Columba College

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 to ensure that the child remains at the heart of the matter. 

Context

Columba College is in Roslyn, Dunedin. It is a Presbyterian, state-integrated day and boarding school for girls from Years 7 to 13, with a co-educational junior school from Years 1 to 6. The school’s ‘GRACE’ values are centred on developing good discipline, respect, aroha, citizenship and excellence. A new principal was appointed in 2023.

There are three parts to this report. 

Part A: A summary of the findings from the most recent Education Review Office (ERO) published report and subsequent evaluation.

Part B: An evaluative summary of learner outcomes and school conditions to inform the school board’s future strategic direction, including education in Rumaki/bilingual settings. 

Part C: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle. 

Part A: Previous Improvement Goals

Since the previous report in August 2022, ERO and the school have worked together to evaluate how the middle school curriculum can support high expectations and equitable student learning pathways.

Expected Improvements and Findings

The school expected to see:

A learner profile embedded in the middle school curriculum focused on developing grit, responsible risk-taking, autonomy, collaboration and engagement.

• A pilot programme has introduced a revised middle school programme design emphasising 21st-century skills development.
• Student, staff and community consultation has informed the future direction of learner profiles.
• The school has gained valuable learning from the evaluation process, including the importance of student reflection to build learning-to-learn capabilities, the importance of communication with the school community and the impact of the evaluation on informing school improvement.

A student who embodies the school values of GRACE as both a learner and a person.

• Students continue to develop their understandings of the GRACE values and the importance of their roles in developing students’ full potential as learners and global citizens.

A reinvigorated curriculum design responding to the needs, interests and aspirations of a 21st Century learner, while imparting a robust foundation for success in the senior school.

• Students, staff and the school community have endorsed the importance of a broad middle school curriculum, with opportunities for choice and diversity in the learning areas offered.

The greatest shift in response to the school’s actions is an ongoing commitment to consult widely with students, staff and the school community to inform school improvement.

Part B: Current State

The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.  

Learner Success and Wellbeing

Student outcomes are equitable and excellent, supported by a school culture focused on students reaching their potential. 

• Most Year 7 to 10 students are achieving at, above or well above the curriculum level across all learning areas, with most Year 10 students passing the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) literacy and numeracy requirements.
• Year 11, 12 and 13 students achieve very well, with most attaining merit or excellence endorsement in NCEA, as well as several New Zealand Scholarship awards; Māori student achievement is comparable to their peers in the school in NCEA achievement rates.
• Student attendance is above the Ministry of Education’s national attendance target.

Conditions to support learner success

Strategic leadership is embedding improvements to school conditions that promote student success. 

• Leadership is developing and putting in place the school’s strategic pastoral, curriculum and cultural priorities to drive school improvement.
• Leadership is extending evaluation practices more widely to understand their impact on all learners’ well-being, progress and achievement. 

Curriculum design is increasingly broadening to meet students’ learning needs and interests.

• Leaders’ and teachers’ approach to curriculum development emphasises digital competencies across all learning areas in order to develop students’ learning-to-learn capabilities.
• Leaders and teachers design programmes at all levels of the school to effectively support students who require extra assistance and to extend and challenge those with particular abilities.

Organisational conditions are increasingly coherent and support school improvement. 

• The pastoral support system fosters students' well-being; students benefit from teachers who know them well as individuals and as learners as they progress through the school from Years 1 to 13.
• The school continues to strengthen its partnership with the broader community by focusing on connecting with whānau, the Presbyterian Church and the Araiteuru Marae.

Part C: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

• build on the school’s 2023 structural review of its pastoral, curriculum and cultural initiatives to further inform school improvement and understand their impact on all learners’ well-being, progress and achievement
• continue to embed bicultural and multicultural understandings and responsiveness in wellbeing and learning initiatives across the school.

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

Within six months:

• seek learner feedback to ensure programmes at all levels are fit for purpose and relevant to learner needs, interests and aspirations
• continue to use surveys, community consultation and focus groups to inform school well-being improvements
• develop bicultural and multicultural connections with the community and increase the presence of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori in the school.

Every six months:

• report on student wellbeing, achievement and cultural developments to the board and respond to emerging needs as required
• share best practices across the school to support the continued development of responsive and engaging programmes at all levels.

Annually:

• to inform school improvement, provide evaluative reports to the board on pastoral, curriculum and cultural developments and their impact on learners’ attendance, well-being, progress and achievement
• continue to develop internal evaluation capacity to understand better the effectiveness of initiatives, programmes, and practices.

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

• the continued development of coherent, relevant programmes at all levels of the school and their positive impact on student engagement, progress and achievement
• regular opportunities to learn and use te reo Māori and tikanga Māori, as well as to reflect and celebrate students’ different cultures within the school.

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 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

6 September 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