Ashburton Borough School 13/06/2010
Community Page
14 June 2010To the Parents and Community of Ashburton Borough School
These are the findings of the Education Review Office's latest report on Ashburton Borough School.
Ashburton Borough School is a long-established, full primary school providing education for Years 1 to 8 students. The school operates from two sites, the main town site and the rural Lagmhor site that incorporates two classes. Students attend the school from the local township and surrounding rural areas. A supportive school community is regularly involved in learning programmes and school events. The school has been recognised for its contribution to environmental education with a Green Gold Award.
Pastoral care provisions help to ensure that student wellbeing is effectively fostered. Senior managers and teachers reinforce high expectations for learning and behaviour that contribute to a positive school culture. The principal and senior managers provide supportive leadership that promotes teachers' professional development and the sharing of teachers' expertise.
Students overall, including Māori students, achieve well in aspects of literacy and mathematics compared with school and national expectations. The school has already begun to report to parents about their children's achievements using the national standards.
The innovative, future-focused school curriculum, using an inquiry approach, is helping to develop students' awareness of the wider world. It encourages students to consider local and global issues and seek solutions.
The school is governed well. The board focuses its resources on improving student achievement. A greater priority is being given to raising the profile of bicultural learning in the school.
Other strengths of the school identified by ERO include:
the way teachers promote student engagement, independence and involve students in decision making relevant to their age and capabilities;
teachers using a range of effective practices to respond to students' strengths and needs;
the breadth of learning experiences students have that help them to reach their full potential in a range of curriculum areas; and
the extensive support provided for students underachieving or at risk of underachieving that is successful in lifting performance levels.
Areas for further development and review include:
making some assessment and evaluation practices more consistent and useful;
extending the reporting of student achievement to include more information about the progress and performance of junior students in literacy and mathematics; and
reviewing the sustainability of the school's plans to include the International Baccalaureate Organisation's Primary Years Programme principles in the school's curriculum and seek feedback from parents, staff and students in this process.
The board is aware of the need to increase its efforts to consult with the school community about school programmes.
Future Action
The board of trustees has demonstrated that it is governing the school in the interest of the students and the Crown. The board, together with the principal and school leaders, continues to focus on improving student learning - engagement, progress and achievement. ERO is likely to carry out the next review within three years.
Review Coverage
This report provides an evaluation of how effectively the school's curriculum promotes student learning - engagement, progress and achievement. ERO's evaluation takes account of the school's previous reporting history and is based on:
what is known about student achievement information, including the achievement of Māori and Pacific students;
decisions made to improve student achievement using assessment and self-review information; and
teaching strategies and programmes implemented to give effect to the school's curriculum.
ERO also gathers information during the review to contribute to its national reports. The national reports are published on ERO's website.
If you would like a copy of the full report, please contact the school or see the ERO website, www.ero.govt.nz.
Graham Randell
National Manager Review Services
Southern Region
General Information about Reviews
About ERO
ERO is an independent, external evaluation agency that undertakes reviews of schools and early childhood services throughout New Zealand.
About ERO Reviews
ERO follows a set of standard procedures to conduct reviews. The purpose of each review is to:
improve educational achievement in schools; and
provide information to parents, communities and the government.
Reviews are intended to focus on student achievement and build on each school's self review.
Review Focus
ERO's framework for reviewing and reporting integrates the following:
school curriculum;
national evaluation topics -contribute to the development of education policies and their effective implementation; and
Board Assurance Statement, including student and staff health and safety.
ERO's review is responsive to the school's context. When ERO reviews a school, it takes into account the characteristics of the community from which it draws its students, its aspirations for its young people, and other relevant local factors.
ERO also builds on the school's own self-review information. ERO is interested in how a school monitors the progress of its students and aspects of school life and culture, and how it uses this information to improve student learning.
This helps ERO to answer the major evaluation question for reviews:
How effectively does this school's curriculum promote student learning - engagement, progress and achievement?
Areas for Development and Review
ERO reports include areas for development and review to support on-going improvement by identifying priorities. Often the school will have identified these matters through its own self review and already plans further development in those areas.
[1] School deciles range from one to ten. Decile one schools draw their students from low socio‑economic communities and at the other end of the range, decile 10 schools draw their students from high socio-economic communities. Deciles are used to provide funding to state and state integrated schools. The lower the school's decile the more funding it receives. A school's decile is in no way linked to the quality of education it provides.
This report has been prepared in accordance with standard procedures approved by the Chief Review Officer.
