86 Churton Drive, Churton Park, Wellington
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Churton Park Kindergarten is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Churton Park Kindergarten is licensed for 44 children aged over two years. Of the 62 enrolled, five are Māori. Daily sessions are for children from two to school age. Most enrolled children are aged over three. The centre serves a diverse ethnic community.
Three of the five teachers, including the head teacher, have been appointed since the July 2016 ERO review. All are qualified and registered.
The kindergarten philosophy emphasises the importance of Te Tiriti O Waitangi, the uniqueness of each child, inclusion of multicultural values, responsive reciprocal relationships, and provision of a safe and positive learning environment.
ERO's 2016 report identified areas requiring further development. These included, understanding and use of internal evaluation, and assessment for learning. Progress is evident.
The kindergarten is governed and managed by He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua Kindergarten Association (the association). The association governs 103 early childhood services which include a diverse range of kindergartens, all day education and care services, three Pacific kindergartens and a Pacific home-based service. A team of senior teachers oversees and supports professional practice.
Progress has been made by the association to improve support for individual kindergartens, the appraisal process, and teachers' capability to work with Māori learners.
This review is one of eight in the He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua Kindergarten Association, Wellington region.
The learning environment is carefully organised to invite children's interest and participation. Literacy, mathematics, science and the arts are well resourced and suitably woven through the curriculum in play-based ways. A comprehensive range of learning materials is freely accessible. The outdoor area effectively supports physical challenge, adventure and the ongoing focus on care for the environment. Children enjoy the opportunities made available to them.
The curriculum is largely child driven and play-based. Recent changes have increased opportunities for children to make choices about their learning and persist in their play, supporting their self-management, independence and sustained engagement.
Teachers are caring, responsive and respectful in their interactions with children. They use some good strategies to encourage settling, active interest and participation in the curriculum. Positive guidance is used well to support social competence. At times teachers need to improve the organisation of their supervision of children, being more aware of where they are needed most and ensuring sight lines are maintained to all areas children can access. They should also work on maintaining their engagement with individuals and groups, particularly at routines times.
The philosophy underpinning teaching and learning has been reviewed by teachers to better reflect the new team's views. A next step is to determine the strategies teachers should use to achieve the identified outcomes for children.
The development of responsive and reciprocal relationships with families and whānau is prioritised and seen as a foundation to sustaining children's active participation in the curriculum. Parents' views are valued as a basis for planning individual children's learning.
Commitment to, and acknowledgment of the importance of, bicultural practice is highly evident. Teachers should continue to practice using te reo me ngā tikanga Māori in everyday ways and seek connections with whānau Māori and mana whenua to inform their approach.
Provision for children with additional/diverse needs is well informed. Association and outside agency support are accessed as necessary. Cultural diversity is celebrated through displays and in planning for children's learning. Professional development is supporting increased understanding of ways to work with Māori and Pacific learners.
Children's transitions into and out of the kindergarten are well supported by the team. They are appropriately based on individual needs which are agreed in collaboration with parents. The head teacher has worked to establish a relationship with the adjacent school which includes some visiting. Teachers are now in a good position to seek ways of sharing information about individual children with new entrant teachers to support continuity in their learning pathway.
The team's approach to planning for learning continues to be a focus for development and is supported by in-depth review. Current group planning is suitably responsive to needs and presented through a bicultural lens. Teachers also regularly note and discuss individual children's participation, interests and needs. Parents' and whānau cultures, languages and aspirations for their children are acknowledged in learning stories. An online platform supports the two-way communication of information between families and staff. Senior teacher feedback highlights the need for teachers to build more consistency, and a stronger acknowledgment of te ao Māori into their approach. ERO's evaluation concurs. Teachers should also work on strengthening the focus on children's significant learning and show how they are adding value to progress this over time.
The head teacher is strongly focused on building cohesive team work and shared understanding of expectations. A distributed approach to leadership is developing.
Self review is valued as a tool to strengthen practice and operation, and results in improved outcomes for children. A next step for the teachers is to develop shared understanding and effective use of internal evaluation that better supports their decision making about change and next development steps.
The association provides effective professional development and ongoing support to build the leadership capabilities of the head teacher and teaching team. Well-considered resource allocation enhances teaching and support for children’s learning and wellbeing. There is an established culture in place which values and celebrates children and their whānau.
A well-considered appraisal process continues to be reviewed and developed to better support teachers and leaders to inquire into the effectiveness of their practice. Work is ongoing to build and embed understanding of the association's expectations and processes.
Association leaders, including the senior teachers, work effectively together with shared commitment to the mission, vision, values and goals of the organisation. Strategic goals and objectives are focused on improvement for the benefit of children, whānau and community. Tūmanako, is providing high-level guidance for the association's future direction as a Tiriti o Waitangi based organisation. A range of effective tools is used well by senior teachers to monitor the quality of, and promote improvement to, individual kindergarten practice and operation.
ERO and senior leaders agree that priorities for teachers are to continue to develop their team approach to:
assessment for learning
internal evaluation.
The priority for the association is:
to continue to build on and follow the strategic direction set through Tūmanako, Te Tiriti o Waitangi- based strategic priority framework.
