27 Matuhi Street, Belmont, Lower Hutt
View on mapERO’s Akanuku | Assurance Review reports provide information about whether a service meets and maintains regulatory standards. Further information about Akanuku | Assurance Reviews is included at the end of this report.
Regulatory standards |
ERO’s judgement |
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Curriculum |
Meeting |
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Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
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Health and safety |
Not meeting |
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Governance, management and administration |
Meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO identified non-compliance with regulatory standards that must be addressed.
Raphael House Kindergarten is part of Raphael House Rudolf Steiner Area School. The kindergarten has undergone changes in governance and management since the last ERO review. In 2021 the principal of the school took over kindergarten management. The kindergarten model is currently under review.
Kaiako are respectful and positive in their interactions with children. Children’s preferences are respected, and they are involved in making decisions about their learning. The kindergarten’s environment, resources, and experiences provided by Kaiako, reflect the Rudolf Steiner approach. There are a variety of materials and equipment available to suit the ages and abilities of the children attending. Guidance is sought, when necessary, from agencies/services to enable kaiako to work with children and their parents.
Consistent implementation of health and safety practices is required to meet all aspects of regulatory compliance.
ERO found areas of non-compliance in the service relating to:
an annual review of the emergency plan is undertaken
adults providing education and care carry out relevant emergency drills with children on at least a three-monthly basis. A record of the drills carried out and evidence of how an evaluation of the drills has informed the annual review of the services emergency plan.
Licensing criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services 2008, HS7, HS8.
Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
all indoor items, furniture, equipment, and materials are safe and suitable for their intended use
accident/incident records are analysed to identify hazards
parents/caregivers giving prior written approval for the proposed ratio for regular excursions at the time of enrolment
adults who administer medicine to children (other than their own) are provided with information and/or training relevant to the task
information being provided to parents about the amount and details of the expenditure of any Ministry of Education funding received by the service, as well as any planned reviews and consultation
having an annual plan which identifies ‘who,’ ‘what’ and ‘when’ in relation to key tasks that guide the service’s operation.
Licensing criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services 2008, PF5, HS12, HS17, HS29, GMA3, GMA8.
ERO recommends the Ministry follows up with the service provider to ensure that non-compliances identified in this report are addressed promptly.
The next ERO review will be in consultation with the Ministry of Education.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
9 May 2022
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Raphael House Kindergarten |
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Profile Number |
60301 |
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Location |
Lower Hutt |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
50 children |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
50-79% |
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Service roll |
43 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 8, NZ European/Pākehā 25, other ethnic groups 10 |
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Review team on site |
February 2022 |
|
Date of this report |
9 May 2022 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, November 2017 |
All services are licensed under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008. The legal requirements for early childhood services also include the Licensing Criteria for Education and Care Services 2008.
Services must meet the standards in the regulations and the requirements of the licensing criteria to gain and maintain a licence to operate.
having its first ERO review – including if it is part of a governing organisation
previously identified as ‘not well placed’ or ‘requiring further development’
that has moved from a provisional to a full licence
that have been re-licenced due to a change of ownership
where an Akanuku | Assurance Review process is determined to be appropriate.
All early childhood services are required to promote children’s health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements. Before the review, the staff and management of a service 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:
curriculum
premises and facilities
health and safety practices
governance, management and administration.
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO assesses whether the regulated standards are being met. In particular, ERO looks at a 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 certification; ratios)
evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:
discussions with those involved in the service
consideration of relevant documentation, including the implementation of health and safety systems
observations of the environment/premises, curriculum implementation and teaching practice.
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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.
Raphael House Kindergarten is a fully licensed early childhood centre located in Lower Hutt. It is part of Raphael House Rudolf Steiner Area School. It caters for children aged four to seven years, in three mixed age classes. Of the roll of 45, four are Māori.
The kindergarten’s philosophy reflects the Rudolf Steiner approach with a strong commitment to a culturally responsive curriculum, including te reo me ngā tikanga Māori in the curriculum and teaching.
