St Annes School (Newtown)

Education institution number:
2997
School type:
Full Primary
School gender:
Co-Educational
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
165
Telephone:
Address:

14 Daniell Street, Newtown, Wellington

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St Annes School (Newtown)

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 6 months of the Education Review Office and St Annes School, (Newtown) 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 Anne’s School, located in Wellington provides education for learners from years 1 to 8.

St Annes School, (Newtown)’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to provide a holistic, inclusive and safe learning environment that promotes self-efficacy and love of life, where all cultures are valued in mutual partnership by tamariki, kaiako, whānau and the church community.

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on St Annes School, (Newtown)’s website.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively programmes and interventions enhance and contribute to each learner’s confidence in their identity, sense of belonging and growth as active, adaptive and collaborative learners.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is that leaders, staff, and students have identified the need to provide a broad, holistic local curriculum that will support all students to achieve success, to be adaptable and collaborate in a range of contexts. Developing strong learning partnerships with tamariki and their whānau is also a key focus for the board, leadership, and staff.

The school expects to see strengthened and well-aligned school-wide systems, processes and expectations that support students’ hauora and confidence, so they actively participate in learning; know what they have learned and what they need to learn next.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to evaluate how effectively programmes and interventions enhance and contribute to each learner’s confidence in their identity, sense of belonging and growth as active, adaptive, and collaborative learners:

  • targeted and closely monitored teaching programmes that promote accelerated learning and high achievement

  • a collaborative, committed staff, open to learning and professional growth, focused on continually improving student achievement and wellbeing

  • a whānau and church community that values learning, celebrates the school’s rich cultural diversity and strongly supports all tamariki sense of identity and belonging.  

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • using the context of ‘writing’ to explore and evaluate the effectiveness of learning programmes, teaching practices, schoolwide expectations and systems

  • the development of a strategic plan to guide the development of a localised curriculum

  • further strengthen partnerships with whānau through learning-based conversations, deliberately planned interactions and useful communication.

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.

Kathy Lye
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

12 April 2023 

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 Annes School (Newtown)

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2022 to 2025

As of February 2022, the St Annes School (Newtown), School 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 Annes School (Newtown), 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.

Kathy Lye
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

12 April 2023 

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 Annes School (Newtown) - 30/11/2017

Summary

St Annes School, Newtown, caters for 128 students in Years 1 to 8. Of the students enrolled, 11 identify as Māori and 65 are of Pacific heritage.

Since the February 2014 ERO report, St Annes School has experienced changes in leadership and staff. New teachers, including a new assistant principal, have been appointed. The school has a long serving principal. Experienced and newly elected members make up the board of trustees.

Teachers are regularly involved in professional learning and development to strengthen teacher capability and promote positive learner outcomes. The current schoolwide focus is mathematics.

The school’s mercy values of human dignity, justice, service, compassion and care of the vulnerable are evident.

The school is part of the Wellington Catholic Community of Learning|Kāhui Ako.

How well is the school achieving equitable outcomes for all children?

The school is strengthening its response to those children whose learning and achievement need acceleration. Sound processes are in place for identifying, tracking and monitoring student progress and achievement.

Data for 2016, indicated that most students achieved at and above in relation to the National Standards in reading and mathematics. Many students achieved in writing. In comparison with outcomes for girls, disparity for boys in relation to the National Standards is evident.

A clear focus on promoting positive behaviour provides an inclusive and supportive learning environment.

There is a collective responsibility for, and a strong focus on, student learning and enhancing whānau engagement.

To improve equitable outcomes the school needs to sharpen the focus on those learners whose achievement needs acceleration. Strengthening internal evaluation to identify the impact of teaching programmes and initiatives on student outcomes, is a next step.

The school has capacity and capability to accelerate learning for all children. However, disparity in achievement for boys remains.

The school agrees to:

  • develop more targeted planning to accelerate progress for learners
  • continue to monitor targeted planning, improved teaching, and learners’ progress
  • discuss the school’s progress with ERO.

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.

Equity and excellence

How effectively does this school respond to Māori and other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration?

The school is strengthening its response to those children whose learning and achievement need acceleration. The school has yet to have a sustained upward trajectory of improved achievement for all students.

