Waimahia Intermediate School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 6 months of the Education Review Office and Waimahia Intermediate School 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

Waimahia Intermediate is located in Clendon Park, South Auckland catering for Years 7 and 8 ākonga/learners. The school vision is for every student to leave the school ‘Engaged, Achieving and Confident in their Identity,’ developed through the values of Mana, Manaakitanga and Mātauranga which build on self- belief, respect, and the ability to inquire and innovate to be self-determining ākonga.

Waimahia Intermediate School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

• Relevant, real indigenised curriculum taught by responsive evidence-based teachers.
• Quality leadership that ensures success for all learners.
• Active learners who maximise all opportunities to grow and embed knowledge, skills and understandings.
• Rich, reciprocal relationships that realise mutual aspirations.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well and consistently the school is indigenising the curriculum to be culturally responsive to all ākonga, to ensure positive impactful outcomes for all.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is: 

• to determine positive impact (post ERO 2019), of the work that has gone into indigenising teaching and learning outcomes and conditions
• a leadership team focussed on building and reviewing the impact of high teaching and learning expectations want to establish how well the changes influence outcomes for learners
• culturally informed and developed learning strategies and a culture of care, supports teachers really knowing their ākonga, their families and community which is inherent in the localised curriculum
•  determining how well project-based integrated teaching and learning engages ākonga by building on their interests
• the school already assesses impact of the curriculum and pedagogical approaches on outcomes and has in 2023 moved to include assessing how challenging learning is for ākonga.

The school expects to see that by doing the following they will continue to optimise outcomes for learners:

• providing a culturally responsive, indigenised curriculum that enables ākonga to feel more connected, challenged and engaged in their learning, which in turn will result in improved progress and achievement 
• ensuring teachers use consistently co- constructed approaches to planning, teaching and assessment which will continue to build student agency and further enhance the school’s learner focussed culture
• ensuring strong informed leadership practices support collaborative teaching practices 
• continue building relationships with mana whenua to ensure sustainability in the school giving effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Strengths 

The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to evaluate how well indigenising the curriculum supports ensuring positive impactful outcomes for all:

• mana enhancing teaching and learning underpins restorative practices and builds strong cultural inclusion
• celebration of culture, identity and language is visible across the school’s curriculum
• value by teachers and leaders of the knowledge and past learning ākonga bring to school is highly evident
• leadership is focussed on bringing out the best in all their people
• whānau and community partnerships support the school to realise community aspirations.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will continue to prioritise: 

• continuing to build teacher capability in ‘teaching as inquiry’, and in analysing and using student achievement information to inform practice
• the ongoing development and embedding of strategies to improve the acceleration of learning for students who are below their expected curriculum levels
• continuing to build and embedding strong, mana-enhancing leadership practices across the whole staff supported by a comprehensive internal evaluation plan that aligns with the strategic plan.

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

22 January 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