St Mary's School (Northcote)

St Mary’s School (Northcote)

School Report

Tēnā koutou e mau manawa rahi ki te kaupapa e aro ake nei, ko te tamaiti te pūtake o te kaupapa. Mā wai rā e kawe, mā tātau katoa.

We acknowledge the collective effort, responsibility and commitment by all to ensure that the child remains at the heart of the matter.

About the School 

St Mary’s School (Northcote) is located in Auckland. It provides education for students in Years 1 to 6. The school follows the Mercy and Dominican values Unity, Respect, Compassion and Truth. Through the Catholic charism: we strive to learn, we strengthen our faith, we seek to serve.

The school roll is 288. The ethnic composition is NZ/European 52%, Asian 36%, Pacific 4%, Māori 2% and other ethnic groups 6%.

Part A – Parent Summary

Progress since December 2022 ERO report

The school continues to review learning programmes, and this includes supporting the role of students’ language, culture and identity in achieving more successful outcomes for all learners.

During the course of the review, teachers were increasingly using responsive learning and assessment practices to support all students to make increased progress and achieve well. 

The greatest shift in student outcomes occurred when teachers collaboratively shared information about what students know and identified strategies that made the biggest difference. The school provided targeted programmes for the students and adapted assessment tools to continue to increase equitable learning opportunities for all students. 

How well place is the school to promote educational success and wellbeing?

How well are learners succeeding?Success and progress for all learners is increasing.
What is the quality of teaching and learning?Learners benefit from high quality teaching practice that improves progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics
How well does the school curriculum respond to all learners needs?

Learners have rich opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum.

There is a consistent focus on supporting learners to gain skills in literacy and mathematics.

Learners with complex needs are well supported to achieve their education goals.

How well does school planning and conditions support ongoing improvement?School planning and conditions to support ongoing improvement to the quality of education for learners are well established.
How well does the school include all learners and promote their engagement and wellbeing?The school successfully promotes learners’ engagement, wellbeing and inclusion.
How well does the school partner with parents, whānau and its community for the benefit of learners?

The school reports usefully and accurately to parents and whānau about their child’s learning, achievement and progress.

The school responds well to a wide range of information gathered through community consultation, to inform strategic planning and curriculum decisions.

Student Health and SafetyThe school board is taking reasonable steps to ensure student health and safety.

Achievement in Years 0 to 8

This table outlines how well students across the school meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Foundation Skills

 
Reading

Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.

Writing

A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.

Mathematics

Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.

Attendance

The school is approaching the target of 80% regular attendance.

The school has a suitable plan in place to improve attendance.

Regular attendance is improving towards or beyond the target.

Chronic absence is reducing over time. 

Assessment

The school uses an appropriate approach and reliable practices to find out about achievement against the curriculum.

Assessment information is used well to adjust teaching practices to ensure ongoing improvement in teaching and student progress.

Progress

The school has high quality planning to increase the rate of progress for all groups of students.

The school has significantly improved achievement and progress for those learners most at risk of not achieving since the previous review.

The school has significantly extended achievement and progress for learners working at or above curriculum levels since the previous review.

The school is making progress towards Government reading, writing and mathematics targets and is likely to meet them by 2030. 

An explanation of the terms used in the Parent Summary can be found here: Guide to ERO school reports
 

Part B - Findings for the school

This section of the report provides more detail for the school to include in strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school.

Areas of Strength

Students learn in caring, respectful and inclusive environments. They are engaged in their learning and feel a strong sense of belonging. Students know what they are learning and are increasingly able to talk about their next learning steps. 

Senior leadership builds a school culture founded on relational trust. They create opportunities for staff to build quality teaching and learning practices by strategically using internal and external expertise. 

Students experience a broad school curriculum focused on sound foundational skills in literary and mathematics through structured teaching and learning approaches. The school’s teaching and learning resources support coherent and effective school curriculum implementation.

Teachers use a variety of evidence-based and differentiated strategies and create a collaborative and orderly learning environment that fosters inclusive participation and maximises the use of learning time. 

Professional learning opportunities are strategically aligned with the school’s improvement goals and learners' needs; leaders and teachers monitor and evaluate the expected changes in practice and learner outcomes.

Organisational conditions including leadership, policies, systems process and practices support strategic improvement goals and activities across all levels of the school.

