11 Haynes Avenue, Upper Riccarton, Christchurch
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Kidsfirst Kindergartens Lady May is well placed to provide positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Kidsfirst Kindergartens Lady May is one of 72 early learning services governed and managed by Canterbury Westland Kindergarten Association Incorporated, trading as Kidsfirst Kindergartens. The kindergarten caters for the education and care of young children from the diverse community that it serves.
Since the previous ERO review in 2012 there have been some changes to leadership and the teaching team. All teachers/kaiako are qualified and certified early childhood teachers/kaiako. A head teacher/kaiako oversees the day-to-day operation of the kindergarten. An association education manager (EM) provides consistent professional advice and guidance to support the effective operation of the service.
The teaching team has responded well to the recommendations from the 2012 ERO report. This included further developing assessment, aspects of internal evaluation (self review) and the use of information technologies in children's learning.
The kindergarten is part of the Putaringamotu Kāhui Ako|Community of Learning which has a focus on educational success for tamariki Māori as Māori.
This review was part of a cluster of 10 kindergartens governed and managed by the Canterbury Westland Kidsfirst Kindergartens Association.
Teachers/kaiako foster a culture where children, parents and whānau are valued and affirmed for who they are and what they can contribute to children's learning. Leaders and teachers/kaiako actively engage in respectful and inclusive relationships with a focus on supporting the holistic needs of the children and their families.
Children are well supported in their learning. Teachers/kaiako are responsive to the interests, strengths and capabilities of children. They know the children well and provide sensitive and flexible interactions to help them to succeed in their learning. The curriculum effectively promotes child choice and independence.
The kindergarten's shared vision and values are clearly evident in the positive way teachers/kaiako work with children, parents and whānau. Teachers/kaiako have a focus on fostering children's sense of belonging to their kindergarten.
Cultural diversity is respected and valued in the kindergarten. Engagement with children and families from diverse backgrounds occurs in meaningful ways. The language, culture and identity of children and families are highly respected and celebrated. Teachers/kaiako value parent voice and involvement in their children's learning and wellbeing.
Leaders and teachers/kaiako have a strong commitment to providing a bicultural curriculum that is meaningful for children and promotes success for Māori children as Māori. Te reo and tikanga Māori are very evident in the curriculum and programme. Leaders and teachers/kaiako have used internal evaluation to discuss more deeply their understandings of Māori concepts and the physical environment. This has resulted in an increased awareness of what is important for tamariki Māori and their whānau and changes to the environment.
Leaders and teachers/kaiako are building culturally responsive practices, knowledge and understanding of Pacific languages and cultures. They are developing processes to respond to Pacific knowledge, culture and ways of learning.
Leaders have built strong links with the community to enhance children's learning and to support their transitions to local schools.
The Canterbury Westland Kindergarten Association has a well-developed and clearly understood vision. It is underpinned by targeted strategic and annual planning systems. There are close links between the kindergarten plans, internal evaluation, appraisal and professional development. The teachers/kaiako are well supported by association managers and leaders to achieve the priorities of the kindergarten and to promote high quality learning outcomes for all children.
The board is committed and highly skilled. The association has a very strong commitment to providing high quality professional development to build on leadership capacity and teacher/kaiako capability. It has high expectations for teaching and learning and equitable outcomes for all children. This includes a strong focus on promoting understandings of and respect for te ao Māori (the Māori world) at all levels of the organisation. The association's internal evaluation practices are being well used to inform decision making and support the strong focus on continuous improvement.
The education manager and teaching team have identified, and ERO agree, that the key next steps are to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Kidsfirst Kindergartens Lady May 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 Kidsfirst Kindergartens Lady May will be in three years.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer
Te Waipounamu - Southern Region
23 May 2018
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 |
Christchurch |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
5431 |
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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 |
40 children, over the age of two years |
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Service roll |
28 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 12 : Girls 16 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
6 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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28Review team on site |
March 2018 |
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Date of this report |
23 May 2018 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
November 2012 |
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Education Review |
June 2009 |
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Accountability Review |
December 2004 |
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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:
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.
Kidsfirst Kindergartens Lady May is very well placed to promote positive outcomes for all children.
Kidsfirst Kindergartens administers 62 kindergartens and one early learning centre in Canterbury and the West Coast. An education services manager (ESM) works with each kindergarten giving feedback and professional support. This kindergarten’s rich, inclusive environment and programme celebrate and respect New Zealand’s bicultural heritage and the cultural diversity represent within the kindergarten community. All teachers employed by Kidsfirst Kindergartens are fully qualified and registered early childhood teachers.
This review was conducted as part of a cluster approach to reviews in eight kindergartens and one early childhood education services within the Kidsfirst Kindergartens' umbrella organisation.
The positive relationships between children, teachers and parents underpin all aspects of teaching and learning. Teachers have an in-depth knowledge of each child’s culture, home language and their family’s aspirations. They effectively use this information to make sure that the programme reflects children’s interests.
Teachers use effective strategies to support the learning of children from diverse cultures. Māori language and tikanga are well embedded in the learning environment and programme. The values of ako and tuakana teina have helped children to learn cooperatively and to support each other in their play. As a result, children and their families have a strong sense of belonging and cultural identity.
The organisation of the programme and environment actively engages children in purposeful learning. Teachers have developed engaging resources and learning spaces to extend children’s confidence, language and creativity. Children have opportunities to lead their learning. They are involved in creating the guidelines for using resources safely. This includes the safe use of technology and equipment.
Children and their families are well supported when they go to school. Teachers have visited the local schools and have prepared useful resources in Samoan, Chinese and English to help children and families to more confidently transition to school.
Teachers develop the programme collaboratively. They regularly share and discuss their observations of individual children’s learning and identify how they will support and extend children’s developing interests. Daily informal discussions with parents help teachers to make links to children’s home experiences and prior learning. Children’s progress is well documented in children’s profiles and well presented in group learning story books.
Under the strong leadership of the head teacher, self review is used effectively to identify what is going well and where further improvements can be made. Self-review information is well used to improve outcomes for children.
The head teacher recognises the skills and strengths of team members. Teachers make good use of these skills to develop children’s interests to benefit their learning in the programme. Teachers have successfully linked professional reading and research to improve children’s language learning, cultural awareness and understanding. Teacher appraisal goals are challenging and incorporate individual teachers’ interests and indicators to improve outcomes for children. This has resulted in strengthening relationships with families and improving children’s learning.
Kidsfirst has a well-developed policy and practice framework to support the daily and long-term operation of the kindergarten. The association is kept well informed on the work within the kindergarten. Kidsfirst Kindergartens' managers have recently developed a new process for reviewing and reporting kindergarten information. This process is likely to help them further target their support to improve learning outcomes for children.
Teachers in this kindergarten told ERO that the kindergarten benefits from the professional development the association provides and that it is tailored to meet their teaching and learning needs.
The ESM brings new perspectives to support and extend teacher practices and outcomes for children. The ESM recognises the high quality leadership, teaching practices and the child-centred learning programme as a high quality example for other kindergartens.
The head teacher and teachers have identified, and the ESM and ERO agrees that the next steps for further improving learning outcomes for children include:
Before the review, the management of Kidsfirst Kindergartens Lady May 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:
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Graham Randell
National Manager Review Services Southern Region
21 November 2012
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Location |
Upper Riccarton, Christchurch |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
5431 |
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Licence type |
Kindergarten |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Centres) Regulations 1998 |
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Number licensed for |
30 children over two years of age number |
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Service roll |
38 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 21; Girls 17 |
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Ethnic composition |
New Zealand/European Māori Pacific Asian African Indian |
6 12 7 10 2 1 |
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Review team on site |
August 2012 |
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Date of this report |
21 November 2012 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
June 2009 |
The Education Review Office (ERO) is the New Zealand government department that reviews schools and early childhood services throughout New Zealand.
ERO's education reviews in early childhood services focus on the factors that contribute to positive learning outcomes for children. ERO evaluates how well placed the service is to make and sustain improvements for the benefit of all children at the service. To reach these findings ERO considers:
Within these areas ERO considers the effectiveness of self review and partnerships with parents and whānau.
ERO reviews do not cover every aspect of service performance and each ERO report may cover different issues. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to the service.