Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
Background
This Profile Report was written within 12 months of the Education Review Office and St Mary's Catholic School (Gisborne) 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 Catholic School (Gisborne) is a state integrated school catering for learners in years 1 to 6. The school values its special Catholic character and the diverse cultural background of its learners and wider community.
St Mary's Catholic School (Gisborne) strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
- companioning on the hikoi of faith
- confident and capable teachers
- educationally powerful connections and relationships
- students to have individual and collective agency.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on St Mary's Catholic School (Gisborne) website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively St Mary’s Catholic School (Gisborne) is promoting improved writing outcomes for all learners.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
- a commitment to equitable and improved outcomes for all learners in writing
- supporting teacher proficiency and capability with writing instruction
- ensuring learners and their whānau are at the centre of teaching and learning.
The school expects to see a culture of high expectations and efficacy in relation to learner progress and achievement in writing.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to improve writing outcomes for all:
- trustees and leadership work collaboratively to realise the school’s strategic goals
- coherent organisational conditions promote evaluation, inquiry and knowledge building
- collaborative leadership builds collective capacity, efficacy and teacher agency for continuous improvement.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
- the growth in teacher capacity and capability through professional learning leading to improved outcomes for learners
- increasing the rigour and urgency of teaching to ensure accelerated growth for at risk learners
- supporting learner’s ability to effectively articulate their learning progress and set meaningful goals for growth
- ensuring reciprocal and learning centred relationships with whānau, families and community supports improved achievement in writing.
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.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
12 July 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