Dufferin Street , Mount Victoria, Wellington
View on mapTēnā 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.
Wellington College is a large inner-city school in Wellington central providing education for students in Years 9 to 13. A new headmaster was appointed in term 2, 2022. The strategic leadership team has been appointed over the course of the past two years. The school endeavours to provide a wide range of academic, extra-curricular, service and leadership opportunities for students to experience success.
There are two parts to this report.
Part A: An evaluative summary of learner success and school conditions to inform the school board’s future strategic direction, including any education in Rumaki/bilingual settings.
Part B: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle.
The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.
| Most students are engaged, make good progress and achieve very well. |
| Leadership is increasingly strategic with a focus on improvement goals. |
| Students mostly experience meaningful and intentional teaching that supports many different learning needs. |
| Systems, structures and practices to improve student outcomes are being strengthened. |
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Within six months:
Every six months:
Annually:
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
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
Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools
28 November 2024
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
As of June 2024, the Wellington College Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:
Yes
Yes
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For further information please contact Wellington College, School Board.
The next School 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.
Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools
28 November 2024
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
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.
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.
At the time of this review there were 74 international students attending the school.
An effective orientation programme is provided by both the international faculty staff and the wider school community. This helps students settle in, adjust to life in New Zealand, and understand how to access any support required. Pastoral care is readily available and easily accessible; it is caring and responsive to individual need.
The students have a large range of opportunities to get involved and contribute to the wider life of the college; in sports, culturally and through leadership positions. The school is inclusive and welcoming, in part due to the established nature of the international programme and the responsiveness to individual student aspirations. The school provides programmes that enable students to make progress in their academic studies and achieve their learning goals.
The International Director regularly reports to the board the achievement and progress of international students, as well as their integration into the school. Parents are kept well informed about their son’s achievement, progress and engagement. Internal evaluation processes are effective. Feedback is regularly sought from a range of stakeholders and any emerging issues are addressed.
Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools
28 November 2024
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Wellington College is located in central Wellington and caters for boys in Years 9 to 13. At the time of the review there were 1777 students, 9% of whom identified as Māori and 22 % identified as Asian.
The school’s vision is to create a caring community in which all students learn, achieve and attain values which will enable them to actively and successfully contribute to the modern world.
Academic achievement, community service and extra-curricular involvement are valued outcomes which are supported through the COLL values of Community (Whānau), Oranga (Wellbeing), Learning Together (Ako) and Leadership (Rangatiratanga). The newly reviewed values are each underpinned by two key curriculum practices and provide a framework for the school’s curriculum which focuses on personalised learning.
Current goals and targets for improvement in student outcomes are set for each year level. Achievement goals are for students to achieve success and leave school with high-level qualifications in the senior school and to raise achievement in English, Mathematics and Science in Years 9 and 10.
Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:
progress and achievement in all curriculum areas of theNew Zealand Curriculum
achievement and progress toward qualifications
wellbeing.
The school is a member of the Wellington West Kāhui Ako|Community of Learning in which staff are active participants.
Since the July 2014 ERO report there have been changes to staffing including the appointment of a new principal in April 2018, and a deputy principal (Teaching and Learning) in August 2019.
The school consistently and effectively achieves equitable and excellent outcomes for all students.
The high levels of achievement evident at the time of the 2014 ERO report have been sustained. Retention rates are very high and almost all students leave school with Level 3 National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) qualifications. Most students achieve University Entrance (UE). A large majority of students gain NCEA endorsements.
Māori students achieve well in NCEA. Although overall achievement has been raised over time, some disparity remains for Māori students in relation to their peers at UE level.
Pacific students’ achievement is similar to that of their peers for Level 3 NCEA. Improvement shown at UE level in 2017 was not able to be sustained in 2018. Raising achievement in Levels 1 and 2 and for UE remains a priority.
Vocational pathways achievement data shows that nearly all students gain qualifications within these courses.
In Years 9 and 10, most students, including Māori and Pacific, achieve at expected curriculum levels across a range of core areas.
The school effectively accelerates the progress of students identified as being at risk on entry. Almost all of these students achieve NCEA Level 3 and many gain the University Entrance qualification.
Trustees are strategic in their thinking and decision making. They have a clear vision for the future direction of the school and an appropriate emphasis on achievement and innovation. They have a good understanding of their stewardship role. Board members are well informed by the senior leadership team and information is used to make sound decisions that promote positive student outcomes. Well established links for consultation and communication with families and a range of external groups are in place to support and inform school operations.
Purposeful teaching assists students to optimise their learning opportunities. Students participate in caring, inclusive and collaborative learning environments. Their strengths, needs, interests and backgrounds are well known. Diversity is valued. Positive, mutually respectful relationships, modelled by leaders, are evident at all levels throughout the school. There are high expectations for student participation and success. Holistic support and pastoral care provisions are thoughtful and deliberate. Strong processes are in place to support transition into the school and for development of student leadership.
Strong leadership provides positive guidance and promotes innovation and development across the school. A well-considered approach to change management supports implementation of new initiatives, including the development of a localised curriculum. Numerous avenues are in place for accessing and sharing relevant expertise to develop teachers’ professional practice and leadership skills. Strong systems and processes guide and monitor school operations. Increased tracking and oversight of priority students ensures all staff are aware of individual students needing further support.
Culturally responsive practices have been strengthened. Courses in te reo Māori are embedded in the curriculum and Samoan language was introduced as a course option in 2019. Several strategies, including Māori whānau and Pacific action plans, ensure there is a focus on continuing growth in this area.
A strong emphasis on evaluating the impact of change is evident. Internal evaluation is well used by leaders to inform decisions about change and improvement. They regularly seek to build their knowledge about the impact of initiatives on student outcomes. Teachers are reflective. They spontaneously consider hunches and are building their knowledge of how to gauge the impact of their practice on student achievement.
The school, through its strong internal evaluation, has identified areas for continuing development. These include bicultural and culturally responsive practices, strengthening student agency through the personalisation of learning, and further support for wellbeing at all levels. ERO’s evaluation confirms these well-considered priorities.
The school is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of International Students) Code of Practice 2016 (the Code) established under section 238F of the Education Act 1989. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code.
At the time of this review there were 91 international students attending the school, including three exchange students.
International students experience high levels of pastoral care and high-quality educational opportunities. They participate fully in the wide range of school and community activities. Their progress, wellbeing and homestay placements are closely monitored and outcomes are regularly reported to agents and families.
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:
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student safety and wellbeing:
On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of Wellington College’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Strong.
ERO’s Framework: Overall School Performance is available on ERO’s website.
For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:
For sustained improvement and future learner success, priorities for further development are in:
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services Te Tai Tini
Southern Region
11 October 2019
|
Location |
Wellington |
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
275 |
|
School type |
Secondary (Years 9-15) |
|
School roll |
1777 |
|
Gender composition |
Males 100%. |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 9% |
|
Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS) |
Yes |
|
Provision of Māori medium education |
No |
|
Review team on site |
August 2019 |
|
Date of this report |
11 October 2019 |
|
Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review July 2014 |