Waimahia Intermediate School

Education institution number:
1569
School type:
Intermediate
School gender:
Co-Educational
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
213
Telephone:
Address:

44 Palmers Road, Clendon Park, Auckland

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Waimahia Intermediate School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 6 months of the Education Review Office and Waimahia Intermediate School 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

Waimahia Intermediate is located in Clendon Park, South Auckland catering for Years 7 and 8 ākonga/learners. The school vision is for every student to leave the school ‘Engaged, Achieving and Confident in their Identity,’ developed through the values of Mana, Manaakitanga and Mātauranga which build on self- belief, respect, and the ability to inquire and innovate to be self-determining ākonga.

Waimahia Intermediate School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

  • Relevant, real indigenised curriculum taught by responsive evidence-based teachers.
  • Quality leadership that ensures success for all learners.
  • Active learners who maximise all opportunities to grow and embed knowledge, skills and understandings.
  • Rich, reciprocal relationships that realise mutual aspirations.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well and consistently the school is indigenising the curriculum to be culturally responsive to all ākonga, to ensure positive impactful outcomes for all.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is: 

  • to determine positive impact (post ERO 2019), of the work that has gone into indigenising teaching and learning outcomes and conditions
  • a leadership team focussed on building and reviewing the impact of high teaching and learning expectations want to establish how well the changes influence outcomes for learners
  • culturally informed and developed learning strategies and a culture of care, supports teachers really knowing their ākonga, their families and community which is inherent in the localised curriculum
  •  determining how well project-based integrated teaching and learning engages ākonga by building on their interests
  • the school already assesses impact of the curriculum and pedagogical approaches on outcomes and has in 2023 moved to include assessing how challenging learning is for ākonga.

The school expects to see that by doing the following they will continue to optimise outcomes for learners:

  • providing a culturally responsive, indigenised curriculum that enables ākonga to feel more connected, challenged and engaged in their learning, which in turn will result in improved progress and achievement 
  • ensuring teachers use consistently co- constructed approaches to planning, teaching and assessment which will continue to build student agency and further enhance the school’s learner focussed culture
  • ensuring strong informed leadership practices support collaborative teaching practices 
  • continue building relationships with mana whenua to ensure sustainability in the school giving effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Strengths 

The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to evaluate how well indigenising the curriculum supports ensuring positive impactful outcomes for all:

  • mana enhancing teaching and learning underpins restorative practices and builds strong cultural inclusion
  • celebration of culture, identity and language is visible across the school’s curriculum
  • value by teachers and leaders of the knowledge and past learning ākonga bring to school is highly evident
  • leadership is focussed on bringing out the best in all their people
  • whānau and community partnerships support the school to realise community aspirations.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will continue to prioritise: 

  • continuing to build teacher capability in ‘teaching as inquiry’, and in analysing and using student achievement information to inform practice
  • the ongoing development and embedding of strategies to improve the acceleration of learning for students who are below their expected curriculum levels
  • continuing to build and embedding strong, mana-enhancing leadership practices across the whole staff supported by a comprehensive internal evaluation plan that aligns with the strategic plan.

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

22 January 2024 

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

Waimahia Intermediate School

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2023 to 2026

As of June 2023, the Waimahia Intermediate School 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

Further Information

For further information please contact Waimahia Intermediate School, 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

22 January 2024 

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

Waimahia Intermediate School - 07/10/2019

Findings

On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO ‘s overall evaluation judgement of Waimahia Intermediate School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.

1 Background and Context

What is the background and context for this school’s review?

Waimahia Intermediate has been engaged in a longitudinal (1-2 year review) process over the last two years. The board, the recently appointed principal and the leadership team have worked in a systematic way to address the priorities identified for review and development and have successfully moved the school forward.

2 Review and Development

How effectively is the school addressing its priorities for review and development?

Priorities identified for review and development

Focus areas:

  • developing a responsive curriculum, including bilingual education for equity and excellence

  • developing schoolwide systems and practices to gather, collate and analyse student achievement to inform future learning and programme development

  • developing the capability and capacity of teachers

  • developing leadership capability

  • developing effective governance and stewardship.

Progress
Developing a responsive curriculum including bilingual learning for equity and excellence

The school has made significant progress in developing a responsive curriculum to engage students. Leaders have consulted with their community on the locally focused curriculum. Key competencies, values, outcomes and bicultural and Pacific contexts are strongly interwoven through the curriculum. A sense of respect for the identities and cultures of students, their parents and communities is evident. The curriculum reflects the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) and is coherent and improvement focused. Learning contexts include project-based programmes which are contributing to student leadership and are promoting students’ ownership of their learning. Purposeful student engagement is a feature of the school.

Implementation of the digital technology curriculum has begun and is progressing well. Leaders have led professional development to support teachers in this. The next step is to ensure that the digital curriculum continues to progress and is embedded across the school.

Te Manukura Maia and Apolima, the bilingual classes, promote students’ language, culture and identity well, and have made very good progress over the last two years in driving bilingual pathways. The bilingual direction and pedagogy of Te Manukura Maia has been strengthened. The Apolima classroom environment provides a rich and stimulating learning space to promote Samoan culture and language. Students in Te Manukura Maia and Apolima are settled and engaged, work collaboratively, and show enthusiasm and interest in their learning.

Developing a school wide systems and practices to gather, collate, and analyse student achievement to inform future learning and programme development

Senior leaders have had a continued focus on accelerating learning to raise achievement and improve outcomes for students. They analyse achievement information to inform teaching and learning. Senior leaders model effective analysis and evaluation strategies to support teachers to inquire into their own practice.

Senior leaders have continued to develop teacher capability in collating and analysing student achievement data. Although there has been a fall in overall achievement since 2016, recent professional development has improved teachers’ assessment practices. Achievement data is now more reliable and valid.

Teachers use data for a variety of purposes, including to identify target groups of students and individuals who require specific support and acceleration.They track the progress of these students, and it is evident that achievement is beginning to improve. Accelerated progress is occurring for an increasing number of students in reading, writing and mathematics. It will now be important to sustain this progress over time.

Developing capability and capacity of teachers across the school

School leaders have developed greater consistency in teaching practices across the school, including the bilingual classes. Professional development has been relevant and timely. External providers have supported and expanded teachers’ capacity to respond to learner requirement and needs.

Leaders are supporting teachers to access appropriate resources to support their practice. Teachers demonstrate ‘mana enhancing’ practices to promote positive relationships with students. Clear expectations underpin the school’s robust appraisal process. Leaders are using the appraisal process well to help build teacher capability and capacity.

Developing effective leadership

The principal and leadership team have set and model high expectations for teachers. They acknowledge that building teacher capability is an ongoing focus.

The principal and leadership team have used curriculum development well to build professional capability and capacity. Teachers are encouraged to take on leadership opportunities and a distributed leadership model is developing in the school.

The principal provides clear and informative reporting to the board and this support good decision making for the future.

Developing effective governance and stewardship

There has been continuity of board members over the last two years. The long-time board chair has recently resigned but continues to support the board. Trustees are making good use of a range of training opportunities. They have participated in relevant professional development around identified priority areas, including governance, self review and understanding student achievement information.

The board now scrutinises student achievement information and makes sound resourcing decisions. Board induction processes have been developed. The strategic plan guides the board’s decision making.

3 Sustainable performance and self review

How well placed is the school to sustain and continue to improve and review its performance?

The school is well placed to sustain and continue improving and reviewing its performance.

Over the past two years the board and leadership team have made significant improvements in the areas of the school that required attention. They have implemented systems and processes to sustain practices, further increase internal evaluation, and support improved learning outcomes for students.

Key next steps

Leaders and teachers should continue to:

  • build teacher capability in ‘teaching as inquiry’, and in analysing and using student achievement information to inform practice

  • develop and embed strategies to improve the acceleration of learning for students who are below their expected curriculum levels

  • develop the curriculum to further reflect Te Tiriti o Waitangi across the school.

Board assurance on legal requirements

Before the review, the board of trustees 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:

  • board administration
  • curriculum
  • management of health, safety and welfare
  • personnel management
  • financial management
  • asset management.

