Southcity Christian School

School 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

Southcity Christian School is in Glenview and provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. The school roll is about 220 students, 62% of learners identify as Asian, 35% as NZ European/Pākehā and 10% as Māori. Smaller numbers of learners identify as having Pacific heritage. 87 learners receive English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) funding. 

The school’s vision is: To know, love and serve God. Kia mohio, kia aroha, kia mahi ki Te Atua and its A.R.O.H.A.  values are Attentiveness, Respect and Responsibility, Obedience, Humility and Achievement.

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

What we know about learner success

This section provides a summary of learner success and wellbeing. The judgments are based on the ERO School Improvement Framework and the evidence provided to ERO during the evaluation.

Achievement in Years 0 to 8

This section is about learner achievement. It outlines how well learners across the school meet or exceed the expected curriculum level of The New Zealand Curriculum in foundational skills.

Attendance

This section is about school attendance and the progress the school is making towards meeting the Government target of 80% regular attendance.

• Most learners attend school regularly.
• The school is approaching the target of 80% regular attendance.
• The school has a suitable plan in place to improve attendance.
• Regular attendance is improving towards or beyond the target.
• Chronic absence is reducing over time.

Assessment 

This section is about how the school assesses learner progress and achievement.

• The school is improving its approach and the reliability of its practices to accurately find out about achievement against the curriculum.
• Assessment information is used well to adjust teaching practices to ensure ongoing improvement in teaching and student progress.

Progress

This section is about how well the school supports all learners to make sufficient progress.

• The school has good quality planning to increase the rate of progress for all groups of students.
• The school has to some extent improved achievement and progress for those learners most at risk of not achieving since the previous review.
• The school has to some extent extended achievement and progress for learners working at or above curriculum levels since the previous review.
• The school is meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets set for 2030.

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 outlines what the school is doing well and identifies actions for improvement.

Areas of Strength

• Leaders and teachers sustain high levels of achievement in literacy and mathematics. Making better use of school systems to track and monitor accelerated progress and achievement is an identified next step.
• The school’s special character and AROHA values are well-known and enacted to promote positive behaviour, wellbeing and engagement for learning. Students report a strong sense of belonging in the school.
• School leaders work collaboratively, are improvement focused and place learners at the centre of decisions they make. Formal processes such as professional growth cycles and development programmes support building teacher capability.
• Students requiring additional support with their learning are identified, closely monitored and provided with effective assistance to access the school curriculum and experience success. External agencies are involved when appropriate.
• A well embedded consistent approach to teaching and learning is evident across the school with structured mathematics. The school is very well placed to fully implement structured literacy. These approaches support a strong focus on foundational skills.
• School leaders and staff actively integrate te reo Māori and te ao Māori as part of the school curriculum. Learners are well-supported to develop deeper understanding of language, culture and identity.
• The School Board strategically prioritises ongoing improvement. Parents are consulted with to support school developments including holding Whānau Māori hui. Wider networks with other Christian schools and Kahui Ako enable cross-school professional learning, resource sharing and improved partnerships. 

Key priorities

• Accelerate progress and achievement and reduce disparity for identified groups of learners in literacy and mathematics.
• Review and align the school’s current teaching and learning practices with the new literacy and mathematics curriculum and assessment requirements.
• Strengthen evaluative capability across the school by formalising evaluation practices to measure the impact on learner outcomes and support strategic decision making.

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within three months:

• leaders and teachers develop clear expectations to monitor, track and report on the progress of priority learners

Within six months:

• leaders explore and make use of internal evaluation resources to determine a school wide process to improve review, analysis and inquiry

Every six months:

• leaders and teachers review the alignment of teaching and learning approaches in literacy and mathematics with curriculum and assessment developments to identify further staff professional learning priorities
• leaders evaluate targeted interventions and support to accelerate the progress of learners in literacy and mathematics

Annually:

• the School Board and leaders evaluate the impact of targeted interventions to accelerate learning, and of curriculum implementation and use this to inform further decision making.

Expected outcomes

• High quality teaching and learning aligned with the curriculum.
• Excellent and equitable outcomes for all learners.
• Embedded schoolwide evaluation processes.

Regulatory and Legislative Requirements

This section of the report is about how the school meets regulatory and legislative requirements. 

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements

This section of the report reviews the school's policies, procedures, documentation, and checks that it meets all regulations, maintains a safe environment, and supports students' wellbeing.

During this review the Board has attested to meeting regulatory and legislative requirements in the following areas:

Board Administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Personnel Management

Yes

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

16 December 2025