St Theresa's School is an integrated Catholic school situated in Plimmerton, in Porirua City. It caters for new entrants to students in year 6 from the local area and, at the time of this ERO review in September 2009, there were 170 students enrolled. Ten percent of the roll is Māori. Consultation, to gather and share information and engage with the community, is a regular feature of school operations.
Positive relationships, and mutual respect at all levels, are a feature of the school environment. The Catholic character and values are embedded in all aspects of school operation. These are effectively modelled and promoted by the board and staff and are well understood by students, who are articulate, confident and supportive of each other. Classrooms are safe, supportive environments, generally well presented and appropriately resourced. These attributes enable a clear focus on learning.
In consultation with the Board of Trustees, ERO agreed to evaluate the quality of teaching and learning in reading and writing. Since the 2006 ERO review, teachers have begun professional learning in the teaching of writing and aspects of formative assessment. The quality of literacy teaching across the school is generally sound, with a few very good examples evident.
Most students achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics with appropriate support provided for those who require additional assistance. Teachers are placing a greater emphasis on using assessment to inform teaching and learning. However, teachers should consider rationalising their assessment practices and developing more useful ways of demonstrating student progress over time. The senior management team need to ensure that school-wide expectations in teaching, planning and assessment and are consistent across the school.
The board and senior managers have yet to develop and implement effective and robust self-review practices. The principal is aware of this and has recently begun to investigate and research a possible structure and methods that are aimed at the acquisition of a deep understanding schoolwide of the purpose and processes required.
In discussions during the on-site phase of the review, the board, principal and deputy principal responded positively to the findings identified in this report. They have developed recommendations to support continued school development and improvement.
Future Action
ERO is confident that the board of trustees can govern the school in the interest of the students and the Crown and bring about the improvements outlined in this report. ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Review Coverage
ERO reviews do not cover every aspect of school performance and each ERO report may cover different issues. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to student achievement and useful to this school.
If you would like a copy of the full report, please contact the school or see the ERO website, www.ero.govt.nz.
Kathleen Atkins
National Manager Review Services
Central Region
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT REVIEWS
About ERO
ERO is an independent, external evaluation agency that undertakes reviews of schools and early childhood services throughout New Zealand.
About ERO Reviews
ERO follows a set of standard procedures to conduct reviews. The purpose of each review is to:
· improve educational achievement in schools; and
· provide information to parents, communities and the Government.
Reviews are intended to focus on student achievement and build on each school's self review.
Review Focus
ERO's framework for reviewing and reporting is based on three review strands.
· School Specific Priorities - the quality of education and the impact of school policies and practices on student achievement.
· Areas of National Interest - information about how Government policies are working in schools.
· Compliance with Legal Requirements - assurance that this school has taken all reasonable steps to meet legal requirements.
Review Coverage
ERO reviews do not cover every aspect of school performance and each ERO report may cover different issues. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to student achievement and useful to this school.
Review Recommendations
Most ERO reports include recommendations for improvement. A recommendation on a particular issue does not necessarily mean that a school is performing poorly in relation to that issue. There is no direct link between the number of recommendations in this report and the overall performance of this school.
[1] Decile 1 schools draw their students from areas of greatest socio-economic disadvantage,
Decile 10 from areas of least socio-economic disadvantage.
| Disclaimer Individual ERO school and early childhood centre reports are public information and may be copied or sent electronically. However, the Education Review Office can guarantee only the authenticity of original documents which have been obtained in hard copy directly from either the local ERO office or ERO Corporate Office in Wellington. Please consult your telephone book, or see the ERO web page, http://www.ero.govt.nz, for ERO office addresses. |
This report has been prepared in accordance with standard procedures approved by the Chief Review Officer.
Visit St Theresa's School (Plimmerton)