Balmacewen 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  

​​Balmacewen Intermediate School provides education for learners in Years 7 and 8. The roll is 474. The largest group of students is European/Pākehā (80%), followed by Māori (14%), Asian (10%) and Pacific (4%). The school vision is Learning is forever – Ko te ako mo ake tonu atu. The values are perseverance|manawanui, excellence|kairangi, respect|whakaute and kindness|atawhai.​ 

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 

Improvement and progress  

This section is about the progress the school has made since the ​August 2022​ ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings. 

Expected improvements 

​​Priorities for improvement from the last review were for the school to raise achievement of priority learners and to focus on hauora (wellbeing). 

​The school expected to see that all students would have sufficient and equitable opportunities to learn and that priority learners have access to the full curriculum and experience success.​ 

Findings  

​​The school continues to provide, through its rich curriculum, sufficient and equitable opportunities for all students to learn and to have access to the full curriculum and experience success.​  

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.

Achievement in Years 7 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.

• ​​The large majority of​ ​learners​ attend school regularly.
• The school is ​approaching​ the target of 80% regular attendance.
• The school ​has a suitable plan in place​ to improve attendance.
• Regular attendance ​is​ improving towards or beyond the target.
• Chronic absence ​is not yet​ reducing over time.

Assessment

This section is about how the school assesses learner progress and achievement.

• ​​The school uses an appropriate approach and reliable practices to find out about achievement against the curriculum.​
• ​​Assessment information is used well 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 ​has​ 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 since the previous review.
• The school ​has to some extent​ extended achievement and progress for learners working at or above curriculum levels since the previous review.
• The school is ​making​ progress towards meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets for 2030 and agrees this will need to be a key strategic priority. 

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

​​Strong collaborative leadership promotes high expectations across the school for all. School leaders are reflective and focused on improvement.  

​A professional commitment to enhancing learning and wellbeing outcomes for all students is encouraged as a shared responsibility. Teachers are reflective practitioners who work together to support students to develop a strong sense of belonging and foster their confidence and participation in learning. 

​Students access the depth and breadth of a responsive school curriculum that promotes engagement in learning. Students experience a wide range of learning opportunities that are future focused and encourage them to lead their learning.  

​Consistent teaching, learning and assessment practices across the school prioritise literacy and mathematics programmes.  

​Students engage in purposeful learning partnerships with community groups which support them to understand and share what they have learnt in meaningful ways. 

Key priorities

• Sustain focus on accelerating achievement progress for groups of learners identified at risk of not achieving especially in writing.
• Engage in curriculum and assessment professional learning to respond to current changes.
• ​​Increase rates of regular attendance.​

Actions to bring about improvement

Every six months: 

• leaders review the progress of groups of students at risk of not achieving curriculum expectations, especially in writing, to inform next steps
• leaders and teachers review and adjust curriculum and assessment practices to meet current requirements
• ​​leaders review approaches that effectively increase regular attendance ​ 

Annually: 

• ​​the school Board and leaders review achievement outcomes for learners not meeting curriculum expectations and plan next steps to sustain improvement  
• ​the school Board, leaders and teachers evaluate strategies that had the most impact on improving regular attendance and report this to community. ​ 

Expected outcomes

• ​​Equity in academic achievement for all groups of learners. ​
• Increased learning opportunities and better outcomes for learners.
• Improved regular rates of attendance and a reduction in chronic absence.  

Regulatory and Legislative Requirements

This section of the report is about how the school meets regulatory and legislative requirements. This includes the provision of education for international students.

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 meeting regulatory and legislative requirements in the following areas: 

Board Administration

​​Yes​ 

Curriculum

​​Yes​ 

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

​​Yes​ 

Personnel Management

​​Yes​ 

Provision for International Students

This section is about the quality of the provision of education for international students enrolled at the school.

Findings

The school is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020. The school ​has​ attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code. 

No international students were enrolled at the time of the ERO review. 

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​ 

​​15 December 2025​