13 Laery Street, Alicetown, Lower Hutt
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 Steiner Cottage are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
|
What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
ERO’s judgement |
|
He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning |
Whakatō Emerging |
|
Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability |
Whāngai Establishing |
|
Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement |
Whāngai Establishing |
|
Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement |
Whāngai Establishing |
|
Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management |
Whāngai Establishing |
Steiner Cottage is a privately owned early childhood education service for children aged from two to six years. The centre manager and head teacher have been recently appointed. Most staff are qualified teachers.
Children have many opportunities to lead their own play and learning alongside attentive teachers. The calm settled environment and familiar rhythms and rituals support children’s engagement in meaningful learning. Teachers work closely with parents to ensure that children with additional needs have appropriate learning support.
Teachers view children as competent and confident and use a range of effective strategies in a play-based learning environment to support their participation and persistence in learning. Children’s social and emotional competence are fostered through the caring and respectful relationships they have with teachers. Children are independent learners who demonstrate a strong sense of belonging and wellbeing within the learning environment.
Te ao Māori is valued and purposefully integrated into the learning programme. However, some teachers are not yet sufficiently confident in using te reo Māori in everyday ways to support children to develop a respectful understanding of the dual heritages of Aotearoa.
The responsive curriculum reflects the principles of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum and the Steiner philosophy. While leaders and teachers have developed the service’s philosophy and identified valued learning priorities, they have yet to review these in consultation with their community.
The assessment process does not yet clearly show how the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki are used to support and identify children’s progress over time. Teachers have yet to consistently draw on parents’ aspirations, and information about children’s cultures, languages and identities as part of planning for learning. Strengthening these processes should better inform learning and teaching.
Trusting relationships enable collaboration and collective responsibility for the wellbeing and learning of all children. Self-review processes are established and ongoing. Improvement focused leadership is evident through:
Internal evaluation is not yet sufficiently established. Leaders and teachers reflect on their practices and prioritise for actions. While this results in ongoing adaptation to practice, it is unclear how the process effectively identifies the impact of changes on outcomes for children.
Steiner Cottage will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Steiner Cottage 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
29 November 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Steiner Cottage |
| Profile Number | 60069 |
| Location | Lower Hutt |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
18 children. |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
28 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 5, NZ European/Pākehā 15, other ethnicities 8. |
|
Review team on site |
August 2021 |
|
Date of this report |
29 November 2021 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, February 2018; Supplementary Review, March 2014. |
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Rudolf Steiner Early Childhood Centre, known locally as 'Steiner Cottage', is located in Alicetown, Lower Hutt. It provides all-day education and care for children aged between two and six years, and is licensed for 18 children.
Rudolf Steiner educational philosophy underpins the programme. Daily rhythms, food preparation and care for the environment are the joint responsibility of teachers and children.
The centre is governed by a trust board. In 2016, the new role of centre manager was created to support management. The head teacher leads the teaching team and has responsibility for curriculum and parent education. All teachers are registered.
The March 2014 ERO report, identified that a number of areas required improvement, including capability in teaching and bicultural responsiveness. The roles of management, governance and teaching also needed clarification. Leaders and teachers have worked collaboratively to address these aspects of practice.
The Rudolf Steiner philosophy is highly evident in all aspects of the programme. Children follow daily rhythms that support their sense of belonging. The environment and resources encourage imaginary play and allow them opportunities to explore the natural world. Teachers foster respectful relationships. A calm, relaxed atmosphere supports engagement in learning. A number of useful strategies support children's transitions to school.
The curriculum is well informed by children's interests. Group planning links to Te Whāriki (the early childhood curriculum), Rudolf Steiner philosophy and the centre's strategic direction. Some teaching practices extend children's thinking. Parents have opportunities to contribute to their children's learning. An agreed next step is to strengthen responsiveness to parents' aspirations and families' cultures, languages and identities.
A useful framework supports programme planning. Assessment documentation records children's ongoing participation in the programme and individual interests. Leaders and teachers recognise that continuing to strengthen assessment practice is a key next step to better inform planning for individual children's learning. ERO's evaluation affirms this direction.
Children learn about some aspects of te ao Māori. Leaders and teachers are continuing to strengthen their bicultural approach. Te reo me ngā tikanga Māori are evident to some extent in routines and resources. Strengthening understanding of the bicultural curriculum and te ao Māori should better support successful outcomes for Māori children.
The teaching team is developing a shared understanding of internal evaluation. Spontaneous review is ongoing and has led to positive improvement. Leaders and teachers recognise that understanding and use of internal evaluation require further development. ERO's external evaluation affirms this direction for ongoing improvement to practice and operation.
Trustees, leaders and teachers have worked collaboratively to identify a clear vision and set direction for the centre. This development is underpinned by the shared philosophy, values and beliefs. Management, governance and teaching responsibilities are clearly defined to successfully support centre operation. Trustees and staff are improvement focused and putting appropriate plans in place for future sustainability.
Senior leaders and ERO agree that Rudolf Steiner Early Childhood Centre should strengthen:
responsiveness to parents' aspirations and children's cultures, languages and identities
assessment practices to better inform planning for individual children's learning
the bicultural curriculum and te ao Māori
understanding and use of internal evaluation.
Before the review, the staff and management of Rudolf Steiner Early Childhood Centre 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 Rudolf Steiner Early Childhood Centre will be in three years.
Alan Wynyard
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)
Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region
16 February 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.
|
Location |
Lower Hutt |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
60069 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
18 children aged over 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
23 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 15, Girls 8 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
2 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:6 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
December 2017 |
||
|
Date of this report |
16 February 2018 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Supplementary Review |
March 2014 |
|
|
Education Review |
October 2012 |
||
|
Education Review |
February 2009 |
||
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.