Rolleston 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 

Rolleston Christian School is a state integrated, special character primary school providing education for students from Years 1 to 8. The school values are Hope, Excellence, Love and Peace.

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.

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 learners achieve at or above expected curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Learners have a strong sense of belonging deeply embedded through specific learning programmes aligned with the school values.
• Most learners attend school regularly; the school meets the Ministry of Education targets for attendance.

Conditions to support learner success:

• Leaders support teachers in their professional growth through coaching sessions which strengthen their reflective practice.
• School leaders model the school values when collaborating to explore ways to improve school programmes and outcomes for learners.
• School leaders support teachers by effectively responding to learners’ behavioural and or learning challenges through adapted support for individuals and groups.

• Leaders and teachers align curriculum learning with community people, places, resources and contexts to successfully support learning opportunities and learners' achievement outcomes.
• Teachers collaboratively develop agreed teaching practices that engage and stretch learners; practices are linked to improving outcomes for learners particularly those at risk of not achieving.
• The inquiry model is well embedded into teachers’ professional growth cycles; this supports teachers to think about their programmes and ways of teaching to improve equitable and excellent outcomes for groups of learners.

• Learners have sufficient opportunities to gain foundation skills in reading writing and mathematics.
• Leaders and teachers use a wellbeing and behaviour initiative that strengthens an inclusive environment for all learners.
• The Living Christianly curriculum is used and monitored successfully by teachers to develop a growth mindset and self-compassion to enhance and practise wellbeing across all contexts.

Part B: Where to next? 

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• fully implement the school wide behaviour and wellbeing programme to promote a strong focus on learning and behaviour
• refine assessment systems and practices to align changes in the school’s teaching practices and curriculum content
• extend teacher capabilities and confidence to use tikanga Māori and te reo Māori into classroom programmes so that it is evident in all learning areas, to affirm learners' cultural identity
• continue to sustain and monitor student attendance and engagement levels.

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

Within six months:

• leaders and teachers finalise and begin implementation of the school wide behaviour and wellbeing programme.

Every six months:

• leaders monitor behaviour and wellbeing data to check how well the programme is being consistently implemented and its impact on learner engagement
• leaders and teachers examine learners’ work, discuss benchmarks and align assessments to ensure assessment judgements are agreed and at appropriate levels
• leaders and teachers continue to improve their confidence and capability in te reo and tikanga Māori in learning programmes, to improve engagement in learning and outcomes for Māori students.

Annually:

• leaders and teachers gather and analyse achievement and engagement data to inform planning and resourcing
• review the implementation and progress of a whole school behaviour programme and respond to findings
• review the assessment schedule against literacy and numeracy benchmarks to ensure that it provides accurate and timely information about learner progress
• leaders and teachers continue to improve their confidence and capability in te reo and tikanga Māori in learning programmes, to improve engagement in learning and outcomes for Māori students.

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

• improved engagement and participation in learning
• assessments that give learners more understanding of their progress and support them to plan their next steps
• leaders and teachers effectively and intentionally weaving te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori opportunities through teaching and learning contexts to improve engagement in learning and outcomes for Māori.

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

25 October 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