South Auckland Middle 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 

South Auckland Middle School is a Years 7 to 10, designated character school in Manurewa.  The school has a Christian philosophy underpinned by an integrated, project-based curriculum and the school values of respect, faith and confidence.

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 

The majority of students are engaged, make good progress and outcomes for learners are improving.

• The majority of students achieve at or above curriculum expectations for reading and writing; slightly less than half of students achieve expectations for mathematics. 
• The school has yet to raise male students’ achievement to the same level as other students.
• The majority of students attend regularly; leaders and teachers use well-considered approaches to strive to reach the Ministry of Education’s rising national target for regular attendance.
• Learners experience an environment that is increasingly supportive as practices that promote inclusion and wellbeing are strengthened to help students feel connected and that they belong. 

Conditions to support learner success

Leadership fosters a culture committed to high quality teaching, and equity and excellence in learner outcomes.

• Leaders build their vision into a tailored localised curriculum, with individualised programmes focused on developing student independence and ownership of learning.  
• Leaders develop trusting relationships within the school community, facilitating strong learning partnerships with families to improve outcomes for learners. 
• Coherent strategic and annual planning identifies student-centred priorities and goals that include community perspectives. 

The school’s local curriculum is implemented through tailored systems and processes.

• Leaders facilitate teachers’ understanding of shared expectations, teaching approaches and strategies.
• Staff know learners well; they work collaboratively in small classes within whānau-based structures to remove barriers and purposefully engage learners to improve outcomes.
• Learners have increased opportunities to learn and experience an integrated curriculum that supports their cultural identity: they learn in an orderly and well-resourced environment.

Collaborative leadership drives continuous improvement of the school’s strategic priorities and plans.

• Learning programmes and interventions are increasingly personalised to meet student’s different learning needs; targeted support is in place and learners with additional and complex needs are well supported.
• Leaders are strengthening their use of data analysis to improve teaching and learning programmes, including regular monitoring and reporting of student progress and achievement for improved outcomes.
• Learner success and wellbeing is the focus of school-home interactions; fostering collaborative relationships and learning partnerships that support learners' connections to the school.  The school gives effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi through partnerships with Ngāti Tamaoho, providing learners with opportunities to use te reo Māori and to experience te ao Māori. 

Part B: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• revise the provision for mathematics to ensure sufficient time is allocated, and continue evaluating the teaching approaches used 
• further strengthen quality teaching that improves achievement in reading, writing and mathematics, particularly for boys 
• sustain the focus on improving regular attendance to meet the Ministry of Education target
• continue to strengthen student and staff capability in te reo Māori and further embed mātauranga Māori into the curriculum.

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

Within three months:

• revise the provision for mathematics and adjust timetables accordingly to ensure requirements are met.

Every six months:

• further develop and refine effective teaching strategies to improve achievement outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics
• strengthen data analysis capabilities across the school, track and monitor achievement data and review whether improvements are producing expected results
• continue to develop and review effective approaches to improve attendance of learners
• continue implementing initiatives and programmes that improve confidence and capability in te reo Māori and te ao Māori.

Annually:

• regularly use achievement data to inform review of the teaching strategies that have the most impact on reading, writing and mathematics, and adjust future planning and implementation accordingly
• expand on reporting to the board on reading, writing and mathematics progress and other achievement outcomes, with added analysis to show long-term progress on previous years.

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

• improved student achievement outcomes for all, especially in mathematics and for males
• higher rates of regular student attendance
• increased use of te reo Māori and inclusion of te ao Māori across the school.

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

19 November 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