Wainuiomata Intermediate

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 12 February 2025 — “School Evaluation Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.

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

Wainuiomata Intermediate in Lower Hutt provides education for students in Years 7 and 8. Special features of the school include Te Kāhui Tamarik i that aims to have te reo Māori, tikanga Māori , and a Māori world view at the heart of learning. A Pacific classroom , Tamaiti o le Pasifika, has been established.

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, including any education in Rumaki /bilingual settings.

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

Part A: Previous Improvement Goals

Since the previous ERO report of August 2022, ERO and the school have worked together to evaluate how effectively the Wainuiomata Intermediate local curriculum engaged students and supported progress and achievement.

Expected Improvements and Findings

The school expected to see:

Raised levels of achievement in writing and mathematics.

Achievement data indicates that writing achievement has lifted between 2022 and 2024.

Achievement levels in reading and mathematics have remained at a similar level for this same period.

Increased cultural responsiveness of the curriculum.

Learners experience a curriculum that incorporates local history and increased cultural content.

Teachers report that expectations for teaching and learning are clear and a structure for feedback on their practice is in place; this feedback has strengthened the consistency of teaching practice.

Identify and widely use strategies supporting higher levels of progress in achievement for Pacific students during their two years at school.

The establishment of Tamaiti o le Pasifika , a Pacific enrichment classroom, has enabled Pacific students to express and share a deeper sense of pride in their culture and to learn in culturally responsive settings.

Other Findings

During the course of the evaluation, it was found that the greatest shift that occurred was the school’s response to the community’s cultural aspirations. This had led to the establishment of Tamaiti o le Pasifika , a Pacific enrichment classroom and an additional Rumaki class in Te Kāhui Tamariki . This has enabled students to learn in increasingly cultural contexts and also led to raised attendance levels for Pacific students in this class.

Part B: Current State

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

Learner Success and Wellbeing

The school is working towards equitable and excellent outcomes for learners.

Achievement information shows a large majority of learners achieve at expected levels in reading, writing and mathematics; with little disparity between Māori , Pacific and other learners.

Inclusive practice is evident; students with additional needs are identified effectively supported to achieve success.

School values are well embedded and support well-being for learning, students report a sense of belonging.

The school is not yet meeting Ministry of Education 2024 attendance target; attendance levels are higher in the Pacific and Rumaki classes.

Conditions to support learner success

Strategic and effective leadership is focussed on wellbeing and improving learning outcomes for students.

Leaders work collaboratively to create positive conditions that promote positive and improved student outcomes.

Positive learning environments are inclusive, value diversity and promote student wellbeing for learning; this focus is a key leadership strategy.

Sound processes and systems, implemented well, ensure consistency for teachers of curriculum planning and delivery across the school.

Students are actively engaged in their learning and experience consistent teaching.

Te reo Māori, te ao Māori and tikanga Māori are effectively woven through the curriculum and support Māori learners to experience success as Māori .

Ongoing review and refinement of the local curriculum provide students with relevant learning activities and appropriate contexts to support their learning.

Learners experience positive and respectful relationships with teachers that effectively support their understandings and pathways to independence.

Positive school conditions promote learners’ wellbeing and engagement in learning.

Appropriate and timely professional learning opportunities support teacher collaboration and enable them to develop and use new teaching practices.

The board and school leaders actively involve whānau and the community in school decision making to ensure their wishes are reflected in the curriculum.

All languages and cultures are acknowledged, respected and supported schoolwide to enable support students to maintain and enhance their cultural identities.

Whānau regularly support school-based events; the school has identified a next step to more deeply engage with whānau to extend partnerships for learning.

Learner success and wellbeing

Most Year 7 students are working at the expected curriculum levels in reading and mathematics.

A small majority of ākonga are attending school regularly, progressing towards the government target.

Ākonga have various options to pursue Māori medium pathways.

Ākonga are exposed to te reo Māori through a structured literacy programme.

Conditions to support learner success

Senior leadership is monitoring and analysing attendance and achievement data to drive achievement progression for all ākonga and increasingly drive improvements in attendance.

Kaiako and whānau work in a collaborative partnership to explore future pathways for ākonga .

Kaiako are beginning to use the relevant The New Zealand Curriculum literacy progression levels for te reo Māori .

Part C: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

continue to identify and implement steps and programmes designed to raise student achievement in reading, writing and mathematics

review and refine strategies to increase the attendance of students who are not attending regularly

increase whanau involvement in the learning of their tamariki

continue to develop and implement a Te Kāhui Tamariki te reo Māori programme based on the literacy levels of The New Zealand Curriculum – Te Aho Arataki Marau .

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

Every six months:

closely monitor the effectiveness of initiatives to improve the attendance of students who do not attend regularly

continue to monitor and report to the board student progress and achievement in order to identify areas of progress and to prioritise areas where further actions may be required

review the impact of the language programme and assessment tools on progressing Te Kāhui Tamariki conversational language

Annually:

update the school curriculum to capture curriculum requirements and planned changes to school wide assessment and reporting processes

monitor and evaluate how effectively the school provides opportunities for whānau engagement in learning to better support student progress

analyse end-of-year student achievement information and use this to inform future decision making and planning for Te Kāhui Tamariki te reo Māori language progressions.

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

increased achievement outcomes for all learners in reading, writing, and mathematics

students attending school regularly

increased whānau understanding of how well their tamariki are achieving and how they can further support their learning

consistent expectations of reo Māori curriculum delivery and improved te reo Māori progression for ākonga in Te Kāhui Tamariki .

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

Sharon Kelly Acting Director of Schools

12 February 2025

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 this report on ero.govt.nz →