Golden Bay High School continues to maintain an overall trend of positive NCEA achievement. Junior achievement is more variable. Student wellbeing and support for learning are prioritised. Curriculum choices and pathways are being expanded and students also have rich learning opportunities beyond the school. Many changes have occurred at board, leadership and staff levels since the 2014 ERO review. This report identifies a number of serious issues at the school that require immediate attention.
ERO intends to carry out another review over the course of one-to-two years.
Golden Bay High School has a long history of providing education for generations of its rural families. This contributes to the important role the school plays in the local community. School leaders and teachers make good use of community expertise and the local environment to extend learning opportunities and enjoyment for students. Some school facilities are shared with the community.
Since the 2014 ERO review, changes have included a new principal, senior leadership team, board chair and trustees, and a number of new staff members. During this time, the roll has continued to grow. The school has been advised by the Ministry of Education that a range of property developments and improvements will commence in the middle of 2017.
The 2014 ERO review identified a number of strengths that have been maintained or further improved. These include a calm and inclusive school culture, responsiveness to students’ interests and needs, effective pastoral care and a positive trend in senior achievement.
As indicated in this current report, ERO found that some areas for improvement identified in the last report have not been addressed. ERO also found issues of serious concern at some governance, professional leadership and compliance levels that need urgent attention.
Since the onsite stage of the review, the Board has requested intervention from the Ministry of Education to help improve identified issues at the school.
School leaders and teachers have been making improved progress over the last year with the way student information is used to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement. They recognise that this remains an area for ongoing improvement.
The improving use of achievement information includes:
Roll-based National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) information for 2016 shows that:
Information provided by the school indicates that:
School leaders and teachers should:
The progress of Year 9 and 10 students, who need additional literacy and numeracy support to eventually access NCEA Level 1, should be regularly reported to the board.
ERO also recommends that school leaders and teachers evaluate how well student progress and achievement information is being used at classroom, curriculum leadership, senior leadership and board levels. Effective responses to this will help strengthen and sustain ongoing improvements.
The school’s curriculum is becoming increasingly responsive and effective in promoting and supporting student learning.
Students benefit from a wide range of interesting learning programmes and experiences within and beyond the school. Leaders and teachers make extensive use of the rich opportunities in the local environment to build students’ motivation and engagement in their learning.
There is a strong focus in the school on positive outcomes for students. Teachers know students well and provide a wide range of extra support for their learning. Student learning is being increasingly personalised and differentiated through multi-level classes and specifically tailored courses.
Students benefit from leadership opportunities to be involved in the organisation of the school, lead some initiatives and contribute their ideas to school improvement.
The school’s pastoral care system is strongly focused on supporting students’ wellbeing to enable them to achieve positive educational outcomes.
Students would benefit from having a stronger voice and active participation in the leadership and direction of their own learning.
In order to further improve the curriculum, the next steps for leaders and teachers are to:
Senior and curriculum leaders should also evaluate and effectively respond to how well the curriculum is meeting the needs of students whose learning is most at risk.
The purpose, role and responsibilities of the curriculum leadership group should be clarified. Strategically supporting and further strengthening curriculum leadership and collaboration across all learning areas are key next steps.
The school is making gradual progress with the way it is promoting educational success for Māori, as Māori. Very good links with the local iwi, Māori representation at the board level, and the leadership of Māori within the school by the teacher in charge of Māori are helping to increase awareness of bicultural needs, perspectives and understandings.
There has been an increasing awareness of te ao Māori in the school over time. Students have a range of opportunities to learn about te reo and tikanga Māori and to be involved in other cultural experiences. The school’s kapa haka is a noticeable strength and reflects the pride students have in their school.
In consultation with whānau and Māori students, the board, school leaders and teachers should develop a more formalised approach to promoting positive educational outcomes for Māori, as Māori. This could include:
ERO’s evaluation found that, while there are many strengths, the school is not well placed to sustain and improve its performance.
Strengths at board and senior leadership levels include:
ERO’s onsite investigations identified areas of serious concern:
The board and the school’s professional leadership should use external support to resolve current challenging issues at these levels.
The board must ensure that:
The board, principal and senior leaders should ensure that internal evaluation is understood and used effectively across all of the school’s operations.
The school is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of International Students) Code of Practice established under section 238F of the Education Act 1989.
ERO’s onsite audit of the school’s adherence to the Code identified that it has not been updated as required in 2016 to reflect current legislation. The board and school leaders have attested that necessary actions are being taken to ensure code of compliance.
At the time of this review, there were five international students attending the school.
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:
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student achievement:
During the onsite stage of the review, ERO found a number of areas of non-compliance relating to:
The board has requested Ministry of Education intervention to improve issues at governance and leadership levels.
ERO also recommends that the Ministry of Education, through the Student Achievement Function (SAF), supports the board, school leaders and teachers to:
Golden Bay High School continues to maintain an overall trend of positive NCEA achievement. Junior achievement is more variable. Student wellbeing and support for learning are prioritised. Curriculum choices and pathways are being expanded and students also have rich learning opportunities beyond the school. Many changes have occurred at board, leadership and staff levels since the 2014 ERO review. This report identifies a number of serious issues at the school that require immediate attention.
ERO intends to carry out another review over the course of one-to-two years.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Te Waipounamu)
19 June 2017
Location |
Takaka |
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
292 |
|
School type |
Secondary (Years 7 to 13) |
|
School roll |
359 |
|
Number of international students |
5 |
|
Gender composition |
Girls 50%; Boys 50% |
|
Ethnic composition |
Pākehā |
81% |
Review team on site |
March 2017 |
|
Date of this report |
19 June 2017 |
|
Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review |
January 2014 |