ERO Report
The summary for the community of the Education Review Office’s report (October 2008 visit) is below. To download the full report, see the ERO website.
3 March 2009
To the Parents and Community of St Bede’s College
These are the findings of the Education Review Office’s latest report on St Bede’s College.
The college is set in spacious and well maintained grounds. An on-site boarding hostel caters for 143 students. Students and teachers have a strong sense of identity with the school, and its culture of developing the whole person. Students have opportunities to achieve in a range of academic, vocational, cultural, and sporting endeavours. Recent initiatives have been successful in engaging more parents in school life. An effective senior leadership team promotes school development and student achievement.
The board and staff are focused on continuing improvement in learning and teaching. They have made some good progress towards addressing the issues identified in the 2005 ERO report. The mathematics faculty is now effectively using achievement information to better meet student needs. Students are informed of their successes and next steps in learning. However, more progress is required for the college to reflect the bicultural identity of Aotearoa New Zealand.
All teachers have taken part in whole-school professional development. The college is working with a group of local schools on a five-year professional development programme that aims to enhance high standards in learning and teaching. Another programme focuses teachers on using Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to further improve their practices.
Students continue to achieve well in national qualifications when compared with those in similar schools. The majority of students gain the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) numeracy and literacy requirements. This compares favourably with the results for students in similar type boys’ schools. However, the proportion of students gaining university entrance in Year 13 is below that in similar schools. Statistics show that the school has very good retention rates for Year 13 students. Most students leave school with some national qualifications or move into further training or full time work.
For this review, the board and senior leaders asked ERO to evaluate the use of student achievement information and how well they are meeting the range of student needs, interests and abilities, particularly for senior students. The report also contains comments about student achievement overall and a review of several areas of national interest.
Teachers have high expectations of students. They know them well and provide a range of support. Teachers are reflective and generally enthusiastic about the professional development initiatives. In the best examples of classroom practice, teaching was effective and of very good quality. However, processes to cater for the diverse range of students in the classroom have yet to be adopted by most teachers. Teachers should now further develop student-centred teaching practices in line with current New Zealand research. Senior leaders have recognised the variation in teaching. They have identified the need to consolidate and monitor recent initiatives to improve learning and teaching.
Senior leaders have improved assessment practices to better identify student learning strengths and needs. Information is gathered and used in an innovative manner to raise student achievement and encourage student goal setting. Each student is challenged to do his very best and gain appropriate qualifications.
The school has a variety of effective learning support programmes. Well developed pastoral care systems help to minimise bullying and nurture underachieving students. Older students mix well with their younger peers. This helps to create a friendly, respectful and supportive environment for all.
Trustees must address some areas of non-compliance. They have still to develop plans and targets to improve Māori students’ achievement. They have yet to review the policy on child abuse. At the time of the review, the board needed to review its international student procedures with regard to the rugby/ESOL programme to ensure compliance with the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students, the Code. The board has since provided documentation that should ensure the college now complies with the Code for all international students.
The board’s strategic planning for continuous school improvement is well informed through regular reports and self review. The board has consulted extensively with parents and staff. Trustees have now to develop more specific and measurable annual student achievement targets.
Future Action
ERO is confident that the board of trustees can manage the school in the interests of the students and the Crown and bring about the improvements outlined in this report.
ERO is likely to review the school again as part of the regular review cycle.
Review Coverage
ERO reviews do not cover every aspect of school performance and each ERO report may cover different issues. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to student achievement and useful to this school.
If you would like a copy of the full report, please contact the school or see the ERO website, http://www.ero.govt.nz.
Isabell Sinclair Irwin
Area Manager
for Chief Review Officer