Henderson Intermediate

Henderson Intermediate

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report 

Background

This Profile Report was written within 12 months of the Education Review Office and Henderson Intermediate working in Te Ara Huarau, an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website. www.ero.govt.nz

Context 

Henderson Intermediate in West Auckland caters for students in Years 7 and 8. The school offers both Māori and Samoan bilingual classes which enable students to learn in a dual language environment. The school is undergoing significant property development, including the construction of 14-classroom building and the development of a fale. A new principal was appointed to will start at the school in 2024. 

Henderson Intermediate’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

  • learners at Henderson Intermediate School, with their whānau, are at the ‘centre of education’. Every decision made is based on “very best outcomes for H.I.S. students with their family/whānau
  • every learner at Henderson Intermediate School will be provided with educational opportunities and outcomes that all learners can enjoy
  • quality teaching and leadership is priority because these make a substantial difference for learners and their family/whānau 
  • learning at Henderson Intermediate School will be relevant to the lives of students in West Auckland, as they are, New Zealand adults of the future
  • Henderson Intermediate School will provide a world class, inclusive education for all learners that is trusted by family/whānau and is sustainable.

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Henderson Intermediate’s website.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well the school’s culture of learning enables all students to be successful learners at Henderson Intermediate. 

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to support the school’s response to:  

  • post pandemic changes in student behaviour, engagement, attitudes and attendance
  • changing societal issues including the impact of the cost of living, community expectations and the demographic of the community served by the school 
  • improving teacher capability to address the challenges presenting in the community and education. 

The school expects to see:

  • consistent use of effective teaching that responds to the needs of students and promotes excellent and equitable outcomes
  • students routinely supported to demonstrate agency in their learning to enable improved achievement, attendance and engagement outcomes
  • learning focused relationships to support the delivery of a responsive and localised curriculum
  • strengthened teacher inquiry to support the school-wide continuous improvement journey
  • school-wide leadership continuing to respond to the needs and aspirations of the school community. 

Strengths 

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate the culture of learning:

  • school leaders have a relentless focus on creating and implementing solutions to enable all students to access education and experience success
  • student and whānau engagement, including the collection and use of voice and experience, is valued and fundamental to decision making
  • Māori student achievement is a school-wide priority and is on an upward trajectory
  • Pasifika student achievement is a school-wide priority and is on an upward trajectory
  • classroom teachers are passionate about delivering a localised curriculum which incorporates the aspirations of students and their whānau.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise: 

establishing a shared understanding of what a strong school culture of learning looks like at Henderson Intermediate

  • building on teaching as inquiry to support the school-wide continuous improvement journey
  • continuing to build teacher capability and capacity through the existing professional learning programme. 

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. ERO will support the school in reporting their progress to the community. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report and is due within three years. 

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

12 December 2023 

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement.  educationcounts.govt.nz/home

Henderson Intermediate

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2023 to 2026

As of May 2023, the Henderson Intermediate Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:

Board Administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Personnel Management

Yes

Finance

Yes

Assets

Yes

Actions for Compliance

ERO and the board have identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:

  • ensuring the Child Protection Policy comply with all relevant legislative requirements and responsibilities, including definitions of key terms and concepts and detailed guidance for staff regarding procedures. 
    [Sections 18 and 19 of The Children’s Act 2014]

The board has since  taken steps to address the areas of non-compliance identified.

Further Information

For further information please contact Henderson Intermediate School Board.

The next School Board assurance that it is meeting regulatory and legislative requirements will be reported, along with the Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report, within three years.

Information on ERO’s role and process in this review can be found on the Education Review Office website.

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

12 December 2023 

About the School 

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home

Henderson Intermediate

Provision for International Students Report

Background

The Education Review Office reviews schools that are signatories to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020.

Findings 

Henderson Intermediate has attested that it complies with all aspect of the Code and has completed an annual self-review of its implementation of the Code. 

No international students were enrolled at the time of the ERO review.

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

12 December 2023 

About the School 

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home 

Henderson Intermediate - 13/06/2018

School Context

Henderson Intermediate caters for Year 7 and 8 students and is situated in West Auckland. It has a large multicultural roll that is rapidly growing. Over 600 students attend the school. The board of trustees, leaders and teachers are committed to every student’s individualised learning and personal success.

The school’s charter states an overarching vision for the future is to provide ‘a school where students flourish and grow into inquiring, confident, connected, actively involved lifelong learners.’ This vision is supported through the school’s values of Respect - Ka Whakakoha, Responsibility - Ka Rangatira, Preparedness - Ka Whiwhita and Pride - Ka Whakatama.

The board of trustees’ main strategic focus has been on the lifting of student achievement in reading, writing and mathematics for all students since the 2013 ERO review.

During the last three years there has been a revitalisation of language, identity and culture for Māori and Pacific learners. As well as the mainstream teams, Māori students can learn in a Whānau Moko class, either the rumaki immersion option or the two bilingual classes. The Samoan bilingual classes, Tupu Maola, support Samoan students’ learning.

School tikanga and Māori students’ identity school-wide, are also supported by Māori staff. The lead teacher of Whānau Moko is the Treaty Partnership Manager, a development role designed to promote partnership, protection and participation relating to the school’s obligations to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:

  • progress and achievement of students against expected curriculum levels in all learning areas

  • progress and achievement of students in relation to school targets in reading, writing and mathematics

  • engagement and wellbeing information through student voice and surveys

  • outcomes relating to identity, culture and language and bilingual educational outcomes

  • Individualised Education Plans (IEPs) for children with additional learning needs

  • attendance information.

Since the 2015 ERO report, the principal has re-structured the senior leadership team and appointed several new teachers. A number of new trustees have been elected or co-opted to the board. Issues highlighted in the previous ERO report have been addressed by current school leaders.

The school is a member of the Waitakere Community of Learning|Kāhui Ako. This kāhui ako is currently led by the principal of Henderson Intermediate School.

Evaluation Findings

1 Equity and excellence – valued outcomes for students

1.1 How well is the school achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for all its students?

The school is effectively achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for the majority of students. School achievement information shows that the majority achieve at or above the expected curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics. Some achievement information is also collated by leaders and teachers for the other five learning areas of the curriculum.

In 2017 students in Te Whānau Moko were assessed using Māori medium assessment criteria. This data indicates that there were significant positive shifts for these learners within one year across reading (pānui), writing (tuhituhi) and mathematics (pāngarau).

For three years there have been positive upward shifts in achievement, school-wide, for the majority of students from their entry at Year 7 to when they exit at the end of Year 8. These results meet the school’s charter targets of having approximately 75 percent of students achieving at or above expectations in reading, writing and mathematics.

Disparity between boys’ and girls’ achievement across both year levels continues to persist, particularly in mathematics. This has not reduced over time. In achievement in reading and writing gender parity is strengthening.

Students with additional learning needs achieve well in relation to the next steps in their ‘Individual Learning Plans’. These comprehensive plans include social and achievement goals. They are written together with families, and the wrap-around agencies involved in students learning support.

Students achieve very well in relation to the school’s other valued outcomes. There is evidence in the school of students developing a strong sense of cultural identity, self-belief, belonging and the social skills necessary to enable them to participate in the school learning community. Students are learning how to be self-managing.

1.2 How effectively does this school respond to those Māori and other students whose learning and achievement need acceleration?

Leaders assemble school-wide target groups based on those who are below the expected curriculum level in reading, writing and mathematics at Year 7 and 8. Tracking and monitoring of these students within their classes is done by senior and middle leaders and teachers. Each teacher develops appropriate teaching strategies for the targeted students within their class to extend learning and achievement. School data shows that the majority of these targeted students make progress. Some students make accelerated progress, particularly in reading.

Teachers reflect on and record how well target students either accelerate or make progress and/or accelerate. This inquiry is part of the staff appraisal process. The strategies and approaches that prove successful are shared amongst teams. This is helping to improve professional teaching practice in the school overall. Writing is a specific area of professional development for 2018 school-wide.

School leaders agree that to further develop and accelerate progress for targeted students:

  • the systems to optimise, track and monitor acceleration shifts should be clarified.

  • charter goals could be refined to focus on children whose learning and achievement needs acceleration.

2 School conditions for equity and excellence

2.1 What school processes and practices are effective in enabling achievement of equity and excellence?

The effective school conditions that enable students’ achievement of equity and excellence include school leadership and stewardship, increasing teacher capability and the changing learning culture for students.

