119 Albert Street , Elgin, Ashburton
View on mapAshburton Christian School is a state integrated school with a Christian special character. It has a roll of 114 students in Years 1 to 10.
The school’s vision and valued outcomes for its students are centred on the four key concepts of: love, know, serve and impact. Its strategic aims focus on: New Zealand’s bicultural heritage, servanthood, curriculum development, broadening provision of Christian education, and sustainability.
At the time of this review the board was in the process of establishing its achievement targets for 2019.
Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:
Since the school opened in 2009 the roll has increased, the facilities have been developed and there have been some staff changes.
The school is in the process of seeking Ministry of Education approval to increase its roll and extend its provision of education to students in Years 11 to 13.
Leaders and teachers have engaged in professional learning to develop the school’s curriculum provision based on the key competencies in The New Zealand Curriculum.
Ashburton Christian School is a member of the Hakatere Kāhui Ako|Community of Learning.
The school is making progress effectively towards achieving excellent and equitable outcomes for all of its students.
Learning information from 2018 for students attending in 2019 indicates that most are achieving at or above the school’s expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. There is equity of outcomes for boys and girls in mathematics. Boys and girls achieve similar outcomes in literacy in Years 1 to 3. Years 4 to 9 information shows boys achieving less well in literacy.
There are some differences in overall achievement for some cohorts, such as Year 3 literacy. Reporting this information to the board would support trustees’ future decision making.
The school is accelerating learning for some students who need this.
It can show accelerated progress to improve outcomes for some younger students, and boys who were targeted for improvement in mathematics. Monitoring by teachers shows acceleration of progress for some students.
Broadening the way the school reports acceleration for those groups of students who need this would better enable the board to: evaluate outcomes, acknowledge its successes and inform future decision making.
The board, leaders and staff are unified in their approach to the school’s Christian philosophy and in their understanding of the school’s vision and strategic direction. Leaders establish clear and consistent expectations for teaching and learning. There is an emphasis on meeting the holistic needs of all learners as individuals. The Christian character is highly evident in the daily practices of staff and students.
Students are provided with a coherent and responsive curriculum. The key competencies are the foundation of curriculum design and are well integrated in all learning areas. Students are supported to think with depth and complexity. A broad range of learning experiences in authentic contexts contributes to student engagement and motivation, particularly in the senior school.
Students experience an increasing range of choice and leadership opportunities as they move through the school. Leaders have taken an innovative approach to providing an engaging curriculum that supports students’ strengths and interests, most notably for those in Years 7 to 10.
Caring and respectful relationships underpin teaching and learning. The school has established a welcoming and inclusive environment. Teachers know students as individuals and as learners. A strong reflective culture is embedded in school practices. Teachers’ professional discussions focus on the best ways to achieve positive outcomes for students.
Students who need extra support to achieve are quickly identified and plans put in place to meet their needs, particularly in mathematics. Equitable and excellent outcomes for students are supported by the proactive use of community resources and external expertise.
The board needs to be better assured of how well the school is achieving its valued outcomes for students. It should consider engaging in external training to better understand its roles and responsibilities in:
setting and regularly monitoring annual student achievement targets
developing a greater level of evaluation of how well the school is achieving its strategic aims and other valued outcomes for students.
The school is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of International Students) Code of Practice 2016 established under section 238F of the Education Act 1989. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code.
No international students were enrolled at the time of the ERO review.
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:
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student safety and wellbeing:
On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of Ashburton Christian School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.
ERO’s Framework: Overall School Performance is available on ERO’s website.
For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:
For sustained improvement and future learner success, priorities for further development are in:
ERO identified non-compliance in relation to police vetting of non-core workers every three years. In order to address this, the board of trustees must:
Since the on-site stage of the review, the school has taken steps to meet this requirement.
To improve current practice, the board of trustees should ensure that the principal’s appraisal uses the current performance standards for principals.
Alan Wynyard
Director Review and Improvement Services Southern
Southern Region
13 June 2019
|
Location |
Ashburton |
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
608 |
|
School type |
Composite state integrated (Years 1 to 10) |
|
School roll |
114 |
|
Gender composition |
Male 52%, Female 48% |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 5% |
|
Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS) |
No |
|
Provision of Māori medium education |
No |
|
Review team on site |
March 2019 |
|
Date of this report |
13 June 2019 |
|
Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review November 2015 |
Ashburton Christian School’s programmes strongly reflect its special character. Students learn in a positive and respectful environment. The curriculum offers a wide range of rich learning experiences for students. The board and staff work well together to meet the needs of all students. Parents and the community actively support the school.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Ashburton Christian School’s special character is well embedded and reflected in all aspects of school life. Students and staff learn and work in a caring, nurturing and respectful environment. There is strong support and involvement from the community.
