Kowhai 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

Kowhai Intermediate provides education for 278 students in Year 7, and 306 students in Year 8. The school roll of 584 includes 59% of learners who identify as New Zealand European/Pākehā, 26% Asian, 18% of Pacific heritage, 16% Māori and 8% Middle Eastern, Latin American, and African. Learners are guided by the schools’ values; whānau, Manaaki, ako, arahi and pono.

The school provides four Specialist Language Programmes: Whānau Pounamu | Māori Immersion Unit, Te Māpura | Māori Bilingual Unit, Gafoa Le Ata | Samoan Bilingual Unit and La Grande Envolée | French Bilingual Unit.

The acting principal was appointed as principal in November 2025.

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

Improvement and progress

This section is about the progress the school has made since the October 2022 ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings.

Expected improvements

The school focused on refreshing the school curriculum to include te ao Māori. They expected to grow and sustain cultural competency across all staff and strengthen partnerships with whānau, hapū and iwi.

Findings

The school made good progress. Tikanga Māori practices are well embedded across the whole school. Structured programmes and stronger whānau, iwi and hapū partnerships enhance teaching practices and outcomes, particularly for Māori students. The school’s targeted actions and improved curriculum design lead to better progress and improved outcomes for all learners.

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 7 and 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 learners 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.

• The school has good quality planning to increase the rate of progress for all groups of students.
• The school has significantly improved achievement and progress for those learners most at risk of not achieving since the previous review.
• The school has significantly extended achievement and progress for learners working at or above curriculum levels since the previous review.
• The school is meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets set for 2030.

Rumaki/Reo Rua outcomes and conditions to support learner success

This section of the report provides more detail about the quality of teaching and learning through the provision of te reo Māori in rumaki/Reo Rua classroom/s within in English medium schools.

Learner success and wellbeing

• Ākonga in Te Whānau Pounamu benefit from good quality curriculum design that enhances progress in pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau.
• Ākonga in Te Whānau Pounamu benefit from high quality teaching and learning programmes through the provision of te reo Māori. 
• Ākonga in Te Whānau Pounamu are supported by leadership and governance practices to achieve educational success as Māori.

Conditions to support learner success

• Ākonga are provided with extensive opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, local narratives and history that affirms and celebrates their culture, language and identity.
• Robust assessment practices contribute to improved outcomes for ākonga in Te Whānau Pounamu.
• Strong partnerships and pathways prepare ākonga for continued Māori-medium education.

Next steps for improvement

This section provides more detail for the school to include in its 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

• The school seeks to achieve excellent and equitable outcomes for Māori through a strong and visible commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, fostering an environment where tikanga and te ao Māori are valued and embedded in school practices.
• Learners achieve high levels of success in reading, writing, and mathematics, reflecting the school’s effective teaching practices and commitment to positive outcomes for all learners.
• The school’s leadership is collaborative, visible, and foster a positive and accountable culture, which drives continuous school improvement.
• Learners are provided with rich opportunities to engage in specialist subjects, extension programmes in literacy and numeracy in preparation for future pathways.
• The school effectively builds professional capacity through responsive and targeted professional learning to improve teaching practices and outcomes.
• Learners benefit from well-embedded practices that support inclusion and sense of belonging at school. Learners with additional needs are effectively supported through high quality transition processes.
• The school maintains strong partnerships that enhance student wellbeing and learning through shared expertise.

Key priorities

• Increase regular attendance towards Government targets.
• Formalise internal evaluation processes to sustain levels of progress and achievement and improve equity in outcomes.
• Establishment of a new Kowhai Intermediate School Board familiar with governance functions and confident in carrying out roles and responsibilities.
• Leaders maintain a strategic focus on building teacher capacity, aligned with a structured Māori-medium programme, to sustain high levels of ākonga achievement.

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within six months:

• leaders implement a clearer process to evaluate the effectiveness of actions taken to improve learner outcomes; this process is to be well understood by the staff and School Board
• teachers in Te Whānau Pounamu engage in professional learning to support effective teaching aligned with Māori medium structured literacy programmes

Every six months:

• leaders and teachers review the progress of priority groups; identify and implement interventions to improve learner achievement and outcomes
• leaders maintain a strategic focus on increasing learners achieving above expected levels in reading, writing and mathematics and evaluate progress against annual goals
• leaders review attendance plan, strategies and scrutinise achievement data to inform decision making
• leaders monitor and refine professional learning practices to strengthen ākonga progress in Te Whānau Pounamu

Annually:

• leaders analyse, evaluate and report to the School Board on the effectiveness of school actions, programmes and interventions to strengthen progress and achievement for all learners and inform strategic and resourcing decisions
• leaders evaluate the effectiveness of Māori-medium professional learning and structured programmes in improving learner outcomes, to inform resourcing decisions and drive continuous improvement.

Expected outcomes

• Increased and sustained levels of equity, excellence and outcomes for all learners.
• Increased rates of regular attendance to meet government targets.
• Enhanced and strengthened high quality internal evaluation for continuous school improvement.
• Confident, strategic, learner focused school stewardship.
• Accelerated progress and sustained outcomes for all ākonga in Te Whānau Pounamu.

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.

No international students were enrolled at the time of the ERO review.

The school delivers effective education and pastoral support for international students. They are assessed on entry and strategically placed in classrooms to ensure learning support aligns with their needs. International students participate in a range of internal and external programmes that address both learning and social needs. The Director of International Students supervises each placement and provides ongoing support to students and their host families, strengthening wellbeing.

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

2 March 2026