Surprises on NCEA's report card

School's back, NCEA numbers are out and principals across the country are assuring parents that pass rates - no matter how dismal - are normal.

But the Herald on Sunday has found some surprises among Auckland's results.

Several low-decile schools are punching well above their weight, leaving decile 10 schools struggling to explain why their results are so far down the rankings.

Others have made huge improvements since last year and some - such as private girls' college St Cuthbert's - have had consistently near-perfect results.

After four years phasing in NCEA, teachers and students seemed to have become more comfortable with the system, said Professor John Langley, principal of Auckland College of Education.

The qualifications authority had worked hard to iron out the early inconsistencies, he said. "If you actually believe something is worth doing, you believe in the system and you put your shoulder in and you get on, you can make it work. I think NCEA's potential - even on its worst day - is vastly better than what we've had over the past several decades."

But parents could still be confused by the numbers.

Pass rates were worked out by the national qualifications authority according to the total number of students in each year, so accelerated students or those sitting Cambridge International Examinations were included - but would essentially appear to have failed, Professor Langley said.

This meant the NCEA pass rates at top schools such as Auckland Grammar and Westlake Boys' appeared low.

Parents should look for upward trends from year to year, he said, and not make decisions based solely on data. High pass rates meant "obviously they're doing something right", but it was also important to visit the school.

He said Sir Edmund Hillary Senior Collegiate's 2005 jump - from 3.6 to 20.4 per cent at Level 3 - was significant but St Cuthbert's 97.23 per cent average was "bloody outstanding".

Dilworth School, a decile five, full boarding school, put paid to the notion that boys struggle with NCEA.

The school's pass rates put it in the top tier, streets ahead of decile five rival Mt Albert Grammar School and even decile 10 Long Bay College.

Dale Burden, acting principal at Mt Albert Grammar School, said the statistics were complicated. The school's pass rates ranged between 45.3 and 58.3 per cent - but just across the road, decile six Marist College scored up to 86 per cent.

"I guess that's just where we are academically at the moment," Mr Burden said. "The average is the average. Surprise, surprise, high-decile schools with white middle-class students did well."

NCEA "does what it needs to do", said Lynda Reid, principal of St Cuthbert's College. "It stimulates the kids and helps them get into the career pathways they want."

THE BEST ACHIEVERS:

Mt Roskill Grammar School

Scored: Won 71 scholarships - putting the decile four, public school fourth in the country and just two behind the top Auckland school, Auckland Grammar. NCEA pass rate averaged 57.7 per cent, one of the highest of the lower-decile schools.

Roll: 2306.

Ethnicities: Indian 25 per cent, Asian 27 per cent, New Zealand European 17 per cent, Pacific Island 20 per cent, Maori 5 per cent, other European 2 per cent, other 4 per cent.

Description: It could well be the perfect public school. Decile four, co-educational and situated bang in the middle of Auckland's red-brick suburbia, Mt Roskill has twice been Goodman Fielder School of the Year and has students from 60 nationalities.

The result: Acting principal Mark Rivalland said the school focused on developing "a really great attitude to academics" and hard work was the key to student success. This year, the goal was to lift the academic performance of weaker students. There had also been a major push to help boys do better.

Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate Senior School

Score: Although still in the lower tier of NCEA results, Level 3 pass rates at the decile one school soared from 3.6 to 20.4 per cent last year.

Roll: 541.

Ethnicities: Samoan 40 per cent, Maori 19 per cent, Tongan 19 per cent, Cook Island Maori 16 per cent, Niuean 5 per cent, other 1 per cent.

Description: There are no easy options for teachers at Sir Edmund Hillary: this is a decile one, co-educational school, based in Otara. The focus here is on working with employers and preparing students "for whatever life may throw at them". Up until three years ago it was known as Hillary Collegiate and, since the re-launch, academic achievements have increased.

The result: It's all a matter of believing in the system, says assistant principal Peter Uys. "We believe in it and we vigorously promote it ... we make sure that our students are absolutely tuned in to NCEA." Level 2 pass rates were up 13 per cent to 52.9 and 70 per cent of students gained university entrance last year, he said.

Dilworth School

Result: Pass rates for Levels 1, 2 and 3 averaged 82.4 per cent last year. The Level 1 pass rate alone put the decile five school ahead of 10 decile 10 schools in Auckland.

Roll: 484.

Ethnicities: Pakeha 61 per cent, Maori 25 per cent, European 4 per cent, Samoan 3 per cent, Tongan 2 per cent, other 5 per cent.

Description: All Dilworth boys board on full scholarships and live over two campuses - the seniors on the old Dilworth farm homestead site, on Great South Road; juniors beside the motorway in Remuera.

Analysis: Smaller class sizes, a sense of routine and self-discipline are behind Dilworth's consistently good NCEA results, says principal Donald MacLean. Involvement in sports, music and culture, and the full boarding status meant students felt like a family and always had support.

Wesley College

Result: Wesley's NCEA pass rates ranged from 51.9 to 62.7, shunting the decile two school ahead of five decile 10 schools. Overall, the pass rate is up 5.4 per cent on 2004.

Roll: 310.

Ethnicities: Maori 54 per cent, Pakeha 5 per cent, Tongan 21 per cent, Samoan 12 per cent, Fijian 4 per cent, Cook Island 2 per cent, Solomon Island 2 per cent.

Description: Best-known for churning out All Blacks, Wesley, a Methodist college founded in 1844, is the oldest surviving school in the country. Senior girls board at the school with boys from Years 8 to 13 on 50 acres of South Auckland countryside.

Analysis: Acting principal Roger Biddle was very proud of the results, but said he wasn't surprised.

"I guess we got into the swing of things, really ... We made a particular effort to encourage, cajole, and do whatever it took to move them along," he said. Teachers had focused very carefully on students' achievements throughout the year. He said the school had a requirement to cater particularly for Maori and Pacific Island students.

St Cuthbert's College

Result: Topped the Auckland table with a 99.4 per cent pass rate in Level 1. Across the board, pass rates averaged 97.23 per cent and St Cuthbert's students won an impressive 65 scholarships.

Roll: 814.

Ethnicities: Pakeha 84 per cent, Maori 2 per cent, Pacific Island 1 per cent, Asian 10 per cent, other 3 per cent.

Description: All box hedging, pillars and neatly-trimmed lawns, St Cuthbert's is nestled at the bottom of One Tree Hill and turned 90 last year.

Analysis: "We're absolutely delighted for the girls," says principal Lynda Reid. "It's never straightforward, it's always a lot of hard work.

"Never ever assume anything - we're always surprised."