He Tīwai Mātauranga Heaton Normal Intermediate
Intermediate · State
- Year levels
- 7–8
- Total roll
- 538
- Enrolment zone
- Yes
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 125 Heaton Street, Merivale, Christchurch
- Territorial authority
- Christchurch City
- Phone
- 03-3559555
- admin@heaton.school.nz
- Website
- http://www.heaton.school.nz/
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Christchurch · schools in Canterbury
Can my child go here?
This school has an enrolment scheme, so a place is not open to every address. How enrolment zones work
Loading zone map…
Zone boundaries shown here are approximate. Ministry of Education data warns these boundaries do not have high spatial precision and can place neighbouring addresses on different sides of a line. This is not a confirmation of enrolment eligibility — always confirm directly with the school. Zone geometry also does not reflect enrolment priority rules (siblings, special character categories, ballots) — it shows the mapped boundary only.
Check if your address is in zone →
Source: Ministry of Education, CC BY 3.0 NZ
What would the day look like?
The practical things this school states on its own website — the hours, the uniform, the term dates, and how children get there. These are the school’s own words, not the Ministry’s record and not ERO’s.
Quoted from this school’s own website, as we read it on 13 August 2026. A web page carries no date of its own, so that is the day we read it — not a statement that any of this is still the case. Each line quotes the words it came from.
- Uniform
- Required
Full school uniform must be worn during the school day.
- Required
- Term dates
- Term 1, 2026: Monday 2 February – Thursday 2 April
Term 1: Monday 2 February – Thursday 2 April
Year stated asTerm Dates 2026
- Term 2, 2026: Monday 20 April – Friday 3 July
Term 2: Monday 20 April – Friday 3 July
Year stated asTerm Dates 2026
- Term 3, 2026: Monday 20 July – Friday 25 September
Term 3: Monday 20 July – Friday 25 September
Year stated asTerm Dates 2026
- Term 4, 2026: Monday 12 October – Tuesday 15 December
Term 4: Monday 12 October – Tuesday 15 December
Year stated asTerm Dates 2026
- Term 1, 2027: Monday 1 February – Friday 9 April
Term 1: Monday 1 February – Friday 9 April
Year stated asTerm Dates 2027
- Term 2, 2027: Tuesday 27 April – Friday 2 July
Term 2: Tuesday 27 April – Friday 2 July
Year stated asTerm Dates 2027
- Term 3, 2027: Monday 19 July – Friday 24 September
Term 3: Monday 19 July – Friday 24 September
Year stated asTerm Dates 2027
- Term 4, 2027: Monday 11 October – Thursday 16 December
Term 4: Monday 11 October – Thursday 16 December
Year stated asTerm Dates 2027
- Term 1, 2026: Monday 2 February – Thursday 2 April
What does the school say about itself?
Quoted, not summarised. Every school describes itself well, so this is here to be read as the school’s own case rather than as a finding — and a school that states nothing simply has no row.
Quoted from this school’s own website, as we read it on 13 August 2026. A web page carries no date of its own, so that is the day we read it — not a statement that any of this is still the case. Each line quotes the words it came from.
- In their words
- Ascend to the heights of excellence
- Diversity
- Nāku te rourou, nāu te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi
- With my food basket and your food basket, the people will thrive
- Integrity
- Ko te tumu herenga waka
- The stump to which the canoe is tied
- Creativity
- Mā te pohewa mā te auaha hoki, ka whakapuaki ngā kura e huna ana
- With imagination and creativity, a hidden jewel can be revealed
- International students
- Accepted, as stated
Heaton Normal Intermediate welcomes the enrolment of international students.
- Accepted, as stated
- Voluntary donation
- $260 for the year for one child, $440 for two or more children
We request a financial donation from families to supplement funding from the Ministry of Education so that we can continue to provide an extensive range of learning experiences for all students. One Child $260 for the year Two or More Children $440 for the year
- $260 for the year for one child, $440 for two or more children
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 401
- Māori
- 53
- Pacific
- 22
- Asian
- 144
- MELAA
- 24
- Other
- 6
- International
- 7
Roll by year level and age
Shown as context, not ranked, not compared to any average. As at 30 June 2026, from the same annual return as the roll count above.
