ERO Report

The following is the Education Review Office Report (ERO) report for Villa Maria College in 2005. The next review is due in 2009.

Villa Maria College is an integrated Catholic college for Years 7 to 13 girls.  It is located in northwest Christchurch.  The 756 students who attend the college live in the Christchurch urban area and adjacent rural districts.  The roll includes a number of international students. 

The focus for this review included the special character, assessment for learning, including the subject areas of technology, health and physical education, English, mathematics, planning and review of management and leadership.

The board, principal, staff and students value the special character of the college.  This special character is apparent in all areas of the college operation.  There is a caring atmosphere within the college.  Both students and staff consistently display consideration towards others.

Senior student achievement is consistent with that of other decile nine schools.  Nearly all Year 13 students complete their secondary education and gain nationally recognised qualifications.  Other analysis conducted through a testing programme with Canterbury University shows that the progress of students improves from Years 9 to 11 beyond predicted levels.

A recent development has been the updating of a school-wide system for collecting and analysing student achievement data.  When this system is fully operating it should provide valuable baseline data for analysing trends and patterns of student achievement.  The next step is to improve the way teachers in subject areas use student achievement information to improve the effectiveness of their learning programmes.  Teachers expect this to be an outcome of the professional development they are undertaking this year.

The college provides a broad curriculum that has an academic emphasis.  The opportunity to study foreign languages and Te Reo is a feature of the college.  Small classes in languages are accommodated in order to maintain this choice for students.  At the same time, the range of courses available to senior students has been extended and now caters more effectively for students' varied learning needs and interests.  Students interviewed during the review spoke positively about their opportunities to take part in a wide range of extra curricular activities.

Students observed in classes during the review were at all times receptive to learning.  Within the focus of the review, students were seen receiving good quality teaching in health and physical education, the Year 7/8 homeroom classes and in some English and technology classes.  In mathematics, the other subject area observed during the review, learning programmes were well organised though students could have been involved in more problem-solving activities.