Pukekohe High School

Our school serves the community of Pukekohe on the southern edges of Auckland. We are at an exciting stage in our one-hundred-year history, with an expanding student roll and improved facilities and opportunities for our students.

We aim to provide a holistic education for our learners with a strong emphasis on academic qualifications, co-curricular experiences, student leadership and pastoral care. We have high expectations for our young people in terms of their effort, behaviour and attendance. Providing learning experiences that will enable all our students to develop the skills, attributes and qualifications that they will need in life beyond school, is at the heart of our work. We place an emphasis on choice throughout our curriculum to meet the needs of our diverse student body.

Involvement in sport, from Athletics to Waka Ama, is a strength of our school and is key to developing a sense of enjoyment as well as physical and mental wellbeing. A large number of our students successfully participate in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award. Music has long been a notable feature of our school and opportunities in Drama and in Dance are increasing. This is a taste of the many opportunities that our learners enjoy.

The international office at Pukekohe High School is responsible for international students, homestay arrangements, supporting our education partners and most of all, helping new and returning students have their best experience.

Programs

The National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) is the main national qualification for secondary school students in New Zealand.

NCEA is recognised by employers and used for selection by universities and polytechnics, both in New Zealand and overseas

International students are offered “English for Speakers of Other Languages” (ESOL) courses as part of their academic study if required. ESOL is a formal subject choice for students whose first language is not English and can be taken during the academic year along with other academic subjects.

One purpose of ESOL is to help support students with the English language demands at School. Students in Years 11-13 can gain English Language Unit Standards which count towards NCEA. Year 13 students may also be assisted in gaining University Entrance Literacy. In addition, some teacher aide assistance may be available in mainstream classes, especially for Year 9 and Year 10 students.

Experiences Outside the Classroom

Occasionally, there are classroom trips offered to ESOL class students to places such as Auckland Zoo; night markets; cultural festivals and out of Auckland trips. These trips may have a small cost per person attached to them.

The new Gifted and Talented programme at Pukekohe High school is currently under development. The teachers involved are dedicated to developing a rigorous, innovative, meaningful academic environment to challenge the intellectual and creative abilities of gifted and talented students.

Students are identified by feeder schools, teachers, parents, peers and Kaitiaki Aakonga (Year Level Deans). The Gifted and Talented students will then be provided with a range of opportunities to extend and enrich the classroom curriculum through faculties.

Additional activities such as guest speakers and field-trips during the school year may be organised to develop links between gifted students across the school.

We take a focus on the well-being of gifted students, developing greater participation in scholarship at senior levels and critical thinking skills.