Rathkeale College

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 12 months of the Education Review Office and Rathkeale College 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 

Rathkeale College is a state integrated Anglican school for boys in Years 9 to 13, situated near Masterton in rural Wairarapa. The majority of boys are boarders, living on site. The college is part of the Trinity Schools’ partnership with St Matthew’s Collegiate and Hadlow Preparatory School. It has a combined Senior College with girls in Years 12 and 13 from St Matthew’s Collegiate.

Rathkeale College’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

• that every student will engage in their learning in a manner that will challenge them to reach meaningful personal goals and allow the school to maintain high academic standards
• to allow the strategic goals and student aspirations to be realised for Senior College students.

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Rathkeale College’s website.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the extent to which learning, wellbeing and engagement outcomes for Māori and Pacific students are strengthened through a strategic and sustained approach to continuous improvement.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

• the school is welcoming an increasingly diverse student community and aspires to be responsive to all learners’ languages, cultures and identities
• the school has a key strategic intent to ensure teaching and learning reflects local tikanga and te reo Māori.

The school expects to see equitable and excellent learning, wellbeing and engagement outcomes for Māori and Pacific students across Years 9 to 13.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to strengthen outcomes for Māori and Pacific learners:

• personalised academic and pastoral support provides learners with the pathways they need to achieve equitable and excellent outcomes at NCEA Level 2
• a culture of respectful relationships and strengthened schoolwide practices for an increasingly inclusive learning environment
• early initiatives have enhanced school conditions and practices to better reflect tikanga and te reo Māori.

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• developing a strategic framework for strengthening learning, wellbeing and engagement outcomes for Māori learners in consultation with iwi and whānau
• with key stakeholders, developing a strategy for strengthening learning, wellbeing and engagement outcomes for Pacific learners
• implementing, monitoring and evaluating the impact of these improvement strategies on outcomes for learners.

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.

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

25 September 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