James Hargest College

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 12 months of the Education Review Office and James Hargest 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 

James Hargest College is located in Invercargill and provides education for students in years 7 to 13. The College is the governing school to the Murihiku Young Parents Learning Centre and the managing school for the Invercargill Activity Centre.

James Hargest College’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to strengthen:

• culturally responsive practices school wide

• curriculum / teaching and learning

• wellbeing and engagement outcomes for all learners.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the extent to which the review, refinement and implementation of the curriculum is growing learners’ agency and engagement through meaningful educational experiences and pathways.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

• a longitudinal systematic review is underway to refine and implement a meaningful localised curriculum

• leaders and the board have gathered feedback from teachers, learners, whānau and the community on their needs and aspirations for a culturally responsive, forward-focused and engaging curriculum.

The school expects to see learners engaging and achieving success in a meaningful, responsive curriculum that prepares them well for their future.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to systematically and deliberately review its curriculum:

• well established, collective capacity to do and use evaluation, inquiry and knowledge building

• school-wide leadership is collaborative and prioritises improvement for equitable and excellent outcomes

• students, including Māori and Pacific learners, are well supported to achieve success and enhance their learning and wellbeing.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will continue to prioritise:

• implementing effective systems and processes to support curriculum development, wellbeing and engagement

• building teachers’ collective knowledge of mātauranga Māori, with a specific focus on Murihiku, to support the teaching of a localised curriculum

• engaging with its whānau, parents and community in reciprocal, education-centred partnerships to enrich opportunities for students to become confident, connected learners.

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

5 May 2023 

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