St Joseph's Catholic School (Waihi)

School Context

St Joseph’s Catholic School (Waihi) caters for students in Years 1 to 8. The school roll of 45 includes eight students who identify as Māori. The school’s special Catholic character supports a nurturing, holistic approach to education. The school is characterised by stable leadership and has a history of positive ERO reviews.

St Joseph's Catholic School (Waihi) was established in 1902 by the Sisters of Mercy. The school’s mission statement focuses on “children integrating a personalised faith in Christ with the development of their spirit, hunger to learn, desire to achieve, and commitment to themselves and others”.

Since the 2015 ERO review a new board chairperson has been appointed, there have been changes to the teaching team and the roll has decreased. The school has made progress towards addressing some areas identified in the previous ERO report. It is well supported by the local parish and wider Catholic community.

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

• Reading, writing and mathematics.

St Joseph’s Catholic School is part of the Waihi Community of Learning | Kāhui Ako.

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 achieving excellent outcomes for most students and there are equitable outcomes for Māori students. The school’s data from 2017 indicates that almost all students are achieving at or above expected levels in reading, and most in writing and mathematics. Māori student data for 2018 shows high levels of achievement with almost all at or above expected levels in reading, writing and mathematics. Achievement information from 2018 has yet to be collated school wide to show overall levels of achievement for all students.

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

At classroom level the school is making a positive response to individual Māori and other students whose learning and achievement need acceleration. Teachers have developed useful processes to track the progress of at-risk students. They can show acceleration for individual students. This information has yet to be collated school wide.

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 special character of the school is highly valued by the board of trustees and evident at all levels of school operations. Students are able to work and learn in an inclusive, supportive environment. The school continues to enjoy a strong partnership with the parish, parents and families in its community.

Leadership is building teacher capability through focused professional learning and development. A new approach to implementing teaching as inquiry to support effective practice and outcomes for children has been developed. Leaders and teachers benefit from participation in the wider education community through the Waihi Community of learning.

Effective teaching strategies promote students’ thinking, understanding and engagement Teachers know their students well and are responsive to their needs and skills. They use a wide range of standardised and other assessment tools. At-risk students are identified and provided with useful programmes targeted to address their learning needs. Progress and achievement data guides teacher planning for individual students. High levels of student engagement are evident.

Positive, mutually respectful teacher/student interactions are contributing to settled learning environments. Teachers work well as a team and have high expectations for learning and behaviour. Classrooms are well resourced, stimulating and supportive of learning. Students relate well to meaningful contexts and are engaged in a variety of academic, cultural, and sporting experiences.

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

The management and use of assessment information requires strengthening, including:

• setting school targets that focus on accelerating the progress of all students at risk with their learning

• collating and reporting on school-wide student achievement data to show trends and patterns and identify accelerated progress

• aligning the appraisal process to student achievement targets focused on improving outcomes for students at risk with their learning.

There is also a need to:

• strengthen appraisal processes and practices to ensure a coherent and robust approach focused on improving outcomes for students
• continue to integrate te reo and tikanga Māori in classroom programmes.

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 Joseph’s Catholic 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.

5 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

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

• the special Catholic character that strongly reflects the school’s vision, aims and aspirations for achievement and success

• school leadership that is focused on strategic direction and school improvement

• teaching practices that enrich student learning in an inclusive culture for learning that supports the individual needs of students

• the reciprocal partnership with the parish, parents and families in its community.

Next steps

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

• collation and analysis of school-wide achievement data

• school targets focused on accelerating students at risk with their learning

• aspects of internal evaluation processes and practices including the implementation of a rigorous appraisal process

• enrichment of language, culture and identity for Māori.

Phillip Cowie

Director Review and Improvement Services Central

Central Region

11 April 2019

About the school