Sacred Heart School (Petone)

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 6 months of the Education Review Office and Sacred Heart School (Petone) 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 

Sacred Heart School (Petone), located in Petone, Lower Hutt, provides education for learners from Years 1 to 8.

Sacred Heart School (Petone) strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

• Ensure that the Catholic Special Character of Sacred Heart School is pervasive, based on RISE values, life skills, gospel stories and demonstrated in all aspects of school life which will ensure that every child will be a confident, connected, actively involved, lifelong learner.
• Ensure the provision of our local curriculum covers all students including those with Special Needs, and special abilities and continues to have a focus on the Digital Curriculum.
• Develop and foster an effective partnership between the school, parents and community which leads to further community involvement in all aspects of school life including fundraising.

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on the Sacred Heart School (Petone) website.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well the local curriculum responds and reflects the RISE gospel values, kaitiakitanga, local histories and whānau aspirations enabling all tamariki to build confidence in their identity, sense of belonging, and continuous and sustained improvement.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

• that it encompasses all learners, and acknowledges whānau, leaders and staff’s commitment to further strengthen the school’s culturally responsive approach while enhancing the embedded ‘place-based’ curriculum
• that the board, leadership and staff are highly committed to the achievement and hauora of all learners.

The school expects to see learners experiencing a culturally responsive, rich localised curriculum that reflects the gospel values and aspirations of whānau, builds a strong sense of belonging and supports continuous and sustained improvement.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to further refresh and enhance the localised curriculum:

• active support from whānau has built strong relational trust between students, teachers and whānau that contributes to each learner’s confidence, sense of belonging and sustained achievement
• a committed board, focused on learner achievement and wellbeing, that prioritises the resourcing of tamariki and kaiako learning.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• developing and embedding a refreshed, responsive localised curriculum framework
• further strengthening the school’s place-based learning and culturally responsive approach 
•  building every learner’s identity and sense of belonging to promote continuous improvement in outcomes.

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

13 October 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