Waitaki Boys' High School

Education institution number:
365
School type:
Secondary (Year 9-15)
School gender:
Single Sex (Boys School)
Definition:
School with Boarding Facilities
Total roll:
413
Telephone:
Address:

Waitaki Avenue, Oamaru

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Waitaki Boys' High School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within eight months of the Education Review Office and Waitaki Boys’ High School working in Te Ara Huarau, an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website. www.ero.govt.nz

Context 

Waitaki Boys’ High School is a Years 9 to 13 school for boys in Oamaru. Boarders reside at Don house, the school’s onsite boarding facility. The schools’ farm (Fraser Farm) is adjacent to the school and provides learning opportunities for boys at all year levels.

Waitaki Boys’ High School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes are for all learners to:

  • be fully engaged in their teaching and learning to achieve success

  • experience belonging within a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment that allows all students to learn and thrive.

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Waitaki Boys’ High School’s website.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate effective teaching practices to better meet the needs of all learners and support equitable outcomes. 

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is that:

  • teachers have been participating in ongoing professional development and learning in relation to building high quality and consistent effective teaching   

  • outcomes for all students are not yet equitable 

  • leaders want to more fully honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its articles.

The school expects to see consistent high quality teaching practices that meet all learners’ needs and pathways across the school. 

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support it in its goal to achieve equitable outcomes for all learners. The: 

  • school is improvement focused and wants the best outcomes for its learners so that they can participate fully in society  

  • local partnerships the school has developed and strengthened to support school improvement 

  • ways in which staff are collaborating to improve outcomes for learners 

  • success the school has had in supporting Pacific learners and their families to achieve and progress

  • progress the school has made in working with the local runaka in 2021 to build a stronger working partnership.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • using assessment effectively across the school to inform teaching and learning

  • strengthening the Professional Growth Cycle to ensure progress for all learners

  • engagement with its Māori community

  • establishing a baseline for the school’s culturally responsive teaching practices

  • staff development to enhance culturally responsive teaching and learning.

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. ERO will support the school in reporting their progress to the community. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.

Kathy Lye
Acting Director Review and Improvement (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

21 March 2023 

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement.  educationcounts.govt.nz/home

Waitaki Boys' High School

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2023 to 2026

As of January 2023, the Waitaki Boys’ High School Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:

Board Administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Personnel Management

Yes

Finance

Yes

Assets

Yes

Further Information

For further information please contact Waitaki Boys’ High School, School Board.

The next School Board assurance that it is meeting regulatory and legislative requirements will be reported, along with the Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report, within three years.

Information on ERO’s role and process in this review can be found on the Education Review Office website.

Kathy Lye
Acting Director Review and Improvement (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

21 March 2023 

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home

Waitaki Boys' High School

Provision for International Students Report

Background                                               

The Education Review Office reviews schools that are signatories to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020.

Findings

The school is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020.  The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code and has completed an annual self-review of its implementation of the Code.    

At the time of this review there were two international students attending the school.   

International students board at the school’s onsite hostel, Don House. Their pastoral care is well-supported by hostel staff and monitored by the director of international students. International students take opportunities to participate in school activities outside the classroom and in the wider community.

Kathy Lye
Acting Director Review and Improvement (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

21 March 2023 

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home

Waitaki Boys' High School

Hostel Report

Background

The Chief Review Officer has the authority to carry out reviews (which may be general or in relation to particular matters) of the provision of a safe physical and emotional environment that supports learning for students accommodated in hostels under section 470 of the Education and Training Act 2020. This function is delegated to review officers who have the powers to enter and carry out review of hostels under section 472 of the Act.

Findings

The hostel manager and the hostel owner have attested in the Hostel Assurance Statement that they meet the requirements of the Hostel Regulations 2005.

Waitaki Boys’ High School Hostel, Don House, is located on the school site. It is governed by the Waitaki Boys’ High School Board through a board subcommittee. Current boarders come from the wider Otago region and the Chatham and Cook Islands. A small number of international students also live at Don House.  

