Teacher progression in a South African community school in an informal settlement

Description of the setting In 2010, the Froebel Trust became linked to a community kindergarten for children aged one to six in an informal settlement in Soweto (South Africa). The kindergarten was established in 1991 by a member of the community who observed that during the day, when their parents went to work, children as young as 15 months roamed the streets, at serious risk of violence, emotional and drug abuse or being knocked down by trains (as the informal settlement is located adjacent to the train tracks). The kindergarten was intended to be a safe place for children to attend when their parents/families were at work. It catered for 200 children, aged one to six years, with approximately 40 children in each year class, with one member of the community looking after each of the classes. Prior to 2010, a great deal of groundwork had been undertaken. The project was originally initiated by Professor Ian Bruce CBE in 2008 (seed-funded by the Lord Joffe Charitable Trust) to ass