Forrest Hill School Strategic Plan 2024 -2026

Forrest Hill School Strategic Plan 2024 -2026.

Vision Statement - Nurturing growth for a lifetime of learning.

Mission Statement.

At Forrest Hill School learners show respect, make connections and accept challenges.

School Values and beliefs.

We respect ourselves, others and our environment.

We connect with our past, present and future.

We connect to our whanau, school and our world.

We challenge ourselves to be the best we can be.

Principles

Our Students see Forrest Hill School as a place where:

Students are respectful and want to learn and have fun.

Students are encouraged and given leadership opportunities.

Resources are available to help students learn.

Students feel their wellbeing is valued and important to the staff.

Teachers show they value children’s opinions and recognise achievement.

Staff are lifelong learners and provide the best role models for students.

Our students’ whanau see Forrest Hill School as a place where:

The curriculum is delivered to a consistently high level.

A respectful approach is evident in a nurturing environment.

A safe and challenging environment encourages students to learn how to learn with a high degree of integrity and self confidence.

Students’ learning is extended and students who need assistance are identified and receive appropriate learning.

Students are helped and encouraged to develop fully as citizens of the world

Our staff members see Forrest Hill School as a place where:

Students demonstrate a passion for learning.

Students are happy to share their successes with the school community.

Students acquire the skills and attitude for lifelong learning and are encouraged to take risks.

Feedback is encouraged and stimulates growth.

Staff enjoy working and continue to grow as professionals.

Their wellbeing is valued and important to the BOT and Senior Leadership.

Summary of the information used to develop this plan.

At the end of 2022 and throughout 2023 we engaged our school community through community surveys and morning tea meetings with the Principal. We also held Māori whānau meetings every term. Before sending out our survey we held parent information meetings on:

Teaching and Learning - what our student data tells us in Reading, Writing and Maths.

Including changes from the curriculum refresh.

The journey to improve community wellbeing.
Our commitment to the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Embedding the NZC Key Competencies across the curriculum.

Key Themes

We asked our school community including staff what areas they want our strategic direction to focus on.

A high percentage of our parent community consider student achievement in the core curriculum areas the most important.

74.2% of our parents strongly agree that making improvements of student achievement in Literacy is important with another 16.6% also agree. This was also supported with comments made from parent meetings and our end of year 2023 Reading and Writing student data.

71.2% of our parents strongly agree that making improvements of student achievement in Mathematics is important with another 16.7% also agree.

Since 2022 our staff have been on a learning journey to lift the level of teaching and learning of Te Reo and understanding of tikanga Māori. We formed a connection with MAC (Māori Achievement Collaborative). Our MAC facilitator Brenda McPherson worked with both our staff and our Board to build an understanding of how we give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and what this looks like in our environment.

Through this process we have provided professional development for our teachers to teach Te Reo and explicit lessons for the Aotearoa Histories curriculum and tikanga Māori. We have implemented a termly mihi whakatau to welcome all our new akongā and whānau. In 2023 we audited our programmes and we now reach the criteria for level 4b Te Reo language instruction.

Our Māori whānau have been a major partner in our journey, they have been instrumental in the organisation of our mihi whakatau. We have received extremely positive feedback from them in our progress in this area of learning.

The feedback the school has received from our community is that we have made a positive start to our development in te ao Māori, but we still have more progress to make.

We have identified:

Parent education in how giving effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi impacts what happens in our classrooms.
Connecting with our local iwi to enhance our local curriculum.
Develop a Te Ao Māori support tool for teachers.
Develop a model of assessment and reporting for Te Ao Māori that reflects our local curriculum.

Creating an inclusive culture at Forrest Hill School has always been a priority for our community. Over the last 7 years we have experienced a growth in our English Language Learners with a predicted 170 ESOL students in 2024, 42% of our students. With such a large number of our students learning English we continually review both our ESOL programme and how we support these learners in our classrooms. We consider this a special character of our school and which we embrace as a community and the diversity that comes with our ethnic make up.

Through parent consultation it is clear that this large section of our students will remain a focus for our strategic direction.

In 2023 we also had the strategic goal of:

Learners, with learning support and neurodiverse needs, are safe and included at Forrest Hill School, and have access to learning support programmes that are robust and effective.

We value the connection we establish with the whānau of our students with neurodiverse and learning needs and after consulting with parents on the aspirations they have for their ākonga we expect all learners with learning support needs to demonstrate progress that is relevant to them.

We continually adapt our intervention programmes to meet the needs of our students. With the diversity of neurodiverse students, there is a need to upskill teachers and learning assistants to both understand and support their needs. At Forrest Hill school we believe we have a shared responsibility to make sure all our students feel safe and included.

