Cobham Intermediate School is a state intermediate school in northwestern Christchurch, New Zealand, in the suburb of Burnside.
Their 4 main values are:
resilience | ngākau mārohirohi
responsibility | ngākau whai tikanga
positivity | ngākaupai
respect | ngākau whakaute
These values are abbreviated as “3RP@C”.
Cobham was originally named Fendalton Intermediate. However, there was confusion between the school and Fendalton Open Air School, so the governor-general of New Zealand, Viscount Cobham, allowed the school to use his name. At the end of term 1 in 2011 long-running principal Trevor Beaton left Cobham Intermediate to retire. Scott Thelning from Mt. Pleasant School took over as principal in Term 3, 2011.
In March 2018 Cobham student Maia Devereaux invited Women's Minister Julie Anne Genter to come and talk about the gender pay gap to the room 11 and 12 students.
The school went through major renovations between 2020 and 2024, as all buildings were demolished and replaced by larger hapori classroom buildings—the names being Puneke, Takere and Kei—and a dedicated STEAM unit.
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Cobham today
Cobham is currently the largest intermediate school in the South Island and has a total attendance of 670 students.
Achievements
In 2005, Cobham won the Cantamath competition (a mathematics competition for schools around the Canterbury region) in both the year 7 and 8 competition. Cobham also has a chess club, which places highly in the Canterbury Interschool Chess Tournament, held annually in Christchurch. Many musicians and singers from this school participate in the Lions Primary School Music Festival.
Notable alumni
Corey Anderson – New Zealand cricketer
Tim Batt – New Zealand comedian
Will Jordan, rugby union player
John Key – New Zealand Prime Minister (2008–2016)
Tom Latham – New Zealand cricketer
Frankie Mackay – New Zealand cricketer
Hayley Westenra – New Zealand pop opera singer