East Otago High School

Education institution number:
371
School type:
Secondary (Year 7-15)
School gender:
Co-Educational
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
181
Telephone:
Address:

Stour Street, Palmerston

View on map

East Otago High School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within six months of the Education Review Office and East Otago 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

East Otago High School is a Years 7 to 13 co-educational school in the town of Palmerston, North of Dunedin. The school strives to develop resilient learners and to create successful and positively contributing citizens in its community. A new assistant principal was appointed and began in 2021.

East Otago High School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:

  • improve academic achievement for priority students, particularly in the areas of literacy, numeracy and NZQA qualifications

  • promote and support learner wellbeing

  • maintain and improve the school’s culture of inclusivity, participation and personal excellence.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the school’s provision for students to aspire to and achieve endorsements in NCEA.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is that:

  • the board, leaders and teachers want to support all students to be able to achieve their personal excellence and have access to opportunities that will lead to future success

  • leaders have noticed that some students are not always achieving their personal excellence and potential they are capable of

  • COVID- 19 has had an impact on students’ engagement and achievement.

The school expects to see:

  • students and their whānau having higher expectations for their success in their learning

  • improvements in students’ literacy and numeracy skills

  • greater numbers of students gaining endorsements in NCEA

  • all students having pride in themselves, their school and community.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support it in its goal for students to aspire to and achieve endorsements in NCEA.

  • Staff respond quickly to the changing needs of students which contributes to greater opportunities for student success.

  • A strong, well-connected pastoral system enables staff to know and effectively support students and their wellbeing.

  • The adaptations the school has made to the Years 7 to 10 teaching and learning programme to better engage learners.

  • The board and leaders are improvement focused and well-informed by inquiry and consultation.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • school-wide literacy and numeracy with significant resourcing through online applications, its Kāhui Ako and specialist teacher support

  • a specific focus and planning for quality teaching and learning to promote excellence and merit endorsements in the senior school

  • improving attendance levels across the school to meet the Ministry of Education’s aspirational goals and continuing to develop wellbeing strategies to enhance both student and staff hauora.

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

East Otago High School

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2022 to 2025

As of November 2022, the East Otago 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 East Otago High School Board.

The next Board of Trustees 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

East Otago 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. East Otago High School has undertaken and documented an annual self-review against the Code.

No international students were enrolled at the time of the ERO review.  

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

East Otago High School - 19/09/2019

School Context

East Otago High School provides education for students from Years 7 to 13 in the small rural town of Palmerston. It has a roll of 149 students.

The school’s mission statement is ‘East Otago High School develops resilient learners and recognises the needs of our diverse community to create successful citizens.’

Its vision is that students are responsible, respectful and motivated citizens who contribute positively to society.

‘Strength through Learning’ - Kia kaha ma roto matauranga - is its motto.

The school’s current strategic goals are:

  • improving student achievement
  • development of school culture
  • development of staff and student wellbeing.

The annual objectives for 2019 to achieve these goals are:

  • 70% of students will be at or above their expected curriculum level in literacy, Years 7-10
  • 25 % of students will achieve Merit or Excellence endorsements
  • improvement in boys’ achievement in NCEA
  • development of a culturally responsive local curriculum
  • caregivers will be actively involved in their children’s educational journey
  • survey staff and students about personal wellbeing to identify areas that need improvement.

Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:

  • pastoral care
  • achievement for Years 7 to 10 in reading, writing and mathematics
  • achievement in other curriculum areas
  • achievements against the New Zealand qualifications framework
  • annual charter targets
  • attendance.

Since the last ERO review in 2016, a major external evaluation of the school’s functions has been undertaken. It has led to improvements in school policies and practices. A new principal was appointed in 2018 and began at the start of the 2019 school year. Progress has been made in most of the areas identified in ERO’s 2016 report.

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 working towards achieving equity and excellence for its students. The school’s data shows that over the past three years, most Year 7 and 8 students have achieved at or above expected levels in reading. The majority are achieving at or above the expected levels in mathematics.

In Year 9, there has been mixed results for literacy over time. Most students have achieved at the expected levels in mathematics. Almost all girls achieved at or above expectations in mathematics. In Year 10, most students achieved the expected levels in reading, writing and mathematics.

In 2018, most students achieved NCEA Level 1 and Level 2 qualifications. Almost all girls achieved the Level 1 qualification, and all Year 12 boys achieved Level 2 NCEA. There is some disparity at Level 1 for boys and Māori and at Level 3 for boys.

Approximately half of the Year 13 students achieved a Level 3 qualification and/or university entrance. For the years 2014 to 2017, most students left school with NCEA Level 2 or above.

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

The school’s achievement information shows good acceleration in 2019 for Year 7 and 8 literacy, for those students who need it. Leaders and teachers have established baseline data in 2019 to enable accelerated learning at other year levels to be measured and reported at the end of 2019.

