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Why an Intermediate?
At Fergusson Intermediate our aim is to provide engaging, challenging and life changing opportunities for students to grow in ways they haven’t yet experienced. To further discover who they are as people, and as learners, and what they are capable of achieving.
Design Technology
Digital Design Technology
Camping Adventures
Pacifica Group
Performing Arts
Market Day
Food & Fibre Technology
Visual Arts
Camping Adventures
Pa Wars
Kapa Haka
Pa Wars
Rise Challenges
Our school's vision is to take the awesome things about primary school and AMPLIFY them to take teaching and learning to the next level.
Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.
A common misconception is that Intermediates are simply about preparing our students for college. Whilst this is an aspect of our role as a middle school it doesn’t do justice to the incredible experiences, opportunities and lifelong memories that middle schools provide.
Intermediate education is not just about bridging the gap between primary and secondary education it is about providing an environment where students of the same age can come together to express themselves, explore their identity and connect with a wide range of emerging adolescents from across their community.
The emerging adolescent experiences a lot of change physically, socially and emotionally. At Fergusson Intermediate we have an amazing team of people who work together to provide the right amount of challenge, independence and support to ensure our students navigate these tricky years in positive, healthy ways. We have relationship based teachers, passionate leaders, empathetic and experienced support staff, an incredible school counsellor and a true love of teaching and learning in a middle school context.
Some key benefits of choosing an Intermediate:
- All resources, experiences and approaches are targeted for the emerging adolescent (10 - 13 years old)
- A huge range of leadership opportunities. We have leaders in the Arts, Sports, Student Council, Cultural, Media, School events to name a few
- Diversity and Inclusion. Intermediates receive students from across the community and beyond. Students get the opportunity to socialise with people their own age who they would not have the opportunity to if they stayed at their own Primary School. This is a real strength of our school and a fantastic way to build understandings of different perspectives, identity, diversity, tolerance and our individual and collective responsibilities. This is key to successful participation in an ever increasingly diverse world.
- Inter Intermediate sports and cultural exchanges. The Intermediate Schools network means that we can provide opportunities for our students to compete, connect and engage with other students from different schools at their level. We are able to provide competitive opportunities on a scale that full primaries are simply unable to do.
- Our Meeting Challenges programme - We have an onsite counsellor that our BOT funds. Our counsellor works with students, their whanau and staff to support our team with a wide range of ever increasing needs. This could be anything from dealing with grief to anxiety or navigating the changes and challenges that adolescence can bring.
- Onsite specialists and technology programme - As an intermediate our students currently receive two specialist lessons per week of approx 1 hour and 30 minutes. The tech team collaborates with our teachers to run programmes that enhance and build on classroom teaching and learning at an appropriate level for each learner. We currently have six technology teachers working in the following areas: Robotics and coding, Performing Arts, Foods and Textiles, Design Tech / Hard materials, Visual Arts and our STEAM (Science, Tech, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) programme.
“A middle schooling pathway offers the opportunity to provide a purpose built integrative curriculum that meets the specific developmental needs of emerging adolescents. An integrative curriculum cuts across subject-matter lines. It brings together various aspects of the curriculum into meaningful association through a focus on broad student selected themes of study. It reflects the interdependent nature of the real world and engages the learner in real life experiences, in a more holistic manner. Integrative learning experiences provide the learner with the opportunity to study in greater depth and to develop greater understandings than that which could be obtained through the study of the separate subject parts.”
An excerpt from a text called “A Middle School Pathway” By Anthony Doornbos which can be found on the The New Zealand Association of Intermediate and Middle Schools.
Of course the best way to see what our school provides is to visit us and see us in action.
We welcome the opportunity to show you around our school and share why we choose to work at an intermediate. They are incredibly busy, exciting places and we could not be prouder of the experiences we share together.
For a visit contact Anne McPhie amcphie@fergusson.school.nz or Simon Kenny skenny@fergusson.school.nz
