Farm Cove Intermediate

School Evaluation Report

Tēnā koutou e mau manawa rahi ki te kaupapa e aro ake nei, ko te tamaiti te pūtake o te kaupapa. Mā wai rā e kawe, mā tātau katoa.

We acknowledge the collective effort, responsibility and commitment by all to ensure that the child remains at the heart of the matter.

Context 

Farm Cove Intermediate in Pakuranga provides education for students in Years 7 and 8, from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds. The school’s vision is to ‘develop courageous, informed learners who contribute to their community’.

There are two parts to this report.

Part A: An evaluative summary of learner success and school conditions to inform the school board’s future strategic direction, including any education in Rumaki/bilingual settings.

Part B: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle.

Part A: Current State

The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.

Learner Success and Wellbeing

Most students are engaged in learning and make good progress.

• The large majority of learners achieve at or above expected curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics.
• The school has yet to achieve equitable outcomes for Pacific learners in literacy and mathematics and for boys in writing.
• Students experience a positive and inclusive school environment that supports their evident sense of belonging.
• Students regularly attend and engage in meaningful learning; the school is meeting the Ministry of Education’s national attendance targets.

Conditions to support learner success

Leaders effectively foster and sustain a culture committed to high quality teaching and learning.

• Leaders foster a culture of collaboration, relational trust, and shared leadership responsibilities that develops strong teaching capacity and leadership capability.
• Leaders regularly evaluate the effectiveness of teaching and learning to bring about improvements for student learning and wellbeing.
• Leaders have established clear expectations for high-quality, evidence informed teaching and learning to support learner progress and achievement.

Learners have rich opportunities throughout the curriculum that builds from their experiences, knowledge and understanding.

• Students learn through a curriculum that is well resourced and engages them in meaningful learning.
• Students experience a broad range of learning opportunities and reflects their interest, needs and identities.
• Students with complex needs are well supported; they make progress and achieve success at school.

Key conditions that underpin successful schooling are well embedded.

• The board strategically resources professional development for staff that aligns with school goals and improving learner success. 
• Leaders and teachers collect, analyse, and interpret research and data that provides strong evidence for improving outcomes for learners.
• Teachers regularly discuss effective teaching and learning strategies and adapt their practice to meet the needs of learners.
• Clear communication and active collaboration with parents and whānau support partnerships for learning and celebrate learner success.

Part B: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

• implement initiatives to improve the engagement and accelerate the achievement of Pacific learners
• improve staff capability to use te reo Māori, tikanga Māori, and mātauranga Māori in classroom programmes and schoolwide practices
• research and implement best evidence to inform structured literacy approaches and accelerate the achievement of boys and Pacific learners
• implement a structured mathematics programme to further raise learners’ achievement in mathematics.

The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.

Within six months:

• the school’s wellbeing team will review the school’s engagement with Pacific families to ensure community connections are established and improving outcomes for Pacific learners
• leaders will provide further learning opportunities for staff to develop their capability to use te reo, tikanga Māori, and mātauranga Māori.

Every six months:

• monitor the success of how well the school is engaging with Pacific families
• collect and analyse feedback from staff about their increasing confidence and knowledge of te ao Māori and its impact on teaching and learning
• gather and analyse data to measure the impact of structured literacy and mathematics programmes on student achievement, especially on outcomes for Pacific learners and boys’ achievement.

Annually:

• evaluate and report progress against these improvement priorities, including attendance rates, for better learner outcomes to the board and community, to help them know what is working and for which groups of learners.

Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:

• equitable and improved outcomes for all learners, including Pacific learners
• te ao Māori being evident in schoolwide practices
• sustained and improved attendance.

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

Me mahi tahi tonu tātau, kia whai oranga a tātau tamariki
Let’s continue to work together for the greater good of all children

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

12 December 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