What was your motivation to move away from streaming/fixed ability grouping in your school?

The key reason was lack of motivation in Year 10. They were just cruising along, and we were getting no shift in academic performance. We learned of the idea of modules and staff liked the idea. The first year we offered modules there was a big positive change in the staff – they were teaching things they were passionate about. Modules provided us with flexibility that mixed students up, so Year 9 students are likely to be in a class with Year 10 students.

What was the approach you took to making the shift?

We started with an inquiry class at Year 9 with the intention of extending it to the rest of Year 9 the following year, then out across the rest of the junior school after that. We had staff meetings that put forward possible proposals for the following year. That got the staff on board. We introduced the idea of modules which was already being talked about and we got the staff to come with us.

The following year we started putting the module structure together and we haven’t looked back from there. This was a two-year journey.

Initially we talked about implementing it within one year, but we delayed it by a year- this was the best thing we could have done. Taking this amount of time allowed the staff to think about it and to get their heads around it and buy into it.

After a year of implementation, we interviewed the students to get their feedback.

What were the challenges you encountered along the way?

One of the concerns raised early on was “How can we be sure we are getting sufficient curriculum coverage for the students?” What we do is track curriculum coverage – teachers indicate what aspects of curriculum are covered by the modules they teach.

Interviewing Year 8 students coming into Year 9 became more complex – we had to interview the students and their parents. Having staff who know how to do this is important. We had to be really clear about what we were looking to achieve and our time frame. We were generally working six months ahead of ourselves. The organisation around administration is key.

Removing the ‘top band’ was a challenge for the community but now, after a number of years of doing modules, they would be furious if we went back to that.

What significant actions helped manage the shift away from streaming?

We did a lot of communication with our contributing schools and with our staff. We visited our contributing schools to explain our structure. Our ongoing interactions with these schools through the Kahui Ako have also been productive. We invited innovative practitioners to come to our school and present to staff. Our Board was 100% behind us.

What does success look like?

There are much better relationships between Year 9 students and Year 10s – you see them together around the school. The behaviour of students has improved.

We can’t categorically say academic results have improved but that wasn’t the driving force behind the change.

What advice would you give to others considering embarking on the journey?

Take your time. Do your homework before you put anything out to the community. There needs to be a good rationale for making the change. It should reflect what is best for your community. You have to take your people with you – that’s not always easy. Don’t rush it, and make sure staff have time to get their heads around it. It’s an evolution not a revolution.