Cluster Needs Analysis Southland- Murihiku Cluster (40)
Our vision Ehara taku toa, te toa takitini, engari ko te toa takitahi Success is obtained through the support of many
Contents Section 1: Cluster Geographic and Demographic Characteristics o School Characteristics……………………………………………………………………… p.2 o Ethnicity of student population……………………………………………………… p.3 o Distribution of RTLB………………………………………………………………………… p.7 Section 2: Support Requested o Types of requests…………………………………………………………………………… p.8 o Ethnicity…………………………………………………………………………………………… p.9 o PB4L………………………………………………………………………………………………….. p.10 o Funding…………………………………………………………………………………………… p.11 Section 3: School Consultation o Participating schools………………………………………………………………………… p.12 o Timeliness………………………………………………………………………………………… p.13. o Effectiveness…………………………………………………………………………………… p.14 o Improving Teacher / School capacity……………………………………………… p.15 o Equity / Accessibility………………………………………………………………………… p.16 o Liaison o Interagency collaboration………………………………………………………………… p.18 o Communication………………………………………………………………………………… p.20 o Database………………………………………………………………………………………… p.21 o Improving the service Section 4: RTLB Team o Staffing…………………………………………………………………………………………….. p.23 o Hubs and Inquiries…………………………………………………………………………… p.23 o Accommodation………………………………………………………………………………. p. 24 o Strengths and qualifications…………………………………………………………….. p.24
Section 5: Summary – Areas for Development………………………. .p.25-26 2
Section 1 Cluster Geographic and Demographic Characteristics Data obtained from Cluster Records and District Profiles (Education Counts: Ministry of Education NZ)
Our Cluster encompasses the Southland Region. Our employing School is Aurora College. Our most Northern School is Garston at a distance of 133 km. Te Anau School is 167 km to the West, Pukerau School is 79 km in an Easterly direction and our southernmost school is Halfmoon Bay on Stewart Island.
Winters can bring ice and snow therefore planning has to take account of this when providing a service to schools. Team meetings can also be affected by weather and distance. These events are a significant way of connecting with each other and supporting practice development. It is important to include all team members in targeted PLD and also to provide support for casework regardless of the location of the RTLB.
Across the region there are two different areas that are major tourist attractions: The Te Anau Basin and Stewart Island.
Much of rural Southland is committed to dairy farming and this can have a huge impact upon rural communities and their schools. During the past 3 years a Transition Project has been sponsored by DAIRYNZ to provide some funding to support schools with Dairy Transitions. The Southland Murihiku Cluster has hosted this project on their website: www.southlandrtlb.org School Characteristics Within our Cluster we have 72 Primary Schools, 1 Intermediate, 1 Area School and 12 Secondary Schools of which 1 is Kura Kaupapa Maori.
DECILE RATING OF SCHOOLS
Decile 10, 10 Decile 1Decile, 1 2, 5 Decile 3, 9
Decile 9, 15 Decile 4, 5
Decile 5, 5
Decile 8, 12 Decile 6, 10 Decile 7, 12
There is 1 decile 1 school in our cluster: New River Primary. Some excellent systems work was undertaken in this school during the year. This enabled a much greater number of students to be supported through targeted PLD delivered to teachers and a collaborative strengths-based approach.
A high percentage of our schools (38.5%) are U1-2 located in small and somewhat isolated rural areas. These schools are subject to stressors such as: the impact of Dairy Transitions, teaching principals, isolation, less ministry resourcing (5 of these schools are decile 10) and less community services available. The Liaison RTLB role has continued to provide much valued support to these schools maintaining respectful relationships and connecting in to other services as required. 3
Ethnicity of student population : Statistics provided by Ministry within Territorial Authority areas.
Ethnicity of Students within the Cluster
Southland Region
Invercargill City
Gore District
Southland District
0 500 1000 1500 2000
Asian Pasifika Maori
Southland Region Ethnicity - Across Cluster as a whole
Maori Pasifika Asian Total Student Population
Pasifika
The graph reflects a similar pattern of ethnicity across the cluster. There are few students that are identified as Pasifika, within the Southland district; 29 schools in this area have no Pasifika students. The school with the highest number of Pasifika students is Southland Girls High School, but the highest percentage of Pasifika students when school roll is taken into account is at New River Primary School.