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?

Leadership ensures an orderly and supportive environment that is conducive to student learning and wellbeing. Teachers are implementing practices to promote positive behaviour. There is a strong focus on improved attendance and achievement. Leaders and teachers know the students well and take a strong interest in their wellbeing. Targeted learning support is provided for students at risk of not achieving. The appointment this year of a Māori dean is enabling additional support for those Māori students who need it.

The school is effectively responding to the interests and needs of students. It has provided additional opportunities for students to take part in activities beyond the classroom and established a new course as a result of student feedback. An inquiry learning approach has enabled students to build on their experiences and learn in ways that interest them. Teachers are developing culturally responsive practices to meet the needs and interests of their students.

School leaders and trustees are building relational trust and collaboration with the school community. Links have been re-established with the local marae. Stronger links have been made with local primary schools. A project to help students learn more about, and participate in, their local community has successfully contributed to positive community relationships. The school receives positive publicity and feedback from the community.

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

Trustees and school leaders now need to plan how to evaluate the impact of the significant initiatives for improvement that have been recently implemented. They need to consider how they will measure the success of the key changes made to determine which initiatives have made the most difference for students.

The board should continue to take advantage of training opportunities for trustees on their roles and responsibilities, especially when new trustees are elected or co-opted.

3 Other Matters

Provision for international students

The school is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of International Students) Code of Practice 2016 (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 no international students attending the school.

ERO’s investigations confirmed that the school’s processes for reviewing compliance against the Code are robust and well documented.

4 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 Children’s Act 2014.

5 ERO’s Overall Judgement

On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of East Otago High School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.

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

6 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

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

  • leadership and governance that is focused on the learning and wellbeing of students
  • collaboration with and participation in the local community
  • a curriculum that is designed to meet the needs and interests of its students.

Next steps

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

  • continuing to access professional learning and development opportunities for staff and trustees
  • evaluating recent initiatives to understand what is having the most impact on improving outcomes for students.

Dr Lesley Patterson

Director Review and Improvement Services Te Tai Tini

Southern Region

19 September 2019

About the school

Location

Palmerston

Ministry of Education profile number

371

School type

Secondary (Year 7-15)

School roll

149

Gender composition

Girls: 63%

Boys: 37%

Ethnic composition

Māori 24%

NZ European/ Pākehā 72%

Pacific 4%

Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS)

Yes

Provision of Māori medium education

No

Review team on site

July 2019

Date of this report

19 September 2019

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review June 2016

Education Review May 2013

Education Review February 2010

East Otago High School - 29/06/2016

Findings

Students benefit from learning in small classes with low teacher-to-student ratios. A broad and flexible curriculum responds well to students’ interests, strengths and needs. Teachers use student achievement information effectively to monitor students’ progress and plan how to support their next learning steps. Trustees, students and parents are regularly informed about student progress and achievement. This review identified the need for improved strategic planning to support the implementation of new initiatives.

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?

East Otago is a small, rural school catering for Year 7 to 13 students from the local town and the surrounding areas of Palmerston. Students learn in small classes with low teacher-to-student ratios. The school is well supported by the community and shares many of its facilities with local groups.

The school’s values of respect, responsibility and motivation are helping to promote the vision of `Lifelong learners who strive for excellence in a safe and positive environment’. Stable staffing and high levels of collaboration also contribute to these desired outcomes.

The board and staff have made some progress on areas identified for development in the 2013 ERO review. The Year 9 and 10 students are now more aware of their progress and achievement. The board is better informed about the impact of learning initiatives.

A Limited Statutory Manager (LSM) is in the school to assist the board in developing systems to manage the school’s finances.

2 Learning

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

Teachers, leaders and trustees use achievement information in various ways to make positive changes to learners’ engagement and achievement.

Achievement information shows that:

  • 85% of Year 7 and 8 students are at or above the National Standards in reading
  • about three-quarters of the Year 7 and 8 students are at or above the National Standards in writing and mathematics
  • NCEA achievement is generally close to or slightly above national averages.

Students have a good awareness of their achievement through the fortnightly reports they and their parents receive. They set goals and have learning conversations with teachers about their achievement and progress.

Teachers and school leaders use achievement information well to:

  • identify and respond to learning strengths and needs of individual and groups of students
  • set targets for end-of-year achievement at class and school levels
  • monitor individual student achievement over time
  • modify courses.

Trustees use the achievement information reported to them to inform their resourcing decisions.

Next step

Trustees and school leaders acknowledge the need for deeper analysis of collated year-level learning information. Analysed data should be better used to:

  • provide clear and timely information to heads of departments, the senior leadership team and the board of trustees about how well year levels and targeted groups of students are progressing in relation to expectations, goals and targets
  • ascertain if students are making sufficient progress
  • identify common areas of strength and need
  • evaluate the impact of programmes, interventions and new initiatives on students’ learning.

