Gloriavale Special Review Confirmed Report
Education Provision within the Gloriavale Community
Context
The Gloriavale community is a faith-based community in a remote area of the west coast of the South Island, approximately 60 kilometres east of Greymouth.
Education provision within the community was previously reviewed in 2020. At that time, ERO reviewed provision of the Gloriavale Christian School and the three early childhood centres, Gloriavale Christian Preschool, Gloriavale Christian Little Ones and Gloriavale Christian Toddlers.
Gloriavale Christian School is a Year 1-13 private school. The Education Review Office (ERO) reviews of private schools are significantly different in process and more limited in scope and reporting than those for state and state-integrated schools. They focus on the criteria for registration set out in clauses 2 to 6, Schedule 7 of the Education and Training Act 2020. Clause 9. Schedule 7 of the Education and Training Act requires ERO to review private schools and to report to the Secretary for Education on whether each school meets the criteria for registration.
Changes in legislative and regulatory settings, greater teacher professionalisation, and the strengthening of systems and practices in child safety and wellbeing have contributed to an increase in awareness of the health, safety and welfare of children and young people in schools. This has raised expectations for institutions and required a deeper focus in ERO’s evaluations, to ensure that students are learning in an emotionally and physically safe environment.
Important changes to education settings have added new layers of protection for children with the tightening of systems across agencies, information sharing, and in particular the Children’s Act 2014 ensuring a stronger and systematic vetting process for those working with children.
Recent court cases citing incidences of physical and sexual abuse of children within the Gloriavale community and findings about young people’s employment status and the suitability of some school staffing have been significant events impacting schooling since the previous review.
Since 2020 the school has undergone several changes in leadership and staffing and has ceased to provide secondary schooling beyond Year 10. Schooling within the community now encompasses not only the Gloriavale Christian School, but also study through Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu (Te Kura), and home-schooling for students approved for exemption from attending a registered school by the Ministry of Education.
The events above led to the Chief Review Officer’s decision to undertake a Special Review under section 463 of the Education and Training Act (2020), looking specifically at the quality of educational provision and support for all school-aged children in the Gloriavale community. A special review allows ERO to widen its scope and focus more broadly on what is happening for all school-aged learners in Gloriavale.
At the time of this Special Review, there was no provision for early childhood learning in the community. Hence this review focuses solely on education provision for school-aged children. Since the onsite phase of this review, an early childhood service has been relicensed. ERO will review the early childhood service in due course.
Terms of reference for this special review are found in Appendix One of this report.
Key Findings
During the onsite phase of the review, community leaders declined to provide ERO a definite number of school-aged children or a full overview of the educational provision for every school-aged learner in the community, stating that the choice of education provision is up to the parents.
There were 139 students enrolled to attend the Gloriavale Christian School. However, almost 20% of these enrolled students did not attend the school premises and school management has limited oversight of provision.
At the time of the review a further 42 students were homeschooled. The numbers of children enrolled in Te Kura were not provided to ERO by the community.
The provision of high-quality education for school-aged learners in the Gloriavale community, is inconsistent and uncertain. With the choice of provision for learners expanded, the community is now in a position where there is limited oversight and knowledge about every learner's progress and achievement across the community. Community leaders are aware of the issues facing the provision of suitable, high-quality education to school-aged children within the community, but have no planned, documented, long term approach as to how they will address the challenges currently facing them. Schooling is in a precarious situation and long-term planning to meet the educational needs of the community’s children and young people is essential going forward.
Overall, ERO is not assured that all children up to the age of 16 are successfully engaged in meaningful learning programmes and pathways, and progressing and achieving well, or that their health and safety while accessing education is sufficiently well monitored. Furthermore, ERO has determined that the Gloriavale Christian School does not meet many of the criteria for registration as a private school.
ERO does not consider that the Gloriavale community has a sustainable solution to ensuring coherent, consistent, high-quality schooling for all learners within the community, reflecting rights provided in the Education and Training Act 2020.
Findings for each of the current educational choices are outlined below.
Gloriavale Christian School is owned by the Gloriavale Trust Board. The school currently has 139 students aged approximately 6 – 14 years. Since mid-2022 the school has faced considerable difficulties in finding suitable staffing. There have been three principals over a period of 18 months. The school is currently staffed with registered teachers. However, only two staff have primary or secondary school teaching qualifications and relevant experience.
