27 Benhar Street , Mornington, Dunedin
View on mapThis Profile Report was written within eight months of the Education Review Office and St Francis Xavier School (Mornington) 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
St Francis Xavier is a special-character Catholic School in Dunedin providing education for students from Years 1 to 6. The students come from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds including those who have English as a second language (ESOL). All classes consist of multi-year levels. In October 2021, a new experienced principal began.
St Francis Xavier School (Mornington)’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:
enhance teaching practice
develop ICT practices schoolwide
progress te reo me ōna tikanga Māori and its usage.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on St Francis Xavier School (Mornington)’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to establish a consistent approach to evaluation across the school and to evaluate the impact of the ‘Structured Literacy’ approach on students’ writing.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is that the school:
wants equitable opportunities for all students to learn
has identified the need to build a strong foundation for literacy learning particularly in the junior school
has introduced ‘Structured Literacy’ as the main approach to teaching reading and writing, and wants this to be done consistently throughout the school
wants to ensure a common understanding and implementation of evaluation is in place.
The school expects to see students’ writing achievement improve. It also expects a consistent approach to evaluation that will provide the school with the information it needs to make well-informed decisions.
The school can draw from the following strengths to support it in its goal to strive for excellence and ensure success for all:
high quality teaching practice and staff who are open to new learning to support students to succeed
staff collaborating effectively within the school and with the Dunedin Catholic Schools Kāhui Āko
significant pastoral care for students and their families
school resources which contribute to equitable opportunities for all students to learn.
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
further development of teaching practice in the ‘Structured Literacy’ approach
building evaluation capability across the school to be assured of what is working well, what is not and implementing improvements as needed.
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.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
9 August 2022
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
As of May 2022, the St Francis Xavier School (Mornington) Board of Trustees has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
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For further information please contact St Francis Xavier School (Mornington) Board of Trustees.
The next Board of Trustees 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.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
9 August 2022
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
St Francis Xavier is an integrated Catholic School with 89 children. Eight children identify as Māori, seven as Asian and three as Pacific.
Most parent representatives on the board of trustees were newly elected in 2016.
The school had made good progress against some of the recommendations in ERO’s 2014 report. Several of the next steps identified in the 2014 report continue to be areas of development.
Over the last three years, the school has maintained very good levels of achievement against the National Standards for all groups of children.
The school is successfully achieving equitable educational outcomes for its children. School leaders, teachers and support staff very effectively support all children who need extra help with their learning.
Overall, the school has effective processes to support all children to experience success in their learning. School leaders need to improve strategic planning and make better use of internal evaluation.
At the time of this review children’s wellbeing and learning were well supported within the school’s Catholic character and caring and respectful school culture. This has led to children being valued and actively engaged in their learning.
Children are achieving well. The school demonstrates strong progress toward achieving equity in educational outcomes, supported by effective, sustainable processes and practices.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
The school very effectively supports Māori and other children who need extra help with their learning. Over the last three years most children achieved at or above the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Māori and Pacific children achieve well against National Standards in all three areas.
Leaders, teachers and trustees prioritise children’s wellbeing. Practices, such as restorative justice, contribute to the positive learning environment and ensuring that the school’s vision and values are evident in the daily programmes.
Teachers make good use of procedures for assessing and identifying how well children are achieving against the National Standards.
School processes are mostly enabling children to achieve well in their learning.
Children experience a broad and integrated curriculum with a strong focus on literacy. Those with special interests and talents benefit from interesting extension opportunities across the curriculum.
All children who are at risk with their learning are very well supported. These children benefit from well-planned interventions and specialist support. Their progress is carefully monitored.
Teachers work closely to share ideas and resources about how to best support children. Staff trial different approaches to teaching and learning as a way to be responsive to children’s strengths and interests. They reflect on the impact of these and make changes.
The principal ensures the smooth day-to-day running of the school and plays an important role in maintaining the positive culture. He keeps trustees well informed about school programmes and operations. Decision making takes into consideration the views of different groups within the school.
Trustees have clear roles and responsibilities.
Existing good practices need to be strengthened.
The School’s strategic plan does not clearly identify the school’s key priorities. Identifying the school’s key priorities will ensure that the board maintains its focus on the school’s most valued outcomes.
Trustees, leaders and teachers are not making good use of internal evaluation to inform decision making and the effectiveness of teaching and learning. Better evaluation practices would help leaders and trustees be assured of the quality of teaching and monitor progress towards their desired outcomes for children’s learning and other strategic priorities.
Children do not have a deep understanding of their progress and achievement. Students need to be able to identify their own learning needs and receive timely feedback about their learning.
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
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.
Children are achieving well. The school demonstrates strong progress toward achieving equity in educational outcomes, supported by effective, sustainable processes and practices.
Agreed next steps are to:
improve strategic and annual planning processes
deepen the understanding and use of internal evaluation
increase children’s understanding of their progress and achievement
support children to take greater responsibility for their own learning.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer, Southern (Te Waipounamu)
8 May 2017
|
Location |
Dunedin |
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
3822 |
|
School type |
Contributing Integrated Catholic |
|
School roll |
89 |
|
Gender composition |
Boys: 45 Girls: 44 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 8 Pākehā 71 Asian 7 Pacific 3 |
|
Provision of Māori medium education |
No |
|
Review team on site |
February 2017 |
|
Date of this report |
8 May 2017 |
|
Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review May 2014 Education Review February 2011 Education Review October 2007 |