85 Breens Road , Bishopdale, Christchurch
View on mapTēnā 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.
Breens Intermediate school is in northwest Christchurch. It provides learning for students in Years 7 and 8. The school’s vision is for everyone to achieve their best, every single time. The school has a purpose-built technology centre that is used by five other schools.
There are two parts to this report.
Part A: an evaluative summary of learner success and school conditions to inform the board’s future strategic direction.
Part B: The improvement actions prioritised for the schools next evaluation cycle.
The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.
| A large majority of learners achieve to expected levels in reading, writing and mathematics over the two-year timeframe, within a caring and inclusive school culture. |
| Strategic and effective leadership builds and sustains high levels of teacher practice that improve outcomes for all learners. |
| Curriculum is increasingly relevant and responsive to meet the changing needs of intermediate age learners with input from teachers, learners and the wider community informing the design process. |
| Organisational systems that underpin successful schooling are strongly embedded and well aligned. |
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Within six months:
Every six months:
Annually:
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
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.
Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools
10 September 2024
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
As of May 2024, the Breens Intermediate Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:
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Yes
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For further information please contact Breens Intermediate, School Board.
The next School Board assurance that it is meeting regulatory and legislative requirements will be reported, along with the Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report, within three years.
Information on ERO’s role and process in this review can be found on the Education Review Office website.
Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools
10 September 2024
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
The Education Review Office reviews schools that are signatories 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 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.
Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools
10 September 2024
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Breens Intermediate has a roll of 299 students, 15% of whom identify as Māori. Since the 2015 ERO review a new principal has been appointed and there have been considerable changes to the board of trustees. The school has recently opened new learning spaces.
The school’s vision and values are expressed through the Breens ‘Tree of Values: Belonging, Brave, Beautiful, Bold and Brilliant’. The strategic goals are centred on:
Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:
The school is an active member of the Waimairi-iri Kāhui Ako|Community of Learning (CoL). It is a provider of technology programmes for students from other schools.
The school effectively achieves equitable and excellent outcomes for most students. School data over time shows considerable improvement in achievement for cohorts from the beginning of Year 7 to the end of Year 8, when most students are achieving at or above their curriculum level in reading, writing and mathematics.
The school values are embedded in the curriculum and in the school’s expectations for students. Students’ development of these is carefully monitored, celebrated and reported to students, parents and the board.
School data show that leaders and teachers are effective in accelerating the achievement of the majority of students whose learning is at risk, including those Māori students in this group.
Collaborative and effective leadership at Breens Intermediate empowers children and staff, through clear expectations and role modelling, to aspire to excellence. The vision and values are strongly embodied in all aspects of the school. A clear, shared sense of purpose and critical reflection supports an ongoing focus on a positive school culture and improving outcomes for children. There is an expectation of a collective responsibility for all children’s learning and wellbeing. Trustees and senior leadership ensure a high degree of alignment, based on the vision and values, between the strategic and annual plans, professional development, appraisal, curriculum, staffing and resourcing, particularly to support bicultural integration. All members of the school community are valued and respected and their views sought and used.
The school and its values strongly reflect the bicultural nature of Aotearoa New Zealand. A long association with mana whenua is constantly being strengthened in meaningful ways. The school has successfully involved whānau in decisions about their children’s learning and about the school. Te reo and tikanga Māori are well integrated across the curriculum and throughout all aspects of the school. Teachers are intentionally supported to include and continue to strengthen te ao Māori in their programmes and relationships with others. Maori children know that they and their culture are valued, and they consistently achieve well as Māori.
A highly responsive curriculum, based around the school values and learner characteristics, provides students with opportunities to learn through a wide range of authentic contexts. Teachers ensure that all children, including those with additional needs, are able to access the breadth of the New Zealand Curriculum. Children are purposefully engaged in their learning and understand what is expected of them. Careful planning and support enable them to set goals and take responsibility for their learning. Both staff and children benefit from a collaborative, supportive learning environment.
The school has a strong culture of critical reflection focused on continual improvement. There are examples of useful and thorough review. A more consistent approach that establishes the effectiveness of programmes and practices would further develop internal evaluation capability and outcomes.
Leaders and teachers have identified, and ERO’s evaluation confirms, that they need to continue to extend the ways in which children understand, and can play a greater role in, their own learning.
The school is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of International Students) Code of Practice 2016established under section 238F of the Education Act 1989. 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.
Before the review, the board and principal of the school completed the ERO board assurance statement and self-audit checklists. In these documents they attested that they had taken all reasonable steps to meet their legislative obligations related to the following:
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student safety and wellbeing:
On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of Breens Intermediate’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Strong.
ERO’s Framework: Overall Findings and Judgement Tool derived from School Evaluation Indicators: Effective Practice for Improvement and Learner Success is available on ERO’s website.
For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:
For sustained improvement and future learner success, priorities for further development are in:
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services Te Tai Tini
Southern Region
5 June 2020
| Location | Christchurch |
| Ministry of Education profile number | 3299 |
| School type | Intermediate |
| School roll | 299 |
| Gender composition | Females 50% Males 50% |
| Ethnic composition | Māori 15% NZ European/Pākehā 65% Pacific Island 4% Other Ethnicities 16% |
| Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS) | Yes |
| Provision of Māori medium education | No |
| Review team on site | November 2019 |
| Date of this report | 5 June 2020 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review November 2015 Education Review October 2012 Education Review June 2009 |