Balmacewen Intermediate

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 15 December 2025 — “School Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.

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.

How well are learners succeeding? Success and progress for all learners is increasing.

What is the quality of teaching and learning? Learners benefit from good quality teaching practice that improves progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics.

How well does the school curriculum respond to all learners needs? Learners have rich opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum. There is a consistent focus on supporting learners to gain skills in foundational skills in literacy and mathematics. Learners with complex needs are well supported to achieve their education goals.

How well does school planning and conditions support ongoing improvement? School planning and conditions to support ongoing improvement to the quality of education for learners are well established.

How well does the school include all learners and promote their engagement and wellbeing? The school successfully promotes learners’ engagement, wellbeing and inclusion.

How well does the school partner with parents, whānau and its community for the benefit of learners? The school reports usefully and accurately to parents / whānau about their child’s learning, achievement and progress. The school responds well to a wide range of information gathered through community consultation, to inform strategic planning and curriculum decisions.

Student Health and Safety The school board is taking reasonable steps to ensure student health and safety.

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.

Less than a third Less than half Small majority Large majority Most Almost all

0 to 33% 34 to 49% 50 to 64% 65 to 79% 80 to 90% Over 90%

Reading A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.

Writing A small majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.

Mathematics A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.

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

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →