Case Studies – RWMP

Edendale School, Sandringham, Auckland

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This is an account from one of the schools, or clusters of schools, that have received funding from the Reading, Writing and Mathematics Proposals Pool (RWMP) to support programmes in reading, writing and mathematics for students years 1 to 6.

Edendale is a large school – about 600 students – in a central city suburb, which has traditionally been home to people of many different cultures. Earlier in its history, Pacific people predominated, but over the last decade Indian, Asian, Somali, Ethiopian and other groups have formed an increasing part of the population, alongside Māori and New Zealand pākehā. About 38 language groups are represented among the present students. Some staff members are also fluent in languages other than English.

The issues

Over a number of years, up to 50 percent of 6-year-olds had been reading well below their chronological age. These children included some who had language differences, some with developmental delays, and some who lacked early childhood education experiences. The school needed to develop flexible, long-term support, which would both make children comfortable in the school environment, and provide specific assistance to meet individual needs. Given the diversity of the community, the involvement with families was especially important.

The planning

Funding was sought to employ a literacy consultant to work in the first instance with the teachers of year 1 children, to explore ways of sharpening existing programmes, to better meet children's needs. The school also planned to improve special needs support, ESOL provision at school entry level and beyond, and home–school links. Seminars were planned for parents on their "first teacher" roles and transition to school, as well as information in the home languages.

The actions

Six junior class teachers attended ten professional development sessions over three terms. These included strengthening observation methods and analysis of information so children's specific needs are identified early and teachers can focus clearly on their approaches to reading processes, choice of texts, and questioning. Accurate identification also enables them to gain support from special needs teachers, with small-group instruction, before problems develop.

The focus of ESOL support was improved, with teachers trained in ESOL work and teacher aides providing small-group and individualised instruction as well as in-class support where there was a specific need and after a period of settling in to school.

The school has an open door policy and parents are always welcome to visit a classroom or to talk about concerns. In response to parent interest, a spelling–writing programme has been developed to help build up knowledge of high-frequency words and give opportunities for families to support their children in a tangible way. There has been good feedback from parent seminars about teaching methods, assessment of progress, and suggestions for home support before beginning school. Translators for majority languages, including Hindi, Mandarin, and some Pacific Island languages support these seminars. The school has also translated written information into several languages, including a resource for parents and caregivers on how to help your child with reading at home.

The results

The professional development programme has made a measurable difference to children's learning, especially at the earliest levels: children are able to make a positive start on the way to reading. This is confirmed by results for tasks in the 6-year net. For example, after the first year of these initiatives, the percentage of children within stanines 1–3 on the Writing Vocabulary test had dropped from over 82 percent to under 63 percent. Concepts About Print showed similar levels of improvement – 13 children were within stanines 1–3, compared with 25 the previous year. Early intervention has resulted in fewer children requiring Reading Recovery, so its delivery for those who still need it has been improved. A written and oral language support group, established early, has also achieved good results.

The six teachers who undertook the programme act as mentors, observing and supporting other teachers. They analyse the observations, and work together to modify and devise classroom programmes and processes.

The school is confident now that they have the tools to make real changes so that even the "hard-to-reach" children make genuine progress. It is essential to give teachers the opportunity for targeted professional development, and time to reflect so that they can confidently make the changes they see are needed.

The response of parents has been very encouraging. The school estimates that they have weekly contact with most new refugee arrivals, and both the families and school benefit from this involvement. Children at the school seem very settled and happy, with no evidence of problems of integration, confirming the value of the whole-school approach to behaviour and learning support.

Contact: Edendale School, 419 Sandringham Road, Auckland 1003
Email office@edendale.school.nz
Fax: +64 9 846 3997

2002

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