Whakatane 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

Whakatane Intermediate is located in Whakatāne and provides education for students in Years 7 and 8.

There are three parts to this report.

Part A: A summary of the findings from the most recent Education Review Office (ERO) report and/or subsequent evaluation.

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

Part C: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle.

Part A: Previous Improvement Goals

Since the previous report in August 2022, the school and ERO worked together to evaluate the effectiveness of practices, processes and curriculum for improving equitable and excellent outcomes for all students in mathematics.

Expected Improvements and Findings

The school expected to see:

Schoolwide implementation of a comprehensive, contextually connected, responsive mathematics curriculum.

• The mathematics curriculum has been well implemented, with ongoing monitoring of impact through student data and teacher feedback resulting in responsive changes.

Improved outcomes of equity and excellence for all students, particularly in mathematics.

• The majority of students achieve at and above expected curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Ongoing disparity for Māori students remains to be addressed by the school; their achievement is lower than non-Māori in reading, writing and mathematics.

Other Findings

During the evaluation, it was found that the school has established systems to strengthen teachers’ collective monitoring of student progress and achievement; refining these systems to better determine teacher impact on learner progress is a continuing focus.

Part B: Current State

The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.

Learner Success and Wellbeing

• Accelerated progress for some groups of students is evident in writing and mathematics.
• Reducing disparity for Māori students, those not yet achieving expected curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics, remains a priority for the school.
• Student attendance improved in 2024 with a majority attending regularly; the school is not yet meeting the Ministry of Education target and continues to work towards meeting this.

Conditions to support student success

• Leadership is strengthening the consistency and quality of teaching and learning programmes; this is leading to improved outcomes for students.
• Professional learning initiatives are informed by student assessment information and are increasingly effective in improving the quality of teaching.
• Leaders increasingly provide opportunities for whānau and iwi to share in, and contribute to, student learning resulting in improved student engagement and progress.

• Student engagement is supported through a curriculum that increasingly reflects students’ identity and culture.
• Respectful and collaborative teacher-student relationships support an inclusive learning environment that promotes student engagement.
• Teachers increasingly monitor student progress and achievement to strengthen aspects of their teaching practice and respond to student needs.

• Leaders value student feedback and meet regularly with the student council to discuss conditions that contribute to student wellbeing, learning opportunities and success.
• Leaders and teachers are strengthening the use of information from a range of sources to plan for ongoing improvement focused on progressing positive outcomes for students.
• Inclusion and wellbeing are prioritised with dedicated staff and targeted resourcing accessible for students requiring additional support.

Part C: Where to next? 

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

• continue to improve outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics for all students, with a particular focus on accelerated progress for those who are not yet meeting curriculum level expectations
• strengthen and embed effective use of assessment data for teachers and leaders to regularly monitor and evaluate the impact of teaching and learning practices on student progress and achievement
• continue to strengthen schoolwide consistency in planning and implementation of literacy and mathematics programmes
• continue to monitor and review strategies to improve rates of regular attendance for all students.

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

Within six months:

• develop action plans for improvement in literacy and mathematics that include monitoring and evaluating student progress, and next steps for continued improvement
• review systems for the collective monitoring of student progress and achievement, and use of data, to ensure consistency of process and practice across the school
• identify teachers' strengths and development needs in teaching literacy and mathematics to inform professional learning requirements.

Every six months:

• monitor the consistency and effectiveness of reading, writing and mathematics programmes and the impact on students’ progress and achievement with particular focus on the accelerated progress for students not yet meeting curriculum level expectations
• review how well assessment information is used to guide effective and responsive teaching and learning
• monitor and report on the impact of strategies used to improve regular attendance rates for all students.

Annually:

• evaluate improvements in literacy and mathematics outcomes for all students; use this information to report findings to the board and community, and to identify what is having the most impact for students to inform further improvement
• analyse how well reflective monitoring and evaluation processes have improved teaching, learning and assessment practices, and improved outcomes for students not yet meeting curriculum expectations
• evaluate and report to the board on patterns and improvements in attendance; identify next steps to continue to increase regular rates of student attendance.

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

• improved student progress, achievement and equitable outcomes for all students in reading, writing and mathematics
• regular attendance of all students
• embedded processes for effective schoolwide monitoring and evaluation of the impact of teaching and learning on students’ progress and achievement
• strengthened systems and processes for gathering and using data and evidence to inform schoolwide improvement priorities and supporting actions.

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all students. 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

3 December 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