There have been significant changes in hostel staffing in recent years including the Director of Boarding and Pastoral Care Manager. These staffing changes have led to considerable positive developments in hostel management, operations, policies, and procedures.

Boarders receive high quality pastoral care and support with their health and wellbeing. There are effective formal and informal systems for monitoring and managing this. Students spoken with valued the ways in which hostel staff do everything they can to ensure boarders get the most out of their time at Waitaki Boys’ High School. 

Hostel staff are working productively with school staff to support boys’ learning at the school. Communication is effective and ‘prep’ and other activities time outside formal classroom learning are being increasingly personalised to boarders’ needs. Whānau voice about important aspects of hostel life is being sought regularly and responded to. Recent surveys indicate high levels of satisfaction from parents about their son’s experience in relation to hostel life and their care.

Kathy Lye
Acting Director Review and Improvement (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

21 March 2023 

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home

Waitaki Boys' High School - 17/07/2019

Findings

Waitaki Boys’ High School has had a commissioner since December 2014. The school is now becoming better placed to return to full governance. Since the 2017 ERO review, the commissioner, leaders and teachers have been making some progress towards improving partnerships with parents and the community, professional development for staff, curriculum opportunities for boys, and student achievement and retention. There must now be a more consistent and unrelenting focus across all staff to ensure and sustain high quality learning outcomes for all students.

On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO ‘s overall evaluation judgement of Waitaki Boys’ High School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Developing.

ERO will maintain an ongoing relationship with the school to monitor progress.

1 Background and Context

What is the background and context for this school’s review?

Waitaki Boys’ High School provides schooling for students from Years 9 to 13, mostly from Oamaru and the surrounding rural area. It has a boarding hostel, Don House, on site. At the time of this review there were six international students attending the school. The school has an attached farmlet, Fraser Farm.

The Waitaki Boys’ High School January 2017 ERO report stated that ERO was not confident the school leaders were capable of effectively addressing the important issues identified in that report. It recommended that the Secretary for Education maintain the intervention under Part 7A of the Education Act in order to bring about improvements in:

  • governance

  • leadership and change

  • strategic planning and internal evaluation.

Since the time of the last ERO review:

  • ERO has maintained ongoing involvement with the school
  • the commissioner has changed

  • a new principal and assistant principal have been appointed, with some other staffing changes

  • the school roll has decreased

  • there has been extensive redevelopment and refurbishment of the science and learning support teaching and learning areas.

2 Review and Development

How effectively is the school addressing its priorities for review and development?

Priorities identified for review and development

The 2017 ERO report identified these areas for review and improvement:

  • governance

  • leadership of improvement and change

  • strategic planning

  • internal evaluation

  • teaching, learning and achievement

  • provision of a safe and inclusive environment for students and staff.

Progress

The commissioner has provided effective governance strongly focused on school improvement, and prioritising positive outcomes for students. This has been particularly evident in the areas relating to student engagement, achievement, retention and wellbeing. He has:

  • promoted and modelled open, positive and productive relationships and partnerships within and beyond the school
  • guided the school and provided sound advice in the management of ongoing incidents and issues

  • gathered information widely and been responsive to it

  • ensured the principal had a comprehensive appraisal in 2018.

At the time of this report preparations were underway to return the school to full governance, after the board elections in 2019. Since the onsite stage stage of this review a full board has been elected and is now in place. A chairperson has been elected.

School leaders are committed to making positive progress for the school. There has been a deliberate focus and actions to improve outcomes for Māori students, including to experience success as Māori. Previous disparity in achievement for Māori students in the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) has been significantly reduced at Levels 1 and 3.

There has been some distribution of leadership roles within the senior leadership team. Relational trust is developing within this team. Leaders have responded to staff feedback about reducing the pace of change. There are increased opportunities for feedback about staff and student wellbeing. This is contributing to a more collaborative culture amongst the staff. Leaders should continue to find reliable ongoing ways of knowing about students’ safety and wellbeing.