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

  • emotional safety of students (including prevention of bullying and sexual harassment)
  • physical safety of students
  • teacher registration
  • processes for appointing staff
  • stand-downs, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions
  • attendance
  • school policies in relation to meeting the requirements of the Children’s Act 2014.

Conclusion

On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO ‘s overall evaluation judgement of Waimahia Intermediate School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.

ERO’s Framework: Overall School Performance is available on ERO’s website.

Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services Northern
Northern Region

7 October 2019

About the School

Location

Manukau, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

1569

School type

Intermediate (Years 7 to 8)

School roll

230

Gender composition

Girls 50% Boys 50%

Ethnic composition

Māori
NZ European/Pākehā
Samoan
Cook Island Māori
Tongan
other ethnic groups

40%
10%
25%
10%
10%
5%

Special Features

Bilingual classes Māori and Samoan

Review team on site

July 2019

Date of this report

7 October 2019

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review
Education Review
Education Review

July 2017
June 2013
February 2007

Waimahia Intermediate School - 12/07/2017

Summary

Waimahia Intermediate School has experienced significant change, including being re-named since the 2013 ERO review. Since the last ERO review the board was placed in a position of crisis management where they had to respond to a number of complex and sensitive challenges involving leadership and some staff. Urgency is now needed to improve many areas of school operations including governance, the provision of an effective and responsive curriculum, and teaching practices.

The school roll at the time of the review, stands at 224. Thirty-five percent of students are Māori, and 47 percent Pacific, nine percent Pākehā, and six percent Fijian. Children who are of Cambodian, Indian, African and Filipino descent also attend the school. The new principal and deputy principal are committed to making improvements to ensure school practices provide equity and excellence for students.

The current board has some longstanding trustees and some who have more recently been elected. There have been MoE initiatives and professional development over the last few years, particularly guiding teachers to better support children’s literacy learning.

The achievement of students in relation to the National Standards increased slightly in 2016, and is comparable with other schools. However, there is disparity in the achievement of Māori students.

How well is the school achieving equitable outcomes for all children?

The school is not yet effective in achieving equitable outcomes for all students whose learning and achievement need acceleration.

The school does not yet have effective processes to enable the achievement of equity and excellence.

The board and school leaders will need external support to:

  • develop a responsive curriculum that better responds to the needs of students
  • support leaders to improve teaching practices to accelerate student learning and to moderate student achievement information
  • assist the board to establish effective governance processes, including internal evaluation and a clear strategic direction. 

Equity and excellence

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

The school is not yet effective in responding to Māori and other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration.

The school’s valued learning outcomes include empowering students through their education, matauranga, mana, and manaakitanga. A culture of singing waiata is also valued in this school. This contributes to the tone, valuing of one another and setting a culture of confidence for students, staff and the wider school community. Positive education outcomes are still yet to be achieved for many students.

Māori and Pacific students’ achievement has not progressed adequately in relation to the National Standards. Although the school reports that many students have accelerated their learning, this is still insufficient progress for students to effectively access the curriculum at secondary level. Māori students are not achieving as well as Pacific students.

The school should analyse the progress made by Māori and Pacific students in the bilingual units to identify their progress.

The school has not moderated achievement information internally or externally over the past few years. ERO has no evidence that the schools achievement information is dependable.

School conditions supporting equity and excellence

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

Many school processes are not yet effective to enable achievement of equity and excellence.

A new principal in term four 2016 and new deputy principal at the beginning of 2017 have been appointed. The board is aware of the need to improve many school systems including health and safety, curriculum delivery, financial, property management and the strategic direction of the school. The board have been working to address these matters and shared aspects of progress during the recent ERO review.

Priorities for school leaders are to establish effective school systems to guide curriculum development, improve overall student achievement analysis information and grow teaching practices that supports children’s learning. The new leadership team will need external support to implement effective appraisal processes, improve teaching and raise expectations for teachers’ inquiry into the effectiveness of their teaching practices.

The school’s vision, values and motto are well embedded, and identified by children. The curriculum will need to be documented and revised in consultation with its community. Leaders should also identify how they will accelerate student achievement to progress forward for equity and excellence.

In recent years the school has participated in professional development in literacy learning. Although variability in teaching capability and capacity across the school is evident, many initiatives have been implemented to support teaching and learning. The recent professional development to support teaching practice and children’s learning shows a willingness to improve practice.

Sustainable development for equity and excellence

What further developments are needed in school processes to achieve equity and excellence?

The developments required for school processes to achieve equity and excellence include school leaders:

  • reviewing and documenting the curriculum in consultation with the community
  • developing school wide systems and practices to gather, collate, and analyse student achievement to inform future learning and programme development
  • implementing internal and external moderation processes
  • strengthening overall teacher judgements to specifically accelerate student learning
  • increasing student ownership of their learning so they understand their progress and achievement and are able to plan their next steps
  • ensuring professional development is targeted to increase student achievement acceleration, improve teaching practices and establish internal evaluation to monitor the progress of students, teachers and initiatives
  • developing and documenting programmes for Māori and Samoan Bilingual classes that provide good guidance for bilingual pedagogy, including enrolment processes, assessment practices, policies and bilingual initiatives to support students to achieve their bilingual literacy aspirations and goals
  • building capacity and capability of teachers to raise the level of te Reo Māori in their classes, and to recognise the importance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and reflect the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Further developments required to achieve equity and excellence include trustees:

  • developing a strategic plan for forward direction
  • implementing policy review particularly with health and safety matters that impact on children
  • ensuring a planned property management programme is administered consistently
  • ensuring reporting expectations are being met with regards to the delivery of the curriculum, specific targeted student achievement acceleration of student achievement, appraisal processes, school resourcing and all legislative requirements
  • implementing a rigorous and systematic process of internal evaluation to ensure effective governance results in equity and excellence for children.

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
  • 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.

Appraisal audit

No teacher appraisal processes were completed in 2016. The new leadership team will need to introduce robust and systematic appraisal processes in regards to the Education Councils current legislated requirements to bring about an effective performance management system.

Actions required

ERO identified non-compliance in relation to appraisal processes, management of health, safety and welfare, review of many policies in relation to meeting the requirements of the Vulnerable Children Act 2014 and ensuring processes for attendance, stand-downs, exclusions and expulsions of students is recorded and documented systematically.

In order to address this the board must:

  1. ensure all staff are appraised annually
    State Sector Act 1998; s77C 

  1. consult with the community about the school’s health curriculum every two years
    Education Act 1989 Section 60B 

  1. review health and safety policies to ensure they meet the requirements under the Vulnerable Children Act 2014 

  1. ensure the management of health, safety and welfare is effectively monitored across all school operations
    Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 

  1. improve processes for monitoring student attendance
    Education Act 1989 s25; National Administration Guideline 6.

To improve current practice, the board of trustees should strengthen the documentation of all stand downs, suspensions and exclusions according to Ministry of Education procedures. 

Going forward

How well placed is the school to accelerate the achievement of all children who need it?

The school is not well placed to provide conditions for children to achieve educational excellence, or to address in-school disparities.

Leaders and teachers:

  • have not yet adequately built their knowledge of the children whose learning and achievement need to be accelerated

  • have not yet adequately established necessary conditions to effectively accelerate learning and achievement

  • are not well placed to achieve and sustain accelerated achievement for all children who need it.

ERO intends to carry out a process of ongoing evaluation to support development over the course of one-to-two years.

Recommendations

ERO recommends that the Ministry of Education and the New Zealand School Trustees Association consider providing support for the school in order to:

  • support governance processes and systems to strategically progress forward

  • develop curriculum management including accelerating student achievement

  • provide professional development to support teachers and leaders implement the changes required

  • support the leadership team bring about changes to progress equity and excellence.

Violet Tu’uga Stevenson

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)

12 July 2017

About the school 

Location

Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

1569

School type

Intermediate (Years 7 to 8)

School roll

224

Gender composition

Boys 52% Girls 48%

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā
Samoan
Cook Islands Māori
Tongan
other

35%
9%
25%
10%
9%
12%

Provision of Māori medium education

Bilingual classes

Review team on site

May 2017

Date of this report

12 July 2017

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review
Education Review
Education Review

June 2013
February 2007
October 2003