Before the review, the staff and management of Churton Park 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.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region - Te Tai Tini
12 June 2020
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 |
Wellington |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
5346 |
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Licence type |
Free Kindergarten |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
44 children aged over two |
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Service roll |
63 |
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Gender composition |
Male 32, Female 31 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
6 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
February 2020 |
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Date of this report |
12 June 2020 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
July 2016 |
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Education Review |
July 2015 |
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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:
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.
The overall judgement that ERO makes will depend on how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
Very well placed
Well placed
Requires further development
Not well placed
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.
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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.
Churton Park Kindergarten is situated in Wellington's northern suburbs, next door to Churton Park School. It is one of 85 kindergartens and three home-based education and care networks governed and managed by He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua Free Kindergarten Association Incorporated (the association). This is a new kindergarten association created from joining the Rimutaka and Wellington Kindergarten Associations in 2014.
An active parent committee continues to contribute by fundraising for property developments and resources for the kindergarten programme.
Since the July 2012 ERO review the kindergarten has started operating school hours to meet the needs of its diverse and growing community. There have been changes to the teaching team, including to leadership, with an acting head teacher now in place.
The philosophy emphasises the importance of children seeing themselves as learners, developing an enquiring mind and believing in their own abilities, reflecting the principles of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
The board and managers provide governance for the organisation. Senior teachers have delegated kindergartens. Their role is to provide regular support and a range of professional learning and development opportunities for teachers.
In 2012, the association developed a framework to guide the implementation of its curriculum, Te Manawa. This document outlines criteria for curriculum delivery, including expectations for assessment and planning for children’s learning.
The previous ERO report for Churton Park Kindergarten identified that assessment, planning, self review and extending the quality of teacher interactions required improvement. Considerable recent progress is evident. Areas where the association could strengthen its support for teachers were also identified, and positive progress has occurred. The alignment of individual kindergartens’ annual plans with the association’s strategic priorities has now been appropriately addressed.
This review was part of a cluster of 10 reviews in He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua kindergartens.
The child led, play based curriculum provides many opportunities for children to pursue their interests with and alongside their peers. Positive and collaborative relationships are evident. The wide array of purposeful resourcing allows children to make choices and decisions about their play.
Parents have many ways to actively participate, contribute and be part of their child's learning. There is a clear sense of belonging for children and families. First languages are valued and promoted.
Teacher's use a range of good strategies to promote children's social skills, language development, independence and self-management. Flexible routines support sustained involvement in play. Children's wellbeing is fostered.
Children with additional needs are very well supported by the knowledgeable staff. External agencies are accessed to help children and their families as required. Inclusive practices are evident.
An important focus for the team has been developing a positive and collaborative culture. The acting head teacher encourages teachers to share their strengths and ideas to extend children's learning.
Transition processes are flexible and responsive to children and their families. Relationships with local schools have been recently re-established. This should assist transition to school.
There has been recent positive progress in the development of teachers' understanding about the purpose and use of assessment for learning. This initiative has been ably lead by the acting head teacher. Useful tools such as ako pukapuka, community stories and profile books record children's learning journeys and support ways families can contribute. The current review of the curriculum framework, Te Manawa, should be useful in further developing and deepening teachers' approach to assessment.
Regular, purposeful support from the senior teacher is assisting teachers to improve their practice. The planned philosophy review should be useful for examining and inquiring into shared beliefs about high quality early childhood education.
Teachers continue to work with the association's Kaitiaki o Kaupapa Māori to further grow their knowledge of te ao Māori. Te reo me ngā tikanga Māori are promoted through routine times. Children and families are welcomed into the kindergarten in culturally responsive ways.
Understanding and use of internal evaluation is developing. Teachers are more confident in undertaking review that leads to improvements in teaching and learning. Strengthening the quality of indicators and the evaluative aspect of the process are agreed next steps.
The senior teacher provides termly written feedback that outlines agreed development priorities and progress in relation to the quality of teaching and learning. She completes an annual internal evaluation that supports strengthening of these termly reports. There is a deliberate focus on outcomes for children and teacher/leader performance.
The previous ERO report identified that the association needed to improve appraisal processes. Managers undertook an internal review of the appraisal system. The revised model is being implemented across the kindergartens. The process includes focussed goals that build teacher and leader capability and clearer links with the Practising Teacher Criteria.
The senior teacher, head teacher, staff and ERO agree on the following key next steps for Churton Park Kindergarten, to continue to:
develop internal evaluation practices
strengthen assessment practices.
The association should continue to support the development of formal critique of teaching practice and strengthened responsiveness to Māori children.
Before the review, the staff and management of Churton Park 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 Churton Park Kindergarten will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
7 July 2016
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 |
Wellington |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
5346 |
||
|
Licence type |
Free Kindergarten |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
44 children, aged over 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
81 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 49, Boys 32 |
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Ethnic composition |
Pākehā Asian Other ethnic groups |
55 15 11 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
May 2016 |
||
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Date of this report |
7 July 2016 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
July 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
May 2008 |
||
|
Education Review |
June 2005 |
||
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.
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.