their behaviour. Consequences for inappropriate behaviour are clear. Teaching staff encourage students to think of constructive solutions to challenging situations.

Te ao Māori underpins the curriculum. Learning contexts acknowledge and strengthen students’ understanding of their culture and identity and are meaningful for the learners. Students access Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu - The Correspondence School (Te Kura) online and use digital tools to enhance their learning. Achievement and completion of learning tasks is celebrated.

Teacher appraisal processes are in place but not always implemented. More detailed completion of the process each year is likely to contribute more effectively to teacher improvement and capability.

How effectively are students prepared for their future pathways?

The majority of students transition back to their school or onto further opportunities. The centre’s focus on literacy, numeracy and the development of positive work habits has the potential to allow students opportunities for success. Plans to enable a smooth transition from the centre are in place for most students. A more structured, formally documented process should allow all aspects of transition to be fully enacted.

Tracking students beyond their time at the centre in relation to attendance, retention at school and achievement should assist internal evaluation and information gathered used to improve practice.

ERO recommends that:

• student attendance, academic progress and achievement is collected, tracked and reported to the MoE twice a year, as required
• governance and leadership is more formalised and that the board receives regular reports on the impact and effectiveness of the centre’s learning programmes, based on evidence of student outcomes
• the management team includes representatives from enrolling schools and a MoU describing roles and responsibilities is signed between the managing school and enrolling schools
• the transition process back to the enrolling school is formally documented.

Patricia Davey

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)

7 November 2017

About the Activity Centre

Location

Palmerston North

Ministry of Education profile number

6118

Activity Centre roll

9

Gender composition

Male 7, Female 2

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā

7
2

Review team on site

July/August 2017

Date of this report

7 November 2017

Most recent ERO reports

Special Review
Special Review
Special Review

March 2013
October 2009
June 2005