Hamilton Junior 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 

St Andrews Middle School is located in Hamilton and provides education for students in Years 7 to 10. Since 2022, the roll has increased significantly. The board appointed a new principal at the beginning of 2024. The school’ vision of nurturing the language, culture and identity of all learners is underpinned by the values of Mana, Ako, Aroha and Manaaki. 

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 February 2023, ERO and the school worked together to evaluate the effectiveness of the way te reo Māori and te ao Māori is taught at the school.  

Expected Improvements and Findings 

The school expected to see:

Higher levels of fluency in te reo Māori by all students.

• Almost all learners make good progress in learning te reo Māori.
• All students have extensive opportunities to learn te reo Māori and te ao Māori through the establishment of Te Puna Mātauranga initiative.

Progress and achievement for all students in literacy and mathematics.

• The majority of learners make expected progress in literacy and mathematics.
• Leaders and teachers use achievement information effectively to provide additional support and targeted interventions for those learners who are at risk of underachieving. 

Other Findings 

During the course of the evaluation, it was found that the greatest shift that occurred in response to the school’s action is the development of a learning-focused school culture, underpinned by four core values that foster the engagement, progress and development of all learners. 

Part B: Current State 

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

Learner Success and Wellbeing 

• The majority of learners make expected and accelerated progress in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Less than a third of students achieve at and above the expected curriculum levels; raising all learners’ achievement remains an ongoing priority for the school.
• Learners express a positive sense of belonging to the school; they take pride in the progress they make in their learning.
• Less than half of students attend school regularly; however, regular attendance is improving towards the Ministry of Education’s target. 

Conditions to support learner success

• Leaders model the school values and prioritise an inclusive and respectful school environment where a strong culture of care and wellbeing for learners is evident.
• Leadership sets high expectations for an engaging curriculum and quality teaching that increasingly benefits all learners.
• Leaders use a wide range of evidence, including student achievement information and community feedback, to evaluate the effectiveness of strategies that support learning and wellbeing outcomes. 

• The school’s curriculum reflects the priorities and contexts of the local community; te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori are integrated throughout teaching and learning experiences.
• Leaders and teachers have clearly defined expectations for positive learning and behaviour that are reflected in calm and inclusive classroom environments.
• Students are knowledgeable about their current achievement levels and next steps; they set their own improvement goals and work purposefully towards these. 

• Leadership builds strong partnerships with parents, whānau, iwi and the wider community that enables a shared understanding of the school’s strategic goals and aspirations for learners.
• The recently established Graduate Profile provides a well-designed framework of the knowledge, skills, attributes and attitudes students need to participate in a range of contexts beyond school.  
• Leaders and teachers regularly use evaluation practices that focus on continuing to raise all students’ progress and achievement. 

Part C: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• monitor and review attendance initiatives so that more learners attend regularly
• continue to improve and accelerate literacy and mathematics outcomes for all learners through consistent high quality teaching and learning practices
• embed the Graduate Profile to support ongoing learner engagement, wellbeing and progress
• proceed with the board’s initiative of establishing a Rumaki unit that will give learners the opportunity to further develop te reo Māori and their knowledge and understanding of te ao Māori. 

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

Within three months:

• review the school’s attendance initiatives to align with the Government’s Stepped Attendance Response System (STAR)
• continue to provide professional development for staff in effective literacy and mathematics approaches that support students’ ongoing progress
• evaluate the impact of the implementation of the Graduate Profile on student outcomes to identify next steps
• develop an action plan to ensure the appropriate resources, staffing, curriculum and support are in place for the Rumaki unit

Every six months:

• continue to monitor student attendance information to identify initiatives that work and further actions
• evaluate the impact of staff professional development on teaching practices and student outcomes in literacy and mathematics
• review steps taken to embed the Graduate Profile and make adjustments as needed
• gather student and whānau voice on the establishment of the Rumaki unit to inform ongoing planning and decision making

Annually:

• analyse schoolwide attendance, wellbeing and Graduate Profile information to strategically plan actions that will improve student engagement and learning outcomes
• evaluate and report to the board on student progress and achievement outcomes in literacy and mathematics to inform the professional development needs of teachers
• review progress with establishing the Rumaki unit and the impact on learner outcomes to inform future planning. 

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

• improved regular attendance across the school
• increased student progress and achievement in literacy and mathematics
• all learners demonstrate the knowledge, skills, attributes and attitudes reflected in the Graduate Profile for future learning pathways
• an established Rumaki unit that provides students with the opportunity to become fluent in te reo Māori and knowledgeable about te ao Māori.

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

26 February 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