St Andrews Middle School

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 140 — 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. August 2018

   103

   Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 28 November 2018

This is one count taken for one report. It says what the roll was on that day, and nothing about how the roll has moved.

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 26 February 2025 — “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

St Andrews Middle School is located in Hamilton and provides education for students in Years 7 to 10. Since 2022, the roll has increased significantly. The board appointed a new principal at the beginning of 2024. The school’ vision of nurturing the language, culture and identity of all learners is underpinned by the values of Mana, Ako, Aroha and Manaaki .

There are three parts to this report.

Part A: A summary of the findings from the most recent Education Review Office (ERO) report and/or subsequent evaluation.

Part B: 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 C: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle.

Part A: Previous Improvement Goals

Since the previous ERO report of February 2023, ERO and the school worked together to evaluate the effectiveness of the way te reo Māori and te ao Māori is taught at the school.

Expected Improvements and Findings

The school expected to see:

Higher levels of fluency in te reo Māori by all students.

Almost all learners make good progress in learning te reo Māori .

All students have extensive opportunities to learn te reo Māori and te ao Māori through the establishment of Te Puna Mātauranga initiative.

Progress and achievement for all students in literacy and mathematics.

The majority of learners make expected progress in literacy and mathematics.

Leaders and teachers use achievement information effectively to provide additional support and targeted interventions for those learners who are at risk of underachieving.

Other Findings

During the course of the evaluation, it was found that the greatest shift that occurred in response to the school’s action is the development of a learning-focused school culture, underpinned by four core values that foster the engagement, progress and development of all learners.

Part B: Current State

The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.

Learner Success and Wellbeing

The school is working towards improving outcomes for all learners.

The majority of learners make expected and accelerated progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

Less than a third of students achieve at and above the expected curriculum levels; raising all learners’ achievement remains an ongoing priority for the school.

Learners express a positive sense of belonging to the school; they take pride in the progress they make in their learning.

Less than half of students attend school regularly; however, regular attendance is improving towards the Ministry of Education’s target.

Conditions to support learner success

Collaborative and distributed leadership sets and pursues the school’s strategic vision for improved learning and wellbeing outcomes for all learners.

Leaders model the school values and prioritise an inclusive and respectful school environment where a strong culture of care and wellbeing for learners is evident.

Leadership sets high expectations for an engaging curriculum and quality teaching that increasingly benefits all learners.

Leaders use a wide range of evidence, including student achievement information and community feedback, to evaluate the effectiveness of strategies that support learning and wellbeing outcomes.

A well-considered integrated curriculum provides a range of meaningful learning opportunities for students.

The school’s curriculum reflects the priorities and contexts of the local community; te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori are integrated throughout teaching and learning experiences.

Leaders and teachers have clearly defined expectations for positive learning and behaviour that are reflected in calm and inclusive classroom environments.

Students are knowledgeable about their current achievement levels and next steps; they set their own improvement goals and work purposefully towards these.

School conditions for learner success are strengthening.

Leadership builds strong partnerships with parents, whānau, iwi and the wider community that enables a shared understanding of the school’s strategic goals and aspirations for learners.

The recently established Graduate Profile provides a well-designed framework of the knowledge, skills, attributes and attitudes students need to participate in a range of contexts beyond school.

Leaders and teachers regularly use evaluation practices that focus on continuing to raise all students’ progress and achievement.

Part C: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

monitor and review attendance initiatives so that more learners attend regularly

continue to improve and accelerate literacy and mathematics outcomes for all learners through consistent high quality teaching and learning practices

embed the Graduate Profile to support ongoing learner engagement, wellbeing and progress

proceed with the board’s initiative of establishing a Rumaki unit that will give learners the opportunity to further develop te reo Māori and their knowledge and understanding of te ao Māori .

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

Within three months:

review the school’s attendance initiatives to align with the Government’s Stepped Attendance Response System (STAR)

continue to provide professional development for staff in effective literacy and mathematics approaches that support students’ ongoing progress

evaluate the impact of the implementation of the Graduate Profile on student outcomes to identify next steps

develop an action plan to ensure the appropriate resources, staffing, curriculum and support are in place for the Rumaki unit

Every six months:

continue to monitor student attendance information to identify initiatives that work and further actions

evaluate the impact of staff professional development on teaching practices and student outcomes in literacy and mathematics

review steps taken to embed the Graduate Profile and make adjustments as needed

gather student and whānau voice on the establishment of the Rumaki unit to inform ongoing planning and decision making

Annually:

analyse schoolwide attendance, wellbeing and Graduate Profile information to strategically plan actions that will improve student engagement and learning outcomes

evaluate and report to the board on student progress and achievement outcomes in literacy and mathematics to inform the professional development needs of teachers

review progress with establishing the Rumaki unit and the impact on learner outcomes to inform future planning.

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

improved regular attendance across the school

increased student progress and achievement in literacy and mathematics

all learners demonstrate the knowledge, skills, attributes and attitudes reflected in the Graduate Profile for future learning pathways

an established Rumaki unit that provides students with the opportunity to become fluent in te reo Māori and knowledgeable about te ao 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

Sharon Kelly Acting Director of Schools

26 February 2025

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 →