Bathgate Park School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 24 months of the Education Review Office and Bathgate Park School 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 

Bathgate Park School is situated in South Dunedin. The school was formed in 2012 as the result of a merger between Forbury Primary School and MacAndrew Intermediate School. It provides education for students in Years 1 – 8.

Bathgate Park School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

• promote the health and wellbeing of staff and students to improve Hauora, equity and excellence for all learners
• embed rates of progress and use these consistently for assessment and reporting purposes
• develop a future focussed, concept based local curriculum to engage learners and integrate the New Zealand Curriculum
• extend knowledge and practices relating to tikanga and te reo Māori, for the benefit of all learners.

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Bathgate Park School’s website.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively schoolwide data assessment practices are informing teaching, learning and planning for continuous improvement.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

• school leaders have identified an aspiration to grow the collective capability of all staff to make effective use of assessment information
• school leaders have identified the need to strengthen moderation practices, to improve the validity of assessment data so that quality analysis can support improved outcomes for students.

The school expects to see:

• teachers making effective use of assessment information to identify teaching opportunities and accelerate students’ progress rates in literacy and numeracy
• purposeful, consistent and sustainable schoolwide systems for assessment to better meet the needs of staff and students.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to evaluate how effectively schoolwide data assessment practices are informing teaching, learning and planning for continuous improvement:

• students’ diverse cultures and social needs are well understood and responded to
• a collaborative leadership team, who are committed to delivering better outcomes for students.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• an assessment plan that clearly identifies the purpose and audience for summative and formative assessments so that teachers are supported to make use of consistent and timely judgments about students’ progress and achievement
• professional learning for all staff to improve the collection and use of assessment information so that consistent high quality assessment practices inform teaching, learning and planning for continuous improvement.

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

26 June 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