St Peter's College .::. ERO

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Education Review Office
St Peter's College was most recently inspected by the Education Review Office in 2010. A copy of the report's evaluation is published below. A full copy of the report can be view or downloaded from the Education Review Office's website.
The Education Review Office (ERO) Evaluation for St Peter's College (Gore) 18/08/2010 This report has been prepared in accordance with standard procedures approved by the Chief Review Officer. St Peter’s College is a Catholic, co-educational secondary school in Gore, Eastern Southland. At the time of this review the college had a roll of 400 students, 9% of whom were Maori. Adjoining the college is St Peter’s College Hostel, providing boarding facilities for boys and girls. The hostel currently accommodates 50 students, about 8% of the school roll. It has a completely separate board to the Board of Trustees. Since the last ERO review the college has appointed a new principal. The college principal and hostel manager work closely together to support students’ learning and welfare. Students make good use of the college’s and community’s sporting, cultural and recreational resources, particularly the new sports facilities in Gore. Students consistently achieve highly in the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) qualification, compared with similar schools nationally. Students and parents receive good information about achievement through improved student tracking and reporting systems. The school defines student achievement in an holistic way that includes sporting, cultural and personal growth. A next step for the school is to make better use of school-wide achievement information collected for junior students. There has been extensive development to enhance the quality of teaching and to update the school’s curriculum so it is in line with the spirit and expectations of the national curriculum. Teachers have been developing better ways to inform students about their learning and to create more opportunities for independent learning. These developments are ongoing and the next step is for teachers to further develop their expectations for independent learning so that there is consistency across the school. The school culture and curriculum strongly reflects its special Catholic character. This is reflected in part in the strong pastoral care systems that benefit students’ engagement in their classroom learning. Teachers actively support students in many activities outside and beyond the classroom. The school’s focus on student leadership is being strengthened and students stated that their opinions are regularly sought. The new principal is reviewing many aspects of school operations. Staff and students are being involved in appropriate and considered ways. A recent review of pastoral care is an example of an effective review process in action, with positive outcomes for students and benefits for student-staff relationships. The board of trustees has demonstrated that it is governing the school in the interest of the students and the Crown. The board, together with the principal and school leaders’, continue to focus on improving student learning: engagement, progress and achievement. Future Action ERO is likely to carry out the next review within three years.