At Forrest Hill we have been involved in developing a wellbeing model that aligns with Te Whare Tapa Wha. We have used The Resilience Project as a vehicle for this development. Our parents agree that this should always be a consideration. 65.2% strongly agree with another 27.3% agreeing.

This area has been a focus for us for the last 3 years. We have processes and programmes in place to support both our students wellbeing as well as our staff. We have not selected this area as part of our strategic plan but we will continue to track levels of wellbeing in our community and sustain the programmes and processes we have put into place.

Strategic Goal 1	To enable our teachers to be confident in using latest, evidence based practices to lift progress and achievement of every ākonga, with a particular emphasis on literacy. (NELP priority 4&6)
Which Board Primary Objective does this strategic goal work towards meeting?	2(b) give effect to its obligations in relation to - any foundation curriculum statements, national curriculum statements, and national performance measures; teaching and learning programmes; and monitoring and reporting students’ progress.
Links to Education requirements	(NELP objective 3) Quality teaching and leadership - To develop staff to strengthen teaching, leadership and learning support capability. (NELP priority 4 & 6) To enable our teachers to be confident in using latest, evidence based practices to lift progress and achievement of every ākonga, with a particular emphasis on literacy.
What do we expect to see?	We would expect to see improvements in student outcomes with more students achieving expectations. We understand the variety of challenges we face achieving this, with 47% of our school currently speaking a second language in the home environment. We would expect a strong connection with whānau as we support our second language speakers. We would also expect a shared understanding from teachers on how a structured literacy programme effectively supports students in terms of reading and writing and spelling. Teachers will run balanced reading and writing programmes combined with formative practice (observing and responding to learners’ needs) which result in students achieving success.
How will we achieve or make progress towards our strategic goals?	Short term scanning and exploring. Improve assessment literacy of teachers and dig deeply into the data gathered and how we identify strengths and gaps in reading and writing. Look at how we teach reading and writing and how balanced our programmes are and how we are meeting the needs of our learners. Gather student voice on attitudes towards literacy. Explore how we assess our second language learners to see if it is a true reflection on their ability. Mid term taking action trialing. Introduce and provide professional development in the “Code” spelling programme school wide to align with the BSL professional development that our Year 1 and 2 teachers have completed. Use Sheena Cameron and Louise Dempsey resource books “The Reading Book’, " The Writing Book”, and “The Poetry Book” as practical resources for teachers. Align teachers' professional growth cycle with this strategic goal. Provide time and resources for observations and analysis of practice conversations. (Pac’s and Obs) Teachers select students who represent a targeted group of learners with specific needs and complete Pac’s and Obs on their explicit teaching. Offer a WSL position for a teacher to lead data analysis and use latest, evidence based practices to lift progress and achievement. Establish a Literacy working party to work on this strategic goal, the working party will include SLT, Literacy Lead, WSL and teachers passionate about Literacy. Participate in Kāhui Ako achievement challenge 1 which also addresses success for all in Literacy. Have Key staff attend Professional development opportunities. Align the Kāhui Ako Literacy coherent pathway with our local curriculum. Share examples of best practice within our school and within our Kāhui Ako Long term reflecting and diffusing. Reflect on what our data shows after 3 years of explicit purposeful action and development. Have a shared understanding on the best practice in teaching and learning of literacy across the kura. Have a strong induction programme for all new staff.
How will we measure success?	Our end of year data and analysis of variance will be strong indicators of our success. We will also gather student and whānau survey data on attitude and engagement at home. We will use e-asTTle as our standardised assessment and moderate these assessments across the school. We will connect with both our local Intermediate schools to get feedback on our Year 6 students as they transition.

