Findings
On the basis of the information obtained during the review, ERO considers that Drury Christian School meets the criteria for registration as a private school set out in the Education Act 1989.
1 Background
The Chief Review Officer has a statutory duty to report on the performance of private schools throughout New Zealand.
Section 35I of the Education Act 1989, requires the Education Review Office (ERO) to review fully registered private schools, and to report to the Ministry of Education on whether each school continues to meet the criteria for full registration.
This review report was prepared in accordance with standard procedures approved by the Chief Review Officer.
2 Criteria for Registration
Drury Christian School in South Auckland, is a small, private co-educational school for students in Years 1 to 13. It also caters for a small number of international students some of whom are adults. The school is owned and operated by the Drury Church Trust and functions as a home schooling cooperative. The principal and board chairperson lead an informal management team that relies largely on daily discussion and consultation to maintain the operation of the school. All parties have a strong commitment to the school’s Christian philosophy, mission and vision.
Positive and respectful relationships characterise the school’s culture. A strong partnership with parents is a feature of the school’s operation. They are trained as ‘monitors’ and one parent from each family is expected to spend at least one day a week in the school supporting students with their learning and progress. Consequently, parents have numerous opportunities to meet with teachers and leaders to discuss their children's learning. They are also kept well informed about children's progress through formal biannual reports and regular updates as students complete modules of learning.
The school provides students with a suitable curriculum. Leaders’ philosophy to provide students with a Christian education that emphasises a biblical world view is embedded in the Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) curriculum. The morning programme involves students working individually, and at their own pace, in work booklets, usually across five curriculum areas. They are well supported by teachers, teacher aides and parent monitors. Students self-assess their work under the guidance of adults and are expected to reach high achievement levels before progressing further.
The afternoon programme provides a range of opportunities for students to work in groups and develop inquiry skills through science and social studies units. Teachers have made some links with The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) when planning these units and have begun to critically reflect on the impact on students’ learning. This is a very positive strategy that could be used to evaluate the effectiveness of other aspects of students’ learning experiences.
The school is sufficiently resourced to support the ACE curriculum and additional learning experiences in music, languages (including te reo Māori), sport, technology and some elective topics. A review of the developmental equipment for the youngest students could improve the value of these resources as learning tools.
School leaders meet frequently to discuss all aspects of the school’s administration. There is no documented management plan to guide decision making and while some notes are kept, there are few formal policies. Practices and procedures are discussed, however, the lack of documentation has resulted in some lapses in health and safety checks. It has also hindered leaders’ ability to keep up with legislative changes. The principal, board chair and teachers, express a commitment to strengthening school documentation and formalising internal evaluation processes.
The principal and one staff member are registered teachers. The teacher has maintained good appraisal records aligned to the Practising Teacher Criteria (PTCs) and plans to strengthen his focus on teaching as inquiry and goal setting in the future. The principal has begun to collate evidence of his practice.
The school grounds, premises and equipment meet requirements. Leaders are now considering ways to more formally manage property maintenance and development.
School leaders have attested that they comply with the provisions of section 35G in respect to their being fit and proper persons to manage the school.
3 Other Obligations
The school has systems to manage its statutory obligations. Improvements are needed in the areas of appraisal and school policies in relation to the Vulnerable Children Act. Further documentation of child protection and personnel management undertakings would provide greater assurance that these obligations are being met.
4 Other Matters
Provision for international students
The school is a signatory to the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students (the Code) established under section 238F of the Education Act 1989. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code.
At the time of this review there were ten international students attending the school, including seven adult students.
International students live with their families in houses on the school property. They are well integrated into student activities and the school community. The ACE programme and high level of adult support enable students to work at their own pace and receive close guidance to make good progress. The family focused approach to teaching and learning provides international students with many opportunities to hear, speak and read English. The senior teacher has undertaken training in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) to ensure that support for these students is appropriate.
The school has not fully embedded the requirements of the Education (Pastoral Care of International Students) Code of Practice 2016 in relation to documenting review processes. ERO recommends that NZQA as Administrator of the Code follows up with the school this aspect of its implementation of the Code.
5 Conclusion
On the basis of the information obtained during the review, ERO considers that Drury Christian School meets the criteria for registration as a private school set out in the Education Act 1989.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
20 April 2017
About the School
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Location
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Drury, Auckland
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Ministry of Education profile number
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506
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School type
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Composite (Years 1 to 15)
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School roll
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28
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Number of international students
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10, including 7 adult students
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Gender composition
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Boys 14 Girls 14
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Ethnic composition
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Pākehā
Filipino
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26
2
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Review team on site
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February 2017
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Date of this report
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20 April 2017
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Most recent ERO report(s)
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Private School Review
Private School Review
Private School Review
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June 2012
May 2009
May 2006
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