351 Pine Hill Road, Pine Hill, Dunedin
View on mapAkarangi | Quality Evaluation evaluates the extent to which this early childhood service has the learning and organisational conditions to support equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners. Te Ara Poutama- indicators of quality for early childhood education: what matters most (PDF 3.01MB) are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. The Akarangi Quality Evaluation Judgement Rubric (PDF 91.30KB) derived from the indicators, is used to inform the ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Aurora Tamariki Early Years Care and Kindergarten are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
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What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Whakaū Embedding |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
ERO’s judgement |
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He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
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Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
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Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
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Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
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Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
Aurora Tamariki Early Years Care and Kindergarten is owned and operated by the Southern Star Waldorf Trust. A director and centre manager have oversight of the teaching and learning programme which is influenced by Rudolf Steiner philosophy and the teachings of Emmi Pikler.
Teachers’ strong focus on promoting children’s wellbeing effectively supports their active participation in the curriculum. Respectful and caring relationships between teachers and parents enable the sharing of purposeful information. The learning environment is thoughtfully prepared and aligned to children’s interests. Unhurried routines follow the Rudolf Steiner philosophy and rhythms of the day. Teachers encourage children to lead their own learning. This approach fosters their confidence, competence, and engagement.
Responsive teachers work alongside children effectively supporting and extending their learning. Infants and toddlers are enabled to explore, investigate freely, and learn alongside peers. Tuakana - teina relationships (older children supporting the learning of younger children) are evident. The service philosophy, core values and learning priorities are enacted by teachers and contribute to positive learning outcomes for children. Te ao and te reo Māori are well integrated into the curriculum however there is potential to strengthen these areas.
Close learning partnerships between teachers and families support parents’ understanding of their children’s learning and progress. Teachers are highly responsive to parents’ aspirations for their children and understand each unique family context. Oral and written communications are regular. Records of children’s learning include te reo Māori and show progression of their learning over time. The learning outcomes of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, could be more deliberately used to inform curriculum planning and evaluation.
High quality internal evaluation processes and practices result in ongoing improvements for children. A wide range of relevant information is gathered, including data from parent surveys, and learning records, to inform teachers’ thinking and decision making.
Effective and collaborative leadership has resulted in sustained good practices and positive outcomes for children. Leaders have a clear vision, strategic direction and prioritise pedagogical support of teachers.
Sound governance and management systems, and effective and collaborative leadership, have resulted in sustained good practices and outcomes for children. Leaders have a clear vision and strategic direction. They prioritise building the capability of teachers by supporting their participation in a range of internal and external professional learning.
Aurora Tamariki Early Years Care and Kindergarten will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning. These are to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Aurora Tamariki Early Years Care and Kindergarten completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they have taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal obligations related to:
During the review, ERO looked at the service’s systems for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children's wellbeing:
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
24 March 2022
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Aurora Tamariki Early Years Care and Kindergarten |
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Profile Number |
47091 |
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Location |
Dunedin |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
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Service roll |
20 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 3, NZ European/Pākehā 16, Other ethnic groups 1 |
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Review team on site |
November 2021 |
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Date of this report |
24 March 2022 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, December 2018 |
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
This is the first ERO review of Aurora Tamariki Early Years Care and Kindergarten. The centre opened in September 2016 and is licensed for up to thirty children, including up to ten infants and toddlers. It is open from 8am to 4pm five days a week. Children learn and play in a mixed-age setting.
The centre is owned by the Southern Star Waldorf Charitable Trust. A director and centre manager oversee the day-to-day management, and teaching and learning programmes.
The centre philosophy emphasises the importance of children learning in a calm and unhurried environment, experiencing the rhythm and routine of each day and of the seasons. It also emphasises holistic wellbeing, including positive rituals around preparing and eating healthy food. Teaching practice is influenced by the work of Rudolf Steiner and Emmi Pikler.
Children benefit from warm, respectful relationships with each other and their teachers. Teachers know the children very well as individuals and as learners. They provide a very nurturing and supportive environment for infants and toddlers.
