Findings
The school’s vision of ‘personal excellence’ that covers academic, sporting and cultural success is being well met. Students from Years 7 to 13 demonstrate high levels of achievement in all these areas.
The school’s curriculum and culture strongly supports and promotes students’ learning. Students are enthusiastic about their learning and their school. Effective governance, leadership and relationships are key features of the school.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.
1 Context
What are the important features of this school that have an impact on student learning?
Craighead Diocesan School is a traditional girls’ school for boarders and day girls from Year 7 to Year 13. The special Anglican character, focus on Christian values and the high ratio of boarders are part of the school’s integration agreement. An impressive new building housing senior boarders has been opened since the 2013 ERO review. The next development, a new gymnasium, library and classroom spaces, has just begun.
The school has a vision of ‘personal excellence’ for its girls that covers academic, cultural and sporting endeavours. The staff and student culture of care and service, both within and beyond the school, is a strong unifying feature. Staff and students show considerable pride in their school and its traditions.
The settled nature of the school contributes to the focus on education in its widest sense. Students generally meet the high expectations that are placed on their learning and achievement. All groups of girls with whom ERO spoke appreciated the personal interest and support teachers have for their learning. Students also spoke highly of the support they receive from older students. The school has a useful mix of longer serving staff and newer staff. Students benefit from an effective pastoral-care network.
The board has appointed a new principal since the last ERO review. Her leadership, supported by the board, senior leaders and teachers, is effectively guiding the school forward. The school has responded most positively to the recommendations of the 2013 ERO report, particularly in the areas of review and evaluation.
2 Learning
How well does this school use achievement information to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement?
Students at this school show high levels of engagement and achievement across academic, cultural and sporting areas.
Consistently, over 85% of students in Year 7 and 8 achieve at or above the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Students who arrive at Year 7 with achievement below the National Standards quickly make sufficient progress to reach the standards. This means that Year 8 results are higher than Year 7, with 100% meeting the standards in 2015. The school recognises that further work to improve the depth of information about student progress and achievement in Year 9 and 10 would be useful.
Students are very successful in the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) at all levels. The percentage of certificates awarded to girls in this school is higher than for high decile girls’ schools nationally. The numbers of certificates endorsed with merit or excellence are at about the same high level as comparable schools. Almost all girls gain university entrance, a result significantly better than all national comparisons. The percentage of leavers with NCEA Level 2 is very high and, for the last seven years, at least 10% above the government’s national target.
Students can confidently talk about their progress, achievement and what helps them most with their learning. They have meaningful opportunities to assess their own and their peers’ work.
Teachers know their students very well as learners and as individuals. Very clear assessment criteria are shared with students. Students get detailed feedback about their work and what they need to do to improve. Parents receive detailed information about their daughters’ progress, achievement and wellbeing.
The school has strong assessment systems and practices. Teachers gather a range of useful assessment information and make sound assessment judgements. They use this information well to inform their planning and teaching. They frequently share and discuss achievement information with each other in order to best support students.
School leaders have efficient systems for tracking, monitoring and reporting on school-wide student progress and achievement. This information informs ongoing review of teaching and learning programmes and resourcing decisions.
Any student needing extra support is quickly identified and very well supported. Support practices include support studies options, extra tutorials for NCEA students, senior and GAP tutors working with younger students, and workshops to address identified gaps in learning. As a result, students needing help to succeed and/or excel make very good progress.
3 Curriculum
How effectively does this school’s curriculum promote and support student learning?
The school’s culture and curriculum strongly promotes and supports students’ learning. Throughout the school, there are high expectations for learning, behaviour and ways of interacting.
Students are enthusiastic about their learning and the school. Many girls told ERO how much they ‘love’ school and enjoy their teachers and friends. Within classes, students support each other with their learning. Students’ cultural, sporting and academic successes are well celebrated, including achievement in areas not part of the school’s curriculum.
Craighead girls have many opportunities to develop their leadership, self-management, interpersonal and organisational skills. For example, they use their initiative to form working groups in areas such as agriculture, service to the local and global community, and in fundraising for worthy causes. These groups plan and implement a wide range of activities and learning experiences.
The curriculum offers breadth and depth in students’ learning. Teachers ensure learning is challenging and relevant to students’ ages and interests. Care is taken to create meaningful contexts for topics. There is a strong focus on social responsibility, including service to the community.
Students learn in settled, well-managed and well-resourced classrooms. Teachers are very accessible and responsive to students. This is evident in their involvement in many extra-curricular activities, support of student-initiated groups and activities and provision of extra tutorials.
Teachers create very supportive learning environments. ERO observed respectful interactions, where open discussion, individual opinions, reflection and critical thinking were encouraged. Small-class sizes enable one-to-one support for students. Effective and innovative use of ICT as a teaching, learning and communication tool is evident across the school.