There have been some recent positive changes to the operation of the school. In 2022, a School Board was created to oversee the governance, providing a separation from the Trust Board, and enabling the principal to focus on management. The Board, which includes staff and parents, has engaged with external governance expertise to build its capability, and is focussed on seeking solutions and acting with due diligence.
A new, externally provided system is in place to ensure fit for purpose policies and procedures that are regularly reviewed. This should ensure that the school has suitable and current policies and procedures over all aspects of the school.
To facilitate the accurate recording of student data and attendance the school has recently established a student management system. This is yet to be fully understood and used by staff.
Gloriavale Christian School is not providing an adequate education that meets the registration criteria for a private school. It is not able to provide any tuition suitable beyond Year 10, and the standard of the tuition given to the students is lower than that given to students enrolled at state schools of the same year levels. In assessing the standard of tuition, the mode of curriculum delivery and the regularity of instruction were considered. Beyond Year 10 the options and pathways are not clearly understood by all learners and their families and there is an unplanned approach to secondary school education. Girls were less able to talk about their future pathways than were boys.
Primary school children spoken to were not well informed about their schooling options and were vague about future studies and setting goals. Nor were they particularly well informed about their own levels of achievement.
Awhina Class
At the time of the ERO review this class comprised 26 students, across ages, who are taught by their mothers in their homes, thus not attending school when it is open for instruction. The school has not taken all reasonable steps to ensure their attendance under section 36 of the Education and Training Act 2020 (note the definition of registered school includes a private school). Twenty-five of these students do not have exemptions to be home-schooled and are not enrolled in Te Kura.
The children were identified by the school and the parents as not meeting certain criteria for inclusion in the school setting and requiring a different approach because of a range of issues, including behaviour. The class is seen as a transition class, but in six months only five students have transitioned back to school.
The school did not provide ERO with clear, coherent information about the rationale for the establishment of the Awhina class. Similarly, there was insufficient information on the diagnosis, selection, professional intervention, or advice that was part of setting up the Awhina class. Monitoring of the children’s education by a registered teacher is irregular and there is insufficient evidence that the needs of all Awhina students are being met or that they are making progress in either their learning or their wellbeing.
Registration
The criteria for registration as a Private School, as set out in clauses 2 to 6, Schedule 7 of the Education and Training Act 2020 (the Act), are that the school:
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has premises that are suitable, as described in clause 3, Schedule 7; and
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usually provides tuition for 9 or more students who are of or over the age of 5 years but are under the age of 16 years [clause 2(b), Schedule 7); and
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has staffing that is suitable to the age range and level of its students, the curriculum taught at the school, and the size of the school (clause 2(c), Schedule 7; and
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has equipment that is suitable for the curriculum being delivered or to be delivered at the school (clause 2(d) Schedule 7); and
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has a curriculum for teaching, learning, and assessment and makes details of the curriculum and its programme for delivery available for parents; and
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has suitable tuition standards, as described in clauses 2(e), (f) and 5, Schedule 7; and
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has managers who are fit and proper persons (as described in clause 6, Schedule 7) to be managers of a private school; and
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is a physically and emotionally safe place for students (clause 2(h), Schedule 7).
ERO’s assessment against the private school criteria is as follows:
| Criteria |
Findings |
Comments |
|---|
a) Suitable premises
|
Not meeting |
The school site meets criteria.
Premises for the Awhina class do not meet the criteria. This class comprises approximately 20% of the school roll. These students are in their own homes. ERO was not assured that these premises meet the necessary requirements.
|
b) Enrolment for tuition
|
Meeting |
The school usually provides tuition for nine or more students who are of or over the age of five years but are under the age of 16 years. |
c) Suitable staffing
|
Not meeting |
The school does not have staffing that is suitable to the age range and level of its students, the curriculum taught at the school, and the size of the school.
Teachers are registered. Only two have school teaching qualifications and relevant experience. The boys in Years 8 to 10 have a secondary trained teacher and the girls at the same level have an ECE trained teacher. Eight out of the 10 teachers have ECE qualifications. Six with Diplomas and two with Bachelor's degrees.
There is no appropriate, equitable and stable curriculum and pedagogical leadership.
The school tries to support new, inexperienced teachers through learning opportunities pertinent to their professional needs.
The school board acknowledges the issues around suitable staffing for the school.
|
d) Suitable Equipment
|
Meeting |
The school has equipment that is suitable for the curriculum being delivered or to be delivered at the school. |
e) Curriculum
|
Not meeting |
The school is not delivering a coherent student-centered curriculum. Teachers use a range of outsourced programmes. There is very little assessment capability and no evidence of a cohesive programme of assessment and responsive planning for learning progression.
