Hillmorton High School

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 

Hillmorton High School is an urban Year 7 to 13 co-educational school in the southwest of Christchurch. The school’s Upland specialist programmes provide for students with diverse learning needs. The school is working in partnership with Ko Taku Reo|Deaf Education New Zealand with satellite classrooms within the school. 

The school’s leadership structure has changed, and an Associate Principal position has been established. The school roll has grown since the last ERO review. 

The school’s vision is With our communities, we nurture well-rounded and accomplished young people, prepared and ready for life. The school’s values are Tūrangawaewae (Belonging), Whanaungatanga (Interconnectedness), Mana (Respect), and Ako (Learning).

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 August 2022 ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings.

Expected Improvements

The school aimed to achieve high-quality teaching and learning, as well as equitable outcomes for all students. These improvements were to be supported by evidence-informed practices tailored to Hillmorton High School learners and enhanced internal evaluation processes to support the middle school curriculum delivery.

Findings

Student achievement at Level 3 in National Certificate of Education Achievement (NCEA) and University Entrance (UE) has improved. 

Improved oversight of Years 7 and 8 ensures that the curriculum meets government requirements and students spend an hour each day on reading, writing, and maths. The allocation of subject time for Year 10 students has been changed to include an additional hour of maths each week.

A Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) has been appointed to better support students with additional learning needs.

Teachers have put more focus on teaching in ways that respect students’ cultures and on building good relationships for learning. A new class observation system uses various evidence to enhance teaching and student outcomes, with Rongohia Te Hau monitoring its effectiveness.

Other Findings 

The greatest shift that occurred is a stronger focus on culturally responsive and relational teaching, supported by targeted professional learning. The appointment of a SENCO has significantly improved access to support for students with additional needs. 

What we know about learner success 

The judgments in this section are based on the ERO School Improvement Framework and the evidence provided to ERO during the evaluation.

Learner Success and Wellbeing 

This section provides a summary of learner success and wellbeing. 

• By the end of Year 8, a small majority of students are at or above the expected curriculum level in mathematics and writing, and a large majority at or above in reading.
• By the end of Year 10, less than half of all students are at or above the expected curriculum level in mathematics with a small majority in writing and a large majority in reading; Year 7 to 10 achievement is not yet equitable for all groups of learners.
• The large majority of learners achieve NCEA Level 2 and 3; less than half achieve NCEA Level 1. The school has yet to achieve equitable outcomes for boys and Māori and Pacific learners.
• Learners report feeling cared for and well supported in their transitions to work and further learning.
• A small majority of learners attend school regularly. Attendance practices are being refined to improve consistency across all year levels. 

Conditions to support learner success

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

• Leaders build trust and work together across the school community to support strategic goals and continuous improvement.
• Leaders build and maintain strong, education-focused relationships to support learner transitions throughout the school.
• The school Board, leaders and teachers respect and value students’ cultural backgrounds and identities and are strengthening programmes and practices that promote belonging and success in learning.

• Leaders and teachers offer a wide range of learning options, including online, community and tertiary-based learning opportunities, that reflect and support students’ interests, strengths and future pathways.
• Teachers use relationship-based strategies and connect learning to students’ interests, abilities and aspirations to keep them engaged.
• Learners who need additional support are clearly identified and provided with effective support to help them learn and progress.

• The school Board actively represents and serves the school in its governance role, promoting wellbeing and monitoring learner progress and achievement to inform ongoing improvement.
• The school Board, leaders and teachers are strengthening their partnership with mana whenua and embedding Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles to grow learners as active, responsible citizens of Aotearoa New Zealand and the wider world.
• Leaders use systematic evaluation to inform priorities and guide strategies that improve learner outcomes and wellbeing; there is a need to strengthen the alignment of some policies and procedures to ensure that these reflect change initiatives.
• Leaders and teachers foster positive, respectful relationships that support learner engagement and continuous improvement.

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 actions for improvement.

Key priorities

• Improve equity in learning, achievement and engagement outcomes.
• Strengthen systems and processes to improve regular attendance.
• Embed effective and responsive teaching and learning approaches that meet individual needs across the school.
• Establish clear expectations and apply relational and restorative behaviour management approaches consistently schoolwide.

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within three months:

• senior leaders align attendance policies, procedures and practices to ensure consistent implementation and use across the school
• curriculum leaders review student achievement data, identify inequities in achievement and areas for further improvement and plan next steps
• leaders and teachers work together to identify effective and responsive teaching and learning approaches that meet individual needs across the school

Within six months:

• leaders and teachers work together to implement and embed effective and responsive teaching and learning approaches that meet individual needs across the school
• leaders and teaching staff participate in ongoing professional learning to strengthen restorative practices and establish clear, consistent responsive practices
• leaders monitor how well staff are implementing and using attendance procedures and policies to help improve regular attendance

Every six months:

• curriculum leaders and teachers review progress and achievement data to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching strategies in improving student outcomes and plan next steps
• senior leaders monitor the implementation of attendance procedures to support improved regular attendance, identify areas for further improvement
• leaders and staff review and refine restorative practices and shared expectations to ensure consistency across the school
• curriculum leaders and teachers regularly reflect on and adjust teaching programmes and approaches to promote greater equity for learners

Annually:

• curriculum leaders and teaching staff strengthen sustainable and responsive approaches to teaching and learning to improve learning outcomes
• the school Board and senior leaders review and refine attendance policy, procedures and practices to improve regular attendance, identify next steps and share with the community
• senior leaders and staff collaboratively review and refine restorative practices and shared expectations to ensure consistency across the school
• curriculum leaders and teachers evaluate and adjust teaching programmes and approaches to promote greater equity for learners. 

Expected outcomes 

• Improved outcomes and increased equity for all learners.
• Effective systems and processes to support improved regular attendance.
• Increased engagement and positive behaviour for learning underpinned by clear and consistent use of restorative practices across the school.

Recommendation to the Ministry of Education

ERO recommends that the Ministry of Education provide tailored support for:

• improving student attendance to meet the government’s targets
• progress and achievement for students in Years 7 to 10
• improving engagement and achievement outcomes particularly for boys and Māori and Pacific learners. 

The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Evaluation 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

14 October 2025