St James School (Aranui)

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 12 months of the Education Review Office and St James School (Aranui) 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 

St James School (Aranui) is a contributing state integrated Catholic primary school situated in the suburb of Aranui in east Christchurch. The school provides education for students in Years 1-6 and the school’s motto is: Not just a school but a family.

St James School (Aranui)’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

• To improve learning outcomes for all ākonga through quality teaching and a rich curriculum that is relevant now and, in the future.

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on St James School (Aranui)’s website.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the impact of strengthening partnerships with whānau to improve learning outcomes for all ākonga.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is: 

• the strategic plan recognises the unique position of Māori children and their culture, and the school wants to better respond to the aspirations of Māori whānau 
• staff professional development is planned to increase cultural responsiveness in all learning contexts.

The school expects to see: 

• more whānau voice gathered and utilised to guide school strategic direction
• increased consistent, culturally responsive practices across all learning contexts 
• more consistent attendance levels across the student population.

Strengths 

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate the impact of strengthening partnerships with whānau to improve learning outcomes for all ākonga.

• The school already has an engaged and active Pasifika community.
• Staff have high expectations, and they are responsive to the learning and pastoral needs of all learners. 
• There are established and open pathways for communication between home and school.
• A strong Catholic character permeates the school culture and binds school whānau together.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• providing a variety of opportunities for whānau to engage, and share their voice
• all staff attending Tuahiwi cultural workshops so that teachers and support staff can begin and continue to develop their own cultural awareness
• refining the new student information packs to include a way for whānau to share information about, and aspirations for their tamariki 
• developing more learning focused relationships with whānau so that they know that their input is valued at St James Aranui.

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

10 April 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