Halswell Residential 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 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

Te Otu Mātua HRC Halswell Residential College is a residential short term intervention school for students from both primary and secondary schools. There are 7 students at the school.

Situated in Christchurch, students come from throughout New Zealand to attend the school. Students meet specific entry criteria and are referred to the college by the Ministry of Education and the Resource Teacher Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) service. Students at Halswell Residential College generally have a combination of intellectual impairments and/or are neurodiverse with complex and challenging needs and behaviours.

The college values of Manawa Roa - be resilient, Whanaungatanga - build relationships and Whawhakaaro -reflect, support a philosophy of care. The school aspires, in partnership with students and families, to provide learners with the skills and strategies to engage in their local education and be the best they can be. The college has four residences for students Te Whare a Owaka, Te Whare a Makonui, Te Whare a Huritini and Te Whare a Tauawa. The residences include specific provisions for girls and Māori learners.

A new principal began at the start of Term 4, 2025 after a long serving principal resigned at the end of 2024.

In June 2025, a commissioner replaced the Ministerially appointed combined board of Halswell Residential College and Westbridge Residential School. The Commissioner undertook governance of both schools and is currently facilitating Halswell Residential College’s transition to governance under its own board.   

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 June 2024 ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings.

Expected improvements

The college focused on reviewing assessment methods because it was not clear how consistent or effective they were in measuring student progress and supporting ongoing progress and achievement.

The college expected to see suitable assessment methods embedded and used consistently by staff to inform teaching. It was expected that teachers would better identify, monitor, and address learners' needs in order to improve outcomes.

Findings

The college has made progress in improving assessment. Staff now use a revised assessment framework that tracks progress and achievement based on the New Zealand Curriculum and Daily Living goals. Staff across the college worked together to build their understanding of assessment, especially of the ‘All About Me’ programme. They have developed clear and consistent assessment practices. Learners participate in the assessment of their own progress towards their goals.

The tracking and monitoring of learners’ progress is clearer and comprehensive and provides information for programme planning and goal setting.

Other Findings

The college found it was over assessing students’ skills and learning. The changed assessment approach helped make assessment criteria easier to use and more relevant for students. Now, learner progress is clear and can be recognised and celebrated. 

An important factor in this process is that the college led the initiative with less dependence on external input. As a result, staff are more familiar with approaches for developing and monitoring the effectiveness of each learner’s customised programme. There has been an increase in staff and school community collaboration to improve learning and other valued outcomes.

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.

Less than a third 

Less than half 

Small majority 

Large majority 

Most 

Almost all 

0 to 33%

34 to 49%

50 to 64%

65 to 79%

80 to 90%

Over 90%

Learner success and wellbeing

This section provides a summary of learner success and wellbeing.

The college demonstrates a strong and effective approach to supporting learner achievement and wellbeing.

• Most learners make progress against their individual academic, residential skills and learning goals. Almost all learners at the school made a 6-month improvement in the reading in 2025.
• Most learners who left between Term 4, 2023 and Term 3, 2024 gained sufficient confidence and skills to successfully return to secondary or tertiary education.
• Information collected by the school shows that learners made positive gains in terms of their confidence and belief in themselves. Student progress and achievement is monitored through a recently developed, comprehensive tracking system.
• A strong, responsive personalised transition programme supports learners and whānau to move into and out of the college setting and access future learning pathways. 

Conditions to support learner success

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

Leadership is effective, demonstrating a clear commitment to continuous improvement and alignment with strategic priorities.

• Leaders establish and regularly review a professional development programme to ensure alignment with strategic goals. This supports staff in delivering curriculum changes and improving outcomes for Māori learners.
• Leadership fosters a culture of relational trust and collaborative problem-solving across school and residential settings. Staff are encouraged to reflect and improve continuously, contributing to a supportive learning environment.
• Leaders use a range of data, including learner feedback, and achievement tracking, to guide planning, monitor progress in learning, and evaluate the impact of initiatives. This includes systems to track learners after they leave the college. 

The curriculum is highly responsive to the diverse needs of learners, providing targeted interventions that foster engagement and personal growth.

• The curriculum provides learners with targeted interventions, supporting their engagement in local education through personalised, strengths-based approaches.
• The curriculum actively reflects local tikanga Māori, mātauranga Māori, and te reo Māori, with a commitment to equitable outcomes for Māori learners and strong collaboration with mana whenua.
• Learning occurs across both school and residential settings, with all staff including kaiako, youth workers, and residential assistants contributing to curriculum delivery. Every interaction is seen as an opportunity to support learning.
• Student progress is tracked through observational methods and learning stories. The ‘All About Me’ framework and milestones are used to personalise learning and celebrate progress and achievement. 

Strong organisational conditions support inclusive learning, wellbeing and curriculum delivery across the school and residential settings. 

• Refined assessment practices ensure that assessment is meaningful and manageable, enabling staff to respond flexibly to the individual needs of students.
• Staff develop effective programmes, with increased collaboration across the school community to improve learning and wellbeing outcomes for all students.
• Leadership, policies, systems, and practices are coherently aligned to drive strategic improvement.
• Evaluation for improvement is embedded across the school, with leaders and teachers regularly using evidence to plan, monitor, and evaluate the impact of their actions. This supports strategic improvement and informs future planning cycles. 

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

• Embed curriculum and assessment changes through targeted professional development, especially in literacy and mathematics.
• Refine and embed the ‘All About Me’ programme alongside national and school curricula to improve student outcomes.
• Further improve outcomes through comprehensive analysis, tracking and monitoring of students’ needs, abilities and progress.

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within six months:

• leaders establish a professional development plan to support staff learning in strategic areas including literacy and mathematics.
• teachers and leaders review the ‘All About Me’ programme, identify areas for improvement and alignment and plan next steps
• leaders undertake preliminary work to refine systems to track, monitor and report on learners’ progress after their time at Halswell Residential College

Every six months:

• leaders and teachers work together to evaluate impact of professional development on staff practice and learner outcomes, adjust as needed and plan for the following term
• leaders and teachers work together to review curriculum alignment in relation the ‘All About Me’ to continue to improve student outcomes

Annually:

• leaders and the Board analyse data gathered about leavers transition from the college to secondary and tertiary education to identify key findings to inform future planning
• leaders evaluate the impact of staff professional development on staff and learners’ outcomes to inform future planning.

Expected outcomes

• Improved learner outcomes through targeted teaching and curriculum alignment.
• Enhanced staff capability and confidence in delivering responsive education for students in residential specialist school setting.
• Clearer understanding, tracking and monitoring of students’ needs, abilities and progress to better inform planning and action. 

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

11 November 2025