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About Us
Fergusson Intermediate was opened in 1966 by the Governor General Sir Bernard Fergusson, later Lord Ballantrae.
His influence has been marked – not only does the school bear his name, both the crest and motto also originate from the Fergusson Clan.
The motto “Dulcius ex Asperis” means “Sweeter because of Difficulty” and relates to the crest which shows a bee trying to get nectar from a thistle.
This links nicely to the need for determination, resilience and persistence to ensure deep learning occurs. In our school context, this means that the harder you strive, the greater the rewards and that difficult goals are worth aspiring to and attaining.
You can find out more about Lord Ballantrae here.
School Organisation
We are a U5 school with a roll of approximately 400 students. We have 15 composite Year 7 and Year 8 classes. These classes are organised into four syndicates each of which is led by a Senior Teacher. You can find our more about our classroom teachers on our staff page.
Our learning spaces are flexible, modern, inclusive, bright and specifically designed to maximise learning opportunities for all our students. This has been achieved by focusing on providing flexible teaching spaces, integrated technology and a close connection with our fantastic outdoor environment.
We work together with our students, staff, BOT and contributing schools to ensure we have the best possible resources and learning environments to meet the needs of all students, a moving school and current best practice in education.
Our students, in the main, are drawn from Trentham, Silverstream and Pinehaven. Keep an eye out for our open day's and we are always open to people popping in to see us in action.
Learning Hubs or Syndicates
Fergusson Intermediate is currently divided into five learning hubs each with their own Team Leader. These hubs plan and work collaboratively and students work with a number of teachers within their hub as well as across the school over the two years. Students (as much as possible) stay in the same Hub for their two years at Fergusson Intermediate, providing stability and consistency of relationships, expectations and systems.
Our current structure looks like this:
Remutaka
Syndicate A
Whirinaki
Syndicate B
Te Awakairangi
Syndicate C
Kaitoke
Syndicate D
Pākuratahi
Arts & TechnologyOur Classes
Whilst our students stay in the same Hub for two years (as much as possible), they will work with different teachers.
Year 7’s becoming Year 8’s will be placed within the Hub through discussion and collaboration between the team of teachers based on their knowledge of the learners and their needs. Year 7’s are placed into the Hubs carefully to achieve the best fit for them, with our teachers input to provide a balance of abilities, work habits, gender and familiar peers in each Hub.
