St Mary's College (Ponsonby)

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 998 — 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. May 2015

   957

   Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 29 June 2015

2. October 2010

   802

   Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 2 February 2011

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 5 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

St Mary’s College (Ponsonby) is a Catholic girls’ integrated secondary school located in central Auckland that provides education for learners from Years 7 to 13.

Since the previous ERO review a new principal and two deputy principals have been appointed to the senior leadership team.

The school is guided by the Mercy values of ‘ Te tapu o te tangata ’ (Respect and Dignity); ‘ Panekiretanga ’ (Excellence); ‘Tika’ (Justice); ‘ Te āwhinatanga ’ (Service) and ‘ Te Aroha ’ (Compassion).

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

Learning outcomes are equitable, excellent and sustained over time.

Most Year 7 to 10 students are achieving at or above curriculum expectations in reading, writing and mathematics.

Almost all students including Māori and Pacific students achieve very well in National Certificate of Education Achievement (NCEA) Levels 1 to 3 and University Entrance (UE).

Learners with additional needs are well supported to achieve success.

A large majority of students attend school regularly; the school is working towards meeting the Ministry of Education targets for regular attendance.

Conditions to support learner success

Leaders actively build conditions that enable students’ success.

Leadership increasingly and strategically sets and pursues improvement goals and targets towards students’ personal growth and academic success.

School leaders develop and sustain high levels of relational trust and effective collaboration with the school community to achieve its strategic vision.

Leaders effectively support teachers through coaching and mentoring to sustain students’ success.

Students experience an increasingly engaging, meaningful and challenging curriculum.

The integration of the school’s special character in learning by leaders and teachers successfully guides and promotes a focus on equity and excellence in the curriculum and a strong sense of belonging for the students.

Teachers proactively engage in professional learning to improve their practice to promote continued and sustained student success.

Learners have meaningful opportunities to learn through a broad curriculum; teachers consistently support learners to gain sound foundation skills in reading and writing, communication and mathematics.

Key conditions that underpin successful schooling are increasingly embedded and aligned to promote the school’s strategic vision.

The school culture and Mercy values are demonstrated in the inclusive practices for all learners and in its service to the community.

Parents and whānau are respected and valued learning partners within the school community in support of students’ success.

The board represents and serves the school community well to develop the school’s vision, values strategic direction and improvement priorities related to students’ learning and wellbeing.

Evaluation for improvement is meaningful and there is an embedded understanding of the role of evaluation for improvement.

Part B: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

improve the use of achievement data for Year 7 to 10 students to inform teaching and learning programmes and report progress and achievement levels to the Board

continue to integrate mātauranga Māori and culturally responsive practices in teaching and learning to further enact the school’s Mercy values

sustain high, equitable and excellent outcomes for all students.

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

Within six months:

refine the collection and collation of Year 7 to 10 achievement data to inform improvements to teaching and learning

continue to document expectations for the use of mātauranga Māori across all learning areas.

Every six months:

effectively analyse key Year 7 to 10 student achievement data to inform improvements to teaching and learning

monitor and promote the use of effective teaching practices schoolwide to ensure excellent and equitable learning outcomes are sustained

implement, monitor and support school expectations for mātauranga Māori and culturally responsive practices in learning schoolwide.

Annually:

continue to use Year 7 to 10 students’ achievement data to inform teaching and programme planning

reflect on, review and embed high quality and effective teaching practices schoolwide

continue to refine, monitor and support school expectations for mātauranga Māori and culturally responsive practices in learning throughout the school.

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

sustained high, excellent and equitable learning outcomes for all students

effective and responsive teaching strategies, and mātauranga Māori are embedded in teacher practice to promote success for all students

effective and consistent use of achievement data for Year 7 to 10 students that informs high quality teaching and learning programmes.

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

5 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 →