Marlborough Boys’ College

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within six months of the Education Review Office and Marlborough Boys’ 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 

Marlborough Boys’ College is a state school, located in Blenheim. It provides education for boys from years 9 to 13. The school’s vision is to inspire and empower their learning community to be the best they can be. This vision is underpinned by the RIPR values: whakanui | respect, whakauru | involved, whakāhi |pride, and kawenga | responsibility.

Marlborough Boys’ College’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are: 

• Hauora: develop a culture of belonging and engagement for all stakeholders with a focus on wellbeing.
• Being the best we can be: ākonga are given an equitable opportunity to excel in their learning.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the impact on student achievement, agency, and engagement, of embedding the graduate profile throughout teaching, learning, and pastoral care.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

• to weave the graduate profile and cultural narrative throughout teaching, learning, and pastoral care
• to focus decision making within the kura and identify, measure, and celebrate student achievement based on the graduate profile
• the need to continue to support the diverse learning needs of ākonga and their varied intended pathways beyond school.

The school expects to see all ākonga:

• engaging in learning that embraces local pūrākau | stories, mātauranga |knowledge, and opportunities
• developing skills across the curriculum and articulating their progress towards the four porowhita of the graduate profile: kaihanga rerekētanga | innovators, kaiwhakatere | navigators, tū rangatira | leaders and ākonga taumano |life-long learners
• demonstrating greater agency in their learning, progress, and pathways
• progressing towards achieving equitable and excellent outcomes.

Strengths 

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate the impact on student achievement, agency, and engagement, of embedding the graduate profile throughout teaching, learning, and pastoral care.

• Strengthened links with iwi and mātauranga (through work on Ngā Kawatau me ngā Tūmanakotanga o Te Tauihu and Haerenga with all kura within Te Tauihu | Top of the South) and community consultation, have informed the school’s strategic direction.
• The graduate profile was developed in consultation with ākonga, whānau, staff, community, and iwi.
• Systems of tracking student progress and achievement are used to identify which ākonga need to make accelerated progress and to collaboratively plan to address their learning needs.
• The recent implementation of vertical whānau classes has grown positive, tuakana-teina learning relationships with kaiako | teachers and peers which are promoting the culture of ākonga becoming the best that they can be.
• Kaiako have unpacked the porowhita to establish where they are already delivered in learning programmes and to identify further opportunities. 

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• continuing to work with iwi to develop kaiako confidence and capability to develop and deliver learning programmes incorporating the graduate profile, local pūrākau | stories, mātauranga |knowledge, and opportunities
• targeted professional learning to develop teaching practices which better engage all ākonga
• consulting ākonga and whānau to determine what success in these skills looks and feels like, how to monitor them and show valued progress
• analysing achievement, agency, and engagement data to evaluate the impact of embedding the graduate profile throughout teaching, learning and pastoral care.

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

23 February 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

This school is planning for a future co-location with Marlborough Girls’ College on a new site.