Northcote 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 

Northcote Intermediate provides education for learners in Years 7 and 8. The roll is 664, including 63% Pākehā/New Zealand European, 18% Asian, 7% Māori, 5% Pacific heritage, 5% Middle Eastern, Latin American or African and 2% other ethnic groups. The school’s vision is To empower, learn and grow together, and its value is Whakaute (respect) for tātou anō (ourselves), ko ētahi atu (others), taiao (environment).

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 evaluated how well they use culturally responsive approaches to improve outcomes for learners, in particular Māori boys and Pacific boys.

The school expected to see equitable and excellent progress and achievement for all learners. Teachers worked to consistently use effective and adaptive strategies to improve learner outcomes. Leadership planned to ensure culturally responsive teaching expectations were clearly articulated, consistently implemented, and embedded across the school.

Findings 

Progress towards equitable and excellent outcomes is emerging. While overall achievement has remained stable, there is evidence of improvement for some groups of learners, with further work needed to ensure progress is sustained and equitable for all. 

Teaching practice has strengthened, with teachers increasingly using consistent and effective approaches. Shared curriculum planning, clearer assessment practices, and targeted professional learning are supporting improved practice. Agreed best-practice approaches are well established in mathematics and are being developed in literacy, with increasing consistency in the use of structured literacy approaches, alongside targeted professional support.

Culturally responsive teaching is more embedded across the school. Teachers have extended culturally responsive practices beyond mathematics into other learning areas, including literacy. Stronger connections to local contexts, iwi, and New Zealand history are evident in the curriculum, supporting learner identity, engagement, and belonging.

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.

How well are learners succeeding?Success and progress for all learners is increasing.What is the quality of teaching and learning?Learners benefit from good quality teaching practice that improves progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics. How well does the school curriculum respond to all learners needs?

Learners have rich opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum.

There is an increasingly consistent focus on supporting learners to gain skills in foundational skills in literacy and mathematics.

Learners with complex needs are well supported to achieve their education goals.

How well does school planning and conditions support ongoing improvement?School planning and conditions to support ongoing improvement to the quality of education for learners are well established.How well does the school include all learners and promote their engagement and wellbeing?The school successfully promotes learners’ engagement, wellbeing and inclusion.How well does the school partner with parents, whānau and its community for the benefit of learners?

The school is improving its reporting to parents / whānau about their child’s learning, achievement and progress.

The school responds well to a wide range of information gathered through community consultation, to inform strategic planning and curriculum decisions.

Student Health and SafetyThe school board is taking reasonable steps to ensure student health and safety.

Achievement in Years 7 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.

Less than a third

Less than half

Small majority

Large majority

Most

Almost all

0 to 33%

34 to 49%

50 to 64%

65 to 79%

80 to 90%

Over 90%

Reading

Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.

Writing

A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.

Mathematics

A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.

Attendance

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

• The large 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 is developing 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 and/or pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau targets for 2030 and agrees this will need to be a key strategic priority.

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

• Learner wellbeing is a clear strength at the school, with strong commitment from leadership, inclusive practices, responsive support structures, and positive student, staff, and community voice.
• Strategic and cohesive distributed leadership drives improvement and promotes shared responsibility for student learning and wellbeing.
• Structured approaches to mathematics are well embedded. The school continues to develop structured approaches to reading and plans further development in writing.
• The school’s curriculum offers engaging and relevant learning opportunities that reflect the local community, New Zealand histories, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and student voice. 
• Teaching across the school is effective, supported by well‑established learning environments, respectful teacher–student relationships, high levels of learner engagement, and consistent behaviour management.
• Professional learning for staff aligns clearly with school priorities and learner needs and builds capability across the school through regular observation, modelling, coaching, and targeted support.
• Targeted interventions, drawing on staff expertise, support learners who need additional support to make progress.

Key priorities

• Embed structured approaches to the teaching of writing to accelerate learner achievement.
• Improve equity for priority learners through targeted initiatives and stronger use of information to understand progress and the impact of actions.
• Improve regular student attendance.

Actions to bring about improvement 

Every six months:

• leaders support teachers to implement and monitor structured approaches to the teaching of writing through professional learning, classroom observation, and the use of agreed teaching expectations
• leaders implement and review targeted initiatives for priority learners and use data to monitor progress, identify acceleration, and refine actions to improve equity
• leaders implement and monitor the attendance plan

Annually:

• leaders and the board review achievement and progress information in writing to evaluate the impact of structured teaching approaches and identify next steps for improvement
• leaders and the board review achievement and progress data for priority learners to evaluate the impact of targeted actions and determine next steps to strengthen equity
• the board and leaders review the attendance plan’s impact and identify further actions.

Expected outcomes

• Improved achievement in writing as structured teaching approaches become consistently embedded.
• Improved equity for priority learners, with clearer evidence of progress, acceleration, and the impact of targeted initiatives.
• The school meets the Government’s target of 80% regular 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 were 2 international students attending the school, and 0 exchange students.

International students participate fully in all areas of school life and make good progress during their time at Northcote Intermediate. They experience positive and inclusive relationships with their peers and teachers.

The school has thorough processes for annual self-review that provide reliable information about aspects of the provision for international students. 

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

13 April 2026