Teachers talk frequently with parents to build a deep understanding of each child and how to best support that child's learning and development. They use this knowledge to make meaningful links between centre and home learning, and experiences.
Children play and learn in a calm, unhurried environment. There are well-established routines and expectations which provide children with a strong sense of security, predictability and belonging. Teachers work with the rhythm of the day and the seasons, as contexts for learning.
The beliefs and philosophy that the centre is founded on are strongly evident in individual and group planning and in everyday activities and interactions. Children participate in purposeful work as part of learning for life. This includes gardening and producing food, preparing food, stacking wood for the winter, hanging out washing, etc. There is a strong emphasis on building children's oral language through conversation and activities, such as storytelling.
The centre has capable leaders who have effectively fostered a culture of reflection and improvement within the centre. This year, 2018, has been one of growth in the implementation and development of key systems and practices including:
systems to ensure the smooth running of the centre
appraisal of teachers
internal evaluation for improvement
refining and strengthening individual and group planning, assessment and evaluation.
Well-considered strategic priorities provide clear direction for the centre. Useful strategic and annual plans reflect these priorities and guide the centre's development.
Careful consideration with appointments of staff, and clarity around the underpinning philosophy of practice, have resulted in teachers having a shared understanding of and consistent approach to their fostering of children's learning and development.
The leaders acknowledge that after two years of operation they need to embed, consolidate and refine newly established systems and practices.
ERO also recommends that leaders and teachers:
regularly report progress against the strategic and annual goals to the board
strengthen and formalise the emergent review process
develop plans to strengthen the Māori dimension within the curriculum and show how Māori children will be supported to succeed as Māori
improve how they show explicitly, in individual and group plans, what the intended learning is and what teachers will do to support this
make the intended learning. and how teachers will support this, more explicit in individual and group planning
review and respond to how well inside resourcing for children challenges and extends their learning, particularly for older children.
It is timely for trustees of the board to develop a governance manual with job descriptions for key governance roles.
Before the review, the staff and management of Aurora Tamariki Early Years Care and Kindergarten completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they have taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal obligations related to:
During the review, ERO looked at the service’s systems for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children's wellbeing:
emotional safety (including positive guidance and child protection)
physical safety (including supervision; sleep procedures; accidents; medication; hygiene; excursion policies and procedures)
suitable staffing (including qualification levels; police vetting; teacher registration; ratios)
evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
The next ERO review of Aurora Tamariki Early Years Care and Kindergarten will be in three years.
Alan Wynyard
Director Review & Improvement Services Southern
Te Waipounamu - Southern Region
12 December 2018
The Education Review Office (ERO) is the government department that, as part of its work, reviews early childhood services throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. ERO’s reports provide information for parents and communities about each service’s strengths and next steps for development. ERO’s bicultural evaluation framework Ngā Pou Here is described in SECTION 3 of this report. Early childhood services are partners in the review process and are expected to make use of the review findings to enhance children's wellbeing and learning.
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Location |
Dunedin |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
47091 |
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Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
21 |
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Gender composition |
Girls: 8 Boys: 13 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
1 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:2 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:5 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
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Review team on site |
October 2018 |
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Date of this report |
12 December 2018 |
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Most recent ERO reports |
No previous ERO reports |
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ERO’s overarching question for an early childhood education review is ‘How well placed is this service to promote positive learning outcomes for children?’ ERO focuses on the following factors as described in the bicultural framework Ngā Pou Here:
Within these areas ERO considers the effectiveness of arotake – self review and of whanaungatanga – partnerships with parents and whānau.
ERO evaluates how well placed a service is to sustain good practice and make ongoing improvements for the benefit of all children at the service.
A focus for the government is that all children, especially priority learners, have an opportunity to benefit from quality early childhood education. ERO will report on how well each service promotes positive outcomes for all children, with a focus on children who are Māori, Pacific, have diverse needs, and are up to the age of two.
For more information about the framework and Ngā Pou Here refer to ERO’s Approach to Review in Early Childhood Services.
The overall judgement that ERO makes and the timing of the next review will depend on how well placed a service is to promote positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.
ERO reviews are tailored to each service’s context and performance, within the overarching review framework. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to the service.