McAuley High School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 12 months of the Education Review Office and McAuley High 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 

McAuley High School, in Ōtāhuhu Auckland, is a state integrated secondary school for young women from Years 9 to 13. Mercy Catholic traditions and values are central to the school’s curriculum. The majority of ākonga are from various Pacific backgrounds.

“Tangata ako ana i te kāenga, te tūranga ki te marae, tau ana”

A person nurtured in the community contributes strongly to society.

McAuley High School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

• Catholic Character – Staff and ākonga will foster, strengthen and enhance their understanding of Catholic Mercy Education to ensure that the special Catholic Character of McAuley High School is deepened and embraced.

• Excellence and Equity in Student Outcomes – A culturally responsive lens is used to ensure all ākonga can access and be engaged with the curriculum to increase student achievement at every year level for all learners. 

• Staff and Student Wellbeing – To ensure that learning pathways are provided that develop confidence, resilience and connectedness to grow the hauora of all ākonga and staff.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well ākonga are supported throughout their transition pathway to tertiary education.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

• the high numbers of ākonga moving on to tertiary education means there is a need to ensure ākonga, in particular Pasifika learners, are well prepared for this transition

• a school wide commitment to preparing ākonga to be successful in their tertiary studies so that the community is strengthened by the embodiment of panekiretanga (giving glory to God by striving for excellence in all aspects of life).

The school expects to see:

• McAuley High School graduates have a strong sense of fa’asinomaga (identity) and autonomy that builds on the school’s Catholic culture and traditions

• ākonga maintain their sense of fa’asinomaga throughout their tertiary experience

• professional relationships and effective teaching are focused on the learning and hauora of ākonga, underpinned by relational and culturally responsive teaching

• professional development that continues to enhance teaching capability with an equity and excellence focus for Māori and Pasifika ākonga

• well-established, reciprocal, educationally powerful connections, communication and relationships to bring to life the aspirations of ākonga, their whānau, mana whenua and the community.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support their goal to evaluate ākonga transition pathways to tertiary education:

• ākonga are confident and capable of competing to the highest standards within tertiary education and their chosen career pathways

• learner progress and achievement outcomes are consistently equitable and excellent for all learners

• ākonga demonstrate agency and self-efficacy in their learning to achieve excellence in their achievement outcomes

• Māori and Pasifika ākonga are consistently well supported to achieve success with a strong sense of their cultural identity

• the school has the collective capacity to do and use evaluation, inquiry, and knowledge building for improvement and innovation with a clear focus on improving outcomes for Māori and Pasifika ākonga

• the Senior Leadership Team see higher education as a key factor for improving community outcomes.

“He rangi tā matawhāiti, he rangi tā matawhānui”

A person with narrow vision has a restricted horizon; a person with wide vision has plentiful opportunities.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• continuing professional learning to strengthen the cultural capability of staff

• strengthening the connection between curriculum, career guidance, community and support provided for ākonga.

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.

Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

7 March 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