13 Gifford Street, Maheno, Oamaru
View on mapAkarangi | 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 are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) |
Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
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Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions |
Whāngai Establishing Whakaū Embedding |
Maheno Kindergarten is one of five kindergartens in the Oamaru Kindergarten Association (OKA). Children who attend are from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, including a small number of children who identify as Māori and of Pacific heritage. A general manager and senior teacher support a head teacher and teaching team. Progress has been ongoing in relation to assessment, planning and evaluation as recommended in the May 2018 ERO report.
Children’s learning is supported and enhanced through a curriculum that values and reflects the rural environment where they live. Te reo Māori and te ao Māori are well integrated within the nature-based focus but are not yet strongly reflected throughout all areas of the curriculum. All children’s cultural identities could be more prominent within the environment, curriculum, and assessment documentation.
Teachers support children to make decisions and choose their own learning. They engage in meaningful learning conversations with them. Children up to the age of three benefit from nurturing interactions with their teachers and peers.
Assessment information is used well to show children’s interests and strengths, and their participation in a range of curriculum experiences. There is some integration of the learning outcomes of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. However, assessment documentation does not consistently show all children’s learning and progress over time in relation to these outcomes and the kindergarten’s priorities for learning.
A deliberate approach is in place to build leadership capability within and across Oamaru kindergartens. This enables the board, managers, and teaching teams to effectively implement the association’s strategic vision and goals. Each teaching team benefits from ongoing mentoring and guidance provided by the association.
Internal evaluation processes are embedding. Improvements and outcomes from evaluations are regularly reported to the board. While quality indicators are evident, these are not yet used purposefully to guide the evaluation process, and to inform data analysis and actions taken. Deepening the teaching teams' use of effective internal evaluation is now required.
The board and leaders are future focused and provide a range of initiatives that enable families and communities to participate in the kindergarten. Useful systems and processes guide the operation and management of the kindergarten. Effective processes are in place to monitor that the licensing requirements are being met.
Maheno Kindergarten include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Clearly show children's learning and progress over time in assessment documentation in relation to the learning outcomes.
Extend the bicultural curriculum by integrating te ao Māori throughout all areas of the kindergarten.
Make better use of the indicators of best practice through all stages of the internal evaluation. Ensure reporting is evaluative and consistently focused on outcomes for children and shifts in teacher practice.
Before the review, the staff and management of completed an ERO 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; safety checking; teacher registration; ratios)
relevant evacuation procedures and practices.
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
During the review, the service provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliance:
The procedure people should follow should they wish to complain about non-compliance of the Regulations or criteria includes details of the local Ministry of Education office (GMA1).
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
15 June 2023
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Maheno Kindergarten |
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Profile Number |
47021 |
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Location |
Oamaru |
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Service type |
Free Kindergarten |
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Number licensed for |
25 children two years and over |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
100% |
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Service roll |
33 |
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Review team on site |
March, 2023 |
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Date of this report |
15 June 2023 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, May 2018 |
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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.
Maheno Kindergarten is one of five kindergartens in the Oamaru Kindergarten Association (OKA). It is located in the rural township of Maheno in the premises of the former playcentre. It provides education and care for up to 23 children from two years of age, for up to six hours each weekday. Close to 40 children attend on different days over the week. Many families travel from nearby settlements and from farms some distance away.
The head teacher and teacher share the leadership and teaching roles in the kindergarten. They are supported by a teacher aide in training for an early childhood qualification. An external Education Services Manager (ESM) supports professional practice in the team. The OKA oversees the governance and management of the kindergarten.
The kindergarten has been open for two years. This is its first ERO review.
This review was part of a cluster of five reviews in the Oamaru Kindergarten Association (OKA).
Capable leadership, a broad and interesting curriculum, and strong partnerships with the community and whānau are significant features that promote positive outcomes for children at Maheno Kindergarten.
A well-considered philosophy guides the programme and is highly evident in kindergarten practices. Teachers and whānau want their children to:
Teachers foster these qualities well by providing a broad, interesting and localised curriculum with clear priorities for learning. Current programme priorities are:
Teachers provide many experiences that directly link to the kindergarten priorities. A next step for teachers is to make stronger links to these in group and individual planning and then evaluate how well these priorities and teaching strategies support all children in their learning.
Māori perspectives are well integrated into the kindergarten programme and practices. Children learn and use simple mihimihi, te reo Māori and waiata. Teachers are seeking ways to deepen their culturally responsive practice, including finding ways to know the cultural aspirations of whānau. These practices are enabling Māori children to be actively engaged in their learning and to know their language and culture are valued within the kindergarten.
Teachers have positive relationships with children and their whānau. They are deepening the learning partnerships with parents and trying new ways to meaningfully collaborate with them to plan for, and share information, about their children's learning. The kindergarten receives strong support from the local community.
Children's learning is supported by the skilled ways that teachers work alongside them. Teachers foster children's interests and encourage them to explore their ideas and build on these in complex ways. They ensure that children have time to revisit and deepen their learning. They quickly identify children needing additional support with their learning and make good use of external agencies and OKA resources to ensure children's needs are appropriately met.
The head teacher, teacher and teacher aide are a collaborative team and work well together. Through a process of ongoing critical reflection, they have developed useful systems for group and individual panning. The next step is to embed and continue to refine these systems, ensuring that the intended learning for children is clearly stated and evaluated.
The team makes ongoing improvements to the programme and practices through a process of internal evaluation. An updated process for internal evaluation is being implemented with the support of the ESM. This needs to be embedded and aspects of the process refined. This includes, narrowing the scope of the evaluation and developing clearer and more measurable indicators of best practice.
The OKA effectively supports the kindergarten. It provides a useful strategic and operational framework for the kindergarten's management. There is strong alignment from the OKA strategic priorities, to the kindergarten priorities and plans. The OKA is committed to equity for all children, providing targeted resources to enable participation and inclusion of all children and their whānau. The OKA board is well informed about how well each kindergarten is progressing and contributing to the strategic direction.
The OKA strongly supports ongoing improvement across its kindergartens. It has effective evaluation and assurance practices that inform change and development. The OKA also supports its kindergartens to have constructive partnerships with other agencies and providers. Teacher capability across the OKA is being strengthened through an improved appraisal system.
The key next steps for the team are to continue to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Maheno 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:
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 Maheno Kindergarten will be in three years.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern
Te Waipounamu - Southern Region
22 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 |
Maheno |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
47021 |
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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 |
23 children, aged over 2 |
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Service roll |
40 |
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Gender composition |
Boys: 21 Girls: 19 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
7 |
|
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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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Review team on site |
April 2018 |
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Date of this report |
22 May 2018 |
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Most recent ERO reports |
No previous ERO reports |
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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.