Elim Christian 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.

Every New Zealand state and state integrated school has an ERO review at least once every four years to evaluate what is working well for learners and what needs to be improved.

About the School

Elim Christian College is a state-integrated special character area school founded on the Elim Statement of Faith. The school, located in Botany, East Auckland, provides education for learners in Years 1 to 13 over two campuses: Golflands Campus for students in Years 1 to 10, and Botany Campus for students in Years 11 to 13. The school roll is 1000 with half of learners identifying as Pākehā / NZ European, 30% Asian 

The ARISE framework of Achievement, Responsibility, Inspiration, Skills and Elim Christian Character embodies the school’s vision and underpins all aspects of the school. 

Since the previous ERO review, there have been significant changes to the school’s leadership team, including a new principal at the beginning of 2025.

Education Counts provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement, school enrolments and school zones. educationcounts.govt.nz/home

An explanation of the terms and judgements used in this report can be found here: Reporting | Education Review Office

What we know about learner success

This section provides a summary of learner success and wellbeing. The judgments are based on the ERO School Improvement Framework and the evidence provided to ERO during the evaluation.

Learner Success and Wellbeing 

This section provides a summary of learner success and wellbeing.

• Almost all students leave school with at least NCEA Level 2; a large majority of students achieve NCEA Level 3 and University Entrance, with some disparity for boys; almost all students achieve Level 1 Literacy and most achieve Level 1 Numeracy by the end of Year 11.
• By the end of Year 6, almost all students are at or above expected levels in reading and mathematics, and most students are at or above expected levels in writing.
• By the end of Year 10, a large majority of students are at or above expected levels in reading, writing and mathematics.
• A large majority of students attend school regularly; the school is approaching the Government’s target for regular attendance.

Conditions to support learner success

This section provides a summary of leadership, teaching, curriculum and foundation school conditions for improvement.

• School leaders and the board set and pursue targeted and coherent improvement goals aligned to Government priorities.
• School leaders promote high expectations for all staff and students within a culture of care; relational trust is evident at every level of the school community.
• A systematic approach to planning for sustained school improvement is in place and informed by quality evidence and evaluation.

• Students lead their own learning; they speak confidently about their learning progress and next steps as they transition through the school.
• Students have sufficient opportunities to learn across the breadth of The New Zealand Curriculum; school leaders are exploring how to further enhance and personalise pathways for senior students.
• High-quality teaching practice and a shared staff understanding of learning progressions across the curriculum provide students with a consistent and connected focus on literacy and numeracy from years 0 to 13.
• Explicit instruction and effective and well-paced implementation of structured approaches to teaching continue to be a focus for teachers and leaders.
• Teacher capability and confidence in their use of student achievement information to inform teaching practice is being strengthened.

• The ARISE framework, which explicitly incorporates the school’s special character, is embedded and integrated throughout all aspects of school life.
• Relationships between staff and students are founded on mutual trust; students experience a supportive and inclusive learning environment where their wellbeing and belonging are prioritised.
• Te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori are increasingly included across the school curriculum and continue to be a priority area for improvement for teachers, leaders and the School Board.
• School leaders and the Board deliberately develop and implement organisational systems and processes to achieve alignment and continuity across the two school campuses. 

Next steps for improvement

This section provides more detail for the school to include in its strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school.

Key priorities 

• Improve the use of information about students’ learning needs and achievement data in decision making and teaching practice.
• Refine explicit and structured teaching approaches across the school to accelerate progress and improve student outcomes.
• Strengthen partnerships with local and regional whānau, hapū and iwi Māori to enhance bicultural capability and capacity across the school community.
• Review the provision of learning and career pathways for students in the senior years to inform next steps. 

Actions to bring about improvement

Every six months:

• leaders review the effectiveness of professional learning for teachers on explicit and structured approaches and identify next steps
• teachers and leaders monitor success of initiatives for improving student outcomes in literacy and numeracy
• school leaders review the senior school curriculum based on student feedback, achievement data, planned learning pathways, and parent or whānau aspirations

Annually:

• leaders across the school evaluate the effectiveness of teaching and learning on improving student outcomes and prioritise future professional learning
• leaders collect ākonga and whānau Māori voice to inform an evaluation of the effectiveness of partnerships between the school and mana whenua
• the School Board and leaders review the senior school curriculum, with consideration to breadth, depth and student pathways and identify improvement priorities.

Expected outcomes 

• Enhanced student outcomes, including attendance, engagement, retention and achievement.
• Teachers confidently using student information and achievement data to inform teaching and learning.
• Strengthened partnerships with whānau, hapū and iwi Māori and the integration of mātauranga Māori enhance the school’s special character.
• Increased breadth of the senior curriculum and personalisation of student pathways.

The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Evaluation Report and is due within four 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
Director of Schools

24 September 2025