Te Puke 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

Te Puke Intermediate is in the Western Bay of Plenty and provides education for learners in Years 7 to 8. The roll is 528, comprising approximately of 64% New Zealand European/Pākehā learners, 39% of learners identify as Māori, 16% Asian learners and 5% of learners with Pacific heritage. The school’s vision, nurturing our whānau towards ‘great futures through our student centred kaupapa’, is supported by values of be active, be excellent, be respectful, be yourself.

The school has a Māori medium pathway, Te Korowai Mātauranga providing education through the provision of te reo Māori for Years 7 to 8. 

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 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 is improving its approach and the reliability of its practices to accurately find out about achievement against the curriculum.
• Teachers are developing assessment information 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.

Rumaki/Reo Rua Outcomes and Conditions to Support Learners 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 English medium schools.

Learner success and wellbeing

• Ākonga are engaged in learning through meaningful cultural narratives of their rohe.
• A small majority of ākonga are achieving academic success based on their time in immersion. Almost all ākonga are not achieving academic success against expected curriculum levels.
• Te Korowai Mātauranga are exceeding the Ministry of Education target for regular attendance.

Conditions to support learner success

• Ākonga engage in a range of learning activities that enable them to explore local sites of significance.
• Data is yet to be adequately collated and reported to enable effective analysis of ākonga progress and achievement outcomes.
• The kura is working collaboratively to design a Māori medium pathway plan with the Kāhui Ako to seamlessly transition ākonga.

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

• Learners are highly engaged and participate in an inclusive and relational environment that supports their interests, identity, and aspirations. This fosters a strong sense of belonging and promotes positive wellbeing, leading to improved student outcomes.
• Teachers are focused on embedding a range of approaches, including the implementation of structured mathematics practices to support student learning.
• School leaders provide cohesive, focused leadership that increasingly strengthens school conditions to support student success and wellbeing.
• Strategic planning provides clear direction for priorities to improve student progress. Ongoing professional development is aligned to meeting student needs and support school goals.
• The curriculum is embedded across the school, providing rich, relevant learning opportunities for students that are linked to local contexts and connect with iwi.  
• Leaders and teachers foster a culture of inquiry by collaborating and using data to guide decision-making, planning, and instruction.

Key priorities

• Embed structured mathematics approaches.
• Further build teacher knowledge and practice with focus on accelerating the progress of learners who are not yet meeting curriculum level expectations.
• Strengthen consistent schoolwide assessments to help teachers and leaders measure the impact of teaching on student outcomes.
• Prioritise developing and growing Te Korowai Mātauranga, to meaningfully engage tamariki in learning.
• Sustain and further improve regular attendance.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within six months: 

• leaders and teachers use assessment data to evaluate structured teaching approaches in mathematics and prioritise actions to improve learner outcomes
• teachers review and update planning and approaches in reading, writing, and maths to help students who are not yet meeting expectation make accelerated progress 

Every six months:

• leaders monitor schoolwide assessment practices and data to support teachers to know the impact of teaching on learner outcomes and plan next steps
• leaders review and evaluate the progress of Te Korowai Mātauranga and the impact of learning, achievement, and wellbeing of ākonga
• leaders analyse the impact of the attendance plan; report to the School Board on trends, patterns and identify next steps

Annually:

• leaders review progress in structured teaching approaches and assessment practices in literacy and mathematics, identifying areas for ongoing improvement and support
• leaders and the School Board analyse and evaluate student attendance, progress and achievement; use this information to guide targeted teaching, interventions and strategic planning priorities for continuous improvement
• leaders and the School Board evaluate the impact and effectiveness of Te Korowai Mātauranga on improving learning and wellbeing for ākonga.

Expected outcomes

• Significantly improved achievement outcomes for all students in literacy and mathematics.
• The effective use of assessment information to guide schoolwide improvement priorities and improve teaching and learning practices.
• Improved outcomes for ākonga through the growth and development of Te Korowai Mātauranga.
• Improved and sustained 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

Actions for Compliance 

ERO and the board have identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:

• Complete the necessary police vetting of an employee [Section 104 schedule 4 Education and Training Act 2020; regulations 5–8 of the Children’s Act 2014 (Requirements for Safety Checks of Children’s Workers) Regulations 2015].
• Ensure that teachers and authorised staff members have completed training on Physical Restraint Guidelines [Section101 of the Education and Training Act 2020].
• Implement risk management procedures as outlined in the school policy and procedures for education outside the classroom [Health and Safety at Work Act 2015].

The Board has  addressed the areas of non-compliance identified.

Provision for International Students 

This section of the report is about the quality of the provision of education for international student 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 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 

29 September 2025