Avalon 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

Avalon Intermediate provides education for students in Years 7 and 8. The school roll is 250 including 36% of learners who identify as Māori and 37% of Pacific heritage.

The school’s values of Kaitiakitanga, Manaakitanga, Whanaungatanga and Mauri Ora are central to the culture of the school.

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. 

A large majority of learners enter Avalon Intermediate School behind the expected curriculum level. The school is well focused on accelerated progress.

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. 

• Less than half of learners attend school regularly.
• The school is behind the target of 80% regular attendance.
• The school is developing a suitable plan to improve attendance.
• Regular attendance is not yet 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.
• The school has not extended achievement and progress for learners working at or above curriculum levels since the previous review.
• The school is not 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.

Support

During the course of this review ERO had concerns about students' progress and achievement and made recommendations for support and/or intervention to the Secretary / Ministry of Education.

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

• Leaders and teachers foster a positive and inclusive school culture to ensure students develop a strong sense of belonging.
• Students experience an environment where their language, culture and identity are valued and celebrated.
• Students with additional learning needs benefit from comprehensive tracking, monitoring and data-driven strategies to support teaching and outcomes for learning.
• Leaders and teachers demonstrate a strong commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Teachers demonstrate the importance of Māori language in the school and continue to progress their own competence and capability in te reo Māori. Students are regularly exposed to te reo Māori and have regular opportunities to participate and in tikanga Māori.
• School values are well embedded across the school and underpin the school culture; there is clear alignment to behaviour approaches, support structures and learning.
• Relational approaches to behaviour are evident throughout the school and have a positive impact on students and staff.
• Leaders work collaboratively with a range of external agencies and community organisations focused on student wellbeing and engagement.

Key priorities 

• Strengthen the quality of teaching, learning and curriculum implementation to drive improvement.
• Establish a schoolwide focus on high expectations, engagement and acceleration of learning to raise achievement.
• Strengthen school wide systems and processes for assessment.
• Improve the use of student assessment information in reading, writing and mathematics teaching and learning.
• Review strategic priorities and incorporate student, teacher, parent, whānau and iwi aspirations.
• Improve regular attendance. 

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within three months: 

• leaders and teachers work with students, whānau and support agencies to implement strategies to improve attendance 

Within six months:

• teachers and leaders review current expectations for teaching, learning and assessment to consolidate shared understandings and improve practice
• leaders review current assessment processes to gain an overview of progress and achievement data across the school 

Every six months:

• leaders evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum on student engagement and achievement outcomes, respond and adjust approaches
• teachers collect use assessment information to inform teaching and learning in reading, writing and mathematics
• leaders and the School Board analyse attendance trends and patterns to identify successful strategies and inform planning

Annually:

• the School Board and leaders analyse and review student attendance, engagement, progress and achievement information to inform improvement priorities and next steps
• the School Board and leaders provide opportunities for students, teachers, parents, whānau and iwi to inform strategic review and planning.

Expected outcomes 

• Accelerated student progress in reading, writing and mathematics achievement.
• High-quality teaching practice and learning programmes.
• Assessment practices are appropriate, reliable and used consistently across the school.
• Strategic priorities are clear, well understood and informed by the school and community.
• Most students attending regularly so that the school meets the Government target of 80% regular attendance.

Regulatory and Legislative Requirements

This section of the report is about how the school meet regulatory and legislative requirements. 

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 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 has identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:

• ensure the school’s child protection policy is implemented with fidelity, and staff roles and responsibilities are clear and supported by regular child protection training
  [Sections 18 and 19 of the Children’s Act 2014: School boards’ child protection policies]
• ensure personal information discussed by the school board is protected in accordance with the principles of the school’s privacy policy
  [Sections 22 of the Privacy Act 2020].

The School Board has since taken steps to address the areas of non-compliance identified.

Recommendation to the Ministry of Education

ERO recommendation to the Ministry of Education will be outlined in the confirmed report to bring about the following improvements: 

• student attendance, achievement and engagement
• assessment systems and use of data in teaching and learning.

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

21 November 2025