School Context
St Patrick’s School, is a state integrated Catholic school in Greymouth for students in Years 1 to 8. The school roll is 154 students, many whom come from diverse cultural backgrounds.
The school’s vision is for students to: ‘be inspired to live and share the Catholic faith; to reach their full potential; embrace integrity; respect themselves and others; become lifelong learners and fully integrated members of the community.’ The motto is: ‘Faith, Good Works and Striving for Excellence.’
Valued outcomes for students are to: ‘aspire through Faith and Excellence to be just, resilient, enterprising, skilled communicators and team players.’
Key strategic goals for school leaders and teachers are to provide a Christ-centred learning environment; ensure an inclusive school; foster wider community collaboration; and provide a safe, inclusive supportive environment for all.
Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:
- achievement in reading, writing and mathematics, and all learning programmes
- wellbeing, special character and the school’s virtues.
Since the 2015 ERO review, there have been some changes in staffing. The board is currently preparing for the appointment of a new principal. The school is actively involved in the Toki Pounamu cluster group, ensuring all students have access to the wider curriculum through digital technology.
The school is a member of the Māwhera 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 effectively achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for the majority of its students in literacy, mathematics and wellbeing.
School information shows that in 2018, most students, including Māori, achieved or exceeded curriculum expectations in reading. The majority of these students achieved or exceeded curriculum expectations in writing and mathematics.
There is some disparity in writing achievement for boys, with girls achieving significantly higher. There is also some disparity for Māori students in mathematics in relation to the school’s expectations.
All children are well supported and benefit from programmes of learning that develop their understanding of the school’s values, virtues and The New Zealand Curriculum key competencies.
1.2 How well is the school accelerating learning for those Māori and other students who need this?
The school effectively identifies and closely monitors the Māori and other students who need to have their learning accelerated. These students are well supported to make progress in their learning. However, the overall picture of accelerated progress for targeted groups of students is not yet clearly reported.
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 school’s inclusive and welcoming culture fosters positive relationships. The Catholic special character, values and virtues are well embedded and are central to the wider school’s identity and promote equity and excellence. There is a strong focus on the wellbeing of children, families and staff. Meaningful partnerships and connections are valued and fostered within and beyond the school.
Students experience a broad range of learning opportunities within and beyond the school. Good use of local expertise and resources support meaningful teaching and learning activities. Leaders and teachers regularly reflect on learning programmes and make appropriate changes to meet the needs and interests of learners.
Teachers know children well and support a strong sense of belonging and connection with the school and parish. Children’s specific learning needs are clearly identified and closely monitored. Targeted programmes and in-class support enhance children’s learning, progress and achievement.
Senior students have a range of leadership opportunities that contribute to their learning and support wellbeing across the school. The close link and ongoing partnership with the Catholic high school contribute to well-managed transitions for senior students.
Teachers benefit from long-standing collaborations within the school and with other education providers to build their capacity and teaching practices. They regularly participate in targeted professional learning opportunities that relate specifically to the school’s annual priorities. There are clear expectations for teachers that guide the enactment of the curriculum and assessment. Good use is made of teachers’ strengths and expertise to support teaching and learning.
The board is well informed about all aspects of school operations, including student progress, achievement and wellbeing, through regular, detailed reports. Strategic provision of resourcing to support teaching and learning is responsive to the identified strengths, needs and interests of students and staff.
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 teachers need to further analyse schoolwide information to:
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report on the sufficiency of progress for those students who are at risk of not achieving at expected levels
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know more about the impact of initiatives and programmes
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identify specific targeted teaching strategies to support improved learning outcomes
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know about the effectiveness of teaching strategies that support equity and excellence in learning.
School leaders have identified that they need to further develop aspects of the localised curriculum to better reflect New Zealand’s bicultural heritage and identity.
The appraisal process needs to be refined and strengthened to ensure that the requirements of the Teaching Council are made clear.
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 ERO’s Overall Judgement
On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of St Patrick’s School performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.
ERO’s Framework: Overall School Performance is available on ERO’s website.
5 Going forward
Key strengths of the school
For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:
- prioritising and promoting the school’s values, virtues and special character
- the positive and inclusive school culture that builds a sense of belonging and wellbeing for students
- the collaborative and supportive links within and beyond the wider school community.
Next steps
For sustained improvement and future learner success, priorities for further development are in:
- analysing schoolwide information to improve outcomes for students
- incorporating bicultural perspectives into the wider localised curriculum
- clarifying the appraisal process to ensure the school meets all requirements of the Teaching Council.
Alan Wynyard
Director Review and Improvement Services
Southern Region
23 May 2019
About the school
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Location
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Greymouth
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Ministry of Education profile number
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3538
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School type
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State Integrated Catholic Primary (Years 1 to 8)
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School roll
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154
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Gender composition
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Girls 52%, Boys 48%
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Ethnic composition
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Māori 18%
NZ European/Pākehā 57%
Asian 12%
Pacific 5%
Other ethnicities 8%
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Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS)
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Yes
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Provision of Māori medium education
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No
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Review team on site
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March 2019
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Date of this report
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23 May 2019
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Most recent ERO report(s)
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Education Review October 2015
Education Review February 2011
Education Review March 2010
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