The school’s strategic plan identifies some sound fundamental goals for the school and a clear vision. Monitoring of progress towards meeting these goals is more frequent now and in the early stages of being evaluative. Specific planning towards meeting these goals should be much more closely aligned to the clear, valued outcomes the school wants for its boys - the ‘all-round Waitakian’.

Students and teachers are benefitting from some new or strengthened productive partnerships with parents, other schools and the wider community. Since the 2017 ERO review, the school has:

  • joined the Waitaki Ara Kāhui Ako |CoL and is actively participating within it

  • established some shared senior curriculum classes with Waitaki Girls’ High School

  • broadened curriculum opportunities for boys in Years 9 and 10

  • extended opportunities and vocational support for boys with local businesses and organisations

  • provided greater support for Pacific boys and their families

  • continued to work extensively with external agencies to support boys at risk

  • made some progress in developing relationships with local iwi

  • implemented a deliberate communication strategy to improve communication with parents and the wider community and ensure more immediate reporting to parents about their son’s wellbeing and learning.

There has been positive progress made in some areas of teaching and learning. Useful external professional learning for staff, focusing on clarity in the classroom and teaching as inquiry, has occurred over the last two years. Internal professional development has focused on supporting teachers with better literacy strategies for boys. Some teachers are effectively targeting their teaching and learning programmes to best meet their students’ needs and interests. There is a greater range of courses available for boys in the senior school.

Leaders and teachers have developed ways to assess students’ achievement, and potentially progress, in Years 9 and 10. Senior students’ progress towards gaining NCEA qualifications is closely monitored. There are some positive trends in NCEA achievement, overall, particularly for boys at Level 2. A regular mentoring programme is in place to support positive outcomes for boys.

Leaders’ understanding and implementation of effective internal evaluation remains in the early stages. Some documentation has been created to support internal evaluation of school procedures. Positive shifts have been made in the scope and depth of teachers’ appraisal. There is a greater range of information being collected across the school that should inform internal evaluation.

Key next steps

The commissioner, future trustees, leaders and teachers must collaborate effectively to achieve outcomes for all students that meet their abilities, interests and aspirations. They should have a consistent and unrelenting focus on raising the quality of teaching and learning for all teachers and all students. Many students do not have effective learning partnerships with their teachers. There needs to be a consistent school-wide approach and expectations for teachers to seek, value and respond to students’ perceptions about what helps and hinders them to learn. Leaders should have reliable ways of monitoring and responding to accountabilities related to this.

The school’s charter clearly identifies and describes what the school wants for Waitaki Boys’ High School students overall. There should be stronger, more visible links between these valued outcomes for students and how these will be achieved in annual planning, subsequent evaluation and reporting of progress towards these outcomes.

Leaders should continue to build a school-wide understanding and implementation of internal evaluation. Initiatives, programmes, and teaching and learning should have a strong evaluative focus. Leaders have identified that this needs to be strengthened within departmental reporting. To support the school in identifying some of the gains they have made, outcomes for students over time should be presented in such a way as to show any trends and patterns. This should further support internal evaluation and future decision making.

Leaders, teachers and other staff must continue to strengthen partnerships with all parents relating to decisions relevant to students’ learning and wellbeing. As part of this, the school should continue to strengthen relationships with the parents and whānau of Māori students.

3 Sustainable performance and self review

How well placed is the school to sustain and continue to improve and review its performance?

The school is in the early stages of being better placed to review and improve its performance.

A key priority for the school is the establishment and training of an effective board of trustees. The commissioner should document detailed planning of the key steps and timeline for returning the school to full governance. Any new trustees will need ongoing guidance and training in order to be able to effectively guide the school through this ongoing school improvement phase. Outcomes for students must remain central to all decision making. The commissioner/board must ensure the principal has a current performance agreement.

Board assurance on legal requirements

Before the review, the commissioner and principal of the school completed the ERO Board Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklists. In these documents they attested that they had taken all reasonable steps to meet their legislative obligations related to:

  • board administration
  • curriculum
  • management of health, safety and welfare
  • personnel management
  • financial management
  • asset management.