The Raphael House proprietor’s trust exercises its governance role through the kindergarten governance group which includes representatives from the trust, the area school principal and the kindergarten centre manager.
In March 2107, a centre manager was appointed to manage the day-to-day operation of the kindergarten. The role reports directly to the principal who provides strategic leadership and management oversight.
Areas identified for development in the December 2014 ERO report included: reviewing assessment, planning, evaluation practices; developing policies specific to the kindergarten; and fully implementing the appraisal process. These have been addressed and good progress is evident.
Organisational conditions support positive outcomes for children and their families. Effective leadership and collaborative teaching practices are in place.
The valued learning outcomes described in the kindergarten philosophy are strongly evident in practice. Children are highly engaged and self-motivated. They confidently participate in the daily rhythms established within the kindergarten. They are given space and time to develop and test their working theories with the use of natural and open-ended resources. There are rich opportunities for creative, expressive and imaginative exploration. Social competence and respect for peers is effectively promoted.
The outdoor area reflects an emphasis on nature-based learning experiences and environmental sustainability. All children participate in a weekly programme located in the natural bush area in the school grounds. Through this programme, children enjoy opportunities to challenge themselves and take ownership of their learning.
Rudolf Steiner principles, te ao Māori concepts and Te Whāriki are effectively woven together and highly visible in the curriculum for children.
Teachers thoughtfully plan a group programme that effectively supports children’s holistic learning needs. They closely observe and monitor all children’s progress and responsively plan for individual children according to their needs, particularly those requiring additional support.
All children’s cultures are honoured through the environment and daily rituals. Cultural and seasonal celebrations with families enrich learning opportunities.
Educational success for Māori and Pacific children is well promoted. Their cultures, languages and identities are strongly affirmed and celebrated. Te reo me ngā tikanga Māori are highly visible within the programme. The cultural expertise of whānau is actively sought by teachers to enrich the curriculum.
Teachers use a range of suitable planning and monitoring strategies. They make clear and useful assessments of children's ongoing progress. This information is regularly shared with parents through documentation, at twice-yearly parent teacher interviews and during home visits. Leaders agree that strengthening the evaluative aspect of the assessment cycle, by making clear and specific judgements about the effectiveness of teaching strategies, will add value to the process.
Effective learning partnerships are strongly evident. Strategies are shared between home and kindergarten and parents’ aspirations are regularly revisited.
Children with diverse needs are well supported. Teachers liaise with external agencies and parents as appropriate.
Children transition into the kindergarten at the beginning of the year. A wide range of information is shared between whānau and the kindergarten. Readiness for entry into the lower school is carefully managed, with observations, child’s voice and parent feedback all taken into consideration during transition.
Self review leads to positive change for children. A range of information is gathered to inform change. The new centre manager has identified that the current framework for review is not sufficiently evaluative. The newly developed process should guide more robust internal evaluation.
A useful appraisal process is in place. The kindergarten is reviewing the policy to better reflect their new leadership structure. This also provides an opportunity to incorporate the Education Council revised standards for teacher practice into the appraisal system.
Leaders agree that strengthening the evaluative aspect of the assessment cycle, by making clear and specific judgements about the effectiveness of teaching strategies, will add value to the process.
The service has the capacity to use internal evaluation to self-identify appropriate next steps and maintain ongoing improvement.
Before the review, the staff and management of Raphael House 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 Raphael House Kindergarten will be in four years.
Patricia Davey
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)
Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region
1 November 2017
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 |
Belmont, Lower Hutt |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
60301 |
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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 |
50 children aged over 2 years |
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Service roll |
45 |
||
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Gender composition |
Girls 23, Boys 22 |
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|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
4 |
|
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
50-79% |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
September 2017 |
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Date of this report |
1 November 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
December 2014 |
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|
Education Review |
December 2011 |
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|
Education Review |
July 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.