Timaru Christian 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

Timaru Christian School is an integrated school located in Canterbury. It provides education for students in Years 1 to 10. The school’s values of Love, Grace, Servanthood, Truth and Perseverance underpin the school’s special Christian character.

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. 

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

Part A: Previous Improvement Goals 

Since the previous ERO report of October 2022, ERO and the school have worked together to evaluate how effectively the curriculum, practices and relationships that reflect the school’s special character support student wellbeing and success. 

Expected Improvements and Findings 

The school expected to see:

Extended wellbeing and achievement for learners.

• Data shows decline in achievement in reading, writing and mathematics since 2019.
• A consistent framework for analysing, planning for and responding to student wellbeing data needs to put in place by leaders with outcomes and progress reported on to the Board and families. 
• Leaders have initiated professional development for staff in relationship-based learning (RBL) in 2024; the impact of an action plan to improve connections with families requires further analysis and development.

Part B: Current State

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

Learner Success and Wellbeing 

• At the time of the review, ERO did not have confidence in the validity of learner progress and achievement information; leaders and the board have prioritised reviewing processes for knowing and responding to the progress and achievement of learners.
• 2023 data reported to the board shows the achievement gap for Māori and Pacific learners and other ethnicities in writing and mathematics is widening; strengthening analysis for groups of learners remains a priority.
• The school meets the Ministry of Education targets for attendance with a large majority of learners attending regularly.

Conditions to support learner success

• Leaders have established support for teachers to grow the quality of relationship-based learning (RBL), as a strategic long-term goal, to improve outcomes for students; this is in the initial stages of implementation.
• Leadership needs to meet regularly to discuss trends and patterns and identify improvements required for teaching and learning; developing robust systems for data analysis and monitoring strategic actions with regular review and reporting of improvements to teaching and learning is urgent. 
• Senior leaders need to prioritise systematic analysis of shifts in progress and achievement information with teachers to intentionally plan for, record and evaluate teachers’ actions to accelerate student progress.

• The school’s curriculum planning is yet to provide clear guidance and expectations for teaching and learning, underpinned by the school’s cultural history and stories.
• Priority given to pastoral supports across the school is reflected in strategic planning; this needs to be tracked and progress regularly monitored. 
• Teachers increasingly identify individual students’ strengths and plan for groups with additional needs; consistent use of effective and agreed strategies across all classes would improve student outcomes.

• The board and leaders are developing ways to gather and review whānau and student perspectives to inform strategic planning and the allocation of resources, to better support student success. 
• The board has a growing understanding of their responsibilities for oversight of learner engagement, wellbeing, progress and achievement; they are currently reviewing and clarifying governance roles and responsibilities.
• A rigorous, consistent approach to reviewing policies is needed in order to provide a well-defined framework for governance and operations, providing greater assurance that the school is compliant.
• Progress, achievement, learning needs and pastoral care need to be systematically tracked, monitored, and effectively analysed for groups of students by leaders and teachers to inform actions and ensure clear reporting to the board and school community.

Part C: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• strengthen leadership systems, structures and practices to purposefully grow the quality and consistency of teaching and learning in reading, writing and mathematics
• further develop a localised, cohesive curriculum to reflect the school’s local context, underpinned by a collective commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi
• ensure robust assessment practices school wide enable the cohesive collection of progress and achievement information
• build relationships further, engaging with the school community in deliberate ways to inform school wide decision making.

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

Within three months:

• ensure all policies comply with regulatory and legislative requirements and are fit for purpose
• formalise regular, focused leadership meetings and staff meetings, with recorded goals and tracked actions 
• embed the framework to develop teachers’ capability to grow the quality of relationship-based learning (RBL) for improved outcomes for students
• leaders engage in professional learning and development in assessment practices and tools to strengthen consistent systems for the effective use of achievement information 

Within six months

• establish and embed consistent use of an agreed student management system for staff to monitor student attendance, achievement, learning needs and pastoral information
• leaders ensure the consistent use of an agreed system for staff to monitor student attendance, achievement, learning needs and pastoral information that meets requirements for the efficient analysis of data for individuals and groups
• leaders and teachers regularly analyse and use data to inform planning and programmes for students

Annually:

• leaders implement a coherent approach to gather, analyse, and report on student achievement and progress, and to evaluate improvement in teaching and learning outcomes over time 
• leaders plan responsive professional development for staff to ensure consistent, high-quality teaching and learning 
• leaders report to the board valid analysis of achievement trends and patterns for groups of learners to strengthen effective decision making
• board and leaders ensure strategic planning and its implementation incorporates student and family aspirations. 

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

• equitable academic achievement, aligned with curriculum expectations
• consistent, high-quality teaching 
• effective governance and leadership structures and systems
• enhanced community relationships and partnerships for improving student success
• sustained high levels of attendance. 

Recommendation to the Ministry of Education

ERO recommends the Secretary for Education consider intervention, listed in section 171 of the Education and Training Act 2020, by providing specialist support to bring about the following improvements:

• school systems, policies and procedures
• assessment practices, learner outcomes, progress and achievement. 

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

6 December 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