St Joseph's School (Hawera)

St Joseph's School (Hawera)

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 

St Joseph’s School (Hāwera) provides education for learners from years 1 to 8.  The school is part of the South Taranaki Kāhui Ako.

There are three parts to this report.

Part A: A summary of the findings from the most recent Education Review Office (ERO) report and/or subsequent evaluation. 

Part B: 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 C: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle. 

Part A: Previous Improvement Goals 

Since the previous ERO report of March 2023, ERO and the school have been working together to evaluate how effectively the school’s mathematics programme supports all learners to make improvement in this learning area.

Expected Improvements and Findings 

The school expected to see:

All learners showing improved progress and achievement in mathematics, with accelerated progress being made for those who have been identified as needing this.

  • The large majority of learners are achieving in mathematics with reduced levels of disparity for groups of learners. Priority learners are identified, extra support is provided with improved confidence and achievement as a result. 

A coherent and consistently understood mathematics programme implemented across the school.

  • External professional development has upskilled key internal leaders and staff. Structured approaches to teaching mathematics have been implemented across the school to support schoolwide coherence for learning.

Improved teacher capacity to use assessment to inform teaching and learning decisions.

  • Teacher understanding and use of assessment to inform learning has developed schoolwide; improved consistency of use, understanding and practice across the school to use assessments to respond to learner needs is evident.

Other Findings 

During the course of the evaluation, it was found that building teachers’ common knowledge through consistency of approaches has helped to build a culture of high trust and confidence; children are well supported to learn and progress in mathematics.

The greatest shift that occurred in response to the school’s action has been the positive impact of a schoolwide approach to teaching mathematics; this has set a clear direction, purpose and high expectations for teaching and learning across the school.

Part B: Current State

The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.

Learner Success and Wellbeing 

Learners are engaged and make good progress in their learning.
  • Most learners achieve to expectation in reading and writing with the large majority achieving in mathematics.
  • Almost all priority learners make progress in reading; priority learners are quickly identified and responded to using a tiered approach of increasing support.
  • Settled and supportive environments for learning are evident; learners’ engagement is supported by shared expectations for learning and behaviour.
  • Regular attendance is not yet at government targets; an attendance improvement plan is in place and aims to improve regular attendance rates. 

Conditions to support learner success

Confident leadership builds a collaborative team culture that promotes high expectations and a collective responsibility for learning.
  • Leaders prioritise a collaborative approach to professional learning; a culture that supports continuous growth of teacher capacity is strongly evident.
  • Carefully selected professional learning has established a consistent and cohesive teaching approach that supports learners progress through the school.
  • Leadership opportunities are shared amongst the teaching team; this promotes a range of internal expertise to support staff development.
The needs of learners are well responded to through strengthened teaching and learning programmes in literacy and mathematics. 
  • Teachers and leaders work well together to prioritise a seamless progression of learning in literacy and mathematics.
  • Learners are well supported to make progress with consistency of approach, language and collective responsibility by staff for learning, across the school.
  • Learners benefit from targeted group teaching across the school that supports their learning needs in structured literacy.
Well embedded school systems and practices drive continuous improvement for learners.
  • Professional development has strengthened the evaluative capacity of teaching staff to know the impact of their teaching practices for improving learning.
  • Strategic planning is focused on a small number of carefully considered goals that are reviewed regularly; these are well informed by good quality information from leaders and teachers.
  • Te reo, tikanga and matauranga Māori are well supported and consistently woven through the daily life of the school.
  • Partnerships for learning are strengthened by regular communication, and reporting of learning in real time.

Part C: Where to next? 

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

  • consolidate the structured literacy teaching and learning programme to further enhance learning coherence across the school
  • embed the structured mathematics programme across the school
  • continue to develop and review the school’s attendance plan to further improve attendance at school
  • implement the schools collaboratively designed Graduate Profile to support learner agency and to help build skills in lifelong learning.

The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.

Within six months:

  • fully implement the structured mathematics programme across classes
  • implement the Graduate Profile across the school
  • further refine systems to support intervention strategies for priority learners in the classroom

Annually:

  • evaluate programmes of learning including the analysis of assessment, attendance and wellbeing information to determine what is working and who for
  • as part of setting strategic direction, widely consult with key stakeholders, including whānau Māori, to ensure that school priorities are meeting community expectations

Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:

  • further improved engagement, attendance, achievement and wellbeing for learners, particularly those in priority groups
  • teachers and other key staff continuing to build capacity and shared responsibility to support learning in consistently understood ways.

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

20 March 2025

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

St Joseph's School (Hawera)

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2025 to 2028

As of February 2025, the St Joseph's School (Hawera) 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

Further Information

For further information please contact St Joseph's School (Hawera) 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.

Sharon Kelly
Acting Director of Schools

20 March 2025

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

St Joseph's School (Hawera)

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 6 months of the Education Review Office and St Joseph’s School (Hawera) 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 

St Joseph’s School (Hawera) is a coeducational, state integrated special character school that caters for learners from years 1 to 8. It is located adjacent to the Catholic Church in Hāwera, South Taranaki. The school is part of the South Taranaki Kāhui Ako. A permanent principal was appointed in 2021.

