St Joseph's Cathedral School

St Joseph's Cathedral School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 12 months of the Education Review Office and St Joseph’s Cathedral 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 

St Joseph’s Cathedral School is located in Dunedin. It is a Catholic integrated school for students in Years 1 to 6. The staff and community are strongly guided by the school’s vision ‘We Care like Christ’ and the school values, in all that they do to provide a caring, inclusive, and safe environment for all. ‘Learner Qualities’ are woven throughout all aspects of school life, enabling students access to holistic education and the promotion of life-long learning skills.

St Joseph’s Cathedral School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

  • living and learning the Catholic faith – through the continuation of teaching the gospel values of Jesus Christ and being witnesses to the mission of the church through social justice

  • building learning power (Ako) – embedding teachers and learners’ capability to understand and develop student agency in a responsive curriculum

  • weaving together for wellbeing – focus on hauora and pastoral care of all members of the school community.

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on St Joseph’s Cathedral School’s website.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the ongoing development of the school’s local curriculum design to increase learner agency and improve learning outcomes for all. 

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

  • to develop a curriculum that reflects the needs and wants of the school’s wider community by using effective teaching and learning strategies

  • to form good quality partnerships with local community and iwi to enhance the localised curriculum

  • already established in the local curriculum is the use of Deeper Learning strategies and high expectations for teaching

  • the school wishes to continue to use practices that enhance excellence and equity for all.

The school expects to see:

  • a curriculum that supports learning success and achievement, alongside students developing and strengthening their learner qualities 

  • enhancement of learner agency

  • a shared understanding of effective teaching and culturally appropriate strategies that help to achieve equitable and excellent learner outcomes for all.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support it in its goal to develop the local curriculum design and to increase learner agency and improve outcomes for all:

  • an evidenced-based approach to change and innovation with curriculum development

  • strong curriculum leadership that is building teacher capability and capacity to promote equity and excellence

  • cohesive school-wide systems that support consistency in practice for teachers and students

  • development of the whole child that is a large part of the school culture

  • mana-enhancing relationships with teachers, students, and whānau that are underpinned by the vision and values of the school.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • continuing to develop curriculum design that is responsive to the needs of the community so that it enables equity and success for all students

  • aligning assessment practices with the Learning Progressions

  • providing professional learning development in effective teaching approaches and monitoring the subsequent impact on student outcomes

  • strengthening staff capabilities and understanding of te reo Māori

  • undertaking an evaluation of engagement and student agency, using learner, teacher, and whānau voice.

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

30 January 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

St Joseph's Cathedral School

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2022 to 2025

As of November 2022, the St Joseph’s Cathedral School, 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 St Joseph’s Cathedral 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.

Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

30 January 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

St Joseph's Cathedral School - 14/06/2018

School Context

St Joseph’s Cathedral School is a small Catholic, integrated and contributing school in Dunedin. It has a current roll of 131 children, including many children from different nationalities.

The school’s vision is to ‘produce Tamariki who are Happy, Engaged, Achieving, Respectful and Thoughtful (HEART)’.

To achieve these valued outcomes, the school’s strategic goals are to:

  • lift achievement in writing and mathematics for all children
  • provide a broad and culturally responsive curriculum
  • increase student knowledge about their own learning
  • extend digital learning.

To know about its performance, leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:

  • achievement in reading, writing and mathematics

  • achievement in relation to school targets in literacy and numeracy

  • progress for English Language Learners (ELL)

  • progress for those who are receiving learning support or interventions.

Since the 2014 ERO review, a new principal, a number of new teachers and a new BOT chairperson and trustees have been appointed.

The school is currently participating in Ministry of Education professional development to build culturally responsive practice, improve levels of achievement in writing and improve provision for ELL.

St Joseph’s Cathedral School is a member of the Dunedin Catholic Kāhui Ako|Community of Learning.

