St Albans 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. 

Context  

​​St Albans School​ is located in Christchurch and provides education for students in Year 1 to 6.   
Te Tikanga Rua Reo is the bilingual unit within the school. The school is situated within a highly diverse community. The three uara (values) of Kaitiakitanga, Manaakitanga, and Rangatiratanga, guide all they do. 

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

Outcomes for students are increasingly equitable and excellent.

• Most students achieve at or above curriculum expectations in reading and mathematics with a large majority achieving in writing. 
• Outcomes for Māori students in reading, writing and mathematics are increasingly equitable; significant improvement in outcomes over time is evident. 
• Disparity for groups of learners across reading, writing and mathematics remains; continuing to bring about improvements is a priority for teaching. 
• A majority of students attend school regularly; the school is yet to achieve the Ministry of Education 2024 attendance target. 

Conditions to support learner success

Strategic leadership works collaboratively to improve outcomes for learners.

• Leaders analyse and systematically monitor schoolwide progress and achievement information; learners at risk of underachievement are identified and their needs are responded to. 
• Leaders plan and implement effective professional development aligned to improvement priorities; regular observations in classrooms and in-depth discussions amongst staff strengthens teaching practice. 
• Leaders support teachers to inquire into their practice and learner outcomes, to better understand what is working well and inform where to next.

A rich localised curriculum with a strong focus on mātauranga Māori is integrated well through high quality teaching. 

• Students experience responsive teaching and learning that reflects their identities, whānau, families and diverse community’s knowledge, languages and cultures. 
• Teachers use assessment activities that are inclusive, relevant and fit-for-purpose; they provide meaningful evidence of progress and achievement as a basis for determining next steps for learning. 
• Teachers use comprehensive guidelines for curriculum delivery, consequently consistent and cohesive practices across the school support learner engagement.

Key organisational conditions are well established to support improved outcomes for learners.

• Students with additional needs or who are at risk of not achieving are well supported through a suitable range of external supports and internal initiatives. 
• Leaders and teachers continue to strengthen partnerships with parents and whānau to actively participate in, and contribute to, students’ learning through ongoing, reciprocal communication. 
• Effective use of internal evaluation identifies areas of strength and targets areas for ongoing improvement. 
• Purposeful and clear decision making by the board and school leadership is underpinned by effective resourcing and improvement focused strategic planning. 

Part B: Where to next? 

The agreed next steps for the school are to:  

• improve equity of outcome between groups of learners particularly boys, Māori and Pacific students 
• strengthen home-school partnerships to improve outcomes for learners 
• strengthen strategies and initiatives to improve students’ regular attendance. 

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

Within six months: 

• establish literacy leaders across the school to embed high quality and consistent teaching in literacy 
• engage in focused professional development in literacy and assessment to build teacher capability and raise achievement 
• develop a plan that will support active participation in home school partnerships to foster higher levels of attendance and engagement. 

Every six months: 

• schoolwide student progress and achievement data is collated and analysed to inform teaching and learning and ensure improved equity between groups of students 
• undertake evaluation of the impact of professional development on improving teacher practice and raising student outcomes to inform planning for continued improvements 
• implement the home school partnerships plan and monitor the effect on engagement and attendance. 

Annually: 

• continue to use and report on student progress and achievement data to inform responsive decision making, and prioritise effective strategies for improving attendance, teaching and learning 
• evaluate the effectiveness of engagement strategies and the impact on improving attendance and achievement for learners, particularly Māori, Pacific and boys 
• review and report to the community progress against the home school partnership plan and identify ongoing improvements.

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

• improved equity between groups of students 
• improved and sustained outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics and attendance 
• parents actively participating in decision making for learning in a range of contexts. 

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 Evaluation 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 

Shelley Booysen 
Director of Schools 

​​19 November 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