Mt Cook Preschool

1 Evaluation of Mt Cook Preschool

How well placed is Mt Cook Preschool to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

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

Background

Mt Cook Preschool is centrally situated in Wellington city within the grounds of Mt Cook School. Six-hour sessions are offered five days a week. It is licensed for up to 28 children aged over two years.

The preschool is governed by a management committee of parents and staff, which sets the service's strategic direction. Two co-supervisors and the administration manager oversee day-to-day operation. Staff are long serving and have established a close relationship with Mt Cook School. Most teachers are fully qualified.

The preschool serves a strongly multicultural community, including families who are learning English. Teachers speak a range of languages.

Recent redevelopments to the outdoor area offer children increased natural spaces and gardens. The preschool is part of the Enviroschools network.

Growing ‘caring, creative and curious learners’ is the service vision. Valued outcomes include peace, respect, empowerment and wonder.

The February 2016 ERO report identified areas of practice requiring development. These included assessment, internal evaluation, appraisal and guiding documents. Good progress has been made.

The Review Findings

The preschool’s valued outcomes are strongly evident in practice. Children benefit from peaceful, responsive relationships with staff. Teachers use a range of very effective strategies to grow their social skills and foster friendships. Their emotional security is prioritised, and they are empowered to take increased responsibility for their learning and wellbeing. Children demonstrate high levels of confidence, inclusivity and kindness, and a strong sense of belonging.

A feature of the preschool is its strong literacy programme. Teachers skilfully weave early reading, writing and fine-motor development opportunities into child-led play. Positive outcomes from these practices are clearly evident in children's detailed artwork and writing, and their shared enthusiasm for books and engaging group story times.

Tikanga me te reo Māori and kaupapa Māori concepts are integrated naturally into the daily curriculum. Teachers effectively encourage children to explore nature and build their understanding of environmental sustainability. They appropriately link this learning to bicultural perspectives.

Creative arts, active movement and physical challenge are well promoted. Regular excursions to Mt Cook School and the surrounding neighbourhood provide authentic opportunities for children to learn about their local community.

The committee and staff actively find ways to remove barriers to children's and their families’ participation and engagement. They successfully promote a welcoming sense of whānau. Teachers purposefully build trusting relationships with parents, and value their expertise and diverse cultural backgrounds. They agree that a planned review of the preschool's philosophy and priority learning outcomes should involve closer consideration of what teachers know about attending families, so that the aspirations they have for their children are clearly evident.

Children with identified learning needs are appropriately supported to engage with the programme, through liaison with parents and external agencies. Teachers agree that it is appropriate to maintain a focus on identifying, monitoring and accessing specialists for children who require speech and language support.

Assessment documentation shows that teachers observe children closely, and celebrate their growing friendships, skills and engagement in the programme. They know children very well. A key next step for teachers is to ensure that learning records show the full cycle of assessment, planning and evaluation. Learning stories should consistently demonstrate, with clear evidence, how targeted teaching strategies have contributed to improved learning outcomes. The impact of children's cultures, languages and identities on teaching strategies should also be clarified.

Teachers engage in a range of useful professional learning and networking opportunities to support continual improvement. They should continue to strengthen their knowledge and use of internal evaluation, focusing on measuring the impact of their practices on outcomes for children.

Management committee members are supportive and effective in their governance role. They work collaboratively to establish service priorities and oversee plans and policies. The committee and staff share a focus on advocating for positive and equitable outcomes for children and whānau. It is evident that they have a strong, sincere commitment to the centre philosophy, their professional practice and learning community.

Key Next Steps

Leaders agree that they should continue to develop:

• documentation of parent-partnership practices that focus on cultures, languages and identities

• the quality of assessment, planning and evaluation

• internal evaluation.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Mt Cook Preschool 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 Mt Cook Preschool will be in three years.

Alan Wynyard

Director Review and Improvement Services Southern

Southern Region

14 January 2019

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.

1 Evaluation of Mt Cook Preschool

How well placed is Mt Cook Preschool to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

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

Background

Mt Cook Preschool is situated in Wellington city and provides education and care for children aged from two to five years. Six-hour daily sessions are offered five days a week. The centre is licensed for up to 28 children.

Teachers are fully qualified. The centre is governed by a management committee that is made up of parents, staff members and a community representative that sets the strategic direction for the service. The two co-supervisors and the administration manager manage the day-to-day operations of the centre.

This centre has a positive reporting history with ERO.

The Review Findings

The centre’s philosophy is currently under review. It has a strong focus on being a multicultural centre that works in partnership with families. It aims to provide a vibrant environment in which children’s wellbeing and overall development occurs. Building warm, caring relationships is a key priority. Developing clear, specific and measurable indicators of good practice should further support the effective implementation of the philosophy.

Children experience a child-led, play-based curriculum that supports their investigation and exploration. Teachers use numeracy concepts to support and extend their learning. Teachers and leaders are investigating the placed-based approach to enhance their curriculum. A key local historical site, Pukeahu National War Memorial Park has been used in the programme to extend children's learning.

Successful transitions to school are well supported by effective partnerships between the centre, families and a local school. Children have regular opportunities to become familiar with a school environment prior to transitioning.

Strong partnerships with parents have been developed. They have opportunities to participate in their child’s learning. Children with additional learning needs are well supported in an inclusive environment. External agencies are accessed when required to help support learning.

Te reo me ngā tikānga Māori are highly valued and well promoted in the centre. Te reo Māori is heard frequently and used in conversations between teachers and children. Waiata Māori, whakataukī and pakiwaitara are popular activities that celebrate te ao Māori in the curriculum. Whānau expertise supports the curriculum.

Profile documents provide a rich picture of children’s interests and learning experiences. Celebrations of culture, language and identity are clearly evident in their learning stories, including the use of the child’s home language. Teachers plan and respond to emerging interests through a wide range of activities. Increasing teachers' assessment focus to clearly show children’s progression in learning over time, is a key next step.

The centre’s strategic plan provides a useful framework to guide centre operations. Careful consideration has been given to the diverse needs and wellbeing of children, families and whānau and its community. Management and leaders have identified they need to strengthen the monitoring, tracking and evaluation aspects of their strategic plan. ERO's evaluation affirms this.

A collaborative model of leadership is operating at the centre. Teachers support each other in a positive working environment. Policies and procedures are regularly reviewed. These provide a good level of guidance for staff and the community.

The centre has developed a useful self-review process focused on improving the quality of education and care. A next step is to build leaders' and teachers' internal evaluation capability so they can evaluate the effectiveness of their practices and the curriculum on children's learning.

The appraisal system supports teachers' professional growth. It is improvement focused with regular monitoring. Professional learning and development helps to support teachers to achieve their goals. Including observations and teachers use of Tātaiako: Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners as part of appraisal are key next steps.

Key Next Steps

Priorities for improvement should include:

• developing specific indicators of good practice to guide enactment of the centre’s teaching philosophy
• enhancing assessment, planning and evaluation practices, particularly progression in children's learning overtime
• strengthening internal evaluation and appraisal processes.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Mt Cook Preschool 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 Mt Cook Preschool will be in three years.

Joyce Gebbie

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central

18 February 2016

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.