Southland Girls’ 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

Southland Girls’ High School is a Years 7 to 13 school for girls located in Invercargill. It has an offsite boarding hostel, Enwood House. The school has a roll of 1047, 23% of whom identify as Māori and 8% as Pacific. The school’s mission is to provide a quality learning community where relationships count, and excellence is expected.  At the time of this review the school was in the process of recruiting a new principal.

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

Expected improvements

The school aimed to sustain and extend its partnerships with the wider community in order to: create more opportunities for whānau to engage on and off the school site; consult with whānau, hapū and iwi in relation to the schools’ strategic direction and promote improved learner outcomes through partnerships with whānau, hapū and iwi.

Findings

The school consulted with the Māori and Pacific communities to learn about their aspirations for their students and gather their input into school improvement goals. As a result, there is a greater focus on getting to know families’ values and cultural expectations on enrolment. Teachers participate in professional learning about local Māori history and have gathered and responded to feedback from Pacific students about teaching practices that support their inclusion and engagement in class. 

Other findings

The school strongly focused on strengthening programmes and interventions to support equitable achievement in literacy and numeracy requirements for national qualifications. This included promoting consistent, structured lesson plans and routines, inclusive teaching approaches that meet the needs of learners with diverse needs and the embedding of a consistent writing process across all learning areas. These actions support student success in National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) literacy and numeracy standards.  

What we know about learner success 

This section provides a summary of learner success, wellbeing and foundation school conditions, including any education in Rumaki/Reo Rua settings. The judgments are based on the ERO School Improvement Framework and evidence provided to ERO during the evaluation.

Learner success and wellbeing

This section provides a summary of learner success and wellbeing.

• The large majority of Year 7 to 10 students achieve at curriculum expectations in reading and writing and mathematics, and most make expected or accelerated rates of progress over time.
• Almost all students achieve the literacy and numeracy requirements for NCEA by the end of Year 11.
• There is disparity for some groups of junior learners and supporting equity of achievement in junior learning remains a school priority.
• Most students achieve NCEA Level 1, almost all achieve Level 2, a large majority achieve Level 3. A small majority achieve University Entrance (UE) and there is equitable achievement for Māori learners at NCEA Levels 2, 3 and UE.
• A small majority of students attend school regularly; this is behind the Government target for regular attendance. Regular attendance is improving, and the school is working actively with its community to improve attendance.

Conditions to support learner success

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

• Leadership drives clear, coherent improvement goals, with a strong focus on accelerating progress for learners at risk of underachievement.
• Leadership promotes a culture of quality teaching, equity, and excellence, ensuring high expectations for evidence-informed practice are clear, shared, and consistently monitored.
• Leadership builds relational trust and fosters effective collaboration across all levels to achieve the school’s vision and improvement goals.
• School evidence shows that targeted learning programmes and interventions are successfully raising the progress and achievement of students in literacy and numeracy.

• Learners experience a broad, rich curriculum with a strong focus on building solid foundations in literacy and mathematics.
• Teachers use learning information effectively to understand each student and design responsive programmes, increasingly applying evidence-based strategies to boost engagement and success.
• Students needing extra support are identified early and receive targeted, effective help, while those excelling are provided with opportunities for challenge and extension.
• Te reo Māori, te ao Māori, tikanga Māori, and mātauranga Māori are increasingly integrated across the curriculum, strengthening culturally responsive practices to support engagement. 

• Students describe a positive, inclusive school culture and trust that staff care about their wellbeing and learning. They feel well supported during key transitions into, through, and beyond school.
• The school has strong, coordinated systems for wellbeing, inclusion, and engagement, regularly gathering and acting on data to improve outcomes.
• Leaders and teachers participate in relevant well-designed professional development and monitor implementation to know about the impact on teaching and on learner outcomes. They share collective responsibility for school improvement.
• Leaders and teachers use a range of evidence to plan, monitor, and evaluate the school’s strategic improvement cycle and the impact of strategies on learner outcomes and wellbeing.

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 key priorities and actions for improvement.

Key priorities

• Further enhance consistent, high-quality teaching and learning in all classrooms through evidence-based high impact teaching strategies.
• Accelerate the learning of Years 7 to 10 students to support equitable success and achievement in reading, writing and maths.
• Continue to prioritise raising regular attendance levels to maximise student’s opportunities to learn.
• Continue to engage in professional learning to further progress the school’s target to improve capability in te reo, me ona tikanga, mātauranga Māori and te ao Māori knowledge and capability in teaching and learning. 

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within six months:

• leaders and staff review, research and strengthen effective strategies and interventions for accelerating Years 7 to 10 students’ progress in reading, writing and maths
• leaders and staff plan and provide professional learning to improve te reo, me ona tikanga, mātauranga Māori and te ao Māori knowledge and capability in teaching and learning
• leaders implement the school’s attendance management plan

Every six months:

• leaders and staff monitor classroom practice for consistent use of high-impact teaching strategies and gather evidence of progress in junior literacy and numeracy
• leaders and staff check how mātauranga Māori is being integrated into teaching and learning and seek student feedback on its visibility and relevance
• leaders evaluate attendance strategies, report progress to the board, and adjust community communication and planning as needed

Annually:

• leaders review achievement data for Years 7 to 10 students and report on the impact of high-impact teaching strategies and acceleration initiatives; adapt planning in response
• leaders evaluate the extent and impact of mātauranga Māori integration across the curriculum and share findings with the school Board and community
• leaders report annual attendance trends to the board and identify next steps for improvement.

Expected outcomes

• All teachers consistently use high-impact teaching strategies that strengthen engagement and achievement.
• Years 7 to 10 students make accelerated progress in reading, writing and maths, supporting equitable success.
• Te reo, me ona tikanga, mātauranga Māori and te ao Māori knowledge and capability is strengthened and visible in teaching and learning.
• Regular attendance levels rise, maximising students’ opportunities to learn.

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

20 February 2026