Blockhouse Bay Intermediate

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 12 months of the Education Review Office and Blockhouse Bay 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 

Blockhouse Bay Intermediate caters for a diverse community, servicing the central-west suburbs of Blockhouse Bay, Lynfield, New Lynn and surrounding areas. The school provides education for students in Years 7 and 8 and works collaboratively within the Lynfield Kāhui Ako. The values of Manaakitanga, Wairuatanga, Whanaungatanga and Rangatiratanga are fundamental and integrated into all aspects of the school.

Blockhouse Bay Intermediate’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

• Wairuatanga Hauora (Well-being) – Learners take care of their own and others physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual well-being

• Whanaungatanga (Culturally Responsive and Respectful) – Learners celebrate their identity and that of others. They are aware of and value difference, diversity, culture and language

• Manaakitanga Ākonga (Learning to Learn) – Learners respect and value learning and are active agents in their learning journeys who strive to achieve personal and collective excellence

• Rangatiratanga (Leadership) – Learners are self-motivated and use their initiative to lead themselves and others with mana. Learners appreciate the influence they have on their own lives, that of others as well as the school and community.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well data is gathered and used to strengthen transitions for learners/ākonga, moving into, within and out of the school.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to strengthen transitions to further accelerate ākonga achievement. This will be enabled by the analysis of social emotional learning data to support the ongoing implementation of strategies to improve ākonga well-being and engagement.

The school expects to see all ākonga experiencing successful transitions as they move into, within, and out of the school through:

• ākonga experiencing a culture of feeling safe, secure and supported in their learning

• the collaborative and consistent use of quality data by teachers to accelerate ākonga learning

• staff identifying and responding to potential barriers to ākonga learning and wellbeing

• the streamlining of systems for sharing data between schools to support transitions

• school staff being well-informed to support ākonga learning and wellbeing.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate how well data is gathered and used to strengthen ākonga transitions:

• ākonga experience a positive and connected learning environment which promotes continuous improvement in their engagement, attendance and academic achievement

• teachers consistently use effective teaching strategies and practices in adaptive ways to promote equitable and excellent ākonga outcomes

• well established community collaborations enrich opportunities for ākonga to become confident, connected actively involved learners

• collective capacity to do and use evaluation, inquiry and knowledge building for improvement and innovation with a clear focus on equity for Māori and Pacific ākonga

• school-wide leadership and coherent organisational conditions promote systematic monitoring, collaborative inquiry and evaluation processes, practices and actions.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will continue to prioritise the following to support successful transitions:

• developing, refining and implementing analysis tools to identify and mitigate barriers to ākonga engagement and wellbeing

• implementing strategies that are proven to be effective drivers for academic and social emotional achievement for all ākonga

• proactively communicating with whānau and the community.

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

19 October 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