Strength from a common purpose

The shift to working together as a Community of Learning is well underway in the Christchurch Catholic Community of Learning.

Secretary for education Iona Holsted and local director of education Coralanne Child visited Catholic Cathedral College in August to meet with school leaders from the Christchurch Catholic Community of Learning.

This Community of Learning was formed at the end of 2014 and is made up of 15 schools from across the education pathway, serving nearly 5,000 children and young people.

The visit began with a mihi whakatau led by the students of Catholic Cathedral College, followed by a chance to meet with the principals and board chairs of Christchurch Catholic Community of Learning.

The Community’s lead principal, and principal of Catholic Cathedral College Tony Shaw spoke about the Community’s success in accelerating student achievement year-on-year by focusing on the individual needs of learners.

The Community is looking to build on this by supporting students as they transition from primary into secondary school, ensuring they are culturally responsive to their bicultural heritage and the ethnic diversity across the Community, and increasing engagement with whānau.

The Community of Learning spoke about their learning journey as a Kāhui Ako and the sense of a common purpose giving strength to what they do. Having previously worked closely as part of the Catholic Learning Community cluster, the principals and board chairs said the shift to a Community of Learning just made sense.

On the day, the principals and board chairs discussed what they are doing in their own schools to integrate effective practice and embed collaboration. The group commented on the real willingness on the part of the principals and board chairs to share their own successes and areas for development and how they are building capability across their Community through innovative approaches to professional development.

Since the meeting, the Community has appointed its across community teachers and is excited about the future and further opportunities to grapple with the big issues and strengthen best practice across their schools.

The schools involved in the Christchurch Catholic Community of Learning are:

Catholic Cathedral College, Marian College, Our Lady of Assumption School, Our Lady of Victories School, St Anne’s School, St Bede’s College, St James School, St Joseph’s Papanui, St Joseph’s Rangiora, St Mary’s School, St Peter’s School, St Thomas of Canterbury College, St Albans Catholic School, St Teresa’s School, and Villa Maria College.