45 Colenso Street , Sumner, Christchurch
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.
Our Lady Star of the Sea (Christchurch) is a state integrated Catholic school located in Sumner and provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. The school has approximately 100 students, nearly all of whom are European/Pāhekā, 10% of students identify as Māori. The school roll has increased. The school’s STAR values are serenity, tika, aroha and respect.
| 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 sufficient opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum. There is an increasingly 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 reasonably 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 / 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 Safety | The school needs to ensure a physically and emotionally safe learning environment. |
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 equitable for all groups of learners. |
| Writing | A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are equitable for all groups of learners. |
| Mathematics | Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are equitable for all groups of learners. |
The school is approaching the target of 80% regular attendance.
The school is developing a suitable plan in place to improve attendance.
Regular attendance is improving towards or beyond the target.
Chronic absence is not yet reducing over time.
The school is improving its approach and the reliability of its practices to accurately 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.
The school is developing good quality planning to increase the rate of progress for all groups of students.
The school has to some extent improved achievement and progress for those learners most at risk of not achieving since the previous review.
The school has to some extent 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 and/or pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau targets and is likely to meet them by 2030.
This section of the report provides more detail for the school to include in strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school.
The school has maintained consistent levels of achievement over time. Teachers know their learners’ well and intentionally plan teaching and learning that responds to learners’ strengths and needs.
Leadership builds and sustains high levels of relational trust and effective collaboration at every level of the school community to achieve the strategic vision and improvement goals.
The school is using a structured approach to literacy to support learner progress and achievement, and the school is well placed to implement structured mathematics practices.
Learners have meaningful opportunities to learn across the curriculum; there is an increasingly consistent focus on supporting learners to gain sound literacy and mathematics skills.
Teachers are well supported with professional learning to upskill, inquire and reflect to improve their teaching practice and learner outcomes.
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:
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:
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
ERO has identified the following area of non-compliance during the board assurance process:
The board has since taken steps to address the areas of non-compliance identified.
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
3 March 2025
This website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
This report outlines Our Lady Star of the Sea School’s progress in addressing the areas for review and development in ERO’s 2020 Education Review report. The 2020 ERO report was based on the review that took place at the end of 2019.
There are 63 students at the school, 14% of the students identify as Māori.
The board has a mix of new and experienced trustees. A new principal started at the school in term 4, 2020. A relieving principal led the school for the previous two and a half terms. There have been no changes to the teaching team.
Trustees, leaders and teachers focused initially on rebuilding a culture of inclusive and welcoming relationships within the school community. The school was supported by a Limited Statutory Manager during 2020.
The 2020 ERO report identified that the school needed to strengthen the following areas:
Several areas of non-compliance required addressing. These were collating, analysing and reporting
school-wide achievement and progress data; consultation with the Māori community; health education consultation; implementation of cybersafety practices; and clear and consistent implementation of risk management procedures for activities beyond the school.
The principal, teachers and trustees have made significant progress in addressing the areas identified in ERO’s 2020 report.
At the time of the 2019 review the school was unable to demonstrate how well students were progressing and achieving at a school-wide level. The 2021 mid-year reports to the board of trustees show that most students were achieving at or above their expected levels in reading, writing and mathematics.
Relationships within the school community are greatly improved. The school community is now working in a culture of collaboration and respect, enacting the school’s special character values. The principal is very visible and available to parents, students and parishioners. Effective and varied methods of communication are in place to help trustees, parents and staff be well informed of school activities, developments and progress, and for the school to seek information from parents and caregivers.
Board members have developed in-depth knowledge of their roles and responsibilities as trustees. They have undertaken relevant governance training. Trustees are confident and better placed to govern the school. They purposefully use the information they receive regarding student achievement and wellbeing in their decision making.
The start the principal and teachers have made on developing the curriculum provides a good foundation for a useful and effective curriculum framework. The curriculum is well based on the school values and its special character. It is appropriately linked to the New Zealand Curriculum. In 2021 teachers have been implementing a relevant conceptual curriculum that is making learning localised and enjoyable for the students. Expectations of practice are beginning to be documented which is leading to consistency and coherency of practice across the school.
The school has identified, and ERO agrees, that continuing to document teaching expectations for all learning areas and how it will meet the requirements of the Treaty of Waitangi National Education Learning Priorities (NELP) is a key next step.
Sound processes and practices are in place to guide the assessment of learning. Teachers moderate their judgements to help ensure they are consistent and reliable. Teachers effectively identify and track the progress of students at risk of making insufficient progress. School leaders provide useful and regular school-wide achievement reports to the board of trustees.
To further develop the reporting to the board, the principal and teachers need to extend reporting to include the extent of the progress students have made, and in particular, the sufficiency of progress of those students being targeted to make accelerated progress.
Over time ERO has observed students well engaged in their learning. Their learning tasks are relevant to their needs. Students are aware of what they are learning and why. Teaching is deliberate and focused, with teachers using a range of effective strategies.
The school has appropriately addressed the identified issues of:
The Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) guidelines and risk management procedures are implemented well for identified high-risk activities, such as camps and ski trips, and most other EOTC activities. School leaders need to ensure that there is more consistent use of the school’s set risk analysis forms for all trips beyond the school.
The school implements effective processes and practices to sustain and continue to improve and review its performance.
The principal and teachers are improvement focused. Useful processes support them to reflect on and improve their teaching practices, class and school programmes.
Before the review, the board of trustees 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:
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student achievement:
Our Lady Star of the Sea School has effectively addressed its priorities for improvement. The principal is providing sound professional leadership. The trustees, principal and teachers are working together to ensure positive outcomes for students. Key school practices are successfully supporting an improvement focus. The school is establishing a foundation of leadership, relationships, authentic curriculum and useful evaluation for improvement practices likely to improve and sustain student progress and achievement.
The school has made sufficient progress to transition into ERO’s Evaluation for Improvement process.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
4 November 2021