Kaurilands Kindergarten

1 Evaluation of Kaurilands Kindergarten

How well placed is Kaurilands Kindergarten to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.

Background

Kaurilands Kindergarten is a not-for-profit community service that is licensed for 40 children over two years of age. It was relicensed in 2017 to increase the number of children, and to change the centre's name from Kaurilands Community Kindergarten.

This long-established service operates in a large, well maintained hall in Titirangi. Most children are Pākehā, and there are smaller numbers of children from Māori, Pacific and other diverse backgrounds. Most families live in the local West Auckland area.

The centre's spacious indoor environment is complemented by a generous outdoor area that caters well for children's all-weather play. Children bring packed lunches from home, and experience revolving morning tea and lunch times that allow children to eat when they prefer.

The centre's philosophy promotes respectful, community-focused approaches and values children and adults as learners and teachers. It aspires to developing children's love of learning in partnership with whānau. For many years, the kindergarten has operated with a parent-led committee.

The 2014 ERO report noted strengths in the quality of teaching practices, relationships and the environment. However, it identified many next steps around aspects of management and governance that had not been addressed from the 2011 ERO report.

Since the 2014 ERO report, significant changes have occurred in the centre's management and governance structure. At the start of 2017, the committee became a board, with the intention of clarifying management and governance roles and responsibilities. The board employed a specialist consultant to support the restructuring process and to conduct an evaluation of the quality of management.

At the start of May 2018, an experienced teacher employed at the kindergarten was appointed to the role of head teacher, alongside the appointment of a centre manager who has oversight of administration. All teachers at the kindergarten are experienced and registered. Parents are invited to support children and teachers in the learning programme.

The Review Findings

Children and whānau are warmly welcomed by teachers and each other. Children are trusted to be responsible for their own belongings and have the freedom to settle and play in areas of their choice.

Teachers work in partnership with whānau to ensure the best possible outcomes for children. As a result of these very good practices, children have a strong sense of security and belonging in their kindergarten. They enjoy their play and are kind to each other.

Teachers are skilled practitioners. They are responsive to children's interests and learning preferences, and work alongside children to enhance their skills and learning. Literacy, numeracy and science learning are incorporated naturally into children's play. Teachers appreciate children's ideas and artefacts as taonga to treasure, and explore these as part of children's learning journey. They negotiate with children, extending their critical thinking and problem solving skills. Children are supported to be socially and emotionally competent, and are confident in themselves as successful learners and leaders.

Children are highly engaged in their play and learning. Teachers create an environment that supports learning. It is thoughtfully organised to provoke children's creativity and imagination and includes very good connections to the local area and community.

Teachers support children's awareness of and respect for te reo and tikanga Māori. Transition approaches into and out of the centre especially provide authentic bicultural approaches. Teachers are now exploring how to meaningfully incorporate Pacific and other cultures and languages into the programme.

Teachers recognise and respect each other's strengths and skills, communicating and collaborating effectively as a cohesive team. Teachers deliberately ensure that their practices reflect the centre's philosophy and values. They have identified the need to further improve planning, assessment and evaluation practices. Teachers have organised external expertise to assist them in advancing this appropriate next step.

Leadership throughout the teaching team and board is strong. Teachers value professional learning and use it to improve outcomes for children. The board is developing systems and processes to improve all aspects of the centre operation and to build sustainability. Together the board and teaching team are increasingly professionalising their early learning service.

Key Next Steps

Relevant next steps identified by the board, management and teaching team include:

• designing meaningful strategic planning that promotes ongoing improvement

• developing an inquiry-focused appraisal system that meets legal requirements and aligns with professional learning and strategic goals

• establishing an evaluative reporting approach

• further improving planning, assessment and evaluation practices

• updating the centre's policy framework and creating a useful process for policy review.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Kaurilands 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:

• curriculum
• premises and facilities
• health and safety practices
• governance, management and administration.

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.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Kaurilands Kindergarten will be in three years.

Julie Foley

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)

Te Tai Raki - Northern Region

7 June 2018

The Purpose of ERO Reports

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.

2 Information about the Early Childhood Service

3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

ERO’s Evaluation Framework

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:

• Pou Whakahaere – how the service determines its vision, philosophy and direction to ensure positive outcomes for children
• Pou Ārahi – how leadership is enacted to enhance positive outcomes for children
• Mātauranga – whose knowledge is valued and how the curriculum is designed to achieve positive outcomes for children
• Tikanga whakaako – how approaches to teaching and learning respond to diversity and support positive outcomes for children.

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.

ERO’s Overall Judgement and Next Review

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:

• Very well placed – The next ERO review in four years
• Well placed – The next ERO review in three years
• Requires further development – The next ERO review within two years
• Not well placed - The next ERO review in consultation with the Ministry of Education

ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.

Review Coverage

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.