Kotuku Street , Te Atatu, Auckland
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Rutherford College
School Evaluation Report
Tēnā 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.
Context
Rutherford College is a co-educational secondary school that provides education for students in Years 9 to 13 and is located on Te Atatū Peninsula, west Auckland. The school vision is ‘Tohea’ (To strive for personal excellence), and its values are Whakaaute (Respect), Manaakitanga (Responsibility), Pono (Integrity) and Kairangi (Excellence).
Since the last ERO review there have been changes to the senior leadership team.
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.
Part A: Current State
The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.
Learner Success and Wellbeing
The school is working towards equitable and excellent outcomes. |
- A small majority of students are achieving at curriculum expectations in Years 9 and 10.
- The majority of students achieve National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Levels 1, 2 and 3 and less than half achieve University Entrance (UE); there is significant disparity for Māori and Pacific students at Levels 1, 2, 3 and UE.
- Learners with additional needs are provided targeted support and a large majority achieve NCEA in Years 11 to 13.
- A small majority of students attend school regularly; the school is not yet meeting the Ministry of Education target for regular attendance.
Conditions to support learner success
Leadership is establishing effective processes within the school to support student success. |
- School leaders are beginning to set and pursue improvement-focused goals to raise overall student achievement and improve equity.
- Leaders and teachers are taking steps to improve the quality and consistency of teaching to support better student progress and achievement.
- Leaders are beginning to align professional learning needs and processes with strategic goals to ensure improvement in learner outcomes.
The school is taking steps to provide students with consistent quality teaching and a meaningful and relevant curriculum. |
- Teachers are beginning to implement effective teaching practices more consistently to better engage students in learning.
- Some learning areas are creating a positive, mutually respectful environment where learning is maximised; the school is considering ways to promote this schoolwide.
- The curriculum is beginning to reflect local contexts and build on learners’ experiences, knowledge and understanding.
The school is establishing the conditions required to meet key strategic priorities. |
- Teachers are participating in professional learning in the teaching of reading and writing and te ao Māori to improve strategies for student success.
- Teachers are beginning to strengthen inclusive practices to support students’ sense of belonging and improve attendance.
- The board is taking steps to represent, serve and work with the school community to develop the school’s vision, values and strategic direction.
- Leaders of te ao Māori within the school increasingly enact their role in giving effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi to ensure Māori students’ success as Māori.
Part B: Where to next?
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
- monitor and support students’ academic success through tracking and purposeful interventions
- embed teachers’ active participation in professional learning in teaching reading and writing for Years 9 to 10
- embed the consistent use of effective teaching strategies to engage students in successful learning, raise overall achievement and reduce disparity for groups of students
- continue to develop a meaningful and responsive curriculum including mātauranga Māori that engages and challenges students to succeed in their learning
- improve rates of regular attendance to meet Ministry of Education targets.
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Within three months:
- collect and analyse baseline data to improve the monitoring of students’ academic success, engagement, attendance and retention
- continue teachers’ active participation in professional learning in reading and writing in Years 9 to 10
- complete the design of effective classroom practice guidelines to promote teachers’ consistent use of effective teaching strategies.
Within six months:
- continue to develop a meaningful and responsive curriculum that engages and challenges students to succeed in their learning
- implement professional learning in teaching of reading and writing for Years 9 to 10 to support improved progress and achievement for students
- implement effective classroom practice guidelines to promote teachers’ consistent use of effective teaching strategies.
Every six months:
- review and respond to students’ academic achievement, engagement, attendance and retention data to help the school know what is working and for who
- review the development a meaningful and responsive curriculum including mātauranga Māori that engages and challenges students to succeed in their learning
- review the quality and implementation of classroom practice guidelines to promote teachers’ consistent use of effective teaching strategies.
Annually:
- evaluate teachers’ implementation of professional learning in reading and writing in Years 9 to 10 to ensure ongoing progress and improvement in achievement outcomes
- evaluate the quality of the school curriculum to engage and challenge students to succeed in their learning to track and monitor improvement in achievement, attendance and engagement and inform improvement priorities
- evaluate the effectiveness of classroom practice guidelines, its impact on students’ retention and success to help the school know what is working and for who; use this information to make further improvements to programmes and practices.
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
- improved levels of attendance, engagement, retention and achievement for all groups of students including increased parity for Māori and Pacific learners
- increased consistency of teachers’ use of effective teaching practice schoolwide
- comprehensive reporting and better use of achievement data at all year levels to better inform effective teaching and a responsive curriculum.
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
11 December 2024
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
Rutherford College
Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2024 to 2027
As of June 2024, the Rutherford College 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
Actions for Compliance
ERO has identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:
- ensuring information on authorised staff members responsible for physical restraint is made available to the school community and non-teaching staff authorised to use physical restraint are notified in writing
[Education and Training Act 2020, s. 101, 5. (3), Section 102.3] - ensuring a risk assessment process is completed and documented for all staff before appointment
[Section 599, Education and Training Act 2020].
The board has not yet addressed the areas of non-compliance identified.
Further Information
For further information please contact Rutherford 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
11 December 2024
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
Rutherford College
Provision for International Students Report
Background
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.
Findings
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 36 international students attending the school.
The school is effectively reviewing provision for international students against the Code. International students’ learning and wellbeing are well supported. Students have good opportunities to participate in leadership, sport and cultural activities.
School leaders should ensure the provision for international students is strategically planned and their progress and achievement, pastoral care and participation in the school community are regularly reported to the board.
Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools
11 December 2024
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
Rutherford College
Findings
Leaders, teachers and trustees are committed to providing students with personalised learning programmes and an environment that is conducive to learning. Students are proud of their school and enjoy diverse curriculum and leadership opportunities. They benefit from consistent values, high expectations for success, and support to navigate meaningful learning qualifications and pathways.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
1 Context
What are the important features of this school that have an impact on student learning?
Rutherford College is a well-established Years 9 to 13 school serving families from the
Te Atatu Peninsula and surrounding districts. The college has historically had close connections with nearby primary and intermediate schools. In 2015, the college and nine local schools joined to form the Te Atatu Community of Learning|Kāhui Ako (CoL).
Relationships with Māori whānau are positive. Kāumatua and whānau speak highly of the recent efforts of school leaders to consult and respond to their aspirations relating to tikānga and te reo Māori. There are increased opportunities for Māori students to succeed as Māori.
Students are proud of their school. They seek opportunities for leadership, enjoy positive and supportive relationships with teachers, and benefit from the inclusive, and culturally responsive relational educational practices. Eighty percent of students leave school with the National Certificate of Education Achievement (NCEA) at Level 2.
The college has a strong commitment to equity and inclusion. The school-based Turangawaewae unit enables a group of students with very high learning needs to participate in mainstream programmes and experience success. Programmes for students with moderate learning needs and special abilities are also well coordinated and resourced.
College leaders have taken a constructive and purposeful role in promoting community engagement. There is clear alignment with management goals and targets and the school’s strategic vision and direction. Effective leadership of the college and of the board of trustees has enabled the school to make ongoing progress and improve outcomes for learners.
2 Learning
How well does this school use achievement information to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement?
College leaders use student achievement information very well to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement. Well-analysed achievement data for Years 9 and 10 and Level 1 to 3 NCEA are reported to the board. Trends over time, and comparisons with local and national achievement inform school goals and targets, management decisions and long-term planning.
Students are achieving well overall, including those with high learning needs. The percentage of school leavers attaining Level 2 NCEA has been around 80% in recent years. While this percentage is below the Government target of 85%, many more students, including Māori students, are achieving NCEA endorsed qualifications at Level 2.
Despite these positive trends, Level 1 NCEA, and the achievement of Pacific learners, are challenges recognised by school leaders. Targets for priority learners are incorporated in annual planning and in the school’s Māori and Pacific Achievement Plans. New initiatives, including the recent appointment of a Pacific Development Officer aim to strengthen community engagement. These plans could be further progressed with a more clearly identified senior leadership role for Pacific students and their families.
The school has a strong commitment to all students reaching their potential. ATOM: “achieving to our maximum” is the combined focus of tutor teachers, support staff, deans and careers services across each year level. The strategies, well known to students, involve personalised goal setting and mentoring. Teachers know the range of abilities in their classrooms and identify priority learners, those most at risk of not achieving.
School leaders anticipate that long-term involvement through the CoL offers possibilities for a deeper focus on supporting individual learners, particularly priority learners. The possibilities for sharing data, trusting teacher judgements, and developing a common language of learning across Years 8 to 10, will benefit learners, and ensure a more seamless transition.
The college has expectations for learning that include academic, sporting, cultural and social outcomes. These valued outcomes, together with the competencies and principles of The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC), could be explored more fully in constructing a Rutherford learner profile. School leaders agree that such a profile could become part of the school’s vision for excellence.
3 Curriculum
How effectively does this school’s curriculum promote and support student learning?
The school’s curriculum is increasingly responsive to parent and student aspirations. Traditional academic programmes are complemented by a wider range of curriculum pathways, including performing arts, carpentry, electronics, and hospitality that are taught to a high standard. The school endeavours to ensure that every student attains meaningful qualifications and has a pathway to further education, training or employment.
The restructure of Year 9 and 10 classes has been pivotal to shifting the delivery of the curriculum towards more differentiated, student-centred teaching approach. Curriculum levels inform department planning, assessment and reporting practices. Teachers know their learners well, and with the introduction of a new student management system in 2017, are now better able to track their progress and achievement.
The curriculum provides a wide variety of leadership opportunities that are eagerly sought by students. They contribute in areas of sports, health and wellbeing, peer support, and community engagement. The student council, student trustee, and the well-managed International Student programme are valued for their contribution to the curriculum. Senior students are role models for junior students and actively promote the school’s vision and values of diversity and respect.
Students participate in rich co-curricular programmes that include cultural performance, competitive sport and outdoor education. They are capable learners and Review Officers spoke with many who expressed pride in the school. School leaders plan to carry out a school-wide student survey in 2017. They see the value in seeking a broad range of student opinion to inform school development and ongoing internal evaluation.
Clearly stated expectations, shared by students and teachers, contribute to the settled and purposeful learning environment. There are high levels of classroom engagement and a wide range of pastoral care systems. The well-embedded Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) programme underpins this positive climate for learning. Student management approaches are becoming more restorative, with a declining need for disciplinary interventions.
Teachers share learning expectations with students, assisting them to develop strategies for managing their learning. They provide regular feedback to students about their progress and success. There is potential through the Devices for Learning Plan (D4L) to further increase learner engagement through the increased use of digital learning strategies.
There is also potential through the CoL, for the development of cross-school approaches to learning. This coordinated initiative will contribute to students having greater agency and ownership of their learning.
How effectively does the school promote educational success for Māori, as Māori?
Te Kōtuku whare and roopu are well established in the college and are becoming more integral components of the school culture. Kaumatua and kuia are respected leaders who provide advice to guide appropriate whole-school kawa and tikanga. Kapa haka performances and the Year 12 and 13 Mahi a Toi Academy provide opportunities for Māori students to achieve success as Māori.
The college is taking a planned approach to strengthening outcomes for Māori as Māori, including recent consultation through whānau hui about aspirations, targets and goal setting. The resurgence of the school haka and the introduction of tikanga in the Year 9 curriculum provides opportunities for all students to learn about and contribute to the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand.
The board and principal are leading these strategic developments with support from key members of staff and the leadership team. Māori students involved in recent whole-school developments have responded positively. School leaders have recognised the needs of the many Māori students who are not actively involved in marae-based programmes, to experience tikanga Māori.
4 Sustainable Performance
How well placed is the school to sustain and improve its performance?
The school is well placed to sustain positive changes and continue to improve its performance. The energised school leadership team works collaboratively with clearly delegated school-wide roles and responsibilities. School developments are strategically aligned, well managed and regularly reported through the principal to the board.
Internal evaluation has been strengthened in recent years. New initiatives are implemented thoughtfully and systematically evaluated. Senior and middle school leaders use evidence to support their analysis and self-review processes, with well-documented department reports identifying successes and challenges.
The focus of internal evaluation is increasingly concerned with improving equitable outcomes. One particular example is the restructuring of Year 9 and 10 programmes from streamed classes to mixed ability bands, while another relates to the refocusing of support for students with special needs and those with special abilities. These examples of school-wide change are thoughtfully researched.
Performance management is becoming another area of strength. Teachers are inquiring into the effectiveness of their practice using student achievement as the focus of their inquiry. Teacher appraisal is more evidence based and connected to professional learning. Teachers support the direction of the school and engage constructively in school improvement.
The board of trustees has also evaluated its role in supporting the school. Trustees represent their diverse community effectively. Capable leadership of the board enables trustees to work efficiently, prioritising meeting time for in-depth discussion of progress relating to strategic goals and targets.
Trustees seek assurance, based on a documented annual work-plan, of how the school vision is enacted. They are very supportive of community engagement initiatives and the school’s role in developing the CoL. The board has contributed to resolving long-standing property matters, and has supported the principal through leadership and staffing changes.
The board has recently revised its policy framework. Its broad overarching policies now require senior leaders to keep school procedures updated and ensure these are well communicated. It is important that school procedures reflect current regulations, particularly where legislation has changed such as the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and Vulnerable Children Act 2014.
Provision for international students
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 58 international students attending the school, including two exchange students.
International students are very well cared for and experience high quality programmes that are suited to their learning and wellbeing. They are well integrated into the school community and participate in school cultural and sporting activities. The school provides opportunities for international students to take on leadership roles.
The school’s monitoring system for international students is effectively administered and ensures that they receive high quality pastoral support. The board receives regular reports about the quality of education provided for international students, their care and how well they are progressing and achieving.
Board assurance on legal requirements
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:
- 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 achievement:
- emotional safety of students (including prevention of bullying and sexual harassment)
- physical safety of students
- teacher registration
- processes for appointing staff
- stand-downs, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions
- attendance.
Conclusion
Leaders, teachers and trustees are committed to providing students with personalised learning programmes and an environment that is conducive to learning. Students are proud of their school and enjoy diverse curriculum and leadership opportunities. They benefit from consistent values, high expectations for success, and support to navigate meaningful learning qualifications and pathways.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Steffan Brough
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
15 May 2017
About the School
Location | Te Atatu, Auckland | |
Ministry of Education profile number | 40 | |
School type | Secondary (Years 9 to 15) | |
School roll | 1303 | |
Number of international students | 58 | |
Gender composition | Boys 50% Girls 50% | |
Ethnic composition | Māori Pākehā Asian Chinese Samoan Indian Fijian Tongan other Pacific other | 21% 42% 8% 7% 7% 3% 2% 2% 3% 5% |
Special Features | Turangawaewae-Special Learning Needs Unit Adult and Community Education Programme | |
Review team on site | March 2017 | |
Date of this report | 15 May 2017 | |
Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review Education Review Education Review | March 2014 October 2010 September 2007 |