The Gardens 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 

The Gardens School ​is situated in Manurewa, Auckland and provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8.  The school environment is designed to accommodate integration of the values programme with 21st century knowledge, skills and competencies, and prepare students for the next phase of their learning journey. The school has a satellite unit from Rosehill School and is a member of the Alfriston Kāhui Ako.

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 

Most students are engaged, make good progress and achieve very well. 

• The large majority of learners achieve at or above expected curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics, with some inequity for Māori and Pacific learners.
• Targeted learners that receive additional support make accelerated progress with the majority reaching expected curriculum levels by Year 8.
• Students are purposefully engaged at school and the Ministry of Education target for regular attendance has been met due to the use of effective strategies and approaches. 

Conditions to support learner success

School leadership effectively builds high quality systems and processes for teaching and learning in an innovative learning environment.

• Leaders and teachers align their vision and strategic direction with a curriculum that is broad, future focused and relevant to learners. 
• School leaders provide positive guidance and support to facilitate ongoing innovation, improvement and development of teacher capabilities for improved outcomes for learners.
• Leaders set targets and use evidence-based interventions to accelerate progress that meets the individual strengths and needs of learners.

Teachers collaborate well and consistently use agreed teaching strategies to support the diverse needs of learners. 

• Students have opportunities to learn in different ways targeted to individual learners, with a consistent focus on supporting learners to gain sound foundation, literacy and mathematics skills.
• Teachers create collaborative learning environments that foster inclusive participation and positive, mutually respectful teacher-learner relationships.
• Learners access a localised curriculum that fosters 21st century knowledge, skills and key competencies.

Key conditions that underpin successful schooling are embedded and well-aligned. 

• Learners are confident in their identities and show a strong sense of belonging and pride in their school. 
• Effective communication between the board, leaders and teachers supports collaboration and contributes to professional agency across all levels of the school. 
• The school gives effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi through partnerships with Māori and mana whenua, providing learners with opportunities for active participation in te reo Māori and tikanga Māori.
• Leaders and teachers use a variety of strategies to connect with parents and whānau, creating shared understandings and enabling active support for their child’s learning.

Part B: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• use a range of purposeful teaching strategies to accelerate progress and raise student achievement, particularly for Māori and Pacific learners
• continue to mentor and develop teachers new to the school in the context of the innovative learning environment 
• continue to build processes to collect whānau and community input to guide strategic direction and curriculum development, and strengthen te ao Māori
• review and refine strategic planning to ensure clarity and coherence.

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

Every six months:

• teachers and leaders will continue to implement interventions for learners who are not yet at expected achievement levels
• leaders will support professional capability through observations, use of data, and feedback 
• leaders and teachers will continue to review the provision of te ao Māori to ensure there is ongoing improvement.

Annually:

• leaders and teachers will review and evaluate progress of use of te ao Māori and te reo Māori and identify next steps using Poutama Reo
• leaders will analyse and incorporate whānau and community voice and incorporate this into annual planning. 

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

• improved student achievement outcomes for Māori, Pacific and other identified groups of learners
• consistent and cohesive teaching practices that reflect best practice for the innovative learning environment
• increased use of te reo Māori and te ao Māori concepts across the school 
• coherent strategic planning that is reflective of the wishes of the school community. 

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

6 August 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