Aurora International School of The Arts

Aurora International School Of The Arts is a school inspired by the Reggio Emilia Experience, intertwined with New Zealand Curriculum. The school’s systems have been created to build the capacities of every child and to ensure an Aurora learner is an expert learner.

Fostering life-long learning in the Early Years and Primary settings, teachers as co-constructors support children through self-discovery, imagination and creativity. The school’s mission is to inspire and develop the potential in each child through child-led investigations and provocations, in an environment that fosters independent exploration, encourages social interactions and invites children to represent their ideas and reflect on their learning through accessible documentation.

Whilst the New Zealand curriculum aligns well with the Reggio Emilia experience to learning and teaching in the primary years, emphasizing a child-centered and holistic educational experience. The New Zealand curriculum places importance on the holistic development of learners, focusing on their well-being, identity, and social interactions. Similarly, the Reggio Emilia experience values the child as an active participant in their learning, promoting exploration, creativity, and collaboration. Both approaches emphasis the role of the environment as a significant element in the learning process, encouraging the use of natural materials and spaces that inspire curiosity and engagement. The New Zealand curriculum’s focus on key competencies, such as thinking, using language, symbols, and texts, and relating to others, aligns with the Reggio Emilia experience’s emphasis on the development of multiple intelligences and the integration of arts and expressive languages. It is through these key focuses that the New Zealand curriculum is not only a strong curriculum, but that it effortlessly aligns with the values and beliefs of a Reggio-Emilia inspired approach to learning.