St Joseph’s School (Hawera)’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

  • learners with their whānau are at the centre of education

  • great educational opportunities and outcomes are within reach for every learner

  • quality teaching and leadership make the difference for learners and their whānau.

A copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan is available on request from the school.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively the school’s mathematics programme supports all learners to make improvement in mathematics.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

  • the school knows that it is timely to concentrate on the key curriculum area of mathematics to further raise achievement for all learners and to accelerate progress for those who need it

  • building a shared and consistently understood mathematics programme across the school will benefit all learners as they progress through the school.

The school expects to see:

  • all learners showing improved progress and achievement in mathematics with accelerated progress being made for those who have been identified as needing it

  • a coherent and consistently understood mathematics programme implemented across the school

  • improved teacher capacity to use assessment to inform teaching and learning decisions.

Strengths  

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate how effectively the school’s mathematics programme supports all learners to make improvement in mathematics:

  • existing systems and supports ensure there is time and focus for continued teacher capacity building

  • useful and ongoing external support to help position mathematics as part of the wider curriculum of the school

  • internal expertise that can help build a collective responsibility for the teaching and learning of mathematics across the school.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • ensuring that new and existing school organisational processes are aligned to support this work

  • supporting key personnel to explore and develop an effective schoolwide approach to the teaching of mathematics

  • continuing to build teacher capacity to use assessment to inform teaching and learning decisions

  • using impact coaching to support capability building and leadership. 

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.

Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

7 March 2023 

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

St Joseph's School (Hawera

Findings

The school has made sufficient progress in relation to priorities identified in this report and will transition into the School’s Evaluation for Improvement process. 

1 Background and Context

What is the background and context for this school’s review?

St Joseph’s School, located in Hāwera Taranaki, provides education for students in Years 1 to 8. It is an integrated Catholic school adjacent to the Hāwera Catholic parish church. The school’s roll of 251 children includes 29 Māori. A new principal started at the school in Term 1 2021.

The school has been involved in a longitudinal evaluation with ERO since the end of 2019 to support school progress and development.

ERO’s evaluations of progress have involved meetings with the principal and deputy principal, the board of trustees, parents, teachers, and the Limited Statutory Manager (LSM).

2 Review and Development

How effectively is the school addressing its priorities for review and development?

Priorities identified for review and development

The priorities for improvement identified in the 2019 ERO report were to:

  • continue to implement effective systems and processes for sustainable, improvement-focused school operation
  • establish school-wide achievement information that is dependable, consistent and well analysed to promote a more deliberate and responsive approach to achieving equity and excellence
  • ensure that robust, consistently implemented processes to support building teacher capability are embedded
  • develop a shared understanding and use of internal evaluation.

Additionally, several compliance issues were identified.

Progress

School leaders and trustees are implementing processes that contribute to positive change and improvement in the school. A strong platform is now in place. This platform provides the school with a solid foundation to support planned development.

Relational trust within and amongst the school community is much improved. This is helping the school maintain its focus on teaching and learning.

The board of trustees has consulted with its community to develop a new school charter. The charter clearly identifies achievement targets and achievement information is now shared with the board.

Assessment systems have been substantially strengthened. Assessment information is now used to promote a more deliberate and responsive approach to achieving equity and excellence. Systems support teachers with a consistent approach which is steadily building assessment capability.

More reliable assessment information is used to identify children with learning needs. Target students are identified, their progress is regularly reviewed and, where needed, children are supported with appropriate additional resource. Reporting of achievement information for all students can now be reliably shared with the community. Over time, this information can be used to track the progress of each learner helping the school to better target resources for learning.

Classroom observations show deliberate acts of teaching are contributing to purposeful learning. Children are able to articulate what they are learning and why. They can talk about their learning goals and progress. Learning environments support a diverse range of learner needs and teachers use a range of relational teaching approaches. A positive tone is evident across the school.

Trustees bring a range of expertise and knowledge to their positions and seek opportunities to further develop their governance capabilities. They understand their roles, obligations and responsibilities. Trustees remain committed to governing the school in the best interests of children. Previous compliance issues have been resolved.

A board workplan has been established that will continue to support the organised and systematic review and evaluation of a range of school systems and processes. The board maintains a clear focus on current charter priorities.

A culture of evaluation is developing within the teaching team. More robust assessment evidence is influencing teaching decisions. Embedding the teacher growth cycle should help to develop this disposition further.

Key next steps
  •  continue to strengthen home-school partnerships to genuinely support learner outcomes
  • further embed a consistently understood, school-wide approach to teaching and learning
  • nourish and sustain partnerships with iwi.

3 Sustainable performance and self review

How well placed is the school to sustain and continue to improve and review its performance?

The school has the ability to sustain and improve its performance. Useful systems and processes have strengthened responses to the individual needs of learners.

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
  • school policies in relation to meeting the requirements of the Children’s Act 2014.

Conclusion

The school has made sufficient progress in relation to priorities identified in this report and will transition into the School’s Evaluation for Improvement process. 

Shelley Booysen
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region - Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

6 December 2021

About the school

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement.