Spotswood 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.

Context 

Located in New Plymouth, Spotswood College, Te Kura Tuarua o Ngāmotu, is a co-educational high school providing education for learners in Years 9 to 13.

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 July 2022, ERO and the school have been working together to evaluate how effectively the school is addressing equity through the strengthening of whānau, hapū and iwi partnerships, to meet the needs of all ākonga (learners) in a Te Tiriti o Waitangi led school. 

Expected Improvements and Findings

The school expected to see:

Parity of outcomes for all students.

• National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) outcomes show parity for most groups of learners; further work is needed to reduce disparity for groups of learners at NCEA Level 3 and University Entrance (UE).
• The school is better meeting a wide range of learner strengths, needs and interests; robust internal evaluation processes show that learning tailored to learners’ interests, needs and strengths (personalised programmes) make a positive difference to ākonga engagement.

Improved levels of engagement, attendance and retention for all learners particularly Māori, Pacific and those with additional learning needs.

• Engagement, attendance and retention information is analysed and reported regularly to the board; improvements are evident, particularly for ākonga Māori.
• Learners with additional learning needs are carefully identified and their needs communicated to teachers, who are supported to build their capacity to respond effectively in the classroom.
• Leaders recognise as a next step, the need to collect a wider range of outcomes information to supplement the engagement, attendance and retention measures already in place.

Strengthened partnerships for learning with whānau, hapū and iwi.

• Whānau are recognised as valued partners in learning; school systems support whānau and their children to select courses that best align with their interests, needs and aspirations.
• Relationships with iwi and hapū are carefully nourished; the school maintains strong relationships with hapū and iwi and are responsive to what they want for their young people.

Other Findings

During the course of the evaluation, it was found that openness to new ways of forming genuine, in depth partnerships with whānau, iwi and hapū, actively promotes Māori to achieve as Māori. 

The greatest shift that occurred in response to the school’s action has been learner engagement through the personalisation of learning programmes and more effective learning relationships in the classroom.

Part B: Current State

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

Learner Success and Wellbeing 

• Ākonga, supported by their whānau, exercise self-determination in choosing courses that best suit their interests, strengths and needs; results show that most students achieve NCEA Levels 1, 2 and 3.
• Progress and achievement in literacy and numeracy for Years 9 and 10 are recorded individually and used to inform personalised programmes; schoolwide achievement information for these year groups is not yet reliable and requires further development to inform decision making.
• Ākonga have a strong sense of belonging and are confident to express who they are; learners’ many different cultures and identities are celebrated within a culture of inclusion.
• Attendance is improving and does not yet meet government targets; the school has prioritised its plan to improve attendance. 

Conditions to support learner success

• The school’s vision, goals, targets and priorities are anchored in the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi; leadership effectively use their internal inquiry cycle, Korekorekā, to continually evaluate and improve systems and processes for learning.
• Leadership builds and sustains high levels of relational trust and effective collaboration with the school community; leaders have created an inclusive culture that supports the school’s community to better engage as valued partners in learning.
• Leadership fosters and sustains a culture committed to high quality teaching and learning where ākonga are supported to exercise tino rangatiratanga (self-determination) in their learning.

• Ākonga experience the breadth and depth of The New Zealand Curriculum through carefully planned courses that prioritise literacy, numeracy and matauranga Māori.
• Whānau active involvement in selecting personalised learning programmes alongside their child’s learning advisor, results in greater engagement and enjoyment of learning.
• Teaching and learning programmes are continually evaluated to gauge the impact on learning outcomes; this ongoing information helps teachers quickly adapt and respond to ākonga needs.
• Learning occurs in settled environments where teachers and students know each other well; systems and processes prioritise positive learning relationships.

• Staff are supported to continually build their capacity to respond to diverse ākonga; professional learning is aligned to school priorities and further builds the collective responsibility for learning across the school.
• Effective use of internal evaluation processes is embedded in all aspects of school decision making; organisational conditions are becoming more coherent and help drive strategic improvement across the school.
• Strengthened partnerships with whānau, iwi and hapū impact positively on school systems, processes and decision making; Māori learners enjoy and achieve educational success as Māori.

Part C: Where to next? 

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• further clarify valued ākonga outcomes, and the measures used to evaluate them, ensuring alignment with established Kaupapa Māori frameworks
• strengthen literacy and numeracy learning pathways for all year levels, so that ākonga experience enhanced success in the senior school and achieve valued outcomes
• embed and further develop new ways of enabling personalised pathways of learning for all ākonga
• implement the school’s plan for improved attendance and regularly evaluate for effectiveness.

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

Within six months:

• clarify with the school’s community, the valued ākonga outcomes that should be measured to indicate learner success
• ensure that schoolwide literacy and numeracy assessment information is used well to inform planning for strengthened literacy and numeracy learning pathways across the school

Every six months:

• review literacy and numeracy information for Years 9 and 10 to inform ongoing decision making for successful outcomes

Annually:

• report on valued outcomes using agreed measures, share these with the board and the community and use to inform further steps. 

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

• continued improvements for equitable and excellent in outcomes for all ākonga
• improved engagement and retention of all ākonga, particularly ākonga Māori
• strengthened literacy and numeracy outcomes for all ākonga
• further enhancements made to personalised programmes of learning.

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

16 April 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