Since the 2012 ERO review, significant changes have occurred including:
The school has made good progress in addressing the recommendations outlined in the 2012 ERO report. There have been noticeable improvements in the quality and usefulness of evaluation to identify school strengths and areas for further improvement. The principal and teachers effectively use school-wide student achievement information to identify needs and plan appropriate programmes for students. Individual learning plans for students with special needs include increased involvement of parents and students. The professional development is closely linked to the school’s strategic goals and the needs of students.
The board and principal effectively use achievement information to guide planning and resourcing decisions. Most students are achieving at or above the National Standards in literacy and mathematics. There is some evidence of accelerated progress in mathematics, particularly Māori students, and in students’ writing and reading after three years at school.
Teachers work closely with the support staff to meet the different needs of identified students. This includes a specific programme for students who have English as a second language or learning needs in literacy or mathematics.
The board and principal could further support staff in meeting the needs of students by strengthening the student achievement targets so that they:
The curriculum strongly reflects the school’s special character, vision and values. The principal and teachers are continuing to develop the curriculum so that a good balance of Christian living and educational learning is evident.
High levels of student engagement in learning were observed. There is a strong focus on students’ self management of their learning at the senior school level. Students in the junior school are beginning to be more involved in their own learning. This is an area that teachers should continue to develop.
Students have access to rich learning experiences in and beyond the classroom. They greatly benefit from the expertise of teachers within the school and the specialist teachers within the community. Students who need extension are able to learn alongside other students of similar ability from neighbouring schools, on a regular basis.
A notable innovation is the preschool programme the school has set up to support children and their parents prior to their transition in to school. This programme, based on the principal’s research and run by the new entrant teacher, provides activities and resources that parents can use at home in preparing their children for school. The impact of this innovation is apparent in the high achievement of students in reading and writing after three years at school.
The senior school curriculum, for Year 9 and 10 students, offers more programme choices for students in preparation for College and Year 11. Teachers use relevant assessments and are developing a system that recognises student progress and achievement in relation to clear and useful criteria. When fully implemented, this process should provide more helpful and useful information to students and their parents and families.
The school is in the early stages of developing programmes that promote educational success for Māori students, as Māori. There is not an overall programme that commits all staff to incorporating bicultural perspectives in their teaching or the students’ learning.
Students have some experiences with tikanga Māori. They take part in waiata, mihi, mihi whakatau and through the tuakana teina practices where older students support and lead younger children in their learning. However, teacher awareness of the bicultural nature of some of these practices is limited.
Students are given good opportunities to achieve success across a range of learning experiences through art, music, sport, leadership. Student successes and contributions are regularly celebrated at assemblies.
The principal and teachers should:
The school is well placed to sustain and improve its performance. The principal provides the staff with clear direction and leadership. The principal is building staff leadership capacity by delegating roles and responsibilities.
There is a stronger emphasis on teachers inquiring into their own practice and using the outcomes to improve teaching and learning across the school. Evaluation now includes effective use of students’ ideas and opinions, achievement information, current research and resources and recommendations. Appraisal follows a purposeful set of procedures and is linked to the Practising Teacher Criteria. Although teacher innovation is well supported, the principal has identified that increased reflection about teacher practice is needed.
The principal provides useful achievement information to enable the board to make informed resourcing decisions. Trustees bring a range of skills, strengths, experience and strong commitment to their roles. They have used external expertise to build their capability. They have a useful framework to guide them in reviewing policies, guidelines and practices. A stronger focus on identifying challenges and next steps will strengthen the board’s evaluation process.
The board has reliable processes in place to ensure students and staff are provided with a safe and healthy environment.
The board has identified and ERO agrees that the school’s strategic plan needs strengthening. In order to do this, the board should:
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:
Ashburton Christian School’s programmes strongly reflect its special character. Students learn in a positive and respectful environment. The curriculum offers a wide range of rich learning experiences for students. The board and staff work well together to meet the needs of all students. Parents and the community actively support the school.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Chris Rowe
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Acting)
|
Location |
Ashburton |
|
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
608 |
|
|
School type |
Composite (Years 1 to 10) |
|
|
School roll |
96 |
|
|
Gender composition |
Boys 56; Girls 40 |
|
|
Ethnic composition |
Pākehā |
63 |
|
Review team on site |
October 2015 |
|
|
Date of this report |
30 November 2015 |
|
|
Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review |
August 2012 |