Schools out of sync with new rules

Rudolph Steiner schools are under threat as national education standards force them into compliance or become private institutions, Rebecca Blithe reports.
Callum Peters looks at ease in the convivial setting of Michael Park School's staffroom, complete with welcoming armchairs set against wood-panelled walls. More like an oversized living room than an administrative space, the room reflects the feel of the school and the Steiner model, a more holistic approach to education.
For Mr Peters, choosing to send his daughter to a Steiner school was not a decision made lightly. "When I was considering a school for my daughter, I thought about my own education. It certainly wasn't the English and maths that got me where I am - it was the teachers."
He also had to bear in mind the Steiner model's longer timeline, which means students aren't comparable to those in mainstream education for the first couple of years.
"I knew I had to commit to at least five years because at that point they come into line with mainstream."
The principal of Michael Park School in Ellerslie, Dee Whitby, says Steiner schools take a different approach and have a stronger focus on music and art.
"There's a certain amount of autonomy. In early childhood, there's a protected, unhurried approach to reading and writing. There's a lot of play, things are accelerated as they get older."
She says children don't learn to read or write under the Steiner model until the age of 7.
But, with the Ministry of Education's plans to implement national standards, children are assessed at each age and Steiner students may be seen to produce failed results.
"Our timelines are different. So, in effect, by default our students would be reportedly failing. A lot of parents are saying, 'How do we opt out of this?'," says Mr Peters.
His concern for the future of Steiner schools has led him and other parents to instigate meetings, build a website and write to fellow Steiner schools, local MPs and to Education Minister Anne Tolley.
Mrs Whitby says she understands the standards are being put in place to boost the achievement levels of students before they enter high school.
But the proposal has created a "real dilemma" for Steiner schools countrywide. "All we can say is, 'not achieved'. The irony is when they get to Year Six they're not only in line with New Zealand's standards, they're exceeding them."
The school has had several referrals from the Ministry of Education to take on children struggling in mainstream schools and, in a 2008 report by the Education Review Office, Michael Park School's high achievement levels were noted: "Students generally make good progress during their time at school. Many in the lower school (Years One to Nine) achieve in both literacy and numeracy at levels that are well above national expectations for their age."
In a letter to the Federation of Rupert Waldorf Steiner schools, Mrs Tolley says Steiner schools must comply or they will have to become private education providers.
"I urge the boards of Steiner schools to reconsider their position on implementing national standards. National standards are not optional and all state schools are required to implement them as specified ... If any board of a Steiner school cannot accept this, the proprietor has the option of requesting the cancellation of the school's integration agreement so that the school becomes a private school which does not have all the obligations of a state school."
Mrs Whitby says going private is not an option for Michael Park School. "Our school would close. We would not go private. Parents are very upset."
The Minister says she is pleased members of the Federation of Steiner schools have reviewed its position and recommended members comply with charter requirements. Mrs Whitby says the concern goes beyond this.
"Under threat, we have submitted a charter, but that's just a small part. It's having to report on the lower levels twice a year that is the issue," she says.
Mr Peters says the suggestion for the school to comply or go private removes parents' rights to choose a different education model. "The integrated model brings a lot of benefits. There'sa wider range of families, it's non-elitist. You have more of a rigorous administration, better access to resources, we're kept contemporary."
Steiner way
For more info on Steiner parents against national standards see: www.protect.org.nz