Strategic Goal 2	To enable teachers/kaiako and leaders to build their teaching capability, knowledge and skills in te reo Māori and tikanga Māori.
Which Board Primary Objective does this strategic goal work towards meeting?	1(d) the school gives effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, including by working to ensure that its plans, policies, and local curriculum reflect local tikanga Māori, mātauranga Māori, and te ao Māori; and make all reasonable steps to make instruction available in tikanga Māori and te ao Māori and achieve equitable outcomes for Māori students.
Links to Education requirements	Meaningful incorporation of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori into the everyday life of Forrest Hill School. (NELP objective 5)
What do we expect to see?	Students and teachers use conversational te reo Māori in the everyday life of the school to be evident. We have policy and practices in place that incorporates an understanding of te ao Māori and mātaranga including termly mihi whakatau, daily hui and karakia, waiata, and weekly te reo Māori lessons. Honour Maori celebrations eg. Matariki, Hangi. An active school kapa haka with engaged students and a performance group. A te ao Māori local curriculum matrix that supports and resources the teaching of te reo and tikanga. This is also used to assess student progress and report to whānau in this area.
How will we achieve or make progress towards our strategic goals?	Short term scanning and exploring. Complete a teacher survey in Using Te Reo Māori and understanding tikanga Māori for 2024. Identify teachers that need support and provide professional development for these teachers. Engage our MAC facilitator on professional development in the 3 principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and how they impact the education environment. Run parent information sessions to educate our parent community on how we as a school give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and gather their feedback. Engage our Māori whānau each term to get their reflections on how we are achieving equitable outcomes for our Māori students. Mid term taking action trialing. Build on the growing relationship with MAC and look at how we sustain the growth we have already achieved. With feedback from the MAC initiative develop a reporting format/process to report to whānau on student achievement in this area. We currently run a Te Ao Māori hour, we need to look at how we support teachers to resource the explicit teaching during this hour. Work with our Kāhui Ako to gather local stories and histories to build on our connection to our place. Establish a working party that focuses on further developing our Forrest Hill School “Te Ao Māori objectives and progression summary” resource. Offer a WSL position that leads the development of te reo and tikanga Māori. Take feedback from our Māori whānau and adapt our practice. Implement an annual stay and experience at a mārae. Long term reflecting and diffusing. Once we have established a strong resource to assess the development of te reo Māori, reflect on the student data and look at strengths and gaps. The input from our Māori whānau is important to this and we will continue to reflect on their aspiration for their tamariki. Annual audits on the teaching of te reo to provide evidence we are meeting the criteria for level 4b Te Reo language instruction.
How will we measure success?	We will annually survey teachers on their confidence in teaching te reo Māori and tikanga Māori. As we develop our own assessment tool for te reo Māori, we will be able to measure our success over time. Working in partnership with our Māori whānau continues to consult on our plans and policies.

Strategic Goal 3	Students with learning, language support and neurodiverse needs, are safe and included at Forrest Hill School, and have access to learning support programmes that are robust and effective.
Which Board Primary Objective does this strategic goal work towards meeting?	1(a,b,c) every student at Forrest Hill is able to attain their highest possible standard in educational achievement; and the school is a physically and emotionally safe place for all students and staff; and gives effect to relevant student rights set out in the education and training act 2020 and takes all reasonable steps to eliminate racism, stigma, bullying, and any other forms of discrimination within the school; and Forrest hill School is inclusive of, and caters for, students with differing needs.
Links to Education requirements	Barrier Free Access - Reduce barriers to education for all including second language learners and learners with learning support needs. (NELP priority 3)
What do we expect to see?	To have all learners with learning support needs demonstrate progress. To have our second language learners achieve expected standards of English speaking students after 4 years funded study at Forrest Hill School. All learners have a sense of belonging, develop their identities and feel safe at Forrest Hill School.
How will we achieve or make progress towards our strategic goals?	Short term scanning and exploring. Have a clear overview of all our Tier 1, 2 and 3 learners and how we support them. Add any new students to our SENCO register and look at including them in any intervention programmes. Identify new ESOL students and assess their needs. Review the number of ESOL students and adapt our ESOL programme in line with the MOE funding applications. Connect with whānau about their aspirations for their tamariki. Actively investigate funding sources for our high needs students and make timely applications. Mid term taking action trialing. Specialised TA team meetings to discuss, review and remediate any needs associated with high need students. Inclusive (high needs) staff meetings. Westlake Maths extension, remedial and Reading remedial programs. Support for teachers of high needs students including timely professional development. Deliver an effective English Language Learners withdrawal programme. Review the effectiveness of the ELL programme. Examine the use of the ELLPs and how we assess and report ELL student progress. Track and monitor students graduating from the ESOL programme. Long term reflecting and diffusing. Due to the high needs of our students we will continually review our intervention programmes and students progress, our long term reflection will be on how well we adapt our programmes to meet the needs of our students. Many of our reflections will be based on value added progress through IEP’s and data stories. We will use the ELL matrix as a reflection tool looking at our impact on ELL who receive support and then graduate from these support programmes.
How will we measure success?	We will measure success through looking at information beyond the end of year OTJ’s for our Tier 1 and 2 students, by unpacking the stories behind their progress. Many of our high needs students will set their personal and education goals through their IEP’s. We will measure the impact of our ESOL programme through the standardised ELL matrix. Measure students progress that have graduated from the ESOL programme.