Initiatives for Pasifika 4
The following schools have participated in the Talanoa Success project to improve outcomes for Pasifika students
New River, Verdon College, St Patricks, Southland Boys High, Aurora College (2013 – 2015) Donovan Primary Newfield Park and Ascot Community School are part of a second project group begun in 2015. RTLB have been involved in supporting both these groups with one RTLB taking a leading role in co-ordinating follow up activities for the first cohort of schools. These groups will continue on in 2016 and will continue to be supported by the service.
Continue involvement in the Talanoa project and other such opportunities as they arise Asian
The fact that a significant number of Asian students have been identified may relate to workforce dynamics regarding industries such as Dairy and Tourism.
James Hargest College has the largest number of Asian Students, however Invercargill Middle school has the largest percentage of their school roll identified as Asian students
This is a significant group in our student population and as RTLB we need to become more familiar with their community and what works best for them.
Initiatives for Asian Students
Schools with higher numbers of Asian students have strong programmes for English Language Learners, especially Middle School which is situated near the Southern Institute of Technology and caters for the children of international students.
Māori
The largest number of Māori students live within the Invercargill City area which also includes the Bluff area. Families can be associated with the fishing industry – especially in the areas of Bluff and Riverton.
Students of Kai Tahu descent (Tangata Whenua) whose families have joint ownership and rights of access to the Tītī Islands may be involved in harvesting chicks each year from April through May and the tītī can be used for food and for their feathers and down. This is a very significant cultural event for such students.
The Tangata Whenua of Murihiku are Kai Tahu, Kati Mamoe and Waitaha.
The need to become familiar with our local Marae has been previously identified in our strategic planning with the aim of building local knowledge, understanding Māori issues and building connections. In 2015 the cluster visited a small local Marae in the Hokonui area: Ō te Ika Rama Marae. Here we were able to talk with elders on the Marae and appreciated stories of the area such as the battle of Tuturau between Kai Tahu and Ngati Toa, we also visited the memorial at Tuturau. This was a special time for our team and also for the RTLB that work in this area. 5
We will aim to continue with this approach in the future.
The Tuturay War Memorial at Tuturau
Most students identifying as Māori within the Cluster are Maata Waka (all the waka) and often lack strong cultural and whanau links. This can make it difficult for RTLB to acknowledge culture as a strength, and to access appropriate support.
Continue to work with members of the Māori educational community such as the Iwi Liaison Advisor.
There is 1 Kura Kaupapa in our Cluster: Te Wharekura o Arowhenua. In many cases students attending Te Wharekura have limited language skills and are not supported by fluent speakers of Te Reo in their home environment. This provides a barrier to their success. In 2015 the cultural practice group worked with the SENCo at Te Wharekura to provide more effective support to the school by increasing the number of RTLB that were available to work appropriately in this environment, despite having limited skills in Te Reo.
The practice model for working within Kura Kaupap Māori is still developing and will continue to be a focus in 2016.
Eight Kohanga Reo are situated in our Cluster in Gore, Mataura and Invercargill. An independent centre provides an immersion setting in Bluff. 6
Kohanga reo / language immersion centre Address
Te Kōhanga Reo Kia Ngāwari 106-108 Kana Street, Mataura 93 Mary Street, Invercargill Te Kohanga Reo o Kimihia Te Matauranga o Nga Tupuna
Te Kohanga Reo o Murihiku Skye Street, Invercargill
195 Conon Street, Invercargill Te Kohanga Reo o Nga Hau e Wha
734 Tweed Street, Invercargill Te Kohanga Reo o Te Aho Matua
Te Kohanga Reo o Te Ara Tika 2 Oreti Street, Gore
Te Kohanga Reo o Te Rakau Kowhai o Nga 18 Willis Street, Invercargill Tamariki
Te Kohanga Reo o Tumanako Rawhiti : 28 Ottrey Street, Invercargill
Te Rourou Whakatipuranga O Awarua Cnr Henderson & Elizabeth Stre, Bluff
Contact with Te Kōhanga Reo Kia Ngāwari has been established over the past two years and further strengthened when staff attended our Positive Start programme run jointly with Special Education in October 2015. Te Kohanga Reo o Te Ara Tika was unable to attend.
