Selwyn College

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report 

Background

This Profile Report was written within 4 months of the Education Review Office and Selwyn 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

Selwyn College | Te Kāreti o Herewini is a medium-sized co-educational secondary school located in Kohimarama, Auckland that caters for students from Years 9 to 13. 

The school’s core values are kotahitanga, rangatiratanga and manaakitanga expressed in ‘The Selwyn Way’, the school’s tikanga. This tikanga also embraces SELWise; the school’s teaching and learning toolkit. 

Selwyn College’s overarching strategic goal is to grow the academic and all-round achievement and attributes of each of its ākonga to ensure success for themselves, their whānau and their communities. 

The school’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to continue to:

• embrace and strengthen the use of SELWise to build the attributes, agency and achievement of ākonga
• support ākonga to make informed decisions and pathway successfully into the world of work and learning beyond secondary school 
• strengthen SELWell to enhance the safety and wellbeing of ākonga, kaiako and other staff 
• improve the curriculum and NCEA to deliver the best learning and qualifications outcomes and future pathways for ākonga 
• strengthen wrap around systems and support SILver opportunities to empower ākonga in their decisions and actions 
• give effect to Te Tirirti o Waitangi and celebrate diversity to affirm the identities, language and culture of ākonga and enhance their mana, connectedness and success 
• strengthen the local curriculum in partnership with whanau and the school community, in particular Ngāti Whatua Orakei.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well the school is authentically integrating Mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) into their Selwyn College curriculum to promote excellent and equitable outcomes for all students. 

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to enhance students’ knowledge and understanding of the local curriculum, developed through links with iwi, hapū and whānau. This will support the school’s ongoing commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. 

The school expects to see:

• students who experience a local, authentic curriculum which will support their knowledge and understanding of te ao Māori and New Zealand | Aotearoa as a bi-cultural nation
• increasing excellence and equitable learning outcomes for all students
• the school strategically planning developments to support the strengthening of tikanga Māori and te reo Māori. 

Strengths 

Selwyn College can draw from the following strengths to support its authentic integration of Mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) into its curriculum: 

• an inclusive, purposeful, and respectful school culture and student-centred learning environment that supports students’ wellbeing and achievement 
• effective teaching and learning based on a research-based toolkit that is focused on developing students’ agency, and learning attributes through a relevant and challenging curriculum 
• effective, strategic and established leadership that prioritises school improvement and equitable and excellent outcomes for all students 
• a collaborative professional learning community who reflect on evidence from research and their own practice to enhance their teaching and students’ learning experiences.

Where to next? 

Moving forward, the school will prioritise: 

• reviewing and co-constructing the school curriculum with mātauranga Māori to promote relevant learning and improve learning outcomes for all students 
• advancing the academic achievement of Māori ākonga through the mahi of Kōkiri Rōpu and the review of its efficacy to promote inclusion and equity
• continuing to grow students and teachers kawa and cultural competencies with te reo and tikanga Māori to enact Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

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

15 May 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

This school has the Totara Learning Centre to support students with additional needs.