Goldfields Kindergarten

1 Evaluation of Goldfields Kindergarten

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

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

Background

Goldfields Kindergarten is one of four kindergartens governed by the South Otago Kindergarten Association (SOKA). A head teacher has responsibility for the kindergarten's daily practice. She leads a teaching team of three in providing education and care for up to 30 children of mixed age including 10 children under the age of two. The current teaching team had been together for three months at the time of this review.

The kindergarten has made significant progress with respect to the recommendations in the ERO 2013 report.

Goldfields is part of the Tokomairiro Community of Learning | Kāhui Ako (CoL).

This review was part of a cluster of four kindergarten reviews in the South Otago Kindergarten Association cluster.

The Review Findings

Children at Goldfields enjoy positive, respectful and affirming relationships with the teachers and each other. Families are welcome and teachers encourage parents to share their expertise and be involved in children’s learning. Teachers are continuing to develop new ways to support further participation and learning-focused partnerships. Teachers have good systems to gather and include parents’ views and use these in goal setting and when evaluating progress. These practices are helping to promote positive outcomes for all children.

Children are benefiting from the extensive work done by the teachers and community to develop the kindergarten's philosophy. The philosophy clearly shows what the parents and community value for children’s learning and their commitment to strengthening bicultural practices. Teachers make effective use of the philosophy to guide their teaching and ensure a strong focus on learning. The teachers' shared understanding of agreed values and practice is evident as they work together and with children.

Children are supported to be confident, competent learners. Teachers effectively cater to the diverse learning needs and interests of children and work with parents and external agencies to support any with special needs. Younger children and toddlers are well cared for. Teachers are responsive to the verbal and non-verbal cues of this age group. The inclusion of younger children in the programme has created a family feel at the kindergarten.

Teachers use a range of ways to help children learn. They are particularly skilful in the way they use conversations to extend learning. Teachers deliberately build children’s oral language development through everyday conversations and intentional teaching. Teachers provide a programme where they help children know what they are learning and be proud of their successes. They are supported to develop leadership skills and are learning to work together, help each other and care for one another. They approach teachers to share their views and for support. They follow well-established routines and expectations for behaviour. Literacy and mathematics learning is well integrated and teachers provide good support for children preparing for school.

Teachers are focused on building the kindergarten as a bicultural learning context. They consistently integrate Māori concepts and key learning during the programme and across the curriculum. Children have learnt, use or are familiar with Māori words and phrases and can talk about their learning using these terms. Inclusion of te reo and use of Māori tikanga, values and concepts are becoming normal practice. Children are learning what it is to be a bicultural New Zealander and this is helping build families' knowledge and awareness. Teachers see this learning as life-long and an ongoing process.

Teachers have developed useful systems for assessment, planning and the implementation of teaching strategies to support learning. Assessment shows clear learning intentions, the teachers’ role and includes consultation with parents. Weekly meetings ensure teachers track children’s progress with group goals and adjust teaching strategies where needed to improve outcomes. There is good evidence of children’s individual and group learning progress over time in kindergarten records.

The teachers work and learn together as a coherent team. They reflect on practice together and support one another to keep up-to-date with current theories. Internal evaluation practices have led to improvements. There are strong links between the kindergarten's strategic goals, the teachers’ appraisal goals and teaching practice. Teachers are building strong links with the community.

The kindergarten is effectively governed by South Otago Kindergarten Association. The association has developed clear strategies to guide the services' futures. The senior teacher is providing very effective leadership, support and guidance to the kindergarten. She shows a strong commitment to ensuring positive outcomes for children. The association implements useful systems to be assured that the kindergarten meets all requirements. The board funds regular appropriate professional development, which contributes to improved teaching practices, leadership skills and bicultural inclusion.

Key Next Steps

Key next steps for the association are to:

• strengthen the processes of internal evaluation to ensure focused investigations within the association and across kindergartens

• continue bicultural development within the board and across documentation.

The next step for the head teacher and teachers is to strengthen internal evaluation, and use a schedule for internal evaluation to ensure things that impact most on children are regularly evaluated over time.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Goldfields 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 Goldfields Kindergarten will be in three years.

Dr Lesley Patterson

Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Te Waipounamu)

8 August 2017

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.