340 Rattray Street , City Rise, Dunedin
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Trinity Catholic 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 to ensure that the child remains at the heart of the matter.
Context
Trinity Catholic College is an integrated, co-educational college for learners from Years 7 to 13, serving the Catholic community of Dunedin and surrounds. The gospel values of respect, justice, service, and truth underpin daily life at the College so that the diverse learner body ‘has every opportunity to learn and flourish in an environment that is safe, positive, and caring’.
There are three parts to this report.
Part A: A summary of the findings from the most recent Education Review Office (ERO) published report and subsequent evaluation.
Part B: An evaluative summary of learner outcomes and school conditions to inform the school board’s future strategic direction, including education in Rumaki/bilingual settings.
Part C: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle.
Part A: Previous Improvement Goals
Since the previous report in October 2022, ERO and the school have worked together to evaluate the impact on learner achievement, engagement and teacher efficacy (capability) that will develop a more responsive curriculum for all learners.
Expected Improvements and Findings
The school expected to see:
A refreshed, relevant, culturally responsive curriculum structure that encourages learner agency (independence) and learner capability development, while maintaining high levels of achievement for all learners.
- Students and teachers have reported gains in learner independence and independent learning.
- Student and teacher feedback about curriculum initiatives has informed improvements in responsive curriculum design.
- Teachers confidently integrate mātauranga Māori into programmes of learning, leading to an ongoing commitment to further develop understandings of te ao Māori to enrich curriculum.
A shared understanding of effective teaching practice and the development of strong professional capability throughout the college leading to enhanced teacher collective capacity.
- Increased collaboration has improved teacher practice and increases in students finding greater relevance, interest and usefulness in their learning.
Equity and excellence at the core of the College’s teaching philosophy.
- Learner progress in literacy and mathematics is consistently and regularly tracked, resulting in a cohesive approach to improving student achievement at Years 7 to 10.
The greatest shift that occurred in response to the school’s actions is that analysis and responsiveness to student, teacher and school community feedback, together with student achievement information, is informing school improvements in planning and its strategic direction.
Part B: Current State
The following findings inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.
Learner Success and Wellbeing
Outcomes for learners show increasing equity, with most students progressing and achieving well at appropriate curriculum levels and in school qualifications. |
- Most Year 7 to 10 students achieve at expected or above curriculum levels in literacy and mathematics.
- A large majority of students, including Māori, achieve National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) at all levels; high merit and excellence certificate endorsement levels are continuing, with improvements in University Entrance success.
- The school has increasingly equitable practices that are improving the engagement, motivation, wellbeing and achievement of the learners who are at risk of not achieving at expected levels.
- The school maintains consistent levels of attendance that are approaching but not yet at the Ministry of Education’s national target; most students attend school regularly.
Conditions to support learner success
Leaders set and monitor clear goals that effectively drive school improvement. |
- Leaders use a collaborative process to set the school’s annual improvement plan that is aligned with its strategic focuses, to ensure equity for its diverse student population.
- Leaders and teachers apply understandings about shared best practice to make a positive impact on learner achievement and engagement.
- Leaders use student, school community and board inputs to inform school priorities and strategic direction.
Teaching, learning and curriculum design are increasingly responsive to learner feedback and local contexts. |
- Teacher and student feedback informs teaching and learning practice and an increasing use of relevant learning contexts.
- Teachers effectively support students who require extra assistance; booster groups target those with identified needs and accelerate their progress.
- Teachers provide a responsive and relevant curriculum that focuses on climate change, sustainability and the school’s Catholic special character.
Well-aligned processes monitor and respond effectively to learners’ wellbeing and sense of connection to school. |
- Leaders evaluate, review and strengthen pastoral systems and restorative practices to promote improved learner wellbeing.
- The board is well informed about student achievement, using goals with specific measures aimed at achieving equity and excellence.
- The board actively monitors engagement and achievement data to ensure that Māori and Pacific learners have a secure sense of belonging and make progress to reach their academic potential.
Part C: Where to next?
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
- continue to further develop curriculum initiatives including integrating mātauranga Māori within learning areas and an increased focus on literacy and mathematics
- continue to improve learner achievement in national qualifications
- continue to gather learner, teacher and whānau feedback, alongside cohort monitoring against success indicators in NCEA, literacy and numeracy to understand the ongoing effectiveness of initiatives, programmes and practices
- expand the use of assessment for learning to inform teaching practices that develop the students’ potential, based on the belief that all can progress and achieve
- improve levels of regular attendance.
The actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Within six months
- senior leaders continue with regular middle leadership coaching and mentoring in order to improve student progress and achievement
- senior leaders continue a mentorship programme for heads of learning areas in the use of achievement information to review teaching and learning and further develop staff capability.
Every six months
- leaders and teachers continue to improve the robustness of achievement data in literacy and numeracy to enable effective monitoring
- leaders and teachers monitor and review achievement in literacy, numeracy and NCEA to establish appropriate responses to programme design and delivery to meet student learning needs
- leaders continue to gather and respond to student, staff and whānau feedback to inform school improvement.