In curriculum review, the focus is on what is best for students. Students’ perspectives and ideas are consistently sought and acted upon. Annual curriculum reports and three-year reviews are evaluative and include useful next steps. Each department sets pertinent goals, implements changes and reviews progress.
Next Steps
The system for managing teachers’ performance is well established. Teachers are at various stages in making best use of their own inquiry into their practices. Consolidation in this area and providing more support for teachers who are also mentors/appraisers should help enhance the overall effectiveness of the performance management system.
How effectively does the school promote educational success for Māori, as Māori?
Māori students are very well supported in their learning and achieve well, including multiple merit and excellence endorsements in NCEA. They enjoy their teachers and school, and value the wide range of sporting, cultural and academic opportunities the school offers. Core Māori values of manaakitanga (caring) and whanaungatanga (family-like relationships) are very evident in wider school culture. Similarly, tuakana-teina relationships of peer support are strongly evident within and beyond the classroom.
Since the last review, there has been a school-wide focus on better valuing Māori culture. Valuable initiatives include: the development of a very successful kapa haka group, increased leadership opportunities for Māori students, relationships with local iwi, and a careers programme for senior Māori students. A Year 13 cultural awareness module is part of a wider programme to prepare all students for life beyond the school. Teachers have benefited from professional learning as to how they can best support Māori students.
Next steps
The school has indicated that its next steps are to continue strengthening the school’s Māori dimension and have further consultation with whānau. A more structured, documented approach in these areas may be helpful.
4 Sustainable Performance
How well placed is the school to sustain and improve its performance?
The board has a clearly defined process for planning, strategic development and review. Its practices are thorough, wide ranging and future focused. The school’s vision for students’ ‘personal excellence’ is well promoted and understood by the whole school community.
School self-review practices are well developed and focused on improvement. Appropriate consultation with parents, students and staff helps engage all with review and development. The principal and senior staff provide the board with good quality information to assist the board in making decisions about resourcing student achievement and future directions for the school.
The cultural diversity of the school and the culture of service are special features that contribute to ‘personal excellence’. The school is gently embracing taha Māori and has useful strategies to ensure Māori students are well supported and have high levels of achievement.
The high quality of relationships between all members of the school community is a strong unifying feature. Adults and students treat each other with mutual respect. Senior students demonstrate mature leadership skills and are significant in helping maintain the supportive culture of the school and the wide range of activities students enjoy.
Board practices are well managed. Developments are aligned to the strategic goals. The annual plan is well monitored and the board receives good quality reporting from the principal and staff.
Consequently, the school is very well placed to sustain and improve its performance.
Provision for international students
The school is a signatory to the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students (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 14 international students attending the school, including one exchange student. The provision of pastoral care and education for these students is of a high quality. International students achieve very well academically. The students are very well integrated into the wider school community and heavily involved in the cultural and sporting aspects of the school.
School systems to monitor students’ welfare and progress are robust. The high quality of review and reporting is a strength of the administration of international students.
Provision for students in the school hostel
The school hostel, Craighead Diocesan School Boarding House, accommodates 121 students, 36% of the school roll. It is owned by the Craighead Diocesan School Board of Proprietors. The hostel owner has attested that all the requirements of the Hostel Regulations are met.
The boarding house (hostel) is central to the life and operation of the school. All current facilities are well maintained. The owners have plans to restore the original grand homestead and simplify the linkage between the two main accommodation blocks. Sleeping, study and recreation spaces are appropriate to the age of the girls using them. The new senior wing is especially well designed for the specific needs of senior girls. The boarding house is a warm and secure environment that supports the girls in their learning.
The strength of relationships between the girls and staff, and between the girls themselves is a key factor underpinning the smooth operation of the hostel, and in creating a safe and nurturing emotional environment for the girls. Junior girls, in particular, appreciate the interest and support of their more senior peers.
An experienced team manages the boarding house. Close liaison with school management and staff helps ensure that boarding is managed effectively and that school and boarding approaches are streamlined. These approaches include self review as well as day-to-day operations.
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
The school’s vision of ‘personal excellence’ that covers academic, sporting and cultural success is being well met. Students from Years 7 to 13 demonstrate high levels of achievement in all these areas.
The school’s curriculum and culture strongly supports and promotes students’ learning. Students are enthusiastic about their learning and their school. Effective governance, leadership and relationships are key features of the school.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.
Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern
15 August 2016
5 About the School
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Location
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Timaru
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Ministry of Education profile number
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357
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School type
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Secondary (Years 7 to 13)
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School roll
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336
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Number of international students
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14
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Gender composition
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Female: 100%
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Ethnic composition
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Pākehā
Māori
Other European
Asian
Other
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79%
8%
6%
4%
3%
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Special Features
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Boarding Accommodation
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Review team on site
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June 2016
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Date of this report
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15 August 2016
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Most recent ERO report(s)
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Education Review
Education Review
Education Review
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July 2013
October 2009
November 2006
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