Look for opportunities to build and strengthen connections with these centres through further opportunities such as Positive Start.
Initiatives for Māori
A number of our schools are working on the Ruia leadership programme to raise achievement for Māori students. These schools also participated in He Kakano.
All of our Invercargill Secondary schools are participating in the Waihopai History Project which was initiated in May 2015 as part of the Kahikitia Education Strategy with the following aims:
Promote the teaching of Māori history in secondary schools by providing opportunities for teachers to connect with local IWI develop relationship and learn about local Māori history including iwi perspectives Develop teaching and learning materials focussed specifically on Māori history for students participating in NCEA History / Social Studies and / or Tikanga ā-Iwi Give schools and kura greater opportunities to utilise expertise from Iwi and historians within their communities placing Māori identity, language and culture at the centre of learning 7
Strengthen relationships with Manawhenua through regular contact in order to develop Manaakitanga through presence on the Murihiku Marae and participation in educational projects
Distribution of RTLB
The Cluster has 20 RTLB that work from five different locations:
Office Location Number of Total no Average number of Average number of Total number of RTLB of schools supported students supported per cases worked schools per RTLB RTLB (based on school with (cases still in service populations at the end open on roll and area of 2014) those completed)
Aurora College 13 40 3 862.30 184
Winton Primary 2 13 6.5 697 36
Gore 2.5 (1 RTLB 14 2 RTLB support 5.5 889.6 (2) 73 works schools across two 444.8 (.5) areas) .5 RTLB supports 3
Mossburn School 1.5 9 1 RTLB supports 6 663.3 (1) 18
.5 RTLB supports 3 331.7 (.5) = 776.5 (6 combined) (combined)
Otautau 1 7 7 585 25
In 2015 additional support was provided to the Gore area from the town office – we will need to continue to look at how we provide additional support to this area, especially with a new staff member beginning there in 2016.
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Section 2: Support Requested Data obtained from Cluster Database
Types of Requests
Types of Referrals
Learning and achievement 414, 1%, 4% Social and behavioural 94, 29%
Participation 218, 66% Teacher and School support
The majority of our Requests for Support in 2015 were for Learning and achievement. Slightly more than a quarter of requests were for support in social and behavioural development. There were a small number of requests for school and teacher support and this was similar in the area of participation.
The small number of requests for teacher and school support may in part be explained by the effectiveness of the Liaison RTLB role (see Review of Service). A teacher Support model has also been developed to support the needs of moderate students who would otherwise not meet criteria. This model was reviewed by the team at the end of 2015 and will consequently be revised in 2016. Our schools also continue to identify that support for individual students is the most valued type of support received from the RTLB service.
There is a need to continually keep upskilled in the areas of inclusion and curriculum adaptation in order to fully support the types of requests that we receive. Greater sustainability of change can be achieved by working on teacher development rather than focusing upon the needs of individual students and an aim for 2016 would be to see an increase in the number of requests in the area of teacher and school support.
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Ethnicity of Students receiving a service
Ethnicity of Referrals (including group referrals)
NZE OTHER PASIFIKA MAORI ASIAN
Southland Region Ethnicity of all students - Across Cluster as a whole
Maori Pasifika Asian Total Student Population
Data for Ethnicity is impacted by the fact that group requests do not accurately reflect the ethnicity of all participants. The fact that we worked with a small number of Asian and Pasifika students in 2015 reflects the overall ethnicity of the student population of our region.
