Activity two: Current Issues in my professional Context

Current Issues in my professional Context

 Identify the socioeconomic status of the community, organisational culture and professional environments. 

Statistical data indicates we are a Decile 6N school for socioeconomic status (MOE data).  This has improved by one since the last change.  MOE uses census to calculate this and takes in households below 20% national income, work at lower skill levels, sizes of households, no educational qualifications and income support households.  MMC is average across the country.  This tells us we have students from a very wide mix of backgrounds including all the above information.

As a school the culture is being driven by the top down, looking at results, academic success.  Sporting, drama, culture, and being the best you can be.  Building relationships and collaboration have been major pushes.   We have topped the results in the BOP in our decile group and coed.  Huge successes in drama, dance.  Rebuilding our kapa haka.  Many sporting achievements across a real diverse range.  All sports welcomed, supported and accommodated.  The physical side of the school is also being address.  Huge effort is being put into making the place welcoming, environmentally friendly and a place to have pride in.

The professional environment of the school - this has improved:  

15 years ago we were loosing 15+ teachers up to one year we had over 20 leave  As the culture has changed, staff valued this has changed.  

Breakdown 2016:

4 retired, 1 promotion, 1 a little disenchanted and shorter travel

We are encouraged to grow academically and professionally

Analyse the issues around the socioeconomic status of the community, the school culture and professional environments. 

• As with many schools in this decile rating, the span of abilities, engagement is quite huge.  As a school we have addressed many of the socio-economic issues set out in Stoll's (1998) article - 10 influencing cultural norms of school improvement, the school has definitely come some way to embed these in our environment.  
• The goals are shared and referred to regularly.  
• Success is on our wall.  
• Collegiality often meeting in groups.  
• Life long learners has become a catch phrase.  
• Risk taking, all ideas are welcomed and you are given the support to implement and respect for this.  
• Discussions (in smaller groupings) are often open and the reflection fulfilling.  People will share the good and bad.
• Result the professional environment in becoming more harmonious, discussions in staffroom more open and directive, sharing of ideas.  New initiatives are being actioned. 
• The culture within the school has really improved with the direction from above, we all know what is expected, academically, in making relationships, valuing our students, giving everyone a chance.  

Looking at Principal's sabbatical report by Gargiulo (2014) - 
We have a 'Kai Ora' programme for all (food)
PB4L - has continued to grow
Trades Academy in the last three years
Student Achievement conferences - (getting there) - still developing - sooner rather than bottom of the hill stuff
Literacy Programmes - Principal working hard to embed and improve the cohort intake results - moving students up to the required level for NCEA within the first year of college.
Overall culture has improved and testament to this is the numbers of students punching above MOE expected, at over 1500 this year.