Taupo 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 

Taupō Intermediate is located in Taupō and provides education for learners in Years 7 to 8. A new principal was appointed in 2023 and a new presiding member was elected at the start of 2024. The school’s vision focuses on making a positive difference for learners. 

There are two parts to this report.

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

Part B: The improvement actions prioritized 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

Significant improvement is required to raise overall levels of student achievement. 

• Less than half of students are at expected curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics; significant disparity for groups of learners includes one third of boys achieve in writing and less than a third of Māori students achieve across the three curriculum areas.
• Students with additional needs make appropriate progress in relation to their individual goals.
• Most learners attend regularly; a deliberate strategic focus on ensuring meaningful learning opportunities has resulted in significant improvement in student engagement.

Conditions to support learner success

Strategic leadership works collaboratively to bring about improvements in outcomes for learners.

• Leaders are increasingly developing a culture that is committed to quality teaching and positive outcomes for learners. 
• Leaders and board members have prioritised actions to address improvements required.
• Deliberate steps are being taken to strengthen the consistency and reliability of assessment practices and teacher planning.

Teachers are increasingly taking steps to support students’ engagement in meaningful learning opportunities.

• Building positive relationships with learners promotes calm and orderly classroom environments.
• Learners needing additional in-class learning and behavioural support are identified and provided with increasingly effective assistance; this contributes to a positive and inclusive learning environment. 
• Curriculum initiatives and programmes that draw on tikanga and te ao Māori are being developed and implemented.

Key conditions including curriculum, professional development and relationships, to bring about improvements required are being strengthened

• Leaders focus on building teacher confidence and capability in te reo Māori and mātauranga Māori. 
• Relationships between leaders and teachers prioritise improving outcomes for learners. 
• Teachers are beginning to inquire into aspects of their teaching practice to support learner progress and achievement. 

Part B: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• build teacher capability to accelerate student progress and achievement using a responsive localised curriculum
• strengthen reporting, analysis, and use of dependable assessment information to inform decision making and raise student achievement 
• in consultation with the school community, continue to develop and establish the school’s strategic and annual plans to provide direction for the school and support effective self review 
• further engage whānau to support student learning and implement effective strategies for consultation with the Māori community.

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

Within three months:

• the board will address identified non-compliance areas
• develop and implement robust systems, policies and practices to ensure students are supported in a safe school environment.

Within six months, leaders will:

• strengthen consultation with Māori whānau, hapū, iwi and the school community
• re-establish expectations for teachers' meaningful inquiry to improve teaching practice  
• implement a strategic plan that provides direction and supports effective self-review

Every six months:

• review the progress of strategic and annual priorities to monitor the targets for improved learner progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics
• monitor how well teachers are using assessment information to guide planning to ensure responsive programmes and engaging opportunities for learning
• carry out and analyse a well-being survey of students and staff to inform next steps.

Annually:

• evaluate the impact of actions on raising achievement and inform improvements for reading, writing and mathematics programmes
• consult and plan with students, staff, whānau and the Māori community to gather aspirations and identify areas for improvement.

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

• strong systems, policies and practices in place to ensure students are supported in a safe school environment
• effective use across a range of dependable achievement information that supports internal evaluation for continuous improvement
• an inclusive, authentic, localised curriculum supporting engagement and success for all learners.

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

30 July 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