St Francis School (Thames)

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within nine months of the Education Review Office and St Francis School (Thames) working in Te Ara Huarau, an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website. www.ero.govt.nz

Context 

St Francis School is located in Thames, providing education for students in Years 1 to 8. The state integrated Catholic school is an integral part of the local St Francis Catholic parish community.

St Francis School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

• to implement a rich and relevant curriculum where all children find joy and success in learning

• to build learning-focused partnerships to support outcomes for the children and community.

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on St Francis School’s website.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the effectiveness of targeted actions to increase rates of progress in mathematics for all students. Strengthening partnerships in learning is an ongoing focus for the school.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

• the priority to raise achievement levels in mathematics to match those in literacy

• the school’s commitment towards equity and excellence for all students

• the importance of engaging in strategic partnerships with students and whānau to support learning.

The school expects to see improved progress and equitable outcomes for all students in mathematics.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to increase learners’ rates of progress:

• the school’s special character and values that enable students to participate and learn in a caring, inclusive environment

• collaborative leadership with an open-minded approach that is focused on continuous improvement

• an integrated curriculum that supports high levels of student engagement in learning.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• developing processes and practices to further strengthen planning, teaching and learning

• supporting a collaborative approach to increasing students’ rates of progress in mathematics

• strengthening learning-centred partnerships to improve student outcomes.

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. ERO will support the school in reporting their progress to the community. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.

Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

13 March 2023 

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