Reported achievement data for 2016, indicated that approximately three quarters of students achieve at and above in relation to the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Many children of Pacific heritage achieve at or above in relation to National Standards. Most Māori students and many Asian students, achieve at and above in relation to the National Standards, and above their peers.

By the end of 2016, Year 8 achievement data showed that all students achieved at and above in relation to the National Standards in reading. Most of this group achieved at and above the National Standards in relation to writing and mathematics. There is significant disparity for boys in relation to the National Standards. Further strengthening of school processes is a priority to address this disparity.

Children with additional learning needs are well identified and appropriately supported. Relationships between external agencies, families and school personnel are well coordinated.

The school has identified the need to strengthen moderation practices in relation to National Standards, to ensure judgements made about student achievement are dependable. ERO’s evaluation confirms this priority.

School conditions supporting equity and excellence

What school processes are effective in enabling achievement of equity and excellence?

Leaders, teachers and trustees are strengthening their understanding of accelerated progress and their response to those students whose learning and achievementneed acceleration. This should assist them towards achieving equity and excellence for all students.

Student engagement and learning is well supported by the school’s values and respectful, reciprocal relationships between children and teachers. Teachers know their students well. Students enjoy a sense of belonging and connection to the school. Continuing to gather students’ views in relation to wellbeing is an ongoing focus.

Teachers use a suitable range of assessment tools to identify, respond to and monitor individuals learning needs. Good systems and processes are in place to track and monitor student progress.

Increased learning experiences align to students’ cultures, identities and languages. A broad curriculum, inclusive of valued outcomes for learners, guides teaching and learning.Regular opportunities are taken by leaders and teachers to discuss effective teaching and student achievement.

A considered approach to engaging and seeking whānau voice supports the school’s strategic direction and promotes families and whānau involvement in more meaningful learning relationships. External expertise from the community is valued and used to enrich learning programmes.

Leaders and teachers appropriately support students’ transition into, through and out of the school.

Teachers and leaders work collaboratively and are improvement focused. Trustees receive information from leaders to set priorities that inform their decisions. They acknowledge the importance of continuing to develop shared understanding of their stewardship role.Growing schoolwide leadership is a focus for the school.

Sustainable development for equity and excellence

What further developments are needed in school processes to achieve equity and excellence?

To promote equity and excellence, ERO’s evaluation confirms trustees’ and leaders’ need to:

  • strengthen internal evaluation to more effectively and formally analyse the impact and effectiveness of teaching programmes and initiatives on student outcomes

  • strengthen moderation processes to ensure dependability of achievement data

  • refine school targets to focus on accelerating the progress of students whose learning requires acceleration

  • prioritise curriculum review to include student voice, and appropriate content and contexts for diverse learners

  • further build to address the needs of target learners.shared understanding of effective appraisal processes that align with current best practice

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

  • financial management

  • 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.

To improve current practice, the board of trustees should:

  • implement a medication administration record

  • ensure they follow best practice for appointment procedures.

Going forward

The school has capacity and capability to accelerate learning for all learners. However, disparity in achievement for boys remains.

Leaders and teachers:

  • know the learners whose progress and achievement need to be accelerated
  • need to develop and implement approaches that effectively meet the needs of each learner.

The school agrees to:

  • develop more targeted planning to accelerate progress for learners
  • continues to monitor targeted planning, improved teaching, and learners’ progress
  • discuss the school’s progress with ERO.

ERO will provide an internal evaluation workshop in response to a request by the school to develop shared understanding of evaluating the impact of initiatives on student outcomes.

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.

Patricia Davey

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)

Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region

30 November 2017

About the school

Location

(Newtown), Wellington

Ministry of Education profile number

2997

School type

Full Primary (Years 1 to 8)

School roll

128

Gender composition

Female 62%, Male 38%

Ethnic composition

Māori 9%
Pacific 51%
Asian 27%
MELAA 12%
Other ethnic groups 1%

Provision of Māori medium education

No

Review team on site

September 2017

Date of this report

30 November 2017

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, February 2014
Education Review, August 2011
Education Review, August 2008