Mt Aspiring 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.  

Context 

Mt Aspiring College is a co-educational Year 7 to 13 state secondary school located in Wānaka, drawing learners from the Upper Clutha area and from around New Zealand | Aotearoa. The school’s vision is to be an inclusive and sustainable learning environment, inspiring learners to be creative, curious, courageous, and compassionate. 

There are three parts to this report.  

Part A: A summary of the findings from the most recent Education Review Office (ERO) published report and subsequent evaluation. 

Part B: An evaluative summary of learner outcomes and school conditions to inform the school board’s future strategic direction, including education in Rumaki/bilingual settings.  

Part C: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle.  

Part A: Previous Improvement Goals  

Since the previous ERO report in August 2022, ERO and the school have worked together to evaluate the ongoing impact of a schoolwide focus on improving literacy skills and developing learner agency (learners having choices and taking control of their learning) in each learning context. 

Expected Improvements and Findings 

The school expected to see:  

That teaching and learning programmes are meeting the current and future needs of improving learners’ literacy skills. 

• Leaders and teachers have initiated several effective steps to accelerate learners’ literacy progress at all year levels, including targeted interventions for priority learners, and regular reporting to parents, whānau and the board. 
• The college is taking steps to address variability in learners’ writing skills and is increasingly focusing on improving the writing accuracy required for success in National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) qualifications in literacy and mathematics. 
• Learner progress in literacy is consistently and regularly tracked, resulting in a cohesive approach to improving student progress and achievement at Years 7 to 10. 

The development of teacher capability and confidence through inquiry to support learners in their literacy skill development across all learning contexts.  

• Teachers across all learning areas are increasingly supporting students to build transferable literacy skills; through this process, teachers increasingly understand how effective literacy skill development occurs across the curriculum to improve students’ learning outcomes.  
• Teachers use a collaborative inquiry process to examine and share their understandings about best practice to make a positive impact on learners’ literacy progress and achievement. 
• Teachers are initiating steps to address the literacy needs of increasing numbers of English language learners joining the school community so that these learners can successfully access The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC). 

Learners feeling in charge of their learning progress. 

• Students are building a comprehensive long-term picture of themselves as learners, including their literacy learning, through conversations about their progress and next steps which they lead with their whānau teacher, parents and caregivers. 
• Students report that they have an increased sense of ownership and commitment to the learning goals they have established in partnership with their teachers, parents and whānau. 

The greatest shift that occurred in response to the school’s actions is an increase in teachers’ collective capability and commitment to prioritise literacy as a critical skill for learners to reach their potential both within and beyond school. 

Part B: Current state 

The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.   

Learner Success and Wellbeing 

• The majority of learners in Years 7 to 10 are achieving at or above expected curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics, with equitable achievement for Māori learners. 
• Achievement in literacy and numeracy for Years 7 to 10 learners is improving, with targeted programmes to accelerate progress for learners identified for literacy acceleration.  
• Most learners continue to achieve Levels 1, 2 and 3 of NCEA and University Entrance, with increasing parity for Māori. 
• Learner attendance is approaching but not yet at the Ministry of Education’s national target; the majority of learners attend regularly.     

Conditions to support learner success

• The leadership team works collaboratively to build staff capacity and self-review processes which have a positive impact on learner achievement and engagement. 
• Leaders effectively use schoolwide achievement information to inform the setting of key priorities in the school’s strategic plan, evaluate progress towards improving learning and wellbeing outcomes, and inform planning. 
• The school provides responsive opportunities for learners to take on an increasing range of leadership roles that contribute to implementing the school’s values.

• The school’s curriculum design integrates local contexts to increasingly address students’ learning interests and aspirations, through a range of connections, including to local tāhuhu kōrero and whenua (history and place). 
• Leaders and teachers implement a cohesive schoolwide teaching approach to continue to develop learners’ cross-curricula literacy skills within learning programmes. 
• Leaders and teachers are initiating the use of a common learning plan across curriculum areas incorporating teaching practices which respond to learners’ languages, cultures and identities, so that students increasingly develop key learning skills.

• The school’s whānau group structure is an effective support strategy for wellbeing, with teachers building responsive understandings about students both as learners and individuals. 
• School leadership and the board foster productive partnerships with parents, whānau and the community to ensure alignment during the strategic planning process. 
• The board effectively supports and resources strategic priorities to improve learners’ wellbeing and learning progress.   

Part C: Where to next? 

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• continue to develop learners’ writing to enhance engagement and achievement across the curriculum through understanding progressions in writing and next steps for each learner to make progress 
• support teachers’ professional learning to embed the NZC’s evidence-based teaching approaches that consistently improve student learning, to sustain and enhance learner engagement and achievement 
• ensure that the refreshed curriculum is embedded to support student learning and engagement and allows learners to further develop their knowledge of the local curriculum and te ao Māori  
• embed strategies to improve and sustain regular attendance.  

The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows. 

Within six months 

• teachers engage in professional learning to increase learner engagement in writing, in evidence-based teaching approaches that consistently improve student learning, in the local curriculum and in te ao Māori 
• leaders review reporting to parents on attendance and ensure that there are a range of supports in place to assist learners whose attendance needs to improve 

Every six months 

• leaders and teachers review learning programmes to ensure they provide engaging learning tasks and increase opportunities for students to develop their writing skills 
• leaders and teachers use attendance data to identify trends and patterns and increase learner engagement 

Annually 

• leaders collect staff and student feedback to review progress on developing learning tasks and on improving student learning and engagement in writing skills  
• leaders review learner achievement data to evaluate overall progress and achievement in writing across the curriculum  
• leaders provide evaluative reports to the board on the impact of attendance strategies and teaching and curriculum developments on learner engagement and achievement, then apply findings to inform strategic planning.  

Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:  

• improvements in learners’ self-management, engagement and confidence in writing, which also support improvements in learner wellbeing  
• learning tasks and a local curriculum, including te ao Māori, which engage students and help them feel increasing ownership of their learning progress  
• improved and sustained levels of achievement and regular attendance. 

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Evaluation Report and is due within three 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. 
 

​​Shelley Booysen​
​​Director of Schools​ 

​​23 January 2025​   

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