Hukarere Girls' College

The roll ERO recorded, and when

ERO writes a roll into each report it publishes: a count taken for that report, on the day shown, by the review team that was there. The Ministry of Education’s current roll for this school is 53 — the figure at the top of this page, and the one to use for how big the school is now. These are a different measurement by a different body, so they will rarely agree, and a difference between them is not a change in the school.

1. July 2019

   85

   Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 17 October 2019

2. June 2016

   92

   Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 6 September 2016

We draw no line between these. Each was counted for its own report, years apart, by a different review team, and a roll moves between reviews for reasons none of these figures record — so the difference between any two of them measures nothing.

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 4 December 2024 — “School Evaluation Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.

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

Hukarere Girls’ College is located in Havelock North and provides education for learners in Years 9 to 13. Through the special character, Anglican faith and Māori , the school seeks to provide kōhine with learning experiences to develop the independence, life-long skills, and confidence needed to thrive in an ever-changing world. A new tumuak i and leadership team were appointed at the start of 2023. The school has relocated post Cyclone Gabrielle.

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 achieve well in the senior school; student achievement in foundational curriculum areas in the junior school is not yet at expected curriculum levels.

National Certificate in Educational Achievement (NCEA) data shows that the school has sustained high levels of achievement over time and across Levels 1 to 3; sufficient, external moderation is a next step.

The school is beginning to gather reliable Year 9 and 10 literacy and mathematics progress and achievement data; current data shows that most learners are not achieving at expected curriculum levels.

Schoolwide attendance levels do not yet meet the Ministry targets for regular attendance; school leaders are strengthening systems and processes for the tracking and monitoring of student attendance, and analysis of attendance data.

Students express a positive sense of wellbeing and are increasingly feeling settled in their new learning environment.

Conditions to support learner success

Leaders are taking steps to foster a professional culture focused on improving teaching practices and student engagement with learning, progress and achievement.

School Leaders are beginning to set and actively pursue key improvement goals that are focused on accelerating the progress of those learners most at risk of underachievement, particularly in Years 9 and 10.

Leadership is taking steps to plan and coordinate the school’s curriculum and set expectations for high quality teaching across the school.

Leaders are beginning to establish educationally focused relationships with other education providers and community groups, to provide students with a greater range of learning opportunities that align with the special character of the school.

School staff are beginning to provide a curriculum and teaching and learning programmes that are responsive to the needs of students.

Appropriate assessment information is beginning to be collected and used to inform teaching and learning, focused on improved outcomes for all learners.

Learning support programmes are in place to support those students that need to make accelerated progress in literacy and mathematics.

Local contexts are beginning to be reflected across curriculum areas so that learners can see themselves and their identity and culture in their learning programmes.

Organisational conditions are being established to drive schoolwide and strategic improvement.

Leaders and teachers are beginning to establish professional networks to support capability and capacity building, and improvement in their leadership and teaching practice.

Leadership is building evaluative systems and processes to support improved schoolwide practices and learner outcomes.

Communication with whānau regarding schoolwide events and learner progress is being strengthened, supporting increased whānau engagement and participation in school life.

The school board is meeting its legislative and regulatory requirements.

Part B: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

embed assessment for learning practices across the school and grow staff capability in data analysis and evidence-informed practice, to be responsive to the needs of all learners

continue to strengthen practices for improving attendance

establish and strengthen systems that support capability and capacity building across the school, including a shared understanding of evaluation for improvement

develop a localised curriculum that ensures learners have access to learning that spans the breadth and depth of The New Zealand Curriculum and is aligned to the special character of the school.

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

Within six months:

school leaders to establish clear expectations for consistent schoolwide planning, assessment and moderation practices; this includes the regular tracking and monitoring of learner attendance and progress

leadership to observe classroom practice and provide feedback through teacher professional growth cycle conversations, focused on improved practices and outcomes for all students

school leaders and teachers to engage in professional learning about assessment for learning practices, making and moderating assessment judgments to inform planning and learner next steps

progress a coherent schoolwide localised curriculum and teaching approaches that span the breadth of and depth of The New Zealand Curriculum

Within a year:

leaders and teachers regularly engage in critical discussion about the impact of their teaching on learner outcomes through the school professional growth cycle, and consequently adapt practice and programmes

a schoolwide localised curriculum is in place and monitored for consistency of implementation

whānau and learner feedback and ideas are regularly collected to inform schoolwide programmes, teaching and learning

the school board has a process of self-evaluation to ensure the effectiveness of its performance and to adjust practice and actions accordingly

Every six months:

staff to collect and rigorously analyse and scrutinise schoolwide attendance, achievement and wellbeing data, to understand the impact of teaching practice and schoolwide programmes on learner outcomes and inform ongoing planning

analysed learner progress, achievement, wellbeing and attendance data is reported to the board and scrutinised to inform decisions about programmes, and teaching and learning

whānau voice collected as part of schoolwide evaluation to inform improvement actions

Annually:

board and staff rigorously analyse and scrutinise schoolwide attendance, achievement and wellbeing data to understand the impact of teaching practice and programmes on learner outcomes, and to inform decision making for the next school year

implement a robust professional growth cycle focused on continuous improvement of practice, leading to improved outcomes for all learners, especially for those most at risk of underachievement

review assessment tools and assessment practice to ensure effectiveness

review and evaluate the effectiveness of the school curriculum and teaching practices to engage learners and support improved outcomes.

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

improved attendance at all year levels, and progress and achievement of Years 9 and 10 learners

individual learner needs met as the result of regular assessment and evaluation cycles that guide effective planning

a school curriculum and teaching practices that sustain high levels of student engagement, and improved and excellent outcomes across the school

strengthened systems and processes of internal evaluation that result in improved schoolwide practices, and outcomes for all learners

students and whānau are valued partners in the development of learning pathways and programmes, supporting high levels of engagement in learning and in the life of the school.

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

4 December 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

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →