162 Wellington Road, Paekakariki
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Te Rawhiti Kindergarten No 2 is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Te Rawhiti Kindergarten No 2 is situated in Paekakariki on the Kāpiti Coast. It offers early childhood education within a Waldorf Steiner context.
The kindergarten caters for up to 29 children from two to seven years of age. Classrooms are mixed age and at the time of this review, four children are under six. Children spend most of their time in the outdoor space. An experienced teacher with both Waldorf and national training works alongside a teaching assistant.
Most of the children who attend this kindergarten go on to schooling at Te Rā School Raumati South site under the same governance and management structure. The school and its kindergartens in Raumati and Paekakariki, are members of Steiner Education Aotearoa New Zealand (SEANZ).
The philosophy emphasises the importance of children learning best through direct experience, and in self-initiated and self-directed play. Other elements include strong rhythm, repetition, and engaging the child’s natural inclination for imitation, allowing their potential to unfold.
Areas identified for further development in the November 2015 ERO report included teachers growing their understanding of internal evaluation; identification and monitoring of annual goals which identify outcomes for children. Appraisal of teachers was a non-compliance. Progress has been made in these areas.
The kindergarten philosophy effectively weaves together the Rudolf Steiner Principles, te ao Māori concepts and Te Whāriki: the early childhood curriculum. These aspects are highly visible in the enacted curriculum and promote the kindergarten’s identified valued outcomes. Children access a wide range of appropriate learning opportunities that support them to gain knowledge and skills promoted within the Waldorf Steiner context.
The outdoor classroom provides opportunities for children to engage in a variety of activities that provide physical challenge, promote collaboration and encourage exploration. Use of the landscape effectively fosters children's developing appreciation and care for the natural world and the importance of sustainable practices. Regular community excursions enrich the learning programme.
The daily programme is largely based on children's emerging interests and needs. A stronger focus on teachers documenting intentional teaching strategies to extend children's learning is required. This should better show children's progress over time. Oral language literacy, mathematics, science and the arts are well integrated into learning experiences.
A deliberate focus to develop and strengthen teachers’ cultural competencies is highly evident. This strongly supports the provision of the culturally responsive learning environment. The principles of kaitiakitanga and tuakana teina are highly visible within the outdoor programme. Purposeful partnerships allow whānau and external expertise to actively contribute to and enrich the learning provision for all children. The concepts of manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, ako and mahi tahi are interwoven through all aspects of day-to-day operation.
Well-considered and flexible processes and practices support the responsive transition of learners and their families into the kindergarten and on to Te Rā School. Children with additional learning needs are well supported and nurtured through collaboration with whānau and external agencies. An inclusive environment is evident.
Highly respectful relationships are evident within the centre and with families and whānau. Deliberate strategies build purposeful partnerships with families. Seeking and responding to parents’ aspirations is well-considered. Continuing to gather whānau input to inform the strategic direction should support ongoing developments.
A reflective and improvement-focused culture is strongly evident throughout the centre. Review is an established process that support ongoing improvement. A kindergarten priority is to continue to build teachers' knowledge and use of internal evaluation practices. ERO's evaluation affirms this.
The kindergarten has coherent systems and processes to build teacher capacity aligned to kindergarten priorities. The appraisal process provides good support for teacher development. It incorporates the Teaching Council's requirements. Suitable mentoring and induction processes are in place to support provisionally registered teachers to meet requirements to be fully certificated.
Some sound governance and management practices are in place. Regular reporting about key aspects of operation, including health and safety, is undertaken at various levels of Te Rā School. A next step for governance is to ensure that all policies are regularly reviewed. The development of a strategic plan outlining long term priorities and implementing the actions from the Te Rawhiti Early Childhood Education Internal Review should strengthen the sustainability of operation.
Priorities for development are to continue to strengthen use of:
The Kāpiti Waldorf Trust should:
Before the review, the staff and management of Te Rawhiti Kindergarten No2 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.
The next ERO review of Te Rawhiti Kindergarten No2 will be in three years.
Alan Wynyard
Director Review and Improvement Services Southern
Southern Region
14 February 2019
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 |
Paekakariki |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
55275 |
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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 |
29 children |
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Service roll |
14 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 9, Boys 5 |
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Ethnic composition |
Pākehā |
13 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
December 2018 |
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Date of this report |
14 February 2019 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
November 2015 |
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|
Education Review |
May 2012 |
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|
Education Review |
December 2008 |
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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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Te Rawhiti Kindergarten No 2 is situated in Paekakariki on the Kāpiti Coast. It offers early childhood education within a Waldorf Steiner context.
The kindergarten caters for up to 29 children of mixed ages in two separate classrooms. Children share an outdoor space. Two experienced teachers with both Waldorf and national training work alongside teaching assistants.
Most of the children who attend this kindergarten go on to schooling at the Raumati School site under the same governance and management structure. The school and its kindergartens in Raumati and Paekakariki, are members of the New Zealand Federation of Rudolf Steiner Waldorf Schools.
Key aspects of the clearly evident and enacted philosophy include, children learning best through direct experience, and in self-initiated and self-directed play. Other elements include, strong rhythm, repetition, and engaging the child’s natural inclination for imitation, allowing their potential to unfold.
There have been some recent gains in addressing the areas for development identified in the 2012 ERO report. These have included teachers growing their understanding of te ao Māori and strengthening of the bicultural perspective in the curriculum.
Children benefit from positive, respectful, and unhurried interactions with their teachers and others. Teachers use a range of practices that foster children’s learning. Children are responsive to their peers and collaborate well with each other. High levels of engaged and sustained play are evident. Transition is well managed.
Parents and whānau share information in a variety of ways that assist teachers to know about children. Teachers gather a range of data that show children’s progress over time. This is discussed as a staff and wider faculty to support children’s holistic development.
Children’s oral language is well supported and purposefully promoted. Teachers promote high levels of child-initiated play. Continuity of education and care enables teachers to know children and their families well. The physical environment stimulates creativity, imagination, curiosity, and discovery. Eurhythmy, as part of the curriculum, provides a way of fostering children’s language learning.
Self review is occurring at teacher, kindergarten and organisational level. A culture of reflection is evident. The recently developed evaluation form is in the early stages of being used by teachers to support them to know about the effectiveness of the programme in promoting positive outcomes.
ERO and staff agree that some aspects of self review need to be grown. These include:
The 2015 - 2017 strategic plan aligns to the school’s core values. It outlines direction, and identifies the priorities and annual actions the school believes will enhance student learning. Further developing the annual plan goals to more clearly focus on the quality of provision and outcomes for children is a next step. This includes regular monitoring of the actions to show progress.
ERO affirms the intent to inquire into and review the role of kindergarten coordinator. This should assist in shared understanding of roles and responsibilities and foster an emphasis on leadership for teaching and learning. Formalising information sharing between the school board and kindergarten should help trustees know more clearly about the quality of education and care.
Teachers have access to professional development opportunities that align to teacher and schoolwide goals. The appraisal process continues to need further development. This should include stronger, more focused goals that build teacher and leader capability and focus on outcomes for children. More regular and targeted feedback about teaching practice, and wider use of targeted observation should further support teacher development.
ERO and staff agree that the following areas should be further developed:
Before the review, the staff and management of Te Rawhiti Kindergarten No 2 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.
ERO identified an area of non-compliance relating to governance and management. To meet requirements the service needs to ensure that:
The next ERO review of Te Rawhiti Kindergarten No 2 will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
5 November 2015
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.
|
Location |
Paekakariki |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
55275 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
29 children, aged over 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
13 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 7 Girls 6 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Other ethnic groups |
3 9 1 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates |
80% |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
N/A |
|
|
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
September 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
5 November 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
May 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
December 2008 |
||
|
Education Review |
October 2005 |
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.