Stand Tall at Blockhouse Bay Intermediate
At Blockhouse Bay Intermediate, students are supported to grow through two years that are challenging, affirming and fun. The intermediate years are a unique season of growth. At BHBI, we work in equal partnership with you and your child. Preparing for life’s journey in a modern, safe, and educationally rewarding school that will prepare each child to succeed as they transition to High School.
Here, every student is encouraged to follow our vision of Ruia Taitea or Stand Tall.
Know Thy Learner, Know Thy Impact
Starting intermediate is a big step. We plan carefully for this transition by getting to know students before they arrive, understanding their strengths, and helping them feel connected from the beginning.
Our school is organised into whānau, helping a large, vibrant school feel smaller and more personal. Students build strong relationships with their teachers, their classmates, and the wider school community.
Our Values Guide Everything We Do
At BHBI we have four school values which shape how our students learn, lead, connect, and contribute:
These values are lived through classroom routines, school-wide expectations, cultural opportunities, sport, service and the way we care for one another.
Students learn what it means to respect themselves, respect others, and take responsibility for the kind of person they are becoming.
Accelerated Academic Progress
We are proud of our curriculum and our academic focus. Students receive structured teaching in the core areas of literacy and mathematics, with learning designed to be clear, purposeful, and connected.
Our literacy programme strengthens the foundations of reading and writing while helping students engage with rich, challenging texts, including those connected to Aotearoa New Zealand. In mathematics, students build confidence through explicit teaching, easy to understand learning intentions, guided practice and regular checks for understanding. Across both areas, sequenced progressions and purposeful feedback help students understand their next steps and keep moving forward.
Learning That Is Visible
Learning intentions, success criteria, and feedback make this progress transparent. Teachers use this information to assess learning, respond to student needs, and provide support.
This learning is then brought together through our Digital Learner Pathway, which helps students and whānau see goals, progress, assessment information, evidence of learning and awards in one connected place. It allows parents and caregivers to engage more closely with their child’s learning journey and celebrate growth over time.
Future Focused, Digitally Capable Learners
Devices are ubiquitous across our kura, but they do not replace strong classroom practice or written book work. Instead, they are woven into learning alongside exercise books, discussion, modelling, feedback and hands-on tasks. Students learn when technology is the best tool for the task, and when other ways of working are more effective.
We explicitly teach positive digital citizenship, online safety, privacy, and respectful communication, helping students use technology responsibly and prepare for high school and the wider digital world.
Specialist Subjects That Spark New Passions
Intermediate is a time to try new things. Through our specialist programme, students experience practical, creative, and hands on learning across subjects such as:
Visual Art, Music, Dance and Drama, Science, Design Technology, Hard Materials, Food and Nutrition.
These subjects give students the chance to create, perform, investigate, design, build, cook, collaborate and discover strengths they may not yet know they have.
Sporting Life at Blockhouse Bay
For students who want to take their sport further, there are opportunities to trial for competitive teams, represent the school at Western Zone events, attend sports camp, and compete at AIMS Games. Whether students are discovering a new sport, playing for fun, or striving for high performance, BHBI encourages every learner to get involved.
Opportunities Beyond the Classroom
BHBI students are encouraged to take part in a wide range of extension, cultural, academic, creative and special interest opportunities.
These include groups and activities such as Gifted and Talented programmes, Sports Academy, Kapa Haka, Pasifika Beats, Bollywood, EPro8, Mathex, Science and Maths badges, Literacy Quiz, music groups, performances and more.
Students are encouraged to have a go, discover new interests and develop the confidence to contribute.
A Place Where Every Student Belongs
Through classroom learning, cultural groups, community hui, Kapa Haka, Pasifika Beats, Bollywood, cultural celebrations, Te Reo Māori and tikanga Māori, students learn to value their own identity and the identities of others.
This sense of belonging is strengthened through our Social Emotional Learning approach, where students are explicitly taught the skills to build positive relationships, manage emotions, show empathy, make responsible decisions and contribute to a safe and respectful school culture. We regularly measure students’ sense of belonging and use this information to respond to their needs, ensuring every learner feels seen.
Support and Extension for Every Learner
Every student’s pathway is different. Some students need extra support. Others need extension and challenge. Many need both at different times.
BHBI provides learning support, enrichment, extension and opportunities across academic, social, cultural and sporting areas. Our aim is to help every student experience success and keep growing.
Ready for Secondary School
At Blockhouse Bay Intermediate, our Graduate Profile describes the kind of young people we want our students to become: respectful, connected, resilient, and ready to lead their own learning.
By the time students leave us, we want them to know themselves as learners. We want them to be able to explain where they are, where they are going, and what they need to do next. We want them to ask for help when they need it, work well with others, manage challenges, show initiative, and respect their own identity and the identities of others.
These are the skills that prepare students not only for high school, but for life beyond school. Most of all, we want every student to leave with the confidence to Ruia Taitea or Stand Tall.
Come and See Blockhouse Bay Intermediate for Yourself
The best way to understand BHBI is to see it in action. Explore our learning spaces, meet our people, and discover how we support students through two of the most important years in their schooling journey.
Explore enrolment information, join one of our school tours, attend our parent information evening, and explore our website.
