Howick Intermediate

School 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.

Every New Zealand state and state integrated school has an ERO review at least once every four years to evaluate what is working well for learners and what needs to be improved. 

About the School

Howick Intermediate provides education for learners in Years 7 and 8. The school continues to experience rapid growth and changing demographics. The current roll is approximately 600, with 40% of learners identifying as being of Asian descent, 27% Pākehā | New Zealand European, 11% Pacific and 10% Māori.

The school’s vision is A school of excellence where every person is able to succeed in a safe, happy and stimulating environment and its core values are Perseverance, Respect, Attitude, Integrity, Service and Excellence, known as the PRAISE values.

The school has two Sommerville Specialist School satellite units onsite.

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

An explanation of the terms and judgements used in this report can be found here: Reporting | Education Review Office

What we know about learner success

This section provides a summary of learner success and wellbeing. The judgments are based on the ERO School Improvement Framework and the evidence provided to ERO during the evaluation 

Achievement in Years 0 to 8

This section is about learner achievement. It outlines how well learners across the school meet or exceed the expected curriculum level of the New Zealand Curriculum in foundational skills.

Attendance

This section is about school attendance and the progress the school is making towards meeting the Government target of 80% regular attendance. 

• The small majority of students attend school regularly.
• The school is approaching the target of 80% regular attendance.
• The school has a suitable plan in place to improve attendance.
• Regular attendance is improving towards or beyond the target.
• Chronic absence is reducing over time.

Assessment

This section is about how the school assesses learner progress and achievement.

•  The school uses an appropriate approach and reliable practices to find out about achievement against the curriculum.
• Assessment information is used well to adjust teaching practices to ensure ongoing improvement in teaching and student progress.

Progress

This section is about how well the school supports all learners to make sufficient progress.

In recent years, the school has experienced significant growth in the number of students who are learning English as a second language. The large majority of these learners are working at the foundation stages of their language journey, and this has an impact on schoolwide progress and achievement information.

• The school has good quality planning to increase the rate of progress for all groups of students.
• The school has to some extent improved achievement and progress for those learners most at risk of not achieving since the previous review.
• The school has to some extent extended achievement and progress for learners working at or above curriculum levels since the previous review.
• The school is making progress towards meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets for 2030 and agrees this will need to be a key strategic priority. 

Next steps for improvement

This section of the report provides more detail for the school to include in strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school. It outlines what the school is doing well and identifies actions for improvement.

Areas of Strength

• Students learn in caring, respectful and inclusive environments that support their wellbeing. They are highly engaged and have a strong sense of belonging and pride in their school.
• Learners are active participants in their learning and use progressions to track and measure their progress. Students know what they are learning and speak confidently about their current learning goals.
• Learner interests are catered to by a rich and engaging curriculum. Learners’ different needs, including those with English as a second language, are effectively met by a variety of support and extension programmes.
• Leaders have built a high trust, collaborative culture among all staff. Senior leaders focus on growing the capabilities of middle leaders, who are successfully using a range of evidence to evaluate progress and deliver on strategic priorities.
• Staff professional development is aligned to the school’s improvement goals and is purposefully implemented for ongoing improvement of teaching and learning.
• Teachers use effective and consistent teaching approaches that support learners to be clear about what they are learning and to make decisions about how they learn best.
• The school is currently implementing a structured approach to mathematics, aligning effective practices to the new curriculum requirements.
• The School Board and leaders use a range of wellbeing and achievement information, including community consultation and student voice, to evaluate and inform the school’s strategic direction and resourcing, with a focus on continuous improvement.

Key priorities 

• Refining the school’s current best practice approaches to teaching and learning in literacy and mathematics to align with the new curriculum and assessment requirements.
• Further accelerate and measure the progress of groups of learners who are not yet meeting curriculum expectations
• Improve the regular attendance of all students. 

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within three months: 

• leaders review current attendance strategies and initiatives to inform next steps

Within six months: 

• leaders and teachers review teaching and learning approaches in literacy and mathematics for alignment with new curriculum and assessment developments to identify further staff professional learning priorities

Every six months:

• leaders and teachers evaluate the success of strategies to accelerate the progress of identified learners in reading, writing and mathematics to inform future actions

Annually:

• leaders evaluate progress by aligning best practice approaches with the new curriculum and assessment developments, identifying areas for future development
• leaders review and report to the School Board on student attendance and progress and achievement information to inform ongoing decision making and strategic planning.

Expected outcomes:

• High quality teaching, learning and assessment approaches embedded schoolwide that are aligned with the new curriculum and assessment requirements.
• Increasingly excellent and equitable achievement outcomes for all learners.
• Improved regular student attendance.

Regulatory and Legislative Requirements

This section of the report is about how the school meets regulatory and legislative requirements. This includes the provision of education for international students. 

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements

This section of the report reviews the school's policies, procedures, documentation, and checks that it meets all regulations, maintains a safe environment, and supports students' wellbeing.

During this review the Board has attested to meeting regulatory and legislative requirements in the following areas:

Board Administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Personnel Management

Yes

Provision for International Students

This section is about the quality of the provision of education for international students enrolled at the school.

Findings

The school is a signatory 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. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code and has completed an annual self-review of its implementation of the Code.

At the time of this review there was one international student attending the school.

International students participate fully in all areas of school life and make good progress during their time at Howick Intermediate. Students are well supported through high-quality English language programmes and effective pastoral care. The school’s self-review of its provision for international students is thorough and ensures continuous improvement. 

The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Report and is due within four 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

Sharon Kelly
Director of Schools (Acting)

2 September 2025