Evaluation Findings

1 Equity and excellence – achievement of valued outcomes for students

1.1 How well is the school achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for all its students?

The school is achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for most children. Over the last three years school information shows that most children achieved at or above expected levels in reading, writing and mathematics. School information also shows during this time an increase in the number of children achieving at or above expected levels in reading.

Māori children have achieved outcomes comparable to their peers in reading, but there is some disparity in outcomes for Māori children in writing and mathematics. Pacific children have consistently achieved higher than or the same as their peers in mathematics, but there remains some disparity for Pacific children in reading and writing, in relation to other children at the school.

Over the past two years the leaders and teachers have started targeted actions to raise achievement for Māori and Pasifika students. The school is aware that there is still work to do to ensure equity of outcomes for all learners.

While the leaders and teachers gather rich information about the learning outcomes and progress for children with high needs, this is not currently reported on separately to the board of trustees.

English language learners are making sufficient progress.

1.2 How well is the school accelerating learning for those Māori and other students who need this?

Achievement information shows that there has been some success in accelerating progress of targeted children in reading. There is less success in accelerating progress of target children in writing and mathematics.

2 School conditions for equity and excellence – processes and practices

2.1 What school processes and practices are effective in enabling achievement of equity and excellence, and acceleration of learning?

The Catholic and school values are modelled and highly evident across all levels of the school. Children have many opportunities to develop and demonstrate these values in and beyond the school. They experience learning in a caring, collaborative learning community and have a clear sense of belonging to the school.

The school has a culturally responsive curriculum which effectively enacts its vision and valued outcomes for children. It is broad, inclusive, and is meeting the aspirations of whānau, and the school’s community. Children have many authentic leadership opportunities at school (tuakana-teina). Leaders and teachers focus on enabling children to have a greater responsibility for their learning, their progress and their next steps. Relationships across the school are respectful and productive. Diversity and differences are valued.

Leaders collaboratively develop and pursue the vision, goals and targets for equity and excellence. Leaders and teachers have a strong focus on supporting individual children. Close ongoing monitoring and working collaboratively is improving learning outcomes for children. There is also a strong focus on implementing effective systems to support the consistency of collaborative practice for supporting children’s progress, learning and achievement. School leaders have a determined focus on setting high expectations for effective teaching. They have developed capability amongst teachers through well-planned and purposeful professional development.

The board effectively meets its statutory responsibilities and actively consults with the school community to develop the school’s vision, values, strategic direction and targets. Trustees make appropriate resourcing decisions to support strategies for improving learner outcomes. This includes the appointment of extra teaching staff to support in-school learning initiatives and professional development opportunities for teachers.

2.2 What further developments are needed in school processes and practices for achievement of equity and excellence, and acceleration of learning?

School leaders and ERO agree there are some areas of the school’s processes that need to be strengthened and embedded to improve the effectiveness of achieving equity and excellence, and acceleration of learning.

The board and school leaders need to continue to build internal evaluation capacity to improve and sustain positive outcomes for learners. This includes evaluating the effectiveness and impact of programmes and practices to know what is working well and what needs to change.

School leaders have identified that the school’s curriculum needs to continue to be reviewed. This should include ensuring bicultural understanding and cultural values are more clearly embedded in documentation and everyday practices.

Leaders and teachers need to ensure targets include all children not achieving at expected levels, and extend reporting to focus on the rates of progress children are making. Leaders and teachers need to develop ways to know how well programmes supporting children to achieve outcomes are working.

3 Board assurance on legal requirements

Before the review, the board 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 the following:

  • board administration

  • curriculum

  • management of health, safety and welfare

  • personnel management

  • finance

  • asset management.

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

  • emotional safety of students (including prevention of bullying and sexual harassment)

  • physical safety of students

  • teacher registration and certification

  • processes for appointing staff

  • stand down, suspension, expulsion and exclusion of students

  • attendance

  • school policies in relation to meeting the requirements of the Vulnerable Children Act 2014.

