Belmont Intermediate

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 15 months of the Education Review Office and Belmont 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 

Belmont Intermediate is on Auckland’s North Shore and provides education for students in Years 7 and 8. The school caters for diverse learning abilities through its specialist programme, international department and extension programmes. Their vision statement is ‘Leading excellence in intermediate school education’. The senior leadership team is well established.

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

• Education – to strive for personal excellence within an environment that promotes independence and self-regulation.

• Community – to actively engage, connect and foster strong relationships with all stakeholders.

• Identity – to strengthen the school’s commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and tikanga Māori through the local curriculum.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively the conditions contribute to supporting the engagement of Māori learners and whānau to achieve equitable outcomes for all learners. The school recognises the importance of developing culturally responsive practice and has formed a partnership with the Māori Achievement Collaborative.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to:

• promote a sense of belonging and identity for Māori learners, with the strengths and needs of every learner prioritised

• continue to strengthen culturally responsive teaching practice across all staff

• build reciprocal partnerships with whānau, the community and local iwi.

The school expects to see the implementation of authentic and specific actions that give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Māori learners will be consistently well supported to achieve success as Māori and have a strong, secure sense of their identity.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal of engaging Māori learners and whānau to achieve equitable outcomes for all learners:

• the school’s learning culture consistently promotes and sustains the wellbeing of students

• teachers effectively inquire into their practice to provide for the diverse nature of students’ individual needs and abilities

• teachers receive regular professional learning that supports them to use effective teaching strategies and practices in adaptive ways.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• implementing and evaluating specific initiatives through their partnership with the Māori Achievement Collaborative to embed culturally responsive practice across the school

• strengthening educational connections and relationships with whānau, the community and local iwi to ensure they are actively involved in all students’ learning.

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.

Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

26 October 2022 

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