Nelson College For Girls

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 

Nelson College for Girls is a single sex school for girls in Years 9 to 13, located in Nelson. The school’s vision is to educate, empower and nurture each student so they can confidently succeed in their world | Kia whakaakona, kia whakamanatia, kia whāngaia ia ākonga, kia tū maia rātou i roto i tō rātou ake ao. 

The school provides some opportunities to learn in Māori medium for junior learners transitioning to the school from a Māori medium environment.

The college’s board also governs the Nelson College for Girls Preparatory School, Nelson Young Parent School and Clarice Johnstone House boarding hostel. A new principal was appointed in 2024.

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 

Learning outcomes are increasingly equitable and excellent.

• In 2024, a majority of Year 10 learners achieved the literacy requirements for NCEA, just over half achieved the numeracy requirements; the school needs to develop processes for monitoring and reporting on junior students’ progress and achievement, particularly in literacy and numeracy.
• Most learners achieve the National Certificate in Educational Achievement (NCEA) Levels 2 and 3, a majority achieve Level 1 and University Entrance (UE); a good proportion of learners gain merit and excellence endorsements on their national qualifications.
• There are equitable outcomes for Māori learners in NCEA Levels, 2, 3 and UE; the school has identified there is further work to do to improve equity in engagement and achievement for Māori learners in Yrs 9 to 11.
• The majority of learners attend school regularly; the school is yet to meet government targets for regular attendance and continues to work with parents and the community to improve attendance.

Conditions to support learner success

Leadership is actively fostering the conditions for sustainable school improvement.

• Leadership sets and pursues clear, relevant improvement goals and is fostering a culture committed to high quality teaching and equity and excellence in learner outcomes.
• Leadership is strengthening relational trust and effective collaboration at every level of the school community to achieve the strategic vision and improvement goals.
• Leaders increasingly involve whānau, hapū and iwi in decision-making in the school; the school’s vision, goals, targets and priorities are beginning to reflect those set out by iwi. 

Curriculum design and teaching are increasingly responsive to the diverse interests, cultures and abilities of learners.

• Learners have rich opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the New Zealand curriculum with a consistent focus on supporting learners to gain sound foundation skills in literacy and numeracy.
• Learners needing additional support are known and provided with a range of relevant and tailored support; there are strengthened opportunities and contexts for learning that respond to learners’ cultures, identities and languages.
• Learners benefit from learning in calm, orderly environments supported by clear expectations, routines and explicit teaching.

School conditions are well-established and support school improvement and positive outcomes for learners.

• Students report feeling cared about in their school and having positive relationships with staff and students.
• A comprehensive range of policies, programmes and practices effectively promote learners’ wellbeing, inclusion, confidence in their identity, language and culture and engagement in learning.
• Leaders and teachers are engaging in professional learning that is improving their confidence and capability in integrating te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori in teaching and learning.
• Leaders and teachers are developing and embedding shared expectations for effective, inclusive teaching.

Part B: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• improve the attendance levels of students, and groups of students, who need this to experience success in learning
• strengthen analysis and reporting of junior student progress and achievement to better support strategic decision-making and evaluation of the effectiveness of curriculum and teaching
• strengthen the breadth and consistency of teaching practices that meet the many different learning needs of students
• embed the school’s expectations for effective, culturally responsive teaching practices and evaluate the impact of these on improving student learning and engagement.

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

Within six months:

• promote and implement the school’s new processes for communicating about and following up on concerning learner attendance with staff, learners and their families
• develop processes for evaluating and reporting the progress and achievement of junior students, particularly in literacy and numeracy
• identify expected teaching practices to meet the different learning needs of students and plan for teacher professional development and feedback
• implement the school’s plan for further developing teaching and curriculum that values and affirms learners’ cultures, identities and languages

Every six months:

• analyse attendance data to assess the effectiveness of strategies and adapt accordingly
• report on Year 9 and 10 learners' progress in literacy and numeracy, identifying priorities and adapting plans
• monitor progress in strengthening teaching practices to meet diverse learner needs and respond to cultures, identities, and languages

Annually:

• review annual attendance data to evaluate trends and the effectiveness of strategies and to make strategic decision
• report on Year 9 and 10 learners' progress in literacy and numeracy, identifying successes and areas for improvement to set goals for the next year
• evaluate how well professional learning has supported teachers in meeting learning needs and affirming learners' cultures, identities, and languages, and use this to inform future planning.

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

• more learners attending school regularly and succeeding in learning
• junior student progress data being used to evaluate curriculum and teaching effectiveness and support decision-making
• junior students making good progress and being well-prepared for the literacy and numeracy requirements of national qualifications
• teachers using a wider range of strategies to meet different learner needs and affirming their cultures, identities, and languages.

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 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

Sharon Kelly
Director of Schools (Acting)

27 May 2025

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