Southland is becoming increasingly multicultural and our service needs to know how to use the English Language progressions and be familiar with English Language Learner resources. We have two RTLB trained for bilingual assessment, our schools need to be more aware of this service and what it accomplishes. Better reporting of ethnicity for group referrals will improve data
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PPB4L
Schoolwide
The following schools in our cluster are involved in PB4L Schoolwide:
Tier 1 Tier 2 School Name Intake Intake Northern Southland College 2011 School Participating in Schoolwide Gore High School 2013 St Peter's College (Gore) 2011 18% Fiordland College 2013 Menzies College 2011 Waiau Area School 2014 Aurora College 2010 2013 82% New River Primary 2010 2013 Fernworth Primary School 2010 2013 Newfield Park School 2010 2013 School wide Not Involved East Gore School 2011 Longford Intermediate 2011 2014 Mataura School 2011 West Gore School 2014 Wyndham School 2014
Incredible Years Teacher
Participant schools 2015 Participant Schools 2014
Southland Donovan Primary Donovan Primary Adventist Christian School Wyndham School School School St Mary's School East Gore School Otatara School Lochiel School (Gore) Edendale School St Patrick's School Sacred Heart (Southland) (Invercargill) Winton School School (Waikiwi) Gorge Road School Te Tipua School Mataura School Te Tipua School
Fernworth Primary New River Primary Thornbury School Mararoa School School
Otama School Tisbury School Te Anau School New River Primary Newfield Park Otatara School Tokanui School School Waverley Park Rimu School Waiau Area School School St Patrick's School Riversdale School West Gore School (Invercargill) Over the St Theresa's School past 2 Salford School Wyndham School (Invercargill) years
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37% of schools have participated in IYT. In 2015 six RTLB delivered three programmes – two programmes were delivered within the Gore district.
Funding provided to schools
Use of Yr 0 -10 funding in 2015
Teacher atde funding group / class / individual Teacher Release Projects
At least 283 funding applications were made, the majority of these to support the needs of individual students within the classroom.
Releasing teachers to participate in professional learning around curriculum adaptation for our HLN students in particular would be an inclusive use of funding which may better enable interventions to be sustained. The way in which we promote project funding to build school capacity should also be reviewed
Section 3: School Consultation
A survey was sent out to all schools during term 3. This was time-framed to avoid confusion with the National Satisfaction Survey. Data from both surveys is included as part of this Needs Analysis. A summary is provided below.
A full version of the Review including comments and responses is available.
The RTLB team viewed responses at the end of 2015 and all contributed to forming intentions for 2016.
Schools were asked to include details that would help identify their unique characteristics and circumstances so that a better context could be provided for responses. 23/63 respondents provided identification:
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a) School Characteristics
Please identify which of the following characteristics apply to your school: 30 25 28 20 23 15 10 13 5 9 4 1 0 2 0
Total Respondents = 62. 23 participants (below) provided identifying information
Limehills School; [email protected] Winton School New River Primary School, Invercargill Waverley Park Gore Main [email protected] Aurora College Hillside school [email protected] Riverton Primary [email protected] Southland Adventist Christian School - [email protected] James Hargest College Mararoa James Hargest College-Junior Campus Aparima College [email protected] Te Tipua School Otama School [email protected] Knapdale [email protected] Takitimu School - [email protected] Mossburn Primary School Waihopai Garston School. [email protected] West Gore School [email protected]
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b) Timeliness
Is response time to your requests for support satisfactory?
No, 2
Somewhat, 15
Yes, 39
Celebrations: 96% found response time to be satisfactory or somewhat satisfactory.
Intentions After each Hui Whakatau the school needs to have a response – this could occur through the Liaison Role – or via email from the Cluster Manager Dates of Hui Whakatau to be set for the year and adhered to Cluster Manager to clarify questions around referrals promptly to avoid the ‘meeting about meeting’ scenario Avoid using the waiting list – if requests are not meeting criteria schools need to know immediately Visibility is important to our schools be visible but purposeful in contact with schools and students
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c) Effectiveness
How well do Interventions / programmes implemented by RTLB in conjunction with the class teacher meet the needs identified in referrals and lead to improved outcomes?
Not Well, 3
Somewhat, 22 Very Well, 29
Celebrations 94% felt that interventions were either very successful or successful The success of the interventions is often connected to the strengths and skills of the RTLB / their energy and their ideas. Good guidance to teachers was appreciated.
Intentions: Provide education for all RTLB around the RTLB referral pathway and what needs to happen at each step Provide a focus upon Interventions at Practice Development Days Review the point system for prioritising referrals – taking more account of school experience and RTLB knowledge Review how we can continue to provide a quality service for a significant number of High Needs students Ensure that our schools know the role of the RTLB and their own capability – looking to inclusive strategies first Look at how we can implement the secondary model across the cluster to better meet the needs of secondary schools
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d) Improving teacher / school capacity
Areas your school may require support from the RTLB service in the future.
PLD - e.g. for Incredible Years Teacher,…
Support to develop culturally responsive…
Support for transient students due to…
Transition support for students starting…
Professional development and support…
Professional development for staff to…
Programmes and resources for wider…
upport for individual students with learning…
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Celebrations
Schools seem to have made a slight in the type of support they would like towards more support with inclusive practices such as Curriculum Adaptation
Intentions: Ensure that schools are visited regularly (Liaison) Plan for Teacher Aide training modules Increase teacher capability and the sustainability of interventions through developing modules for: Curriculum Adaptation (especially for HLN students) Learning and behaviour Syndromes IYT – across school Dyslexia Transition Look to bringing in more outside speakers that will support our learners and interventions (e.g. Joy Allcock) Provide education around the referral pathway for our individual students IYT needs to be promoted and presented as a programme that fits in under the PB4L umbrella
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e) Equity / accessibility
Do you feel that your school has access to your RTLB service in an equitable way?
Equitable Access
No, 4
Yes, 47
Celebrations 92% felt they had equitable access to the service. Appreciation for the expertise and experience of RTLB was expressed Some students are getting an outstanding service
Intentions: Review the Point System for prioritising requests Ensure that schools know about the point system at the beginning of the year (newsletter) All RTLB to understand the practice pathway Provide training in Dyslexia Assessment(level C) – gain access to other assessors within the cluster RTLB strengths need to be used more widely within the team through buddy opportunities More opportunities provided to share good practice Address the perception that Moderate - High Needs Students are missing out - what provision is being made for those not meeting criteria for HLN? Address inconsistency of RTLB practice through more regular Practice Team meetings Connect in with Social Workers in Schools
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f) Liaison role
How helpful is the Liaison RTLB position with regard to accessing the service and providing information?
Not Helpful, 1
Helpful, 18
Very helpful, 36
Celebrations The role facilitates good communication – keeping schools well informed Positive relationships formed Evidence of regular meetings occurring that are of value Able to support schools with coming to grips with the database Value of having a go to person expressed
Intentions Continue to promote the value of regular meetings as part of the Liaison Service RTLB need to be well informed in order to share information with their schools Ensure that the role has been clearly defined with clear expectations on both sides (agreement at the beginning of the year) Provide time on Practice Development Days to share information about how we manage the Liaison Role in our schools.
g) Interagency Collaboration
Working towards a seamless service RTLB and Special Education – responses from participants are included below:
Just communication at school with both groups and between both groups on the phone At present our Special Education and RTLB liaison personnel do this well. Having an expert attached to the school that goes the applications to all the necessary support agencies rather than us try this one then that one. One organisation It would be good to make it more seamless when transitioning between Early Childhood to Primary School. Also if the RTLB service is picking up a student for learning but not behaviour 18
as they feel it is more Special Education - Behaviour Team area, that the RTLB could forward the referral on to them. Better communication. When meetings are held in relation to a student, all team members should be involved, no one should be working in isolation. The bigger issue is beyond your remit to deal with; both services are under-resourced and over-committed; as has been the case since the inception of the RTLB service. Good communication and help sharing caseloads. Working with each other to provide the best resources for the students involved Should be one unit rather than two separate entities! Communication from the outset regarding students, more like a wraparound service for students. Then as the student progresses through the education system there is no time wasted whilst fresh referrals are made. Inter-agency meetings. Education, RTLB, GSE, CAFs Maybe they should be under the one roof! Flexibility and data availability Each year the systems are getting better and more user friendly which is great Perhaps utilising eLearning opportunities and resource sharing ideas via something like google classroom or similar Sharing of information between RTLB< Special Ed and the school. That school are fully informed of changes in creating a seamless service-what does this mean and look like and who to refer to egg for severe behaviour? I find that it works fine now. My experience is that it works well when there is regular communication between all the parties. there can be crossover with roles and these probably need to be outlined better for all concerned Keep up excellent communication My concern is that RTLB are often dealing with long term problems that aren't ever going to be a quick fix. Students that are on the roll for an extended time should be Special Ed There is a need for transition support between early childhood and primary. Some of our children arrive from early childhood with high needs and no support or transition Inter-agency meetings where everyone contributes. Continue the Liaison between RTLB and Senco on a regular basis to ensure open communication and improved outcomes for students. It has improved and will only get better - keep working together. Open Dialogue between parties, sharing of information between parties. Meetings should also include outside agencies where possible that are part of a student's care Have an RTLB attend IEP meetings or be assigned and visit the child on Special Ed programme more than once so they know the child involved would be the first step. This has been working successfully for us this year. Communication - everyone knows all of the issues continue regular meetings between school - RTLB and GSE, these are great. transitions from contributing schools need to be followed up but new data base may help us access previous help
Celebrations Schools noted improvements in systems and communication and that these improvements were continuing to be made Liaison meetings with both organisations were useful Transitions to school are now better supported since EI has been able to make referrals onto the database 19
Intentions:
Speed up the transition process when support is being transferred from one agency to another Ensure that pre-existing data is accessed and available to both services Investigate e-learning opportunities and apps such as Google classroom ‘One point of contact’ needs to be explored more fully by Cluster Manager as to what this could look like in our area. Inform schools of fact that interagency meetings between RTLB and SE occur fortnightly – where shared cases and transition cases are discussed. Greater clarity of roles needs to be established where cases are shared or where cases are go be transitioned from one service to the other. Need to continue to ensure that staff from both agencies know each other and have an understanding of each other’s roles.
h) Communication
What is the best way of providing communication about our service for you? Feel free to choose more than one option.
Preferred method of contact
Emailing
Southland RTLB website: www.southlandrtlb.org
Contacting Cluster Manager
Contacting Liaison RTLB
RTLB Newsletters to Schools
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
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Please comment on the overall value of our website. Do you access it? For what purpose? What would you like to see on our website?
Just when required
Yes I access. To follow the progress of referred students. To verify it with our own records. The database is useful but it would be helpful to be able to access all the referrals for the student for the year. (Especially when the closure dates for a referral has happened) I also use it to keep up to date with up-coming events.
Probably don't use the website the way I should. I guess it is a time factor.
Yup - transparent tracking of any referrals we may make.
In and out of the website for quick information. Use the database more, and great to have office managers trained in using the database. If stuck I usually ask the RTLB directly
I find the newsletter too full. Short pieces of information, quick and easy to read would be more helpful
Celebrations
Preference for email was expressed – 80% Importance of face to face contact with Liaison RTLB was affirmed – 67% Schools are accessing information from the newsletters
Intentions
Focus on growing our website, providing information to teachers and schools about it and directing teachers to it. Redesign our business cards and have the website address on them Modify and streamline the format of the school newsletter
i) Using the Database
Have you found the new on-line database system easy to use and access?
Database
SOME DIFFICULTIES 12
NO 2
YES 20
0 5 10 15 20 25
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Celebrations Good support has been provided Some schools find it easy to use and like the fact that all invested parties can contribute Schools are able to see cases progressing As schools use the database more often they become more confident and positive Intentions: Inform schools of how to access their LSF documentation Liaison to revisit training with schools so that new people are upskilled in accessing the database and uploading documents Liaison RTLB need to be aware of who the key personnel in the school are that will need to access the database Check the following issues: o Copy and pasting o Submit / save issues Follow up individual school requests for support – e.g. West Gore SENCo training through the SENCo forums to be offered at the start of the year
j) Improving our service:
Responses from Schools included:
What are your suggestions for ensuring that the RTLB service better meets the needs of your school?
Just keep us on your books and keep providing the good service. Important for the RTLB to have access to development as it arises also. The continuation of the fortnightly meetings with our liaison RTLB Providing more TA hours to support teachers with high needs kids. More kids supported with more resources more of the time. We are very happy with the service we receive. I guess if we could have thing it would be more time allocated to us so all the students we refer are picked up. Making sure needs of students are meet as not a lot other support out their now for Year 1-8 students. As closing residential schools has really effected students. What they did at places like McKenzie was outstanding and those students had a real chance of changing behaviours as they were in a more controlled environment and then come back and see the importance of school. Having a variety of RTLB's working in the school - each RTLB has different strengths that would fit a referral instead of always using the RTLB in the school We need more RTLBs so more students can benefit from this wonderful service. I think they do a really good job. Working with teachers is great, but we also need support for individuals who need it. More regular visits to observe referred child so that a fuller picture of their behaviours and needs truly are, so that interventions are more targeted. Also, talk more with the classroom teachers so can come up with a plan that isn't something that teachers have already tried. We feel we have had few ideas that aren't something we've already thought of for ourselves. None Keep doing what you're doing and turning up when we scream ( ;-) 22
Providing schools with high quality RTLBs Regular contact and communication The new system is working well. Thanks to all the hard working staff who make sure students achieve good outcomes. Continue communicating with schools and continue to use outstanding people like Mary Rogers and Chris B We are working on creating a model that works for our college More contact with the RTLB who looks after the case. Updates fortnightly making sure that things are going well and bringing in further ideas. We have been very happy with the support we have received this year. Happy with communication thank you. None - at present we are very pleased with the service we are receiving We at SGHS are very happy with the current RTLB service. Keep doing what you are doing. With the restraints you have on funding you offer an excellent service in Southland. Keeping up the strong communication. More funding available. Generally we are really happy with the RTLB service Keep the liaison person visiting regularly Regular contact with the RTLB to ensure that miscommunication does not occur. Having a catch-up once a year certainly helps. Feedback/checking (perhaps by checklist or other means) to ensure that all parties involved in RTLB (school, parent, RTLB personnel) meet their agreed on obligations Make yourself known to the school as Rochelle did especially senior management if not to whole staff None More RTLBs to better service referrals, although we appreciate you are all doing a difficult job with limited resources. Keeping in regular contact/ resourcing with our liaison RTLB
Celebrations Positive feedback for individual RTLB who are doing a great job Encouragement to keep on doing what we are doing as this is working well RTLB are sharing their strengths and working well with teachers
Intentions: Enable schools to access a greater variety of RTLB in order to be able to better utilise strengths Improve communication regarding use of funding etc. Continue to ensure that RTLB are trained in current processes for schools (included in school PD where possible) Focus upon consistent supervision across the cluster so that the best options are considered for the referral Provide PLD with teacher aide involvement Focus upon systems referrals where multi referrals are made
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Section 4: RTLB Team Data provided by cluster records and team consultation
Staffing
During 2015 we have had five people leave the team for a number of reasons. New appointments brought new energy, skills and perspective but also required planned support and structured induction processes. We trialled our induction system and sought feedback as to how this can be made more effective and supportive for three new RTLB starting next year.
Feedback indicated that spending time on the job with others was of most value. Pacing of casework needs to be more directed by the trainee (feedback document is available).
Improving our service provision and our practice: Hubs and Inquiries
Our 3 Practice Leaders had the following areas of responsibility:
- Secondary practice and induction of new RTLB - SE update trial and IYT supervision and mentoring - Gateway / inclusive practice / dairy transitions
The Cluster Manager worked with Cultural Resource Practitioners from the team to improve and develop culturally responsive practice including the model for working within Te Wharekura.
Team members elected to work in hubs / teams within these areas to achieve goals as outlined in the strategic plan.
RTLB worked on their own inquiries to develop their practice within self-selected Roopu / Communities of Practice. These inquiries linked to appraisal goals
Continue to work within Hubs to achieve cluster goals and develop more structured support for inquiries linking this work closely to the appraisal process.
Accommodation
In 2015 all RTLB providing a service to the wider Invercargill area moved on to the Aurora site. The retirement of an RTLB from the Western Southland Area created an opportunity to base this position at Aurora and increase the number of RTLB providing a service to this area. There are now five offices for 13 RTLB at Aurora College, creating great opportunities for sharing expertise through structured and unstructured supervision and for sharing of resources.
RTLB in our rural areas continue to be accommodated at Longford Intermediate in Gore, Winton Primary School, Otautau Primary School and Mossburn School.
As office locations change and combine it is evident that resources may duplicated or are missing. There is a need to record, update and organise our shared resources much more effectively so that all the team can access them, especially with new team members coming on board. Ensure that all offices are comfortable and RTLB have the resources required for the job Fortnightly Practice team meetings in 2016 will ensure that all rural RTLB have the same opportunities for collegial discussion as their town colleagues 24
RTLB Strengths and Qualifications
Training
In 2015 17 RTLB were trained with one completing her second year and two newly appointed RTLB participated in an in-service training and induction programme to enable them to work appropriately with students and cases.
Strengths
Team members have identified the following strengths and interests:
- Working with Higher Learning Needs Students – 4 RTLB have strengths and experience in this area - Trauma - Behaviour – a Practice Leader completed the Behaviour Practice Development Programme with SE (BPDP) - PB4L - 2 RTLB are working with a tier 2 PB4L school a number of others are on PB4L teams - Incredible Years – 1 accredited group leader and 2 almost completed. We had 9 trained group leaders in 2015. As some have now left our cluster new people will need to train in 2016. - Cultural Competency – 1 RTLB is fluent in Te Reo and supported the team with tikanga in 2015. We have other RTLB that have upskilled themselves (3) through language courses. A resource booklet was developed this year to support our tikanga. - Bi-lingual Assessment – 2 people are trained to provide this assessment - Secondary Practice – A small team enjoys this work and supports initiatives such as the SENCo forums - Phonological work – 1 RTLB based her inquiry on this work in 2915 and will continue her research in 2016. We will no longer be able to call on Maori RTLB for support in Te Reo due to his retirement. Cultural capacity will need to be developed in a self-sustaining way within the team. Section 5: Summary General areas for future development have been summarised under the Tataiako competencies. The Needs Analysis will form the basis of the Strategic and Annual Plan for 2016.
Tangata Whenuatanga: Place-based socio-cultural awareness and knowledge We need to continue to be aware of the factors that have an impact upon the small schools within our cluster, ensuring that the Liaison RTLB role is providing an effective connection to our service as well as to other agencies. Support such as the Transience Project will continue to be promoted. Transition of students from one setting to another will continue to be a focus through projects in local areas such as Positive Start. Our knowledge of our local Māori and Pasifika communities will be strengthened through Marae visits and closer connection with key community personnel through the Talanoa project. We also need to build our knowledge of other ethnic groups of students settling in our region so that we can better support our schools. 25
The secondary model should be implemented and adapted to our 12 unique secondary settings and feedback requested so that the service to this sector continually improves.
Mannakitanga – Values – integrity, trust, sincerity, equity
Providing information about our systems, especially case allocation and funding, will reassure schools that their needs are being considered with integrity and respect. Reviewing our prioritisation of cases for allocation will ensure that our system is robust and equitable. Our presence in our schools is valued when it is purposeful and timely. All RTLB need to be aware of the steps of the referral process and be following these consistently. Revised support structures for the team will ensure that all RTLB have equal opportunities to participate in Hubs and Practice groups regardless of their location. More effective support for our new RTLBs will also ensure greater consistency of service from the beginning of their RTLB experience. Extra resourcing for the Gore area will provide more equitable access to service for schools and a better balance of work load across the cluster. Our database system still poses a few difficulties for our schools, we need to consider changes that will improve access and also provide more information about our service to stakeholders.
Ako – Practice in the classroom and beyond
As our requests continue to predominantly be for learning support we need to ensure that our staff and our schools have access to PLD opportunities regarding: assessment, current educational initiatives, inclusive practice and curriculum adaptation. This will also include making funding more available to release the teachers of our HLN students. These opportunities will also enable Teachers and Schools to build capacity so that progress can be sustained There is still some inconsistency of practice across the team which could be addressed with greater access to the support of Practice Leaders.
Wananga – Communication. Problem-solving, innovation
Ensure that our website is a useful resource and source of information about our service for schools. Provide support to all schools around the database and how to make request that include all relevant data. Communicate with schools in ways that are convenient for them, this should include revising the format of the newsletter to schools
Whanaungatanga – Relationships (students, school-wide community) with high expectations 26
Relationships with our Iwi Representatives, our Iwi Liaison Advisor and the Pacific Island Community Trust will continue to develop through involvement in projects such as the Talanoa Success project, and the Waihopai history project. This work will be supported by our new Cultural Practice position. Continue to work alongside our Special Education colleagues on our Seamless service initiatives ensuring that the best service is provided for our students at transition times through sharing of information. Our Liaison RTLB continue to be appreciated by schools. Training for all team members should ensure that this is done well across the region.
2016 will be an exciting and challenging year for our team with 3 new staff members on board and 2 undertaking training. This will require additional support from the leadership team.