A suitable curriculum was not in place for students in the Awhina class.
|
f) Suitable tuition standards
|
Not meeting |
Teachers are not using a suitable curriculum, valid assessment and reporting and there is very little evidence of planning based on an inclusive, differentiated approach. Standardised PAT assessments are used but are invalid due to the age of the tests used and how they are administered and analysed. They are not currently used to inform teaching and learning.
Teachers had a limited capability in managing challenging behaviour or understanding and catering for children with differing needs. Children in the Awhina class are not taught by a registered teacher.
|
g) Managers fit and proper persons
|
Not meeting |
ERO is not assured that all managers are fit and proper persons.
The Gloriavale Christian School Trust Board and the principal are deemed managers of the school as they control and manage the school under the Act whether or not they have a proprietary interest in it. (Refer to definition of 'managers of a private school' in section 10 of the Act).
Only one member of the school board has attested to the Ministry of Education and been assessed.
Through the course of this review ERO has received no evidence that the school managers have been assessed as being fit and proper persons.
[Note: A statutory declaration does not constitute such an assessment as required under clause 6, Schedule 7 of the Education and Training Act 2020]
|
h) Physically and emotionally safe space
|
Not meeting |
ERO has reviewed this provision across all schooling options. Please see the findings within the body of the report. Although the private school management has improved policy and procedures, a process for fully understanding, monitoring and reporting student wellbeing, and in particular for the Awhina class, is not sufficiently evident. |
Next Steps
In order to meet the criteria for registration as a private school the Gloriavale Christian School needs to urgently address the findings of this report.
It must:
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seek assessment by the Ministry of Education that all school managers under current registration are fit and proper persons
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discontinue the Awhina programme. The programme does not meet the attendance and exemption to attendance requirements under sections 36 and 42 of the Education and Training Act 2020. Under section 42 of the Act, the parent, principal, and the MOE need to consider and agree to a plan in the student’s best interests that reduces the student’s hours of attendance to help meet the student’s well-being as identified in writing by a medical practitioner or a psychologist
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develop a coherent, cohesive student-centred curriculum, and ensure that in developing and delivering the curriculum the school’s principal and staff have regard any national education and learning priorities under clause 7, Schedule 7 of the Act.
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build the learning conditions and teaching capability to meet the needs of all students
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develop and embed valid, standardised methods of assessing children's achievement and progress
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ensure parents receive regular written reports (at least twice a year) about their children’s progress and achievement
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ensure equity of opportunity within the curriculum and the tuition, for all students. Continue to use external expertise to identify and suitably support children with specific learning and behaviour needs
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with urgency, build staff capability to monitor student wellbeing and manage challenging behaviour.
Home-schooling
The number of community children in home-schooling has increased significantly. Since the previous ERO review of Gloriavale Christian School, many parents have chosen to withdraw their children from the school due to it no longer meeting their children’s needs. In home-schooling, parents are responsible for the programme taught in the home.
ERO was provided a full list of home-schooling families and independently chose a sample of 3 large families, to visit and interview, who have been home-schooling for up to 5 months.
Some home-schooling families have been allocated additional space and resources. ERO could not verify that this space and resourcing is applied to all.
The home-school families sampled had thorough applications for exemptions to home-school. These included genuine reasons to homeschool their children and clear goals and objectives for learning through a variety of appropriate curriculum pathways. These families have planning and processes for monitoring the achievement of their children. Some have made good use of support organisations to enrich the home-schooling experience.
In the three homes visited the children were engaged in a range of learning tasks and activities. Learning routines are being embedded in everyday life. Some parents use the local environment well to enhance their children’s learning. All children have opportunities to engage with other children from Gloriavale and in some specific activities with the Gloriavale Christian School.
Verifying that all home-schooled children across the community are being taught at least as regularly and well as in a registered school would require a full review process for each individual child.
Senior Secondary Schooling provision through Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu
ERO reviewed the quality of supervision and support for students enrolled in Te Kura. ERO did not review the education provision provided by Te Kura.
Through Te Kura, students (boys and girls), study a variety of courses towards National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Levels 1 to 3, including but not limited to mathematics, science, visual arts, home economics and English. Study with a shared supervisor was initially instituted by Gloriavale but has not been sustained. Students study independently in their homes, supervised by one or more parent.