Annually
- leaders report to the board on shifts in attendance, progress and achievement, as well as how data is informing next steps within learning areas and across the school
- leaders prioritise adjustments to pastoral and academic processes to meet the wellbeing and learning needs of an increasingly diverse student community.
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
- the continued development of approaches to integrate literacy and mathematics skills across learning areas to improve equitable learner improvement
- the increasing profile of mātauranga Māori in teaching programmes so that Māori learners can see themselves in the school and in the curriculum
- the continued building and strengthening of relationships to develop effective reciprocal partnerships with all communities represented within the school.
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
19 September 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
Trinity Catholic College
Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2024 to 2027
As of June 2024, the Trinity Catholic 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
Further Information
For further information please contact Trinity Catholic 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
19 September 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
Trinity Catholic 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 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.
The school currently has 24 international students.
The school has established processes for reviewing its provision for international students and compliance with the Code. School governance and leadership are fully informed about student wellbeing, learning and engagement. The school has developed detailed documentation to inform international students about the school.
The school is in regular contact with homestay families. The school seeks regular feedback from students about their school and homestay experiences. Care is taken over course selection to match international students’ interests, abilities and goals, with regular checking of academic progress during the year. English language support is included in most students’ academic programmes.
Students report that their teachers readily provide assistance within their class programmes and that international staff are accessible and supportive. They report that they are involved in a wide range of school extra-curricula activities. They enjoy living in Dunedin and feel a sense of belonging to the school. Homestay families and the school play active roles in developing students’ social connections and exploration of the city and wider region.
Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools
19 September 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
Kavanagh College
Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
Background
This Profile Report was written within 12 months of the Education Review Office and Kavanagh College 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
Kavanagh College is an integrated, co-educational college for learners from Years 7 to 13, serving the Catholic community of Dunedin and surrounds. The gospel values of respect, justice, service, and truth underpin daily life at the College and ensure that the diverse learner body has every opportunity to learn and flourish in an environment that is safe, positive, and caring.
Kavanagh College’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
- a culture of excellence in faith and pastoral care that focuses on Catholic social teachings
- excellence in learning and teaching through high expectations for teaching practice
- a curriculum fit for purpose that involves the development of graduate profiles for each of the three stages of learning at the College
- supporting the College community of learners to flourish through wellbeing programmes.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Kavanagh College’s website.
ERO and the College are working together to evaluate the impact of a more responsive curriculum on learner achievement, engagement, and teacher efficacy.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
- analysis of achievement information in the Year 7 – 9 programmes, together with consultation with the school community, has informed the need for a continued focus on high and consistent expectations for learners, alongside the development of learning-to-learn capabilities
- a research-informed review of curriculum structures, processes and practices is being undertaken to further develop shared understandings of teaching and learning principles with an emphasis on strong teacher-learner relationships.
The school expects to see:
- a refreshed, relevant, culturally responsive curriculum structure that encourages learner agency and learner capability development, while maintaining high levels of achievement for all learners
- a shared understanding of effective teaching practice and the development of strong professional capital throughout the College leading to enhanced teacher collective capacity
- equity and excellence at the core of the College’s teaching philosophy.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to evaluate the impact of a more responsive curriculum on learner achievement, engagement, and teacher efficacy:
- a staff committed to ongoing improvement and a willingness to develop an innovative curriculum
- systems and processes that encourage whānau voice and connection, alongside robust interrogation of achievement information
- an already successful transition to a newly developed structure in Years 7-9 informed by learner, teacher and whānau voice.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
- contextual curriculum pilots in 2022 and 2023 for Year 10 learners where agency, choice and challenge support the development of learner capabilities
- an evaluation of engagement and achievement information informed by learner, teacher and whānau voice, with cohort monitoring against success indicators
- evaluation of the curriculum pilots guiding further Year 10 and 11 programme developments from 2024.
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
4 October 2022
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
Kavanagh College
Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2022 to 2025
As of July 2022, the Kavanagh College Board of Trustees 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 Kavanagh College 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
4 October 2022
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
Kavanagh 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
Kavanagh College 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 eight international students attending the school.
The college has well-established processes for reviewing its provision for international students and compliance with the Code. School governance and leadership make good use of a range of information on student wellbeing, learning and engagement to know about the quality of provision and to identify any actions needed to sustain positive outcomes for students.
Sound processes and practices support students to settle into, develop a sense of belonging and be active participants in the college, home-stay settings and in the wider Dunedin community. Students’ wellbeing is closely monitored. They are actively encouraged and supported to take part in co-curricular activities alongside their peers. Networks with other schools and the university support students’ social connections and exploration of the wider community. Particular care has been taken to support the health and emotional wellbeing of students through the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic.
College information shows that most students achieve academic success and transition successfully to a range of post-school destinations. Students’ courses reflect their interests and abilities. Teachers are mindful of the learning styles and preferences of students. Courses and learning support are flexible and responsive to meet student needs.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
4 October 2022
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