Catholic Cathedral 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

Catholic Cathedral College, located in Christchurch, is a Catholic state integrated co-educational secondary school for learners from Years 7 to 13.

The school’s values are: Whakapono | Having faith and trust in God and in each other; Whanaungatanga | A sense of family and working together to provide connection and belonging; Manaakitanga | Extending love, care and compassion to others; and Panekiretanga | Striving for excellence.

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

Expected improvements and findings

This section is about the progress the school has made since the September 2022 ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings.

ERO and the school have worked together to evaluate how effectively the school creates an environment in which students have access to a responsive curriculum that meets all learning needs.

Expected improvements

The school expected feedback from learners and others in the school community reflected in future planning. They focused on developing responsive teaching practices through professional development and the use of positive behaviour strategies that align with the school values.

Findings

The school has made good progress. The strategic plan incorporates feedback from learners, staff, and the community. Leaders and teachers act on learner feedback, using data from regular wellbeing surveys to inform planning. The focus on positive learning culture remains successful, with students expressing strong belonging. There is a continued emphasis on staff development in culturally sustaining and inclusive teaching practices, including professional learning in te āo Māori, te reo Māori, and tikanga Māori for all staff.

Other Findings

Since the last ERO review, relationships among learners and staff have improved, creating a calm and inclusive environment.

What we know about learner success

This is a summary of learner success, which guides the School Board’s future strategic direction, including any education in Rumaki/bilingual settings.

Learner success and wellbeing

This section provides a summary of learner success and wellbeing.

• A large majority of Year 7 to 10 learners achieve at or above expected curriculum levels.
• Most Year 11 learners achieve the National Certificate in Educational Achievement (NCEA) at Level 1, and almost all learners achieve Levels 2 and 3. A large majority achieve University Entrance.
• Learners state that they value the sense of inclusion and belonging throughout the school, and that they enjoy a wide variety of learning, co-curricular and leadership opportunities.
• The school is not yet meeting the Government’s target for regular attendance with less than half of learners attending school regularly. Regular attendance is improving and is a priority for the school.

Conditions to support learner success

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

• Collaborative leadership across the school supports a shared understanding of the school’s strategic direction.
• Staff value the clarity of roles and responsibilities which allow for well-documented processes and alignment to the strategic goals.
• Staff state that leadership has strengthened trust and effective collaboration at every level.

• Teachers have consistently strong relationships with their learners and are continuing to develop strategies that promote engagement and success in learning.
• The school has purposefully developed relationships with other educational providers that enhance opportunities for all learners across the diversity of the school to experience success.
• Learners requiring additional support are identified and provided with relevant and effective support to learn and progress.

• The school’s expression of its Catholic Special Character is at the heart of all school processes.
• The Board actively represents and serves the school in its stewardship role with a clear emphasis on learner wellbeing, progress and achievement.
• Leaders and teachers prioritise targeted and sustained professional development to ensure the focus remains on successful strategies for learner progress and achievement.
• Leaders use evidence increasingly well to plan and monitor the school’s improvement goals to evaluate the effectiveness of strategies to improve learner outcomes.

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 actions for improvement.

Key priorities

• Develop consistency of collection and use of data and feedback to inform teaching practices.
• Sustain learner wellbeing, progress and achievement outcomes and accelerate progress for learners at risk of not achieving.
• Build middle leadership capability to ensure schoolwide consistency of practice.
• Refine the Year 7 to 10 assessment and reporting framework for literacy and numeracy progressions to ensure all learners experience success.
• Continue to improve attendance.

Actions to bring about improvement:

Within three months:

• leaders and teachers further develop the school’s strategies for improving attendance
• leaders review current approaches used to collect and use of data and feedback to inform teaching practices and plan next steps

Within six months:

• leaders develop a Year 7 to 10 data framework for consistency of teacher judgement and improved learner outcomes
• middle leaders work together to develop a framework for schoolwide consistency of high-quality teaching practices
• leaders and teachers partner with the community to evaluate the school’s attendance strategies

Every six months:

• leaders evaluate the impact of middle leadership practices on improving teaching and learning across the school to guide decision making and identify areas for improvement
• leaders and teachers respond to trends and patterns of attendance for all learners to refine strategies to improve and sustain regular attendance

Annually:

• the School Board and leaders review progress towards meeting regular attendance targets, progress and achievement goals and act on any emerging trends
• the School Board evaluate the impact of the school’s actions towards its strategic priorities in learner wellbeing and engagement, attendance, progress and achievement to guide future planning
• the School Board report to the community, diocese and iwi on the progress of the school’s implementation of its strategic priorities.

Expected outcomes

• Effective and inclusive teaching approaches are experienced by all learners across the school.
• High levels of wellbeing, engagement and achievement for all learners are sustained.
• Improved levels of regular attendance.

The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Evaluation 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 (Acting)

4 September 2025