Wellington 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 1425 — 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. February 2018

   1471

   Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 1 May 2018

2. July 2013

   1322

   Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 11 September 2013

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 29 April 2024 — “Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.

Background

This Profile Report was written within 18 months of the Education Review Office and Wellington Girls’ College 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

Wellington Girls’ College is located in central Wellington and provides education for students in Years 9 to 13. The school’s vision is to prepare young women to go out into the world as independent thinkers with respect for themselves and others, the confidence to accept and respond to challenges and an enduring passion for learning.

Since 2019 the school has been in the process of a significant redevelopment of its built environment. The majority of the school is housed in temporary classrooms and this is likely to be ongoing for some time.

The school’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

giving effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi through culturally sustaining practice

curriculum provision that promotes equity, inclusion and excellence

fostering student and staff wellbeing and inclusion

progress of the school’s rebuild project.

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Wellington Girls’ College’s website.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well key curriculum developments and culturally sustaining practices are fostering equity, inclusion and excellence for all students.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is that the school has been focused on preparing for significant curriculum change and enacting its commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi by promoting culturally sustaining teaching practice. It now wants to evaluate the impact of these developments on learner experiences and outcomes. The school also wants to improve and sustain equity for Māori and Pacific learners in national qualifications.

The school expects to see students:

develop and deepen their knowledge and understanding of Aotearoa New Zealand’s bicultural heritage

strengthen life-long learning dispositions such as critical thinking and perspective taking

experience a broad curriculum that relates meaningfully to their lives, languages, identities and aspirations

demonstrate self-management strategies that support their health and wellbeing

sustain equitable and high levels of achievement.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support it in its goal to implement culturally sustaining practices and curriculum that promote equity, inclusion and excellence:

governance and leadership that builds and sustains high levels of relational trust and effective collaboration at every level of the school community to achieve the school’s strategic vision and improvement goals

curriculum that offers a range of relevant and authentic learning opportunities and increasingly reflects local contexts in a way that learners can see themselves, their identity and culture

expectations for high-quality, evidence-informed and culturally sustaining teaching that are clear, shared and becoming embedded in school monitoring systems

teachers who increasingly demonstrate a commitment to tangata whenuatanga and Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership by understanding, recognising and celebrating the unique status of manawhenua

strengthening structures, programmes and practices that promote learners’ wellbeing, inclusion and confidence in their identity, language and culture.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

embedding expectations for culturally sustaining practices school-wide

implementation of curriculum initiatives (including for Aotearoa New Zealand Histories, Year 11 curriculum, literacy and numeracy teaching and learning)

ongoing professional development for teaching staff in support of curriculum implementation and culturally sustaining practice

evaluation of the impact of curriculum and culturally sustaining practices on the intended outcomes for students.

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.

Shelley Booysen Director of Schools

29 April 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 →