Hamilton Boys’ High School

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 

Hamilton Boys’ High School is located in central Hamilton and provides education for students in years 9 to 13. Since the previous ERO report, there have been several changes to the senior leadership team. The long-serving principal remains at the time of this report; however, a newly appointed principal will begin in term 2, 2024. The school values include striving for personal excellence, service to others, and demonstrating courage and strength of character.

There are two parts to this report.

Part A: An evaluative summary of learner success and school conditions to inform the school board’s future strategic direction. 

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

Part A: Current State

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

Learner Success and Wellbeing

Most students at Hamilton Boys’ High School experience high levels of academic success and positive wellbeing.  

• Most students achieve NCEA levels 1, 2 and 3, and over half achieve University Entrance (UE), however significant disparity remains for Māori and Pacific students in NCEA and UE attainment.
• Internal standardised assessment data suggests that junior student achievement improves over time.
• School data shows that most students with additional learning needs make suitable progress, and the majority of students with special assessment conditions achieve at least NCEA level 2.
• The percentage of Māori students who are not regularly attending school is high, particularly at years 9 to 11. A large percentage of Pacific students do not attend regularly.

Conditions to support learner success

School leadership effectively collaborates and plans for continuous improvement and makes evidence-informed decisions that prioritise positive student outcomes.

•  Senior leaders have a strong focus on improving outcomes for Māori, Pacific and other priority learners.
• Leadership clearly articulates strategic priorities and is informed by a range of quantitative and qualitative data.
• Leadership fosters a culture committed to high quality teaching, underpinned by a clear philosophy about what effective pedagogy looks like.

Students have opportunities to learn across the breadth of the curriculum and are well supported by effective teaching practices.

•  The school’s curriculum offers a variety of learning opportunities that provide for a wide range of student needs and interests.
• Teachers create learning environments that are orderly and that promote focused student participation and engagement.
• Teachers are knowledgeable in their subject areas and cultivate positive relationships for learning in their classrooms.

A continued focus on building collective professional capacity is increasingly supporting student wellbeing, inclusion and improving data literacy.

• Leaders and teachers undertake targeted professional learning that is aligned with strategic goals, including ongoing professional development to build staff capability in culturally responsive practice and te ao Māori.
• Leadership is strengthening the analysis and use of achievement and pastoral data within the school and is improving internal review and evaluation practices.
• Students feel the school is a safe place and that they are emotionally well supported. 
• Te reo, te ao and mātauranga Māori are beginning to be integrated in teaching and learning across the curriculum.

Part B: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

• improve Māori and Pacific student achievement, particularly at Level 3 and in UE
• increase regular student attendance, particularly for Māori and Pacific students
• continue to increase the integration of te reo, te ao and mātauranga Māori in the school’s local curriculum and teaching practice
• continue to build staff capability and capacity to use achievement and pastoral data purposefully
• review school policies to ensure sufficiency of coverage. 

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

Within six months:

• analyse attendance data, set goals for improvement and explicitly plan for the increased attendance and engagement of Māori and Pacific students.

Every six months:

• monitor achievement and attendance data against improvement goals to ensure successful learning and engagement for Māori and Pacific students in line with the school’s expectations 
• adjust planning and responses, where required, to drive improved attendance, engagement and achievement
• use an agreed monitoring process to review and report on how effectively teachers are integrating 
  te reo, te ao and mātauranga Māori in the classroom.

Annually:

• report on the annual and over time progress and achievement of Māori and Pacific students and students with additional needs
• evaluate the impact of teaching and pastoral interventions on improving student achievement and attendance, particularly in addressing levels of inequity of student outcomes
• use internal evaluation findings to identify areas for further improvement in curriculum, teaching, and pastoral processes.

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

• decreased levels of disparity for Māori and Pacific students in NCEA and UE attainment
• higher rates of student attendance and engagement, particularly Māori and Pacific students
• the continued development of an inclusive learning environment where Māori students experience culturally responsive teaching practices and curriculum content that reflects and affirms their identity 
• effective school-wide data literacy and internal evaluation practices that support responsive decisions about the curriculum, student learning and wellbeing.

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

10 May 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