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 07 | 23 | 11 | 61 | 15 | 5 | 199 | 2 | 267 |
| Year 08 | 27 | 21 | 54 | 14 | 3 | 193 | 3 | 264 |
| Total | 50 | 32 | 115 | 29 | 8 | 392 | 5 | 531 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Age 11 | 21 | 11 | 40 | 11 | 4 | 155 | 2 | 205 |
| Age 12 | 21 | 15 | 67 | 16 | 3 | 191 | 2 | 265 |
| Age 13 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 46 | 1 | 60 |
| Total | 50 | 32 | 115 | 29 | 8 | 392 | 5 | 531 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
25.3%
| He Tīwai Mātauranga Heaton Normal Intermediate | 25.3% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 38.3% |
| Intermediate | 43.3% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 48.1% |
| Māori | 35% |
| Pacific | 27.7% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 30.7% |
| European/Pākehā | 28.9% |
| Total | 25.3% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison stand-down rates data (2024)
Age-standardised suspension rate per 1,000 students — 2024
1.5%
| He Tīwai Mātauranga Heaton Normal Intermediate | 1.5% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 3.7% |
| Intermediate | 4.9% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 2.9% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 2% |
| Total | 1.5% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison suspension rates data (2024)
Age-standardised exclusion rate per 1,000 students — 2024
1.6%
| He Tīwai Mātauranga Heaton Normal Intermediate | 1.6% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 1.7% |
| Intermediate | 1.9% |
| State | 1.9% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 3% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 2.1% |
| Total | 1.6% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison exclusion data (2024)
About the school
- Equity Index (EQI)
- 407
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Major urban area
- Date opened
- 25 January 1948
The Equity Index is used by the Ministry to allocate equity funding. It describes the socio-economic barriers a school’s students face, not how good the school is. How the Equity Index works
What did ERO find?
The Education Review Office reviews every school and publishes what it finds in full. We quote ERO’s report here, section by section, in ERO’s own words and order, and link to it. We do not summarise a report, pick a line out of one, or turn one into a score. How ERO reviews schools
- Reports ERO holds
- 5
- Last reviewed
- 3 April 2024
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (3 April 2024)
A board assurance statement is the board’s own account of whether it took all reasonable steps to meet its legal obligations, on the date shown. It is not ERO’s finding. ERO reports separately, in the same report, on any non-compliance it identified during that process.
The board assurance report of 3 April 2024 carries no actions-for-compliance section — the section ERO uses when it names non-compliance it identified. That is what this report contains; it is not ERO saying it found none. Other reports ERO holds for this school may say something different.
The roll ERO recorded, and when
ERO writes a roll into each report it publishes: a count taken for that report, on the day shown, by the review team that was there. The Ministry of Education’s current roll for this school is 538 — the figure at the top of this page, and the one to use for how big the school is now. These are a different measurement by a different body, so they will rarely agree, and a difference between them is not a change in the school.
June 2017
569
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 13 December 2017
May 2012
518
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 30 August 2012
We draw no line between these. Each was counted for its own report, years apart, by a different review team, and a roll moves between reviews for reasons none of these figures record — so the difference between any two of them measures nothing.
What ERO wrote in its latest report
This is ERO’s report of 3 April 2024 — “Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.
Background
This Profile Report was written within 40 months of the Education Review Office and He Tīwai Mātauranga Heaton Normal 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
He Tīwai Mātauranga Heaton Normal Intermediate is located in northwest Christchurch and provides education for students in Years 7 and 8 underpinned by the values of Excellence – Pai Rawa , Diversity – Rerenga Ketanga , Integrity – Ngākau Pono , and Creativity – Auahatanga . The school has a close relationship with initial teacher education providers.
He Tīwai Mātauranga Heaton Normal Intermediate ’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
authentic understanding and valuing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi
to achieve to the very highest level of their potential by setting high expectations for all
to create a positive place for learning that provides for the diversity within the school and broadens the definition of what success looks like.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on He Tīwai Mātauranga Heaton Normal Intermediate ’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the school’s wellbeing plan on supporting ākonga engagement and wellbeing.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
the need for real time data that is responsive to supporting ākonga wellbeing needs
the school has prioritised significant resources to support the focus
to consolidate and embed the recent changes to wellbeing systems and processes.
The school expects to see:
wellbeing systems that are coherent and consistently implemented
wellbeing data effectively used to monitor and identify trends and to respond to individual ākonga needs
a shared understanding of behaviour management systems within the school and its community
improved ākonga wellbeing and engagement.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the school’s wellbeing plan on supporting ākonga engagement and wellbeing:
reflective, distributed leadership that is learner focused
the board’s commitment to supporting and resourcing student wellbeing
effective systems and processes that support evaluation and school improvement.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
establishing a wellbeing sub-committee that makes effective use of school wellbeing data
reviewing and evaluating the school pastoral system to identify what best supports learner outcomes
strengthening communication of behaviour systems across the wider school community
monitoring the impact of wellbeing initiatives on ākonga wellbeing and engagement.
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
3 April 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
Read the full report on ero.govt.nz →
All 5 reports ERO holds for this school
ERO reviews a school every few years — around four years between reviews is the usual cycle — so an older date here reflects where a school sits in that cycle, not how it is doing.
Source: Education Review Office, CC BY 4.0.
Roll date: 30 June 2026 (2026).