Cobham Intermediate

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 12 months of the Education Review Office and Cobham Intermediate working in Te Ara Huarau, an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website. www.ero.govt.nz

Context 

Cobham Intermediate caters for learners in Years 7 and 8. It is a member of Waimairi-iri Kāhui Ako, located in Christchurch. The school’s core values ‘3RP’ are resilience | ngākau mārohirohi, responsibility | ngākau whai tikanga, positivity | ngākaupai, and respect | ngākau whakaute.

Cobham Intermediate’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to promote:

• quality

• identity

• opportunity

• innovation.

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Cobham Intermediate’s website.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well the school’s localised curriculum and practices support successful literacy outcomes.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

• the school’s strategic plan values the development of holistic learner success supported by inspired and highly skilled teaching

• current school-wide data shows that many students are supported to make good progress over time, yet Māori continue to achieve less well than their peers

• staff professional development is designed to raise learner outcomes, underpinned by a culturally responsive pedagogy of relationships.

The school expects to see shared understandings of quality literacy practices and consistent teaching and learning. These practices will have positive impacts on academic success and on students’ self-esteem and wellbeing. Students will learners’ greater sense of belonging and connectedness, through enhanced relationships and a refined local curriculum that purposefully weaves literacy through all learning.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to refine and embed effective teaching and learning, within shared understandings of quality pedagogy and practice:

• the school’s Graduate Profile articulates a collective vision for learner success and wellbeing, underpinned by inclusive practices and a culture that embraces diversity

• well-analysed data provides purposeful evidence for decision making and refinement of practices to benefit learners, including valuing students’ ideas and feedback on curriculum and learning

• leaders’ proactive internal evaluation purposefully monitors and guides school-wide improvement.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• deliberate focus on building staff shared understandings of culturally responsive pedagogies, likely to support more Māori learners enjoying and achieving education success as Māori

• continuing to explore and grow consistency of teaching strategies that best respond to learners’ literacy strengths, needs and interests

• engaging with whānau and collaborating with the wider community to further enrich opportunities and outcomes for all learners.

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. ERO will support the school in reporting their progress to the community. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

23 May 2023 

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