Taikura Rudolf Steiner School

School Evaluation Report

Tēnā koutou e mau manawa rahi ki te kaupapa e aro ake nei, ko te tamaiti te pūtake o te kaupapa. Mā wai rā e kawe, mā tātau katoa. 

We acknowledge the collective effort, responsibility and commitment by all to ensure that the child remains at the heart of the matter. 

Context 

​​Taikura Rudolf Steiner School​ situated in Hastings is a state integrated, special character school for Years 1-13. The school’s values of respect (whakaute), kindness (atahai), perseverance (manawanui), and gratitude (ngākau reka), underpin the vision that ākonga become free, responsible, caring individuals. The school offers the New Zealand Certificate of Steiner Education at Levels 1, 2 and 3. 

There are two parts to this report. 

Part A: An evaluative summary of learner success and school conditions to inform the school board’s future strategic direction, including any education in Rumaki/bilingual settings.  

Part B: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle.  

Part A: Current State 

The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement. 

Learner Success and Wellbeing

• Years 1 to 10 achievement information shows that most learners achieve at the appropriate curriculum level in mathematics, reading and writing; inequity for Māori learners in in these learning areas is evident.  
• Senior students (Years 11 to 13) achieve well in the New Zealand Certificate of Steiner Education. 
• Students with additional learning needs are well supported within an inclusive learning environment and they make good progress. 
• The school is yet to meet the Ministry of Education targets for regular attendance; strategies to improve attendance are focused on building positive relationships with students and whānau to promote engagement in learning. 

Conditions to support learner success

• Leadership is establishing relational trust at all levels of the school, promoting conditions for collaboration and good quality teaching. 
• Leadership is beginning to set and pursue improvement goals and targets including ensuring supports are in place for those students needing acceleration. 
• Leadership is working towards the alignment of a localised and the Steiner curriculum to ensure it supports teaching and learning and reflects learners’ language, identity and culture.

• Teachers know learners well and work collaboratively to promote an orderly and positive learning environment that makes the most of students’ learning time.  
• Learners in Years 1 to 10 are well supported in developing sound foundation skills in reading, writing and mathematics.  
• Appropriate assessment information is increasingly used to plan and adapt teaching practice and report the progress and achievement of each learner; this continues to be an area for further development.

• Professional development aligned to the school’s goals, builds teacher capability contributing to improved outcomes for learners in reading, writing and mathematics. 
• Parents and whānau, through a wide range of opportunities are actively involved in the school to support their children’s learning. 
• Leaders and teachers are strengthening the ways in which they collect and analyse data related to learning and school improvement priorities; they increasingly respond to the needs of learners and know what is working for who and what is not and why. 
• School leaders have identified, and ERO’s evaluation affirms, the need to further integrate te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori into the local curriculum so that Māori learners can see themselves in the curriculum. 

Part B: Where to next? 

The agreed next steps for the school are to:  

• continue to develop a responsive localised curriculum that aligns with the Steiner curriculum and meets the needs and aspirations of learners and their whānau 
• further strengthen adaptive teaching practice and assessment to respond to learner needs and plan targeted interventions to improve equity  
• further develop capability and capacity of all staff to integrate te reo Māori, tikanga Māori, and mātauranga Māori within the school’s local curriculum to support Māori achieving success as Māori 
• work with parents to focus on improving attendance rates for all learners. 

The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows. 

Within six months: 

• continue the development of a local curriculum framework, including key statements for reading, writing and mathematics 
• collaboratively analyse data to inform teacher practice and prioritise effective teaching and learning strategies that make a positive difference to all learner outcomes 
• continue to strengthen the consistency of te reo Māori, tikanga Māori across the school and in everyday classroom practices, giving greater effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi  
• strengthen strategies and approaches that support attendance and assist the school community to understand the correlation between regular attendance and academic progress and achievement.

Every six months: 

• use learner outcome data to monitor the impact of adaptive teaching practices, assessment and targeted interventions to improve equitable outcomes 
• monitor and report to the board, progress against the annual plan to ensure evidence-based decision making for school improvement 
• regularly meet with whānau and learners to sustain active participation in the development of the school curriculum 
• monitor the effectiveness of strategies to increase and sustain regular attendance.

Annually: 

• use the analysis of progress, achievement and attendance data to know the impact of initiatives and professional learning on learner outcomes; know what is working or not and for who and make adjustments 
• evaluate the impact of professional development to continue to strengthen the integration of  
  te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori in the curriculum 
• evaluate the extent to which a responsive localised curriculum meets the needs and aspirations of learners and their whānau; continue to focus on developing reciprocal relationships with hapū and iwi. 

Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in: 

• increased equity and excellent outcomes for all learners through consistent, effective responsive teaching practice  
• data and evidence-based evaluation practices inform board, school and classroom decision making to adapt and respond to all learners’ needs 
• te reo Māori, tikanga Māori, and mātauranga Māori are effectively embedded within a responsive curriculum that supports Māori students learning as Māori 
• meeting or exceeding the Ministry of Education target for regular attendance. 

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Evaluation Report and is due within three years. 

Me mahi tahi tonu tātau, kia whai oranga a tātau tamariki 
Let’s continue to work together for the greater good of all children 

Shelley Booysen 
Director of Schools 

​​12 December 2024​ 

About the School 

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement.  educationcounts.govt.nz/home