Marlborough Boys' College gets top marks for a positive culture that promotes learning, but must improve its academic performance, according to the Education Review Office (ERO).
An ERO report released to The Marlborough Express yesterday praises new principal Wayne Hegarty for working to transform the school's culture and raising morale, but it notes that achievement rates in NCEA levels 1 and 3 are still below schools of similar decile and same gender.
Mr Hegarty took over this year from interim principal Dave Turnbull, who replaced former principal John Rodgers. Mr Rodgers resigned last year following a turbulent period in which the school ran up a debt of more than a million dollars and was revealed to be virtually insolvent.
The report says Mr Hegarty has built on the work of Mr Turnbull to promote an environment where students can learn, by focusing on school tone, staff morale and getting school systems back on track.
"There is a move to a less punitive, more respective approach to student behaviour and greater ownership by teachers ... A tightening of expectations has resulted in improved attendance and reduced suspensions and exclusions," the report said.
However, it said students' NCEA results had declined since 2007 and the current senior leadership team structure did not provide a cohesive direction for improving teaching and learning.
The ERO and board of trustees agreed priority should be placed on strengthening curriculum leadership, raising the quality of teaching and learning and monitoring progress through self-review.
Mr Hegarty said the report confirmed what he and the board knew.
The numbers of students achieving excellence in NCEA and receiving scholarships needed to increase, and he was confident the school could lift its achievement.
The school could not change what it taught, but could change how it delivered that information and was looking at reviewing how to meet students' specific needs, he said.
"A lot of our boys are interested in automotive. Are we meeting their needs? At the moment, no," he said.
"We want to get away from `one shoe fits all'."
The school aims to adopt a new approach to teaching by 2012.
The report also praised the school's peer support system, its Maori advisory group, its care of Pasifika students and its international student programme.
There are currently seven international students at the school.
Mr Hegarty wants the school to eventually return to hosting about 20 international students, as it did last year.
"The positive comments about the international programme will support us [in increasing international student numbers].
"It's critical to get the numbers back to what they were," he said.
The ERO is expected to release its report on Blenheim's Marlborough Girls' College soon.
WATCH THIS SPACE: Marlborough Boys' College principal Wayne Hegarty and students are celebrating Education Review Office recognition that the school has laid the groundwork for great achievements.
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