Mackenzie College

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 12 months of the Education Review Office and ​Mackenzie College​ 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 

Mackenzie College is a rural, coeducational school for students in Years 7 to 13, located in the South Canterbury township of Fairlie. Students come from a large geographic area, including Sherwood, Tekapo, Fairlie and Albury. 

Mackenzie College’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:

• identify and respond to the unique needs of each individual student

• provide effective and meaningful vocational and academic pathways that promote growth and excellence in all forms of learning

• protect and strengthen the mental, physical and spiritual health of staff and students

• provide a safe and effective learning environment and ensure inclusivity for all ethnicities, gender and sexuality.

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on ​Mackenzie College​’s website. 

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well culturally responsive practice promotes excellence and equity in achievement for all learners.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to:

• understand how targeted use of student quantitative data, and student and whanau voice, can positively impact on student and teacher relationships for learning and ongoing improvement in outcomes for learners

• focus on students who identify as Māori, students who are at risk of not reaching their potential, and on addressing disparate outcomes for all learners.

The school expects that ongoing monitoring and evaluation of achievement, valued outcomes and other indicator data, will show improved student outcomes in terms of excellence and equity for all students. 

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal of improving excellent and equitable student outcomes through building culturally responsive practices:

• Teachers share high, clear and equitable expectations for student learning, achievement, progress and wellbeing.

• The school has an experienced staff who have collaboratively built a positive school culture.

• Teachers are proactively engaged in culturally responsive PLD, led internally by Poutama Pounamu leads

• Clear, positive established relationships exist between staff, students, and whānau.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• implementing a localised curriculum that is responsive to the aspirations of students, parents and whānau

• evaluating teaching practice to ensure it meets the needs of all learners by delivering a responsive curriculum that addresses disparity.

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

12 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