Ashburton Christian School

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 

Ashburton Christian School is a state integrated Christian area school located in Mid-Canterbury. It provides education for students in Years 1 to 13. The school’s vision for students is Moemoeā – to grow people who show the school’s values of Love, Know, Serve and Impact.

There are two parts to this report.

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

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

Part A: Current State 

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

Learner Success and Wellbeing 

Most students are engaged and progress well.

• The majority of students in Years 1 to 10 are achieving at expected curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics.
• There are small numbers of students in Years 11 to 13; most achieve Levels 1 and 2 of the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) though less than half achieve Level 3 or University Entrance.
• Students express a strong sense of belonging and feel well supported through inclusive practices that reflect the school’s special character.
• A large majority of students attend school regularly; the school is not yet meeting the Ministry of Education’s national targets and is actively working towards meeting these.

Conditions to support learner success

Leaders are building a culture for high-quality teaching and learning to improve outcomes for students.

• Leaders and teachers work collaboratively to build and sustain relational trust with whānau and the community to support learning.
• Leaders and teachers set goals and provide interventions for students with additional learning needs which improve progress and achievement.
• Leaders intentionally foster opportunities for targeted professional learning with staff to support strategic goals.

Teachers increasingly use consistent strategies to respond to student needs.

• A range of teaching strategies are used to adapt learning to meet students’ needs.
• Local contexts are increasingly used in the curriculum across the school to increase students’ engagement in their learning and to give effect to the Treaty of Waitangi.
• Leaders and teachers review assessment information in teams and use this to inform planning and teaching practice; the school is improving consistency in assessment practices.

The board, leaders and teachers actively seek connections and partnerships with school, whānau and the wider community.

• The board plans strategically to support teachers and students, and effectively review their own performance.
• Leaders and teachers are proactive in seeking opportunities to engage with professional networks that grow teacher capability.
• Leaders and teachers build strong relationships with whānau and the community to support inclusion and improve learning and wellbeing outcomes for all students.

Part B: Where to next? 

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• strengthen partnerships with whānau to support student wellbeing and learning pathways for individual and groups of students
• increase regular student attendance to improve student progress and outcomes 
• continue to develop the school’s local curriculum, give effect to the Treaty of Waitangi and align with The New Zealand Curriculum changes
• embed shared knowledge and consistent practice of staff to more effectively deliver the curriculum, assess and provide opportunities for leadership development.

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

Within three months:

• review attendance information and adapt strategies as necessary
• gather and collate the school’s local curriculum documents to review how well they reflect the school’s special character, give effect to the Treaty of Waitangi, and align with the New Zealand Curriculum changes.

Every six months:

• gather community feedback on wellbeing, achievement and curriculum to inform the refinement of future strategic goals
• continue to monitor attendance, and respond to needs as they arise
• ensure alignment of consistent assessment practice, analysis and reporting
• review students’ assessment information to inform teacher planning and further improve outcomes for students.

Annually:

• evaluate the impact of professional learning on teaching practice and student outcomes
• review and refine the strategies in place to increase regular attendance
• evaluate progress, achievement and wellbeing information to inform future goals and decision making
• review and refine the school’s local curriculum documents.

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

• increased regular attendance 
• sustained partnerships that support teaching practice and student learning outcomes 
• an engaging, school-wide, local curriculum, that enables purposeful teaching and learning opportunities, gives effect to the Treaty of Waitangi and improved outcomes for students.

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

6 November 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