Stonefields School

The same report — the board assurance report of 11 June 2024 — also sets out actions for compliance: the non-compliance ERO identified during that process. This is that section of the report in full, in ERO’s words.

ERO has identified the following area of non-compliance during the board assurance process:

every safety check of a person must comply with the requirements for safety checks for core workers. [s 31 (1) Children’s Act 2014]

The board has since addressed the area of non-compliance identified.

Read this board assurance report on ero.govt.nz →

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 11 June 2024 — “School Evaluation Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.

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

Stonefields School is situated in Stonefields, Auckland and provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. The school has four vision principles that guide school improvement. These are building learning capacity, collaborating, making meaning, and breaking through.

The school has a satellite unit from Sommerville Specialist School.

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

Since the previous ERO report of August 2022, ERO and the school worked together to evaluate how well the application of Stonefields’ learning process model led to equitable outcomes for all students.

Expected Improvements and Findings

The school expected to see:

The learning process consistently implemented throughout the school.

Students know and articulate well the key elements of the learning process. These elements use learners’ thinking skills to help them understand new things, make sense of these and know when, where and how to use this information.

Teachers consistently use the language and visuals of the learning process model to tailor learning experiences for students’ needs.

All learners applying the learning process to successfully lead and take action.

Almost all students have developed confidence in and ownership of their learning.

Students actively lead and participate in decision making that positively impacts on their learning.

All stakeholders (staff and learners) continuing to grow a shared understanding of Stonefields School’s learning process.

Positive shifts in learning outcomes are evident across the school.

Staff and learners have a clear understanding about what is being learned and why and confidently make links to the learning process model.

The greatest shift that occurred in response to the school’s action has been the overall consistency and intentional use of the learning process model to design and enable meaningful learning experiences for learners.

Part B: Current State

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

Learner Success and Wellbeing

Outcomes for learners show continuous improvement over time.

The majority of learners achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics; achievement information over time (three years) shows that almost all learners attending continuously achieve at or above curriculum expectations in reading, writing and mathematics.

Māori learners achieve lower than non-Māori in reading, writing and mathematics; however the rate of progress of Māori learners in reading and mathematics exceeds that of the whole school.

Learners are confident in their identities, languages and cultures; they show a strong sense of belonging and pride in their school.

The majority of learners attend school regularly and the school has achieved the Ministry of Education’s 2024 target of having less than five percent of learners chronically absent.

Conditions to support learner success

Strategic and effective school leadership builds and sustains high quality systems and processes for teaching and learning.

High levels of relational trust, collaboration and a focus on professional learning among leadership and staff support continuous improvement and innovation.

School leadership prioritises school improvement and creates a culture of evidence-based evaluation and targeted responses to areas of identified learner need.

School leadership actively engages with learners, staff, parents, whānau and local iwi , ensuring that the school’s vision, goals and priorities reflect community aspirations.

Learners experience a range of rich learning opportunities that are engaging and meaningful.

Teachers consistently create positive learning environments that foster mutually respectful teacher-learner relationships; learners speak confidently about their learning and progress.

Learners experience an extensive range of relevant and authentic learning opportunities through the localised curriculum.

Teachers design and differentiate learning to meet the needs of their learners, building students’ confidence and independence.

Key conditions, including learner wellbeing, staff collaboration and partnerships, that underpin successful schooling are embedded and well-aligned.

Parents and whānau are respected and valued partners in their child’s learning.

Learners with diverse learning needs are a priority; leaders and teachers partner with parents, whānau and support services to ensure the wellbeing and learning needs of these students are well catered for.

Leaders and teachers confidently collect, analyse and interpret data from a range of sources using broad and innovative data collection and management systems to inform decision making.

Part C: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

resource learners with strategies to grow and sustain their wellbeing

accelerate progress in literacy, with a focus on writing and give priority to raising the achievement of Māori learners

actively strengthen teacher engagement in parent partnerships to enhance outcomes for all learners.

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

Every six months:

implement the wellbeing approach (MITEY) consistently across the school and embed in learning design and practice

upskill teachers in the junior area of the school in the Structured Literacy approach to teaching literacy

provide professional learning opportunities to grow teacher confidence and capability in establishing and strengthening parent partnerships

Annually:

review school initiatives and actions quarterly, with a focus on how these are raising the achievement of Māori learners

analyse and evaluate the impact of the implementation of strategic priorities to inform next steps.

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

engaged and well attending learners who can manage their wellbeing and challenges

continued accelerated progress in literacy, particularly for Māori learners’ achievement

teachers and parents reporting that partnerships have a positive impact on learner progress and outcomes.

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

11 June 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

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →