Our Lady Star of the Sea School (Christchurch)

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 3 March 2025 — “School Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.

School 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.

About the School

Our Lady Star of the Sea (Christchurch) is a state integrated Catholic school located in Sumner and provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. The school has approximately 100 students, nearly all of whom are European/ Pāhekā , 10% of students identify as Māori . The school roll has increased. The school’s STAR values are serenity, tika, aroha and respect .

How well placed is the school to promote educational success and wellbeing?

How well are learners succeeding? Success and progress for all learners is increasing.

What is the quality of teaching and learning? Learners benefit from high quality teaching practice that improves progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics.

How well does the school curriculum respond to all learners needs? Learners have sufficient opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum. There is an increasingly consistent focus on supporting learners to gain skills in literacy and mathematics. Learners with complex needs are well supported to achieve their education goals.

How well does school planning and conditions support ongoing improvement? School planning and conditions to support ongoing improvement to the quality of education for learners are well established.

How well does the school include all learners and promote their engagement and wellbeing? The school reasonably promotes learners’ engagement, wellbeing and inclusion.

How well does the school partner with parents, whānau and its community for the benefit of learners? The school reports usefully and accurately to parents / whānau about their child’s learning, achievement and progress. The school responds well to a wide range of information gathered through community consultation, to inform strategic planning and curriculum decisions.

Student Health and Safety The school needs to ensure a physically and emotionally safe learning environment.

Achievement in Years 0 to 8

This table outlines how well students across the school meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Foundation Skills

Reading Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are equitable for all groups of learners.

Writing A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are equitable for all groups of learners.

Mathematics Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are equitable for all groups of learners.

Attendance

The school is approaching the target of 80% regular attendance.

The school is developing a suitable plan in place to improve attendance.

Regular attendance is improving towards or beyond the target.

Chronic absence is not yet reducing over time.

Assessment

The school is improving its approach and the reliability of its practices to accurately find out about achievement against the curriculum.

Assessment information is used well to adjust teaching practices to ensure ongoing improvement in teaching and student progress.

Progress

The school is developing good quality planning to increase the rate of progress for all groups of students.

The school has to some extent improved achievement and progress for those learners most at risk of not achieving since the previous review.

The school has to some extent extended achievement and progress for learners working at or above curriculum levels since the previous review.

The school is making progress towards Government reading, writing and mathematics and/or pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau targets and is likely to meet them by 2030.

Part B - Findings for the school

This section of the report provides more detail for the school to include in strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school.

Areas of Strength

The school has maintained consistent levels of achievement over time. Teachers know their learners’ well and intentionally plan teaching and learning that responds to learners’ strengths and needs.

Leadership builds and sustains high levels of relational trust and effective collaboration at every level of the school community to achieve the strategic vision and improvement goals.

The school is using a structured approach to literacy to support learner progress and achievement, and the school is well placed to implement structured mathematics practices.

Learners have meaningful opportunities to learn across the curriculum; there is an increasingly consistent focus on supporting learners to gain sound literacy and mathematics skills.

Teachers are well supported with professional learning to upskill, inquire and reflect to improve their teaching practice and learner outcomes.

Key priorities and actions for improvement

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

align school wide assessment and reporting practices to national curriculum changes and strengthen leaders and teachers’ analysis and response to school-wide achievement data

implement mathematics and literacy curriculum changes consistently across the school

strengthen culturally responsive partnerships to provide opportunities for all learners to see their culture reflected in the curriculum and teaching and learning

increase regular attendance to meet the Government target.

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

Within six months:

leaders review school-wide assessment and reporting practices to ensure alignment with assessment expectations and adjust as necessary

leaders develop and implement a plan to increase attendance to meet the expectations for regular attendance

Every six months:

leaders and teachers analyse and respond to school-wide achievement data to identify students requiring accelerated progress and provide this support

leaders and the board review the effectiveness of strategies to improve attendance and make adaptions to the plan as necessary.

Annually:

teachers review and make adaptions to curriculum programmes, teaching practices and interventions to support learners in response to professional learning, achievement data, and national curriculum reviews

leaders and teachers analyse and evaluate school wide progress, achievement and wellbeing data and use this information to inform strategic decision making.

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

increased progress and achievement for all learners

well analysed data effectively used to inform strategic decision making

learners engaged and regularly attending school.

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements

All schools are required to promote student health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.

During this review the Board has attested to some regulatory and legislative requirements in the following areas:

Board Administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Personnel Management

Yes

Actions for Compliance

ERO has identified the following area of non-compliance during the board assurance process:

the school must check two identity documents and evidence referee checking as part of safety checking of the workforce [Sections 25, 26 and 27 of the Children’s Act 2014: Safety checks of children’s workers; Regulations 5 – 8 of the Children’s (Requirements for Safety Checks of Children’s Workers) Regulations 2015].

The board has since taken steps to address the areas of non-compliance identified.

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

Sharon Kelly Acting Director of Schools

3 March 2025

Education Counts

This 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 →