Upper Hutt College

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 12 months of the Education Review Office and Upper Hutt 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 

Upper Hutt College is a large, urban, Years 9 to 13 co-educational secondary school in Trentham, north of Wellington City. Its vision is for the college to be a vibrant modern learning environment that will engage and empower every learner to realise their full potential. The college is a member of the Upper Hutt Schools cluster.    

Upper Hutt College’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:

• continue to improve achievement and success for all learners 

• promote excellence in teaching 

• provide a safe, positive learning environment for everyone 

• support equity and excellence through shared literacy practice and digital fluency.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the provision and effectiveness of implementing school-wide literacy and digital fluency practice.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

• the college’s 2021 local curriculum review identified the need to prioritise literacy learning and the use of digital technologies to remove barriers to learning and improve outcomes for those who need this

• to support literacy transitions for learners coming into the school 

• writing accuracy and reading comprehension have been identified through the national NCEA literacy pilot as areas to strengthen and the college sees this as a foundation for academic success.

The school expects to see:

• development and implementation of a school-wide approach to improve literacy teaching and learning 

• teachers embedding effective literacy and digital fluency practice in everyday teaching and learning across all curriculum areas 

• teachers and learners using digital technologies to remove barriers to learning and improve engagement in learning 

• improvements in student achievement in all contexts across the curriculum.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support it in its goal to provide equitable access and engagement in learning for all learners through a focus on shared literacy and digital fluency practice: 

• evaluation practices and findings that have been responded to and provided a positive direction for school improvement 

• teaching and learning practices in some areas which provide models for authentic, culturally responsive teaching to ensure learners can connect with the learning and that it is meaningful for them  

• the college’s commitment to provision for inclusion, wellbeing and equity which supports all learners’ sense of belonging  

• the college’s model for professional development planning which guides future staff development to improve outcomes for learners. 

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• staff professional learning and development that specifically focuses on improving learners’ reading and writing skills, supported by continued learning of digital technologies that provide literacy support 

• using a range of information to determine target literacy areas on which to incorporate Year 9 teaching and learning programmes 

• ensuring equity of access to digital devices to support learners’ learning 

• developing effective systems and processes to identify and closely monitor learners’ progress in literacy over time.

Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

11 January 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