Key priorities and actions for improvement 

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

  • embed and continue to evaluate the impact of structured literacy and mathematics to identify strategies that make the biggest difference to those students who require additional support
  • refine schoolwide assessment practices to increase student’s ownership of their next learning steps
  • explore strategies that support whānau/family to meet Government targets for regular students’ attendance. 

The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.

Every six months:

  • continue to monitor learning outcomes for students in literacy and mathematics as a result of differentiated professional development for teachers
  • review the impact of refined schoolwide assessment practices that support students to have increased ownership over their next learning steps
  • monitor and evaluate regular attendance initiatives to increase regular attendance

Annually:

  • continue to provide literacy and mathematics achievement reports to the board, including what interventions are having the greatest impact on those students at risk of underachieving
  • report annual attendance to the board including on the impact of initiatives on improving regular attendance. 

Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:

  • consistent schoolwide teaching and learning approaches in literacy and mathematics to enable more equitable and excellent learning outcomes for all students
  • students consistently knowing what they are learning and how this is determining their next steps
  • increased regular attendance. 

Part C: Regulatory and Legislative Requirements

Provision for International Students 

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 and has completed an annual self-review of its implementation of the Code. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code. 

At the time of this review there were 3 international students attending the school, and no exchange students. 

International students are well supported to be members of the school community. Well targeted teaching programmes and learning support strategies are in place for student who need assistance to achieve well.

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements

All schools are required to promote student health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.

During this review the Board has attested to some regulatory and legislative requirements in the following areas:

Board Administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Personnel Management

Yes

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.

Me mahi tahi tonu tātau, kia whai oranga a tātau tamariki
Let’s continue to work together for the greater good of all children

Sharon Kelly 
Acting Director of Schools

6 March 2025

Education Counts

This website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home

St Mary's School (Northcote)

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 18 months of the Education Review Office and St Mary's School Northcote 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 Mary’s School (Northcote) is located in Auckland. It provides education for students in years 1 to 6. The school follows the Mercy and Dominican values Unity, Respect, Compassion and Truth. Through the Catholic charism: we strive to learn, we strengthen our faith, we seek to serve.

St Mary's School (Northcote) strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

Through Christ we are committed to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and:

  • Empower (Whakamana) each other to be better than before 

  • Develop a culturally responsive and inclusive localised curriculum, which accelerates learning for all.

  • Strengthen practice and pedagogy for improved learner outcomes. 

  • Connect (Whakatipu) to grow and learn

  • Promote well-being for success.

  • Strengthen learning focused partnerships with our St Mary’s community and the North Shore Catholic Community of Learning (Kahui Ako).

  • Contribute (Te takoha) to make a difference today and tomorrow

  • Grow leadership for all.

  • Nurture students to be citizens who are socially aware, serve others and show true Catholic character.

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on St Mary's School’s (Northcote) website.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well school programmes reflect cultural responsiveness and value the role of the language, culture and identity in ensuring success for all learners.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is for learners to:

  • be confident in their identity, language, and culture

  • engage with culturally responsive programmes that are inclusive and localised

  • be socially aware, serve others and show Catholic character.

The school expects to see culturally responsive teaching and assessment practices, and learning partnerships with parents and whānau, especially for those students targeted for accelerated outcomes.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support school programmes that reflect cultural responsiveness and value the role of the language, culture and identity in ensuring success for all learners:

  • students participate and learn in caring, collaborative, inclusive environments

  • school leadership effectively and collaboratively develops, promotes and enacts the school vision and values

  • school leadership continues to adapt and implement programmes with a clear focus on equity and excellence for those students who need additional support

  • teachers use a range of teaching practices in adaptive ways to promote equitable and excellent outcomes

  • school programmes are adapted and strengthened to continue to respond within changing environments.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • continuing to strengthen the localised curriculum through culturally responsive programmes that are inclusive, to inform teaching and learning programmes to maintain the focus on equity and excellence for all learners.

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.

Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

20 December 2022 

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 Mary's School (Northcote)

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2022 to 2025

As of November 2022, the St Mary’s School (Northcote) 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 Mary’s School (Northcote) Board.

The next 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.

Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

20 December 2022 

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 Mary's School (Northcote)

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 has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code and has completed an annual self-review of its implementation of the code.

At the time of this report there was one international student attending the school.

The school aims to ensure students have access to a broad school curriculum and are fully integrated into the life of the school community.

Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

20 December 2022 

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