Waikato Waldorf School ( Rudolf Steiner)

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.

Every New Zealand state and state integrated school has an ERO review at least once every four years to evaluate what is working well for learners and what needs to be improved. 

About the school 

Waikato Waldorf School (Rudolf Steiner) is a state-integrated school in Hamilton which provides education for learners in Years 1 to 13. It offers the New Zealand Certificate of Steiner Education (NZCSE) at Levels 1, 2 and in 2025 is offering Level 3 for the first time. 

The school’s special character is guided by the education philosophy of Rudolf Steiner which focuses on the emotional, physical and cognitive wellbeing of the whole child. A new principal was appointed at the beginning of 2024.

A Limited Statutory Manager (LSM) has been working with the school since September 2024. 

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

An explanation of the terms and judgements used in this report can be found here: Reporting | Education Review Office

Improvement and progress 

Since the July 2023 ERO report the school evaluated how effectively the implementation of the various elements of Rauru, the school wellbeing initiative, is supporting student wellbeing and achievement.

Expected Improvements and Findings 

Leaders and teachers implemented Rauru, a holistic approach to the wellbeing of learners. This initial focus of implementing the Rauru initiative was refocused to bring about improvements in student behaviour management. During the course of the evaluation, it was found that the programme had some initial impact on student behaviour but changes in staffing have limited its ongoing effectiveness. 

What we know about learner success

This section provides a summary of learner success and wellbeing. The judgments are based on the ERO School Improvement Framework and the evidence provided to ERO during the evaluation. 

Less than a third  

Less than half  

Small majority  

Large majority  

Most  

Almost all  

0 to 33% 

34 to 49% 

50 to 65% 

65 to 79% 

80 to 90% 

Over 90% 

Learner Success and Wellbeing 

This section provides a summary of learner success and wellbeing.

The school is working towards high levels of success and progress for all learners.

• The school is yet to develop consistent assessment practices to provide a clear understanding about the progress and achievement of students in Years 1 to 10.
• Most learners in Classes 10 and 11 (Years 11 and 12) achieve the NZCSE.
• The large majority of students attend school regularly. The school is approaching the Government target.

Conditions to support learner success

This section provides a summary of leadership, teaching, curriculum and foundation school conditions for improvement. 

Leadership requires improvement. Priority must be given to developing a cohesive approach to bring about school improvement.  

• Leaders are yet to establish collaborative and collegial organisational conditions that drive strategic improvements. Working relationships between senior leaders and staff need to be addressed.
• Leaders want to improve student achievement and wellbeing; developing a plan of action with a timeframe, clear measures of progress and a reporting framework is a priority.

The quality of teaching and learning is inconsistent.  

• Learners have some opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum. Schoolwide expectations for high quality teaching and learning need to be strengthened and implemented consistently.
• Teachers increasingly focus on supporting learners to gain skills in literacy and mathematics.
• Strengthening collaboration across the teaching teams to embed structured literacy is a key area for improvement.
• Teachers create calm and orderly learning environments and provide rhythm and routine through purposeful and well-paced learning opportunities. 

Key conditions for school improvement require urgent improvement, however some foundations for high quality provision of education have been established.

• The School Board needs to enhance the capabilities of leaders and teachers to drive school improvement. Immediate priorities include implementing reliable achievement data, addressing areas of non-compliance, and fostering relational trust across the entire school community.
• Parents, whānau and community have regular opportunities to engage and participate in the life of the school.
• Teachers and leaders engage in targeted professional learning through a range of networks within the Waldorf community of schools; reviewing the impact of professional learning on improving teaching practice and outcomes for learning is needed.

Next steps for improvement

This section provides more detail for the school to include in its strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school. 

Key priorities 

• Develop an effective leadership team and build leadership capability to drive improvement.
• Prioritise gathering and analysis of schoolwide achievement information to assist necessary improvements to teaching and learning.
• Develop and implement consistent assessment practices so that there is a clear understanding about student progress and achievement in Years 1 to 10.
• Build professional working relationships, that include effective communication and collaboration at every level of the school to achieve the strategic vision and improvement goals.
• Strengthen the implementation of the concerns and complaints process to ensure timely and sufficient responses.
• Improve regular attendance to strengthen learner engagement and meet Government targets. 

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within three months:

• the School Board address all non-compliances and strengthen processes to ensure student health and safety and that the school meets legislative requirements
• the School Board and leaders use external expertise to re-establish professional working relationships and build communication and collaboration amongst all school staff, focused on continuous improvement in outcomes for learners
• the School Board and leaders gather feedback from whānau, parents and the school community to inform actions to strengthen learner engagement and wellbeing at school and use this to help their planning for improvement
• senior leaders develop a plan of action to bring about the following improvements, that includes a timeframe, clear measures of progress and a reporting framework
• clear and expected teaching and learning practices linked to the Waldorf curriculum and expectations for structured literacy to ensure shared understanding
• improved school climate and culture
• improvements to regular attendance rates for all learners
• teachers implement standardised and consistent assessment practices, collecting and analysing assessment information data to provide baseline information about student progress and achievement in Years 1 to 10

Within 6 months and annually:

• the School Board and leaders regularly review student attendance, progress and achievement information to measure the success of the actions taken against the improvement plan and help inform ongoing strategic decision making and planning
• the School Board and leaders review and refine organisational conditions including leadership, policies, systems, processes and practices to ensure they are contributing to driving improvement
• leaders and teachers evaluate the impact of teaching, learning and assessment practices on students’ engagement, progress and achievement and use this to support next steps.

Expected outcomes 

• Effective school leadership that drives continuous school improvement.
• Leaders and teachers working together to meet the school’s goals and targets.
• Coherent organisational conditions that drive strategic improvement at all levels of the school.
• Regular attendance meeting the Ministry of Education targets.

Recommendation to the Ministry of Education 

ERO will initiate conversations with the Ministry of Education about extending the scope of the current intervention to bring about the following improvements:

• a cohesive leadership team that prioritises improvement in teaching and learning
• improved curriculum and assessment practices that show student progress and enable effective planning
• establishing meaningful targets and monitoring of these through the strategic and annual planning for improvement cycle.

The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Evaluation Report and is due within four 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.

Sharon Kelly
Director of Schools

8 September 2025