Khandallah Little School

Education institution number:
50054
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
33
Telephone:
Address:

1 Station Road, Khandallah, Wellington

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Khandallah Little School

ERO’s Akanuku | Assurance Review reports provide information about whether a service meets and maintains regulatory standards. Further information about Akanuku | Assurance Reviews is included at the end of this report.

ERO’s Judgement

Regulatory standards

ERO’s judgement

CurriculumMeeting
Premises and facilitiesMeeting
Health and safetyMeeting
Governance, management and administrationMeeting

At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.

Background

Khandallah Little School is one of four privately owned services under the same ownership. A centre manager supports the team leader for each service across the cluster. A small number of children of Māori or Pacific heritage attend, along with children of other ethnicities.

Summary of Review Findings

The service curriculum is inclusive, and responsive to children as confident and competent learners. Children’s preferences are respected, and they are involved in decisions about their learning experiences. Teachers engage in meaningful, positive interactions to enhance children’s learning. They support children’s developing social competence.

The curriculum provides a language-rich environment. Children are provided with a range of opportunities and experiences to enhance and extend their learning and development, individually and in groups. The premises support the provision of different kinds of indoor and outdoor play.

Key Next Steps 

Next steps include continuing to:

  • build teachers’ capability in implementing assessment, planning and evaluation practices
  • increase teachers’ confidence in the use of te reo Māori in daily interactions.

Next ERO Review 

The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.

Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)

 20 December 2023

Information About the Service

Early Childhood Service NameKhandallah Little School
Profile Number50054 
LocationWellington
Service typeEducation and care service
Number licensed for30 children aged over 2
Percentage of qualified teachers 80-99%
Service roll28
Review team on siteNovember 2023 
Date of this report20 December 2023
Most recent ERO report(s)Akarangi | Quality Evaluation, July 2022; Education Review, July 2018

General Information about Assurance Reviews 

All services are licensed under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008. The legal requirements for early childhood services also include the Licensing Criteria for Education and Care Services 2008.

Services must meet the standards in the regulations and the requirements of the licensing criteria to gain and maintain a licence to operate. 

ERO undertakes an Akanuku | Assurance Review process in any centre-based service:

  • having its first ERO review – including if it is part of a governing organisation
  • previously identified as ‘not well placed’ or ‘requiring further development’
  • that has moved from a provisional to a full licence
  • that have been re-licenced due to a change of ownership
  • where an Akanuku | Assurance Review process is determined to be appropriate.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

All early childhood services are required to promote children’s health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements. Before the review, the staff and management of a service 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.

As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO assesses whether the regulatory standards are being met. In particular, ERO looks at a 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; safety checking; teacher certification; ratios)
  • relevant evacuation procedures and practices.

As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:

  • discussions with those involved in the service
  • consideration of relevant documentation, including the implementation of health and safety systems
  • observations of the environment/premises, curriculum implementation and teaching practice.

Khandallah Little School

1 ERO’s Judgements

Akarangi | Quality Evaluation evaluates the extent to which this early childhood service has the learning and organisational conditions to support equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners. Te Ara Poutama Indicators of quality for early childhood education: what matters most are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Judgements are made in relation to the Outcomes Indicators, Learning and Organisational Conditions. The Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence. ERO’s judgements for Khandallah Little School are as follows:

Outcome Indicators

(What the service knows about outcomes for learners)

Whakatō Emerging

Ngā Akatoro Domains

 
Learning Conditions
Organisational Conditions

Whakatō Emerging

Whakatō Emerging

2 Context of the Service

Khandallah Little School is one of four services under common private ownership. There has been a recent restructure of the governing organisation. A pedagogical leader oversees operation and practice. Day‑to- day management is the role of a head teacher. All staff have been appointed since 2021.

3 Summary of findings

Children have positive and respectful relationships with their teachers. Their play is often sustained as they engage in activities and explore the environment. Teaching requires an increased emphasis on empowering children in their play and learning and supporting their emerging interests and working theories.

Teachers and leaders have yet to build shared understandings about how the learning outcomes in
Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, are used in assessment. Teachers record detailed plans about activities to support knowledge and development. However, their decisions about planning, the curriculum and teaching practices are not sufficiently informed by data about children’s learning and progress. While the teaching team maintains respectful and responsive relationships with parents and whānau, learning partnerships are at an early stage of development.

Leaders and teachers are well supported by the pedagogical leader who has a strong focus on staff wellbeing, positive child outcomes and promoting a sense of team. While a staff appraisal process is in place, management has not yet implemented the Teaching Council’s professional growth cycle. The team is at an early stage of building capability to do and use evaluation.

Progress in relation to the key next steps identified in ERO’s 2018 report is limited. It is imperative that measures are put in place to support sustained development focused on outcomes for children through the strategic plan. While te ao Māori is respected in the organisation, the importance of the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, expressed in the philosophy, is not sufficiently reflected in operation, guidelines, or practice.

4 Improvement actions

Khandallah Little School will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning. These are to:

  • continue to strengthen the design of the curriculum by promoting learning partnerships with parents and building a team approach to planning the programme which recognises the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki as key
  • engage with relevant publications and people to continue to build shared understanding and implementation of Te Tiriti-based practices at all levels of the organisation         
  • build the teaching team’s capability to use internal evaluation as a tool to inform decision making about change and improvement
  • review systems for quality assurance, staff appraisal and support, and long-term planning to ensure that key requirements of operation and practice are consistently met and best outcomes for children promoted and sustained.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Khandallah Little School 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.

Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

18 July 2022 

6 About the Early Childhood Service

Early Childhood Service NameKhandallah Little School
Profile Number50054
LocationWellington
Service typeEducation and care service
Number licensed for30 children aged 2 and over
Percentage of qualified teachers80-99%
Service roll38
Ethnic compositionNZ European/Pākehā 25, Chinese 6, other ethnic groups 7
Review team on siteMay 2022
Date of this report18 July 2022
Most recent ERO report(s)Education Review, June 2018; Education Review, April 2015

Khandallah Little School - 10/07/2018

1 Evaluation of Khandallah Little School

How well placed is Khandallah Little School to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

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

Background

Khandallah Little School is a privately owned early learning service located in Wellington. It is one of a number of services under the Little Schools' umbrella. It provides education and care for up to 30 children aged over two years.

The philosophy places importance on developing foundations for lifelong learning and enabling a smooth transition to primary school.

Little Schools' management team comprises three qualified and experienced early childhood and primary school teachers. The owner has a clear vision for the organisation and is responsible for setting overall strategic and policy direction. Mentor teachers monitor the quality of teaching and learning and support teachers’ ongoing professional learning, growth and development. At this centre, an acting head teacher has been appointed for a year. There have been other staff changes.

The April 2015 ERO report identified that the Khandallah Little School team should continue to improve understanding of review and appraisal. Some progress is evident.

This review is one of three reviews of centres in the Little Schools' organisation.

The Review Findings

Teachers and leaders are highly committed to the Little Schools' philosophy and vision. Strong values underpin the preschool and its culture. Leaders acknowledge that it is timely to review the philosophy in consultation with the school community. ERO affirms this decision.

Children confidently engage in a range of teacher-designed activities. Literacy, oral language, mathematics and science are strongly promoted. Teachers make connections to children's cultures, languages and identities through the environment, activities and celebrations. Good support is provided for children transitioning from the neighbouring Little School Nursery.

Te reo me ngā tikanga Māori are evident in the programme. Children have opportunities to become familiar with te ao Māori. Teachers are increasing their use of te reo Māori within the programme. Leaders and ERO agree that this should continue to be an area for development.

Teachers have positive, responsive relationships with children. Developing learners' thinking, independence and social competence is a focus. A range of strategies to extend children's learning through their self-chosen play is evident.

Learning partnerships with families are in place. Many parents are actively involved in aspects of the programme. Good communication keeps them informed of children's participation and development. Their aspirations are sought and used as a basis for children's goals.

Group planning aligns well with Little Schools' philosophy and is linked to individual children's goals and interests. Evaluation of the programme should be more clearly focused on outcomes for children. Assessment for individual children identifies emerging friendships and aspects of communication. Teachers should continue to strengthen in learning records:

  • how they show what learning is taking place
  • acknowledgment of children's progress over time
  • reflection of children's individual culture, language and identity
  • identification of relevant, specific next steps for children's learning.

The use of self review to promote improvement is limited. A key next step is for leaders and teachers to develop shared understanding and use of internal evaluation.

Good support is available for leaders and teachers to develop their practice. Professional learning is valued and suited to their needs and ongoing development. The head teachers seek ways to build teachers' knowledge and practice. However, appraisal requires strengthening. The process should be revised so all aspects of the Education Council's expectations are implemented, and to ensure the process better supports teachers' and leaders' development.

A strong policy framework guides centre operation. Managers are currently working to document and align systems and processes to promote consistency across the Little School organisation. Better monitoring of the quality of their implementation should also support this aim. While the strategic plan identifies business priorities, further consideration should be given to creating strategic goals that are linked to positive learning outcomes for children.

Key Next Steps

ERO, managers and leaders agree that priorities at centre level are to continue to strengthen:

  • use of te reo Māori
  • assessment, planning and evaluation in relation to individual children's learning.

At governance level, priorities are to develop:

  • a revised philosophy
  • understanding and use of internal evaluation at all levels
  • the teacher appraisal process
  • strategic planning that promotes outcomes for children.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, teachers and management of Khandallah Little School 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.

In order to improve practice, and ensure endorsement of teachers' practising certificates meets a reliable and consistent standard, the service provider must ensure that all teachers are formally appraised annually, and all Education Council requirements are met.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Khandallah Little School will be in three years.

Alan Wynyard

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)

Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region

10 July 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

LocationWellington
Ministry of Education profile number50054
Licence typeEducation & Care Service
Licensed underEducation (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008
Number licensed for30 children aged over 2
Service roll41
Gender compositionGirls 24, Boys 17
Ethnic compositionMāori 
Pākehā
Other ethnic groups
1
36
4
Percentage of qualified teachers80% +
Reported ratios of staff to children1:8Better than minimum requirements
Review team on siteMay 2018
Date of this report10 July 2018

Most recent ERO report(s)

 

Education ReviewApril 2015
Education ReviewJanuary 2012
Education ReviewDecember 2008

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.