Nelson 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 

Nelson Intermediate - Te Kura Tūwaenga o Whakatū is situated in Nelson and provides Māori and English medium education for students in Years 7 and 8. They focus on Year 7 and 8 students developing the skills they need to be successful, resilient learners who can make the most of their opportunities.

There are two parts to this report.

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

Part B: The improvement actions prioritised 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

Most students are engaged, make good progress and achieve well.

• Most students meet school curriculum level expectations for achievement in reading, writing and mathematics.
• A consistent focus on improving equity in outcomes for Māori and male learners is increasing equity between groups of students.
• Students at risk of not achieving are supported well to achieve their goals; some students make accelerated progress.
• A large majority of students attend school regularly; the school is yet to achieve the Ministry of Education 2024 attendance target.

Conditions to support learner success

Collaborative leadership meaningfully consults with whānau and the school community to prioritise ongoing improvement.

• Leaders value whānau voice and use this well to develop strategic improvement priorities. 
• Leaders and teachers effectively use and analyse a wide range of achievement information to inform responsive changes to teaching and learning. 
• Leaders support teachers to inquire into their practice and results, to understand what is working well and inform where to next.

Teaching is increasingly responsive to the diverse needs of learners.

• Students with additional learning needs are well supported to access the school curriculum and experience success.
• Students can increasingly see their language and identity represented in the curriculum; teachers engage in professional learning that improves their understanding and capability in tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori. 
• Student needs are well understood by teachers who adapt the curriculum to meet these needs; the use of te reo Māori has been identified as an area for ongoing improvement.

Well established key organisational conditions prioritise student wellbeing, progress and learning.

• Leaders maintain a strong focus on improving culturally responsive practices across all areas of the school.
• Board members scrutinise student achievement information to effectively manage and inform resourcing decisions. 
• Students’ engagement in learning and wellbeing, including confidence in their identities, languages and cultures, is at the forefront of decision making.

Part B: Where to next? 

The agreed next steps for the school are to: 

• accelerate the progress and achievement of individual students who need this in mathematics and writing
• embed teachers’ use of effective teaching strategies to strengthen equitable outcomes for Māori and boys, and continue to improve attendance
• strengthen the use of te reo Māori throughout the school curriculum.

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

Within six months:

• develop and implement the schoolwide action plan for teaching and learning te reo Māori 
• ensure that te reo Māori, literacy and numeracy actions are explicit in planning and teachers’ evaluation of learning.

Every six months: 

• track, monitor and report to the board on the accelerated progress and achievement for identified students in reading and writing 
• reflect on and review the implementation of effective teaching strategies for attendance, progress and achievement particularly for Māori and boy’s.

Annually:

• continue to use and report on student progress and achievement data to inform responsive decision making, and effective strategies for improving attendance, teaching and learning 
• embed effective teaching strategies schoolwide to improve the teaching and learning of te reo Māori  
• use indicators of effective practice to evaluate the impact of initiatives for continued improvements in achievement and attendance.

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

• improved student achievement outcomes, particularly for Māori and boys in writing and mathematics 
• more students engaged in learning and attending regularly
• consistent teaching that reflects good practice in literacy, mathematics and te reo Māori learning.

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

3 October 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