During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student achievement:

  • emotional safety of students (including prevention of bullying and sexual harassment)
  • physical safety of students
  • teacher registration
  • processes for appointing staff
  • stand-downs, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions
  • attendance
  • school policies in relation to meeting the requirements of the Vulnerable Children Act 2014.

 

4 Recommendations

Recommendations, including any to other agencies for ongoing or additional support.

ERO recommends that the Ministry of Education continue to provide support for the board in order to bring about the following improvements that relate to:

  • ongoing effective governance

  • training and support for new trustees

  • developing capacity and capability to respond effectively to current or emergent issues

  • building the school’s capability to sustain and continue to improve student achievement and other identified outcomes

  • strategic planning, evaluation and reporting.

Conclusion

Waitaki Boys’ High School has had a commissioner since December 2014. The school is now becoming better placed to return to full governance. Since the 2017 ERO review, the commissioner, leaders and teachers have been making some progress towards improving partnerships with parents and the community, professional development for staff, curriculum opportunities for boys, and student achievement and retention. There must now be a more consistent and unrelenting focus across all staff to ensure and sustain high quality learning outcomes for all students.

On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO ‘s overall evaluation judgement of Waitaki Boys’ High School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Developing.

ERO will maintain an ongoing relationship with the school to monitor progress.

ERO’s Framework: Overall School Performance is available on ERO’s website.

Lesley Patterson

Director Review and Improvement Services Southern

Southern Region

17 July 2019

About the School

Location

Oamaru

Ministry of Education profile number

365

School type

Secondary (Years 9 to 13)

School roll

407

Number of international students

6

Gender composition

Male 100%

Ethnic composition

Māori
NZ European/Pākehā
Pacific
Asian
Other ethnicities

16%
71%
9%
2%
2%

Special Features

Hostel

Review team on site

May 2019

Date of this report

17 July 2019

Most recent ERO reports

Education Review
Education Review
Education Review

January 2017
October 2014
April 2010


r

Waitaki Boys' High School - 23/01/2017

Findings

ERO is not confident that the school leaders are capable of effectively addressing the important issues identified in this report. ERO recommends that the Secretary for Education maintains the intervention under Part 7A of the Education Act 1989 in order to bring about the improvements in the following areas:

  • governance
  • leadership and change
  • strategic planning and internal evaluation.

ERO intends to carry out another review over the course of one-to-two years.

1 Background and Context

What is the background and context for this school’s review?

The school’s 2014 ERO report highlighted a number of significant issues that had the potential to impact on positive outcomes for students. These are listed in the following section. Since the time of the last ERO review: 

  • ERO has maintained ongoing involvement with the school
  • a Statutory Commissioner was appointed
  • the previous rector has resigned
  • the school roll has declined but has stabilised
  • a number of changes to staffing have occurred. 

2 Review and Development

How effectively is the school addressing its priorities for review and development?

Priorities identified for review and development

The 2014 ERO report identified these significant areas for review and development: 

  • governance
  • leading and managing the school
  • effective teaching
  • a safe and inclusive school culture
  • engaging parents, whānau and communities. 
Progress

The quality of communication and relationships in and out of the school have been improved, as have aspects of student engagement, such as levels of attendance. However, there is still much to be done. The school’s data for 2015 shows low levels of overall achievement, attendance and retention, and increased stand downs and suspensions.

Some improvements to curriculum planning and delivery have been made. Heads of Faculty are required to report on their respective areas. Teachers are taking increasing responsibility for managing classroom learning and behaviour. They are in the early stages of developing expertise in inquiring into their own teaching practice.

Senior students now have broader opportunities for vocational learning, for example through partnerships with other schools and providers. Support for students with high learning needs has become more focused.

The deans of pastoral care work collaboratively and provide good support for students. The wellbeing of staff and students, including hostel students, is being closely monitored. The dean of Pasifika students has supported the improved attendance, engagement and achievement of Pasifika students. ERO and the deans agree on the need to improve planning and evaluation of pastoral care.