4 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:

  • the shared practice and modelling of Catholic values that promotes children’s learning and wellbeing

  • a responsive curriculum that meets the aspirations of families, communities and the school

  • the leadership team’s focus on embedding effective systems and practices to support a collective responsibility for children’s progress and learning.

Next steps

For sustained improvement and future learner success, priorities for further development are in:

  • developing a school-wide framework and practice for internal evaluation to know how well programmes are supporting all learners

  • building the rigour of evaluation at all levels of the school in order to better know the effectiveness of strategic goals and targeted actions to raise achievement

  • extending culturally responsive practice and regularly reviewing the effectiveness of this

  • ensuring school achievement targets are inclusive of all children not achieving at expected levels

  • extending reporting to include a focus on the rates of progress learners are making.

ERO’s next external evaluation process and timing

ERO is likely to carry out the next external evaluation in three years.

Dr Lesley Patterson

Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern

Te Waipounamu - Southern Region

14 June 2018

About the school

Location

Dunedin

Ministry of Education profile number

3827

School type

Contributing (Years 1 to 6)

School roll

131

Gender composition

Boys: 51%

Girls: 49%

Ethnic composition

Māori: 14%

Pākehā: 50%

Pacific: 10%

Other: 26%

Provision of Māori medium education

No

Review team on site

March 2018

Date of this report

14 June 2018

Most recent ERO reports

Education Review: February 2015

Education Review: February 2010

Education Review: February 2007

St Joseph's Cathedral School - 18/02/2015

Findings

Students at St Joseph’s Cathedral School make pleasing progress and most achieve very well in reading, writing and mathematics. They enjoy broad and interesting learning experiences across the curriculum. Other strong features are the school’s Catholic character, and its caring and inclusive culture. The school is well governed and managed.

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.

1 Context

What are the important features of this school that have an impact on student learning?

St Joseph’s Cathedral School is a small Catholic school with up to seven classes. Its Catholic character, teachings and values are strongly evident. The school’s mission is built around the word HEART - Happy, Engaged, Achieving, Respectful Tamariki (children). These qualities were very evident amongst the students.

The school has a strong pastoral focus, with staff going the extra mile to ensure children are healthy, happy and ready to learn. Students described their school as ‘kind and friendly’ and ‘family-like’. Parents appreciate the school’s welcoming culture and are involved in many ways.

Students from many countries attend the school. 20% are of Pacific origin and 11% Māori. English as a second language students make good progress. Students told ERO that they valued their school’s cultural diversity.

Since the 2010 ERO review, there is a mostly new teaching team. This includes a new deputy principal. A new classroom block has been built and an inviting library area developed.

The next steps in the ERO 2010 report were to find ways to assess students’ skills within inquiry studies and to develop a progressive te reo Māori and bicultural programme. These continue to be areas for development.

2 Learning

How well does this school use achievement information to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement?

Teachers make particularly good use of learning information to inform their planning and meet the specific needs of students.

Most students achieved the National Standards (NS) in 2013. Initial 2014 information shows similar trends, with over 80% of students achieving at or above the NS in reading, writing and mathematics.

Most of the students who had been part of ‘catch-up’ interventions made significant progress in mathematics and writing. This resulted in many reaching the expected standard.

Most students, including younger ones, can talk about their learning goals. Older students:

  • can talk about how well they are achieving in literacy and mathematics
  • feel that their work is at the right level of challenge
  • have some opportunities to assess their own work.

Teachers make particularly good use of student achievement information. Some teachers showed special skill in how they:

  • integrate assessment into their day-to-day teaching
  • critically observe what students can do and their areas of need, record key information, and have useful ‘learning conversations’ with students.

The in-depth analysis of individual students’ learning was especially evident for target students.

Senior leaders report some analysed student achievement information to the board. The board, guided by the principal, provides significant funds to lift the achievement of students identified as at risk with their learning.

Areas for review and development The next steps are for school leaders to:

  • implement better systems to track and document individual, group and school-wide achievement over time
  • improve the analysis and interpretation of student achievement information, including rates of student progress
  • ensure reports on interventions show the difference teachers have made to students’ achievement.

