Wellington 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 

Wellington College is a large inner-city school in Wellington central providing education for students in Years 9 to 13. A new headmaster was appointed in term 2, 2022. The strategic leadership team has been appointed over the course of the past two years. The school endeavours to provide a wide range of academic, extra-curricular, service and leadership opportunities for students to experience success.

There are two parts to this report.

Part A: 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 B: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle. 

Part A: Current State 

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

Learner Success and Wellbeing 

• Almost all students gain Level 2 and 3 National Certificate in Educational Achievement (NCEA) and University Entrance; nearly half of the students gain NCEA endorsed with Merit or Excellence and Scholarship achievement rates are very good.
• In 2023, almost all students gained Level 1 NCEA; from 2024 the school Year 10 and 11 students will work towards achieving the Wellington College Certificate (a two-year academic and co-curricular programme). 
• The school has yet to address disparity in engagement, achievement and attendance for some Māori and Pacific students; a range of interventions are in place.
• The large majority of students attend school regularly; leaders have a focus on improving student attendance so that the Ministry of Education targets for regular attendance can be achieved. 

Conditions to support learner success

• Leaders use evidence to plan and monitor progress towards key improvement targets, particularly for groups of students who are at risk of underachievement.
• Iwi and whānau are increasingly involved in decision making in the school to strengthen relationships and lift academic and leadership outcomes for Māori and Pacific students.
• Leaders drive research and best practice with their staff, in local, national and international educational contexts. 

• There is an increasingly consistent focus on supporting students to gain sound foundational skills, including literacy and mathematics, to establish a solid base for success in NCEA. 
• Assessment information is gathered and used to strengthen understanding of student progress during the year, and to tailor appropriate interventions.
• Teachers are beginning to integrate te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori throughout the curriculum and teaching practice.

• Leaders implement a range of strategic initiatives in response to student academic and pastoral needs; collective responsibility for student success is developing. 
• Evaluation capability in the school is growing, with increasing focus on ways to measure the impact of initiatives on teacher practice and interventions on outcomes for students.
• Programmes and practices to promote student wellbeing, inclusion, engagement and confidence in their identity and culture are being enhanced.
• Professional learning for teachers is strategically aligned with the school’s improvement goals and learner needs. 

Part B: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• continue to strengthen foundational skills in literacy and numeracy during Years 9 and 10 to ensure success in the senior years, particularly for groups of students at risk of underachievement
• embed the Wellington College Certificate for Year 10 and Year 11 students, and effectively prepare students for NCEA Level 2
• further develop culturally responsive practices throughout the school to ensure equitable and excellent outcomes for all students, including Māori and Pacific learners. 

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

Within six months:

• review the actions and outcomes of the Māori Achievement Strategy and Pacific Vision; evaluate what has worked and for whom, use this information to plan next strategic steps 
• gather whānau, student and staff voice, as well as other data, to determine which interventions and processes are having the greatest impact on improving student attendance and achievement, and for whom 

Every six months:

• analyse attendance and academic data tracking for all year levels to ensure timely interventions support students to make progress and meet their individual goals  
• monitor and evaluate whether strategies for improvement are working and refine the annual implementation plan accordingly 
• report to the board in relation to each priority, with a focus on student outcomes 

Annually:

• collect appropriate information to evaluate the school’s strategic improvement cycle and the effectiveness of strategies to improve student outcomes
• engage in targeted professional growth and development to ensure teachers have high-quality expertise to effectively support the learning and wellbeing of all students  
• foster deeper learning partnerships with Māori and Pacific parents and whānau to develop shared expectations for students for their achievement, engagement and attendance. 

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

• reduced disparity in attendance, engagement and achievement for identified groups of learners, including improved and sustained regular student attendance for all students
• an increased number of students achieving the NCEA literacy and numeracy co-requisites by the end of Year 10, including Māori and Pacific students
• students and their whānau knowing their identity, language and culture are valued and nurtured by the leaders and teachers; an increased understanding and implementation of te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and māutauranga Māori in classrooms and school-wide contexts.

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

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

28 November 2024

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