Gilberthorpe School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 10 months of the Education Review Office and Gilberthorpe 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 

Gilberthorpe School, Ara Tū Whakatā, is located in Christchurch. The school provides education for students in years 1 to 6. Their vision is ‘Pathways for Success’. 

Gilberthorpe School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners prioritise:

• ensuring a collaborative culture of learning and growing
• valuing our place, our people, our community.

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Gilberthorpe School’s website.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate leadership of responsive teaching and learning practices, impacting on learner wellbeing and academic success for students from Years 1 to 6.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

• the school’s strategic planning objectives prioritise wellbeing and success
• analysed school data shows scope for further enhancing student achievement across the school
• targeted professional development supports enhanced teaching and learning practices, now ready to be embedded and sustained.

The school expects to see accelerated progress in core literacy and mathematics learning areas. Culturally responsive and relational practices will foster wellbeing, and be deliberately woven through localised curriculum, planning and teaching practices. Student voice and choice will be heightened. Leaders will review and document the school’s expectations for quality teaching and learning, and staff will consistently demonstrate these shared understandings in practice. Purposefully engaging with whānau and families in the evaluation for improvement journey will further support positive outcomes for all.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to further develop responsive teaching and learning practices:

• a strong foundation of supportive relationships, embedded values and an ethic of care that foster an inclusive culture
• dedicated, collaborative and reflective staff who embrace improvement-focused professional learning in order to enhance outcomes for learners
• robust systems for identifying, prioritising, and monitoring students’ needs, underpinned by coherent support structures that scaffold learners impacted by behavioural, pastoral or academic challenges.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• investigating key evaluation questions to identify teaching and learning strengths and needs, informing annual planning and creating the basis of an evaluation for improvement plan
• refining the school’s localised curriculum and quality practice guidelines, and using this to review and refine ways that hub leaders purposefully embed, sustain and monitor desired practices
• continuing to strengthen data analysis by stating clear actions that align with strategic objectives, goals and plans.

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

27 June 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