ERO Report for Morningside School

Morningside School has a history of positive ERO reports.  This review finds that the school continues to perform well.  At the time of the 2005 ERO report the school had experienced a number of staff changes.  The principal has worked skilfully with the staff to develop strong collegial relationships and a positive working environment for both staff and students.  The school environment is well maintained and is enhanced by student-designed murals and gardens.

Students are happy and enjoy their time at school.  They have a strong sense of belonging and have positive relationships with their peers and staff members.  Students participate enthusiastically in their learning and are developing very good work habits.  They particularly enjoy being involved in the school’s lunchtime physical activity initiative.  Through this initiative and other learning experiences, students have many opportunities to develop self-confidence, social and leadership skills.

Students achieve well in reading and listening compared with national levels of achievement.  Senior managers have identified that students do not achieve as well in mathematics, and are in the process of collating more achievement data to help them develop a plan to address this issue.  Senior managers should also collate information about students’ achievement in writing.

Teachers have undertaken professional development in a variety of areas, including literacy, numeracy, science, and physical activity.  Teachers are reflective about their practice and receptive to new ideas that could contribute to improved outcomes for students.  As a result, the quality of teaching throughout the school is consistently good, with many very effective practices evident.  Programmes are well planned and organised, with good opportunities for students to learn through real-life contexts.  Senior managers have planned professional development carefully to ensure that teachers are well placed to implement the new national curriculum over the next three years.

The recently elected board comprises mainly new trustees.  Trustees bring a variety of relevant skills to their governance role.  They are well supported by an experienced principal and have undertaken board training to assist them in their governance role.  The new chairperson was on the previous board and this experience provides additional continuity.  The board has devoted significant time to reviewing the school’s vision and strategic direction.  The principal, ably supported by senior managers, keeps the board well informed about programmes, student achievement and safety.

For this review, ERO and the board agreed to a focus on reading and physical activity.  This report also includes information on the school’s progress in supporting Maori achievement, provision for gifted and talented students and how well the school meets legal requirements for health and safety.  The review finds that the school is performing well in these areas.  ERO and the board agree that senior managers and teachers should continue to develop their shared understandings of good practice in the use of assessment information to further improve teaching and learning.

Future Action

ERO is confident that the board of trustees can manage the school in the interests of the students and the Crown and bring about the improvements outlined in this report. 

ERO will review the school again as part of the regular review cycle.

Review Coverage

ERO reviews do not cover every aspect of school performance and each ERO report may cover different issues. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to student achievement and useful to this school.

If you would like a copy of the full report, please click on the link above.

Steve Tracey

Area Manager (Acting)

for Chief Review Officer