ERO Reports

The Education Review Office reviews all schools in New Zealand every three years. Wainuiomata High School was first reviewed in 2003, 18 months after the school was set up. The ERO team returned in 2006. Both reviews were very positive. The ERO completed a new review in June 2009, and has now released its report.

• You can read the full 2009 report by clicking here or on the link in the navigation bar at left.
• You can download an MS Word copy of the report here.
• The Community Page has been included in the August Newsletter, and below.

You can access the full reports from 2003 and 2006 by clicking on these links:

• June 2003 ERO Report
• August 2006 ERO Report

Below is the Community Page. It is a summary for the school's community of the full report. It covers these aspects:

• What sort of school is this? - characteristics of the school, its students and special features, and an overview of the school’s performance;
• What is the quality of education received by the students? - information on the quality of curriculum delivery;
• How well do students learn? - information on student achievement;
• What is the organisational culture of this school? - information about the attitudes and values the school promotes, and whether they are evident in practice;
• What are the strengths in this school? - information about any curriculum and extra-curricular areas that the school delivers well, that could be of particular interest to parents;
• What is the quality of school leadership and board governance? - information on how well the school is managed, and its compliance with national regulations and requirements.

Individual ERO school and early childhood centre reports are public information and may be copied or sent electronically. However, the Education Review Office can guarantee only the authenticity of original documents which have been obtained in hard copy directly from either the local ERO office or ERO Corporate Office in Wellington. Please consult your telephone book, or see the ERO web page, http://www.ero.govt.nz, for ERO office addresses.

11 August 2009

To the Parents and Community of Wainuiomata High School

These are the findings of the Education Review Office’s latest report on Wainuiomata High School.

Wainuiomata High School is a year 9 to 13 co-educational secondary school located in Wainuiomata, a suburb of Hutt City. It features a wharenui and a purpose-built student support service building, Te Matariki, that is the centre of extensive pastoral care provision for students. There is an attached alternative education site. At the time of this review, in June 2009, the school had a roll of 933 students, 40% of whom identified as Māori.

Engagement and consultation with parents and the wider community are features. Many opportunities for dialogue are provided and a partnership approach is promoted. A particularly effective example is the introduction of learning conferences which promote three-way discussions between students, their parents and teachers about their progress.

There is an effective framework for self review to guide the school’s strategic direction and assist the Board of Trustees in its decision making. The board is focused on and committed to improving outcomes for students by raising academic achievement, increasing attendance and placing a particular emphasis on their well-being.

The principal demonstrates high quality professional leadership. He actively promotes and models a culture of continuous self review and high expectations for behaviour and learning. He strongly promotes the school’s vision of inspiring young people “to become lifelong learners who positively contribute to society”. He is ably supported by, and works closely with, the senior management team, each member of which has a particular area of responsibility.

As a result of systematic self review there are many well-considered initiatives to motivate students to achieve and encourage their engagement and attendance. These include refocusing on the consistent application of common classroom practices, implementing restorative practices and conferences and investigating boys’ achievement levels. Teachers are involved in regular professional learning to meet the diverse needs of students. Self review is fostered through weekly staff meetings where best practice is shared at “bring and brag” sessions.

Wainuiomata High School has a good reporting history with ERO. The next steps are to continue focusing on the use of revised guidelines for classroom management, and develop the use of assessment data in years 9 and 10 to inform planning and teaching in classrooms to meet the differentiated needs of students.

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 carry out the next review of the school in three years.

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.

SIGNED
Dr Graham Stoop
Chief Review Officer