Students have access to digital devices, and equipment and facilities that are mostly adequate. Students and their parents reported having regular study routines and sufficient time to study with the ability to be flexible at times. However, some variability is evident in the support and supervision students received from adults. Some students report the need for a more suitable environment, free from distractions such as younger children, and for greater priority to be given to the time and space to study. This applies particularly to girls.
Gloriavale leaders and parents indicated to ERO that they are supportive of young people gaining higher qualifications. However, the outcomes sought are not always the expectation for achieving a minimum of NCEA Level 2 or equivalent, that would allow learners to thrive in a future pathway of choice.
Parents were in the main familiar with their roles and responsibilities, with many helping students set and review goals. While there is a willingness to enable access to Te Kura and/or homeschooling, parents report some challenges around supervising learning within busy home environments.
This has been openly discussed within the community. An openness to enabling parents’ involvement in their children’s learning is evident.
Physical and Emotional Safety
The Gloriavale Community has a new Child Protection, Safety and Wellbeing Policy that applies to everyone in the community. It was very widely visible during the review. Significant work has been carried out to develop clear procedures and embed understanding across all members of the community. A range of externally provided and targeted learning programmes, with regular updates and reminders is in place.
A team of Child Protection Leaders have been appropriately vetted and trained to support and enact the policy. Child Protection Leaders provide oversight, and children and young people have a clear understanding of the support and advice available to them. The community is working with a range of external agencies to improve processes and responses to child protection, safety, and wellbeing concerns. These include initiatives and programmes for children and young people. This is a significant step for the community.
Opportunities have been provided for all parents to be involved in externally run parenting courses and the community is the early stages of developing better understandings of positive behaviour management strategies.
The parents and students spoken to within home-schooling and Te Kura schooling were familiar with the community’s Child Protection, Safety and Wellbeing Policy and its requirements. Students said they felt physically and emotionally safe in their place of study.
Within the school setting suitable policies and procedures are in place, however establishing consistent understanding and building teacher capability to implement positive behaviour management remain priorities. Through professional learning teachers are developing strategies to address a range of behavioural challenges, strengthen relationships and reduce bullying. Posters remind children about expected safety and ways in which they can express concerns about their own or others’ safety and wellbeing.
A systematic process for knowing about, monitoring, and reporting on young learners’ health, safety and wellbeing across the educational settings is not sufficiently evident.
Recommendations
That the Gloriavale community leaders:
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ensure that the school meets its requirements for registration as a private school
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urgently develop a long-term strategic plan for educational provision across the community that:
- ensures that all children up to the age of 16 are successfully engaged in meaningful learning programmes and pathways, have access to high quality teaching and learning and are progressing and achieving well
- includes how education provision will be monitored, evaluated and assurance provided to the community that all students are experiencing success
- considers externally led or supported provision
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ensure that the Child Protection, Safety and Wellbeing Policy, and Health and Safety policies are well implemented and that the physical and emotional health and safety of all learners is closely, regularly, and sufficiently monitored across all schooling provision.
Future actions
The Education Review Office will carry out another review of the Gloriavale Christian School within 12 months.
To fully evaluate the provision of home-schooling, ERO is likely to complete formal reviews of home-school programmes within a year of this report.
Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools
17 October 2023
Appendix One Terms of Reference
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Whether Gloriavale Christian School (1587) meets the criteria for registration as a private school, as set out in clause 2, Schedule 7 of the Education and Training Act 2020.
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To sample a range of provision for children who are home-schooled that they are taught at least as regularly and well as in a registered school for the purposes of section 38 of the Education and Training Act 2020, and as per bullet point five below.
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To review the quality of supervision and support for students enrolled in Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu (Te Kura).
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A particular focus on whether the registered school is a physically and emotionally safe place for students.
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The provision for the physical and emotional safety of a sample of students while engaged in education in the Gloriavale Community home-schooled environment, and those students enrolled in Te Kura.
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Any other matters that the team see relevant to the review.
ERO gathered evidence from the following sources:
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meetings with Shepherds, school board members, the acting principals (past and present), teachers, parents, and students
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documents that included school policies and procedures, school curriculum statement, teachers’ planning and recording, school board minutes and documents, school assessment documentation, home-schooling applications and individual planning, student work from all provisions, Awhina process documentation
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sample visits to three home-schooled premises
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interviews and a survey of samples of students studying through Te Kura and their parents
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a survey of children in the school
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classroom observations of teaching and learning
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observations of premises and resourcing.