The school’s learning culture promotes and fosters student wellbeing for learning. A wrap-around approach to pastoral care, and the use of restorative practices effectively support student wellbeing. Māori and Pacific students can experience different ways of learning in classes that provide a context for cultural perspectives.

Teachers foster respectful relationships with students. Staffplace value on knowing families and whanau. This supports children’s engagement with learning. In composite classes tuakana/teina relationships work positively as students collaborate and problem solve.

The school places a strong focus on high expectations for learning. Students across the school show good levels of cognitive engagement with learning. The curriculum is being effectively adapted to create an inquiry-based model that integrates all learning areas. School leaders and teachers are continuing to promote and embed student agency as part of this way of learning.

Students are highly connected to learning that is designed to enable them to participate and contribute. The digital environment in the school supports and enhances students’ engagement with learning.

Teachers continue to grow their teaching capability and their cultural responsiveness. They are trialling ways to support students who need to make more rapid progress in their learning. The recently introduced teacher appraisal process quality and reflects the new Education Council standards. It also aligns with school priorities and professional learning initiatives.is high

The principal has very effectively managed change. Senior leaders and the board of trustees prioritise children’s holistic wellbeing and self-esteem. School leadership is distributed across the school. All teachers’ expertise is valued. This supports the continuing development of a collaborative teaching culture that is student-driven and future-focused.

2.2 What further developments are needed in school processes and practices for achievement of equity and excellence?

ERO and school leaders discussed the following areas for improving practice:

  • continuing to embed consistently high quality learning through the school’s inquiry model

  • continuing to improve teachers’ data literacy so that acceleration approaches can be more effectively planned

  • strengthening school leaders’ line of sight to acceleration shifts so that they can evaluate what makes the most significant difference for learners school-wide.

3 Board assurance on legal requirements

Before the review, the board and principal of the school completed the ERO Board Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklists. In these documents they attested that they had taken all reasonable steps to meet their legislative obligations related to the following:

  • board administration

  • curriculum

  • management of health, safety and welfare

  • personnel management

  • finance

  • asset management.

During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student safety and wellbeing:

  • emotional safety of students (including prevention of bullying and sexual harassment)

  • physical safety of students

  • teacher registration and certification

  • processes for appointing staff

  • stand down, suspension, expulsion and exclusion of students

  • attendance

  • school policies in relation to meeting the requirements of the Vulnerable Children Act 2014.

Provision for international students

The school is a signatory to the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students (the Code) established under section 238F of the Education Act 1989. At the time of this review there were two international students attending the school.

The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code.

ERO’s evaluation process confirms that the schools internal evaluation processes are of high quality.

Henderson Intermediate provides international students with pastoral care processes of a high standard. The school provides good quality English language support for its international students. They integrate well into the school’s educational programmes and are immersed in all aspects of school and community life.

Areas for improved compliance practice

To improve current practice, the board of trustees should review policies regularly against legislative requirements such as the Vulnerable Children Act 2014 and Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.

4 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:

  • school leaders’ capability to enact the vision, values and priorities in the strategic plan

  • highly responsive systems and approaches to support Māori and Pacific learners’ success

  • teachers’ capability to teach effectively within the school’s inquiry-based learning culture

  • the highly responsive curriculum that supports student wellbeing for effective learning.

Next steps

For sustained improvement and future learner success, development priorities are in:

  • continuing to improve teachers’ data literacy

  • continuing to collectively share successful acceleration approaches among teaching teams

  • school leaders continuing to evaluate the impact of acceleration strategies that make a difference for students at risk of not achieving.

ERO’s next external evaluation process and timing

ERO is likely to carry out the next external evaluation in three years.

Julie Foley

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)

Te Tai Raki - Northern Region

13 June 2018

About the school

Location

Henderson, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

1307

School type

Intermediate Years 7 and 8

School roll

618

Gender composition

Boys 54% Girls 46%

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā
Samoan
Tongan
other

35%
15%
15%
4%
31%

Provision of Māori medium education

Yes

Number of Māori medium classes

3

Total number of students in Māori medium (MME)

21

Total number of students in Māori language in English medium (MLE)

60

Number of students in Level 1 MME

Number of students in Level 2 MME

Review team on site

March 2018

Date of this report

13 June 2018

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review
Education Review
Education Review

May 2015
October 2011
November 2008