Communication and relationships between staff and senior leaders have improved. Staff and students generally feel that the school is more settled and they are positive about school leadership. The views of staff and students are being increasingly sought and listened to. The acting rector is accessible and approachable for students and staff.

The governance issues faced by the school have been significantly improved.

Improvements include: 

  • better communication and relationships with parents, local schools and the community
  • a significant reduction in complaints, and resolution of employment issues
  • a well-maintained focus on the wellbeing of staff and students
  • the appointment of an experienced acting rector for school stability
  • an ongoing commitment to appointing a rector whose vision aligns with the school’s focus for improving teaching and learning. 

3 Sustainable performance and self review

How well placed is the school to sustain and continue to improve and review its performance?

The school is not well placed to improve and review its performance. Strategic planning and internal-evaluation practices require significant development or improvement. Key relationships continue to pose a risk to the school’s ability to sustain and improve practice and overall performance. Leaders need to develop a greater level of trust to ensure that they can fulfil their roles and responsibilities more effectively. The working relationships within the senior leadership team require urgent review.

A board of trustees has yet to be established to govern the school and hostel (Don House). At the time of this review, a new rector was still to be appointed. This needs to be carried out in a timely manner to ensure stable professional leadership for the immediate future.

A number of key tasks for school leadership continue to require development or improvement. These include: 

  • implementing strategies and practices to lift the low levels of achievement, attendance and engagement evident across the school
  • revising and fully implementing the school’s charter, vision and values as a basis for school development
  • closer monitoring, evaluation and reporting of the school’s progress in meeting its key priorities for development and for raising achievement
  • ensuring expectations for effective curriculum management, delivery, review and reporting are known, followed and consistent across the school
  • leading high quality teaching and learning support through rigorous appraisal, inquiry and professional learning
  • ongoing monitoring of provisions for a safe and inclusive environment for staff and students
  • increasing opportunities for student leadership and for students to be more involved in their learning
  • re-establishing the range of initiatives for lifting the lower levels of achievement of Māori students
  • improving communication and relations with parents and the wider-school community, including consulting with parents, whānau and local iwi/rūnaka. 

The principal's appraisal process needs to be fully implemented. This will give the commissioner assurance that the school’s key priorities are being achieved.

Board assurance on legal requirements

Before the review, the board of trustees and principal of the school completed the ERO Board Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklists. In these documents they attested that they had taken all reasonable steps to meet their legislative obligations related to:

  • board administration
  • curriculum
  • management of health, safety and welfare
  • personnel management
  • financial management
  • asset management.

During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student achievement:

  • emotional safety of students (including prevention of bullying and sexual harassment)
  • physical safety of students
  • teacher registration
  • processes for appointing staff
  • stand-downs, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions
  • attendance.

Since the on-site stage of this review, the Commissioner has completed the Board Assurance Statement identifying several areas requiring attention. ERO will continue to monitor these.

4 Recommendations

ERO is not confident that the school leaders are capable of effectively addressing the important issues identified in this report, without a highly functioning school leadership team. ERO recommends that the Secretary for Education maintains the intervention under Part 7A of the Education Act 1989.

Conclusion

ERO is not confident that the school leaders are capable of effectively addressing the important issues identified in this report. ERO recommends that the Secretary for Education maintains the intervention under Part 7A of the Education Act 1989 in order to bring about the improvements in the following areas:

  • governance
  • leadership and change
  • strategic planning and internal evaluation.

ERO intends to carry out another review over the course of one-to-two years.

Dr Lesley Patterson

Deputy Chief Review Officer Te Waipounamu Southern

23 January 2017

About the School 

Location

Oamaru

Ministry of Education profile number

365

School type

Secondary (Years 9 to 13)

School roll

484

Number of International students

12

Gender composition

Male 100%

Ethnic composition

Pākehā

Māori

Pasifika

Asian

Other

77%

12%

5%

3%

3%

Special Features

School Hostel

Review team on site

October 2016

Date of this report

23 January 2017

Most recent ERO reports

Education Review

Education Review

Education Review

October 2014

April 2010

February 2007