45 Whitmore Road, Ormond, Gisborne
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Ormond Kindergarten is on the Ormond School grounds in Gisborne. It opens from 8:30am to 2:30pm Monday to Thursday and 8:30am to 12:45pm on Friday. The service is licensed for up to 34 children aged from two years to school age, and five children up to the age of two. Of the 52 children currently enrolled in the service none are aged up to two, and four identify as Māori.
The centre philosophy describes a commitment to provide a learning environment that responds to individual children and encourages positive relationships, meaningful communication, perseverance and active learning.
The current teaching team was fully established in November 2017. A head teacher oversees day-to-day operation of the centre. All teachers are fully qualified and are supported by a teacher aide. Over the past three years, staff have participated in professional development provided by the Gisborne Kindergarten Association (the association) that has included learning about te ao Māori, working with younger children and assessment, planning and evaluation.
Ormond is one of 11 kindergartens governed and managed by the association. Two senior teachers provide professional support and guidance to individual kindergartens. A pouawhina has been appointed on a fixed-term contract to guide kindergartens' implementation of tikanga and kaupapa Māori practices.
The September 2014 ERO report identified a number of areas for strengthening at the kindergarten level, including: assessment, planning and evaluation; the bicultural programme, and self review. Some progress has been made in relation to these. It was identified that the association should undertake strategic self review. Progress is ongoing.
This review was part of a cluster of 10 reviews in the Gisborne Kindergarten Association.
The newly established philosophy is evident throughout the programme. Children engage in a playbased curriculum that is highly reflective of the local rural community. Teachers plan an environment that links to children's home life. Children are confident, capable and articulate.
Development of the bicultural curriculum is ongoing. Teachers are building their use of te reo Māori and understanding of te ao Māori through professional learning. They should continue to embed this knowledge into daily use.
Teachers effectively engage children in authentic learning experiences for sustained periods of time. They use a range of strategies to support children's growing social competence. Positive outcomes for children with additional learning needs are progressed in collaboration with external agencies. Children demonstrate a strong sense of belonging and an increasing understanding of how the world works.
Strategies that promote educational success for Māori are yet to be fully explored. A key next step is to deepen teachers' knowledge and understanding of how these can be meaningfully integrated within the context of this kindergarten.
Relationships with parents are strong. Parents have input into setting their children's learning goals and opportunities to participate in the programme. Teachers have identified that strengthening relationships towards learning-centred partnerships is an area for development. ERO's external evaluation confirms this.
Planning for children's learning clearly links their interests and strengths to the centre philosophy. Online portfolios document the cycle of goal setting and evaluation as well as children's participation in the programme. Further strengthening of assessment should support improved planning and evaluation. Teachers should consider how to better:
identify children's learning and show their progress over time
reflect individual's culture, language and identity
document how intentional teaching impacts on learning.
Staff understanding of internal evaluation is in the early stages. Regular self review is undertaken in relation to environment and centre processes.
Teachers are well supported to develop their practice. There is a strong commitment to developing staff knowledge and skills through ongoing professional learning and the sharing of good practice. Senior teachers regularly identify actions and provoke thinking in relation to children's learning. The newly developed appraisal system, when fully implemented, should strengthen teacher inquiries into their own practice.
Association leaders have a well-considered approach to progressing strategic objectives. Connections to the community are strong and maintaining these continues to be a focus. Leaders are committed to Treaty-based partnerships and acknowledging Māori as tangata whenua. The association has identified that developing shared understanding of internal evaluation is a priority. ERO's evaluation confirms this.
ERO and kindergarten leaders agree that the priorities are to:
explore and implement strategies to promote educational success for Māori children
strengthen assessment of children's learning to better inform planning
continue to develop learning centred partnerships
further develop the bicultural curriculum.
The association should:
fully implement the new appraisal system
continue to develop shared understanding and use of internal evaluation across all levels.
Before the review, the staff and management of Ormond 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:
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 Ormond Kindergarten will be in three years.
Patricia Davey
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)
Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region
7 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 |
Gisborne |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
55216 |
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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 |
34 children, including up to five aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
52 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 30, Girls 22 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
4 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:5 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
March 2018 |
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Date of this report |
7 May 2018 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
September 2014 |
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Supplementary Review |
September 2010 |
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Education Review |
June 2009 |
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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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Ormond Kindergarten is situated on the grounds of Ormond School, in a rural setting near Gisborne, and provides education and care for children from two to five years of age. This early childhood service was previously known as Ormond Rural Preschool. In March 2012, the Gisborne Kindergarten Association (the association) took over the governance of the preschool. The premises were rebuilt in July 2012.
The kindergarten is licensed for up to 34 children including five children up to two years, and operates for six hours, Monday to Thursday and four hours and fifteen minutes on a Friday. There will be a change to the kindergarten licence from August 2014, to operate as an over two service only. Seventy eight percent of the enrolments attend part time.
The teaching team is fully qualified and is supported by a teacher aide. This is the first report under the governance of Gisborne Kindergarten Association. Two senior teachers are employed by the association to provide professional support and guidance to teachers. Since coming under the umbrella of the association, professional support for teachers has been provided focusing on assessment, planning and evaluation.
This review was part of a cluster of four kindergartens in the Gisborne Kindergarten Association.
The philosophy focuses on relationships, persistence and problem solving, humour, curiosity, communication and being an active learner. It is strongly evident in teaching practice and the curriculum.
Children participate in a child-led, play-based programme. Teachers know children well and work alongside children providing support and an extension of ideas specific to the individuals. There are many opportunities for children to be recognised as experts and to share their knowledge with others. Children work for sustained periods of time and play cooperatively with their peers. They have fun in the programme.
Teachers' interactions are warm, welcoming and respectful. They use a range of effective strategies to engage children in play and learning. They are flexible in the approach they take in responding to the needs and routine of children who are up to two years of age. Teachers support children’s developing social and emotional competence. Where appropriate, they work with external agencies supporting children with additional learning needs.
Children’s mathematical learning is enhanced through meaningful and interesting opportunities to use mathematics in everyday life and through the use of open-ended resources for exploration. Teachers' further investigation into the knowledge and language of mathematics should strengthen children’s mathematical learning.
Transition into the kindergarten is child focused. Expectations of all parties are clearly established. Teachers support children and families in their transition to school by providing relevant, timely information and visits to the local school.
At times te reo Māori is spoken by teachers and aspects of appropriate tikanga observed. However, ERO and the association believe this approach should continue to be strengthened. In addition, teachers should develop a shared understanding of what success for Māori as Māori might look like in this context.
The head teacher leads a collaborative team. Curriculum design and implementation is effectively led. Planning is responsive to children’s interests. This process should be strengthened through teachers being more evaluative in their approach.
A range of assessment approaches show children’s participation, developing friendships and learning. Multiple approaches are used to liