My school is a contributing primary school situated in Linwood on the east side of Christchurch. It has a decile two rating. We have approximately 350 students. According to the last Census (conducted in 2013) the unemployment rate in Linwood was 8.3 percent for people aged 15 years and over, compared with 5.1 percent for all of Christchurch City. Also according to the last Census (2013) 39.7 percent of people aged 15 years and over in Linwood have an annual income of $20,000 or less, compared with 36.3 percent of people for Christchurch City as a whole. Around 48 percent of this ward's population live in the 'most deprived' areas (i.e. deciles 9 and 10), compared with 12 percent of all of Christchurch City's population.
Families in our community are struggling. I know we have issues with truancy, poverty, domestic violence, and crime (just to name a few). I know that some days I spend almost as much time teaching children to read and write as I do feeding and clothing them. It is not unusual, or shocking to see a child come to school without shoes, and it is common for them to come without food.
I also see a tight-knit community that loves league and looks out for each other. We have huge family groups attend our school. Siblings, half and step-siblings, cousins, even children who may be aunties and uncles to other students. I know several of our staff are now teaching the children of students they taught years ago.
According to the Me and My School Survey (The New Zealand Council for Educational Research) conducted earlier this year, 89.87% of our students agree or strongly agree that they look forward to coming to school each morning. 96.20% of students feel proud about being at our school, and 88.61% of students said they felt as if they were a part of our school.
During their visit in 2016 the Education Review Office noted the vision and valued outcomes defined by the school for all children. They are to 'achieve success through learning’ and demonstrate respect, resilience, curiosity and caring. The school encourages children to aim high, persevere and succeed, while making a positive contribution to the world. This is the culture we strive for.
I work with highly skilled professionals who deliberately, and constantly reflect on, and strive to improve their practice. We feel a shared responsibility for all the students who attend our school, and for the success of the school as a whole. I think that our staff are a sound example of Stoll and Fink's 10 cultural norms that influence school improvement.
The socio-economic state of our community impacts on us at school. To remove the barriers our students face we have many programmes in place. We work with countless outside agencies. We apply for funding every year to subsidise our senior camp and other EOTC activities. We have a breakfast club each day and once a week we provide a hot, nutritious meal to those students who want it for just $1.00. A cafe based in a neighbouring suburb donates beautiful lunches for us to distribute daily to those students who need it.
As staff and as a wider community we are dedicated to making sure that our kids have every opportunity to feel safe, to learn and to be successful regardless of the socio-economic status of the area.
2013 QuickStats about Linwood. Retrieved from http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2013-census/profile-and-summary-reports/quickstats-about-a-place.aspx?request_value=14845&tabname=Work&sc_device=pdfLinwood Avenue School - 23/08/2016. Education Review Office. Retrieved from http://www.ero.govt.nz/review-reports/linwood-avenue-school-23-08-2016/
Stoll. (1998). School Culture. School Improvement Network’s Bulletin 9. Institute of Education, University of London. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Culture/Understanding-school-cultures/School-Culture
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