Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
Background
This Profile Report was written within eight months of the Education Review Office and St Kevins College (Oamaru) 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
St Kevin’s College is an integrated Catholic Years 9 to 13 school in Oamaru. It has a co-educational on-site hostel situated within an extensive campus. A new principal was appointed in 2021. In 2022 three new senior leaders were appointed, mostly from within the college.
St Kevins College (Oamaru)’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
- ensuring teachers|kaiako have the skills to support learners’ development of effective numeracy and literacy capabilities
- implementing a local curriculum (daily teaching and learning) that aligns well with their Kāhui Ako and Mātauranga Māori
- integrating the college’s Catholic special character into its local curriculum.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on St Kevins College (Oamaru)’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the effectiveness of the college’s local curriculum for achieving equity and excellence for all learners.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is that school leaders have identified that improving junior literacy learning and achievement will enable more students to access and achieve success in the college’s senior curriculum and life beyond school.
The board wants to ensure that all students are supported to achieve success and equity in their learning. This is envisaged as being achieved through engagement with a rich and balanced local expression of The New Zealand Curriculum and inspired by its Catholic special character.
The school expects to see:
- improved overall levels of literacy achievement particularly for learners in Years 9 and 10
- all students having equitable access to high quality daily teaching and learning opportunities
- all teachers inquiring deeply into their teaching practice in terms of what works best for individual learner success.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support it in its goal to achieve equity and excellence:
- a specific plan to meet the identified needs of college learners
- college leadership which has fostered sound processes for continuous improvement
- the ongoing school-wide professional learning focus of inquiring deeply into the effectiveness of teaching practice
- an effective pastoral care team that draws on restorative practices and its Catholic special character, and strongly supports those learners who at times feel marginalised as well as those who achieve well
- strong school community support and engagement for the college and its learners.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
- extending across the school, successful literacy teaching and learning strategies
- evaluating the effectiveness of the college’s local curriculum and recent initiatives
- re-connecting with parents, whānau and groups in a way that has not been possible during COVID-19.
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.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
11 July 2022
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