Waimea 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  

​​Waimea Intermediate​ provides for learners in Years 7 and 8 in Richmond, Nelson. The school’s vision is Hīkina te mānuka, kia tutuki, kia tipu / Challenge to achieve and grow. The school is a member of Kāhui Ako ki Waimea. 

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 learner success and school conditions to inform the school board’s future strategic direction.  

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

Part A: Previous Improvement Goals 

Since the previous ERO report of September 2022, ERO and the school have worked together to evaluate leadership of a learner-focused curriculum and teaching approaches that promote learner success in reading. 

Expected Improvements and Findings 

The school expected to see: 

High levels of engagement, confidence and achievement in reading. 

• The school’s analysis of achievement data shows strong evidence of sufficient or accelerated progress for almost all learners in reading. 
• A purposeful wellbeing focus has supported greater numbers of learners to experience a sense of  
  self-esteem in relation to their progress. 

A localised curriculum that is relevant, differentiated and responsive to learner needs. 

• Leaders reviewed existing approaches for teaching reading, and through targeted professional development have created coherent guidelines and shared expectations for high quality literacy practices. 

Learner and whānau perspectives will be sought by teachers and leaders to make improvements in practice, and to strengthen home-school partnerships.  

• Deliberate hui, survey and school events have been initiated that provide a variety of opportunities for leaders and teachers to invite and receive feedback on reading developments.  
• Feedback and ideas from the parent and whānau community increasingly inform review and curriculum development. 

Other Findings 

The greatest shift that occurred in response to the school’s actions has been in establishing a designated literacy leadership team. This has strengthened consistency in the quality of teaching practices for reading. Evaluation of teaching and learning in reading has been thorough and shows outcomes for learners have improved. Senior leaders now plan to replicate this approach to review and enhance teaching and learning in mathematics. 

Part B: Current State 

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

Learner Success and Wellbeing

• By the end of Year 8, most learners achieve at or above expected curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics, showing strong patterns of progress over the two years. 
• Students have a strong sense of belonging; they understand and enact the R.I.S.E. values of respect, integrity, self-management and empathy within an inclusive culture.  
• Wellbeing surveys show positive responses, particularly regarding learners’ relationships with teachers; action plans are initiated proactively in response to areas requiring improvement. 
• A majority of students attend regularly, school strategies have successfully improved attendance rates; however, the school is not yet meeting the Ministry of Education target for regular attendance.  

Conditions to support learner success

• Leaders analyse and use achievement data to set well-considered schoolwide goals and targets focusing on improving outcomes for learners.  
• Teaching teams regularly discuss student achievement data; consequently, teachers adapt their teaching practice and use responsive strategies to further promote learner successes.  
• A professional learning culture of observations, feedback and personalised support assists all staff to connect to the school’s vision and goals, growing a consistent understanding of high quality practice.

• Students benefit from the school’s investment in explicit professional development and coaching for teachers; more consistent teaching across the school aligns with revised curriculum guidelines. 
• Students experience a broad and engaging curriculum; the explicit use of key competencies focus on curiosity, innovation and inquiry. 
• Students share their learning blogs for science, technology and the arts with their families using a digital platform; this celebrates learning and enhances meaningful partnerships.

• Leaders have brought about well-considered changes to classroom and teaching team structures; this is informed by robust evidence of what works best for intermediate learners, and improves learner transition into, through and beyond the school.  
• Regular communication with the community celebrates success, shares innovations, and seeks parent and whānau feedback about teaching and learning, individual learner’s reports clear progress and achievement information.  
• Emerging cultural leadership is deliberately growing tikanga Māori and te reo Māori across the school; this is strengthening partnerships for learning with whānau Māori and mana whenua. 
• Learners with additional needs benefit from personalised programmes in a dedicated learning hub; learning programmes are well-considered with strong family involvement in planning and reviewing personalised goals.  

Part C: Where to next? 

The agreed next steps for the school are to:  

• continue to embed and refine the peer coaching approach so that teachers continue to analyse the impact of their adapted teaching practices on outcomes for learners, sustaining reading gains 
• evaluate current teaching practices and achievement data for mathematics, including learner feedback, to identify professional development needs and new approaches for staff  
• build on existing whānau Māori and mana whenua connections to refine the localised curriculum and engage in a learning partnership that supports Māori learners enjoy and achieve education success, as Māori 
• further strengthen assessment practices and guidelines, including weaving new Kāhui Ako Transition Action Plan (KTAP) information through current teaching and learning planning and practices. 

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

Within six months: 

• evaluate current mathematics teaching and learning practices for quality and consistency, and identify next steps 
• cultural leaders ensure the iwi education plan, Ngā Kawatau me ngā Tūmanakotanga o Te Tauihu, is explicitly woven through strategic, annual and curriculum planning. 

Every six months: 

• teachers have regular opportunities to grow their knowledge and use of assessment tools 
• senior and team leaders use achievement, engagement and wellbeing data, including feedback from learners, whānau and families, to monitor progress toward annual targets and goals  
• team leaders meet formally with teachers to discuss the impact of coaching and professional development on learner progress and achievement 
• whānau hui promotes regular home-school engagement in curriculum, teaching and learning conversations, improving attendance and supporting progress toward goals for learner success. 

Annually: 

• leaders report to the board and communities on learner attendance, wellbeing and achievement to support responsive decision making 
• leaders evaluate the impact of staff professional development on learner outcomes to inform further improvements in teaching practices 
• leaders gather and use learner, whānau and family, and iwi aspirations to inform strategic, annual and curriculum planning. 

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

• sustained improvements in reading and mathematics teaching and equitable learner outcomes as the result of clear guidelines and consistent assessment, planning and teaching practices  
• strong relationships with iwi and whānau Māori promote partnership in decision making, for learner success 
• a succinct summary of achievement and progress for the whole school, groups of learners, including for ethnicity and gender  
• learner attendance rates meet the Ministry of Education target for regular attendance. 

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 

​​18 November 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