John Paul II High School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 31 months of the Education Review Office and John Paul II High School 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 

John Paul II High School is a Catholic, state-integrated, year 9 to 13, co-educational school serving the Westland area. The school’s refreshed ‘LIGHT’ values foster: learning, integrity, guardianship, hauora, and truth. The school appointed a first-time Principal in 2022.

John Paul II High School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:

• develop and implement activities and programmes that help students to encounter Jesus Christ
• provide students with world class educational opportunities and support that enables them to achieve their full potential, build clear goals for their adult lives, and obtain the qualifications and skills they require for a successful transition from high school
• develop a culture of equity, inclusion, and partnership with Ngāti Waewae that has student success and wellbeing at the heart.

A copy of the school’s strategic and annual plans can be requested from John Paul II High School.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the impact of the wellbeing for learning programme, introduced in 2023, on student engagement, wellbeing, and learning outcomes.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is: 

• data showed that students were experiencing higher levels of anxiety and stress than most New Zealand students of similar age
• a desire to improve career guidance and pathways education to prepare their students for life beyond high school
• to introduce hauora activities, study skills, integrated ‘STEAMM’ education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Maths and Mātauranga Māori), and extension as part of a localised curriculum.

The school expects to see improved student attendance, engagement, wellbeing, learning progress and achievement through a holistic hauora programme.

Strengths 

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate the impact of the wellbeing for learning programme, introduced in 2023, on student engagement, wellbeing, and learning outcomes:

• leaders have refreshed the school values and introduced systems which emphasise hauora
• strategic recruitment of staff for positions of responsibility aligns with the wellbeing for learning programme
• partnerships with local government and community organisations who are supporting and, in some cases leading aspects of, the wellbeing for learning programme
• student voice is routinely gathered, analysed, and used to inform decision making and review.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• growing partnerships with Ngāti Waewae and whānau Māori to increase equity, inclusion, and cultural responsiveness
• increasing opportunities for recognising and celebrating student successes aligned with the school’s new “LIGHT” values
• targeting professional learning for teachers in differentiation strategies, pedagogy, and cultural responsiveness
• gathering and analysing data to evaluate the impact of these programmes on engagement, wellbeing and learning outcomes for students.

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

22 January 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