ERO recommends that trustees and senior leaders review the wording of charter targets to show a greater focus on students at risk of poor educational outcomes.

3 Curriculum

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

This school’s curriculum effectively promotes and supports students’ learning.

Students benefit from a broad and flexible curriculum. Trustees, school leaders and teachers are committed to providing a full range of learning opportunities. This includes many opportunities to learn beyond the school in areas such as outdoor education, sports, work experience, leadership development and community service. Students appreciate the considerable effort teachers and parents make to enable them to participate in these activities.

School leaders and teachers endeavour to ensure the curriculum responds to the needs and interests of students. This is evident in:

  • flexible approaches to timetabling
  • course design that responds to student interests, achievement and feedback
  • the introduction of new, customised programmes and learning pathways
  • splitting classes at the same level to allow for greater choice and for teachers to respond to different ability levels.

The school, in consultation with students, families and staff, has recently identified a set of core values and expectations that contribute to positive conditions for learning. These are called `The Eastern Way’. The school is in the early stages of promoting these school-wide.

The school has numerous, well-established practices for monitoring and responding to students’ wellbeing. Senior students meet regularly in small groups with a teacher. These sessions are effective for:

  • building positive relationships between teachers and students
  • building a range of self-management and social skills
  • preparing students for transitions to tertiary learning and employment.

Classroom teachers and senior leaders regularly communicate about the learning and wellbeing needs of students and plan appropriate responses. The school actively involves parents and whānau, and where appropriate the local runaka, in discussions about plans to support students.

Teachers are routinely evaluating the effectiveness of their teaching on learning outcomes for students and making changes to improve engagement and achievement. The school is in the early stages of introducing more formal guidelines for teaching as inquiry.

The opening of the new, innovative-learning environment in the junior school has resulted in the school beginning to explore new approaches to teaching and learning, including the use of e-learning. Some of these practices are reflected in the junior curriculum guidelines. As these practices and approaches become more established it will be important to ensure these are extended to other levels in the school in a planned way.

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

The school effectively promotes educational success for Māori, as Māori.

All students in Years 7 and 8 learn te reo and tikanga Māori as part of the school’s curriculum programme. Students wishing to further their learning in these areas beyond Year 8 can do so as an option.

A Māori staff member in a leadership role is a positive role model for Māori students. The school continues to maintain a close relationship with the mana whenua from the local marae. A kaumātua supports the school’s kapa haka group on a regular basis. Students are able to learn about tikanga Māori in meaningful contexts through pōwhiri at the marae, mihi whakatau, local history, stories, waiata and haka.

Teachers actively build positive relationships with students and their whānau.

A next step is for teachers to continue to build their confidence to incorporate bicultural aspects in their teaching so that Māori students gain a sense of how their language, culture and identities are valued and respected.

4 Sustainable Performance

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

When the next steps in this report are addressed, the school will be better placed to sustain and improve its performance.

The school has established some effective sustainability practices. These include:

  • good examples of internal evaluation, as seen in some unit evaluation reports, teacher reflections and the curriculum self review
  • regularly gathering and responding to students’ feedback about their experiences of the curriculum
  • teachers feeling well supported within the collaborative teaching team and the focused professional development made available to them
  • an improved appraisal process.

Next steps

The board, principal and school leaders need to put in place robust processes to ensure that the:

strategic plan has purposeful links to the long-term development of the school vision and curriculum and is supported by detailed plans

  • strategic plan clarifies what is most important to improve teaching and learning
  • other plans, such as budget and professional learning, are linked to the strategic plan
  • strategic goals are reflected in the appraisal goals for leaders and teachers
  • progress of planned actions is better monitored and reported at key points throughout the year
  • plans and actions are evaluated to show the difference made to student outcomes.

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, one international student was attending the school. The student was living with a homestay carer.

The education, involvement and integration of international students in the school and community are closely monitored and supported. The students benefit from a high level of individual pastoral care.

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 benefit from learning in small classes with low teacher-to-student ratios. A broad and flexible curriculum responds well to students’ interests, strengths and needs. Teachers use student achievement information effectively to monitor students’ progress and plan how to support their next learning steps. Trustees, students and parents are regularly informed about student progress and achievement. This review identified the need for improved strategic planning to support the implementation of new initiatives.

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

Lesley Patterson

Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern

29 June 2016

About the School

Location

Palmerston

Ministry of Education profile number

371

School type

Secondary (Years 7 to 13)

School roll

163

Number of international students

1

Gender composition

Girls: 53%

Boys: 47%

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

Other

27%

71%

2%

Review team on site

May 2016

Date of this report

29 June 2016

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

Education Review

Supplementary Review

May 2013

February 2010

November 2008