Avondale College has received a very positive School Profile Report from the Education Review Office | Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga (ERO), New Zealand government’s external evaluation agency which evaluates and reports on the education and care of learners in schools.
The report reflects the shift to a new style of evaluating, in which ERO and the school work together in an on-going way to identify priority areas for improvement that will support equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners.
Avondale College was one of a handful of schools selected by ERO to trial this new methodology, which saw Avondale and ERO working collaboratively to identify the goal of evaluating how well the provision of effective teaching and a responsive curriculum contribute to enabling all students to achieve success and equitable outcomes for all.
This focus was chosen partly in response to the College’s strategic goal of promoting excellence and equity for all students, and also as a way of empowering students to achieve their aspirations and experience success.
In the report, ERO identifies a number of strengths that are already enabling Avondale College to achieve these aims, including:
A school culture that promotes high levels of student success
The provision of broad career pathways in the curriculum
Strong systems and processes to support students’ wellbeing
Teachers' commitment to professional learning to advance their teaching strategies
Established evaluative processes for reflection and school improvement
The fact that ERO’s report recognises that Avondale College already has well-established processes and practices in place to help students achieve success is very positive, says Avondale College’s Acting Principal, Dr Terry Brown.
“This independent assessment of the high quality of education that the school offers to its students is a much-welcomed endorsement. We’re looking forward to continuing this collaborative approach with ERO,” he says.
Moving forward, the report identified next steps for Avondale College as the ongoing development of teachers’ effective teaching and learning practices to enhance students’ engagement and success; and the continued development of an innovative curriculum design, which is increasingly responsive, meaningful and accessible.
This year’s one-off School Profile Report will now provide the basis for the next three-year cycle of reporting, after which a School Evaluation Report will be drafted, looking at the school’s improvement journey and what has been achieved for learners and their future priorities.
To view the full ERO Report, click here