3 Curriculum

How effectively does this school’s curriculum promote and support student learning?

The school’s curriculum is well designed, engages students and contributes to the overall levels of achievement. Students described their learning as interesting and fun. They said that they appreciate the way teachers listen to our opinions and ‘include what we want to learn’.

Strong features of the school’s curriculum are:

  • the way teachers use authentic contexts, hands-on experiences, regular excursions and interesting visitors to enrich and extend students’ learning
  • the well-planned and well-integrated inquiry approach to topic learning
  • how some inquiry topics have celebrated and valued students’ cultural backgrounds.

Students learn in well-organised and visually attractive classrooms that celebrate their learning. Those students who need support with aspects of their learning are quickly identified through special programmes. This includes intensive help from teacher aides. Throughout the school ERO found good to very good quality teaching practices.

Led by the principal, there is a strong focus on improving teaching practice and raising student achievement. This is evident in:

  • significant and purposeful professional learning
  • the way teachers are supported to reflect and inquire into their teaching practices
  • the recent comprehensive review of the school’s curriculum guidelines.
  • Areas for review and development

The next steps are to:

  • ensure regular review of how well each curriculum area and other aspects of teaching and learning are resourced and implemented
  • ensure reviews are more evaluative and include specific actions for improvement
  • increase opportunities for students to hear and use te reo Māori and have a deeper understanding of Māori culture, knowledge and history.

How effectively does the school promote educational success for Māori, as Māori?

Māori students who spoke with ERO were very positive about their school, teachers and learning.

Those who need extra help with their learning are very well supported. The principal has:

  • developed useful plans and led professional learning to help teachers best support Māori learners
  • regularly sought the views of Māori parents and made them and other parents feel welcome.

How effectively does the school promote educational success for Pacific students?

Pacific students are very positive about the way the school values their and other cultures. They spoke enthusiastically about their learning and teachers. The school’s commitment to making a difference for its Pacific students is evident in:

  • participation in the Talanoa (Ministry of Education) initiative
  • development of plans to improve how the school supports its Pacific students and families
  • relevant professional development for staff.
Areas for review and development related to Māori and Pacific students

School leaders and the board need to set specific targets to lift the achievement of Māori and Pacific students in identified areas.

4 Sustainable Performance

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

The principal and trustees are very focused on ensuring students succeed in their learning. Trustees allocate additional funding into support programmes and extra staff. They show a strong commitment to learning about their governance role and many have relevant work and life skills.

The principal considers carefully what is happening for students. She uses current research to inform her thinking and decisions and is improvement focused. She strongly promotes and participates in ongoing professional learning to build consistency and best practice in teaching. There is close alignment between annual goals, targets, teachers’ professional learning and appraisal goals.

Parents appreciate the schools’ open-door and friendly culture. They feel well informed about their children’s learning and have frequent opportunities to share their ideas and comment.

Areas for review and development

It is timely to review the school’s strategic plan to ensure that it reflects the school’s present priorities. School leaders also need to extend and strengthen aspects of self review.

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.

Conclusion

Students at St Joseph’s Cathedral School make pleasing progress and most achieve very well in reading, writing and mathematics. They enjoy broad and interesting learning experiences across the curriculum. Other strong features are the school’s Catholic character, and its caring and inclusive culture. The school is well governed and managed.

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer-Southern Select Region

18 February 2015

About the School

Location

Dunedin

Ministry of Education profile number

3827

School type

Contributing (Years 1 to 6)

School roll

142

Gender composition

Boys: 55% Girls: 45%

Ethnic composition

Pākehā

Māori

Pacific

Asian

African

Other nationalities

49%

11%

18.5%

9%

5%

7.5%

Special features

Integrated Catholic School

Review team on site

December 2014

Date of this report

18 February 2015

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

Education Review

Education Review

February 2010

February 2007

March 2004