Marlborough Girls’ 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.

Every New Zealand state and state integrated school has an ERO review at least once every four years to evaluate what is working well for learners and what needs to be improved.

About the school

Marlborough Girls’ College is a state girls’ school that provides education for learners in Years 9 to 13. The school roll of 952 includes 82% of students who identify as Pākehā / New Zealand European, 22% as Māori, 9% as Pacific, 6% as Asian, and 1% as MELAA (Middle Eastern, Latin American and African). Students can identify with more than one ethnicity.

The school’s vision is to ‘develop rangatahi who are independent learners with the skills and attributes to make our community, our nation and our world a better place’. The school’s values are Manaakitanga (Respect), Whanaungatanga (Relationships), and Kotahitanga (Unity).

Education Counts provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement, school enrolments and school zones. educationcounts.govt.nz/home

An explanation of the terms and judgements used in this report can be found here: Reporting | Education Review Office

Improvement and progress 

This section is about the progress the school has made since the December 2022 ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings.

Expected improvements

The school expected to see teachers strengthen strategies, practices, and interventions to better respond to and support the learning needs of all students. They expected curriculum refinement to meet the aspirations of all learners and enable them to demonstrate increasing agency and experience success.

Findings

The school established and embedded a connected, place-based and culturally responsive curriculum that provides learners with agency and responds to their needs and interests. Interventions to support diverse learners draw on a range of resources and external organisations. Strengthened connections and partnerships with whānau and local iwi enhance pathways for learners. The school is broadening its approach to defining learner success to include capabilities, contribution, service and leadership.

What we know about learner success 

This section provides a summary of learner success, wellbeing and foundation school conditions, including any education in Rumaki/Reo Rua settings. The judgments are based on the ERO School Improvement Framework and evidence provided to ERO during the evaluation.

Less than a third 

Less than half 

Small majority 

Large majority 

Most 

Almost all 

0 to 33%

34 to 49%

50 to 64%

65 to 79%

80 to 90%

Over 90%

Learner success and wellbeing

This section provides a summary of learner success and wellbeing.

The majority of learners are engaged, make progress and achieve well.

• Most learners achieve National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Level 2 and Level 3. The school is yet to consistently achieve equitable achievement for Pacific and Asian learners at NCEA Level 2 and for Māori and Pacific learners at NCEA Level 3.
• The school does not offer NCEA Level 1. Most learners achieve the required literacy and numeracy corequisites in Year 11.
• By the end of Year 10, a small majority of learners are working at or above the expected curriculum level in writing and mathematics. No reliable data was available for Year 9 students.
• Achievement in three or more STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects is equitable across all group’s learners.
• Learners show a good understanding of, and are well-supported to access, a range of academic and vocational learning pathways within and beyond the school.
• Less than half of learners attend school regularly. The school continues to implement initiatives to increase regular attendance. 

Conditions to support learner success

This section provides a summary of leadership, teaching, curriculum and foundation school conditions for improvement.

School leaders work collaboratively to drive improvement across a range of areas of the school.

• Leaders focus on achieving positive and equitable wellbeing, learning and engagement outcomes for all learners. They work together to drive ongoing improvement aligned with the school’s strategic goals.
• Leaders and teaching staff foster positive, respectful, trusting relationships to support learner engagement and achievement.
• The leadership team works collaboratively to build staff capacity and support teachers to promote learners progress and achievement across the diversity of the school. 

Curriculum and teaching are responsive to the needs, interests and aspirations of learners.

• Teaching staff actively support learners through intentional, positive, relationship-based approaches that increasingly cater for diverse learning needs.
• Leaders and teachers provide learners choice within a broad, engaging curriculum that connects learning to local contexts, interests and aspirations, preparing them for future success.
• School-wide literacy and numeracy initiatives are in place to further support learner progress.
• Learners requiring additional support are identified and provided with effective interventions. Teachers are becoming more consistent in meeting the needs of learners. 

Conditions that underpin effective schooling are well-developed and contribute positively to school improvement.

• The Marlborough Girls College Board actively represents and serves the school in its governance role. They monitor learner attendance, wellbeing, progress and achievement to inform ongoing improvement.
• The Board and leaders support and resource school development initiatives and actively celebrate learner achievement and success.
• The school is strengthening partnerships with mana whenua to benefit engagement and success for all learners.
• The school value and develop purposeful partnerships with the wider community to support students learning, wellbeing and meaningful pathways to future learning.

Next steps for improvement

This section provides more detail for the school to include in its strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school. It identifies key priorities and actions for improvement.

Key priorities

• Sustain and enhance learner engagement and achievement for equitable and excellent outcomes for all.
• Identify, evaluate and embed explicit, evidence-based teaching practices to ensure consistent approaches across the school.
• Review and refine systems to track, review, and report on Year 9, 10, and 11 students’ progress to enable timely and effective responses to diverse learner needs.
• Strengthen school spirit and foster a strong sense of belonging across the school community.
• Further improve regular attendance. 

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within three months:

• leaders and teaching staff collaborate to identify and describe high-quality teaching practices that accelerate learning and agency
• school leaders work alongside student leaders to explore and implement sustainable strategies that enhance school spirit and foster a sense of belonging
• the Board and leaders connect with the school community to explore, plan and implement innovative strategies and new initiatives to improve regular attendance

Within six months:

• teachers participate in professional learning to understand and apply high-quality teaching practices
• senior and middle leaders establish a consistent and aligned framework for assessing, monitoring and reporting Year 9, 10 and 11 progress and achievement

Every six months:

• leaders and teachers monitor and evaluate progress to embed high-quality teaching practices across all learning areas
• senior and middle leaders review and refine assessment, monitoring and reporting processes to enhance learner progress and achievement
• the Board and leaders review attendance information and refine initiatives to improve regular attendance

Annually:

• leaders conduct an annual student feedback survey to evaluate student-led initiatives that enhance school spirit and foster a sense of belonging
• leaders and teachers review attendance, achievement and engagement data to evaluate the impact of teaching practices and inform next steps for improvement.

Expected outcomes

• Increased consistency of approaches that sustain and enhance learner engagement and achievement and reduce disparities.
• Strengthened school spirit and sense of belonging that improve learner engagement and achievement.
• Coherent systems for assessing and tracking Year 9, 10 and 11 progress and achievement, enabling accurate reporting and informed decisions on learner pathways and course design.
• Improved regular attendance that meets or exceeds government targets.

The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Report and is due within four 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

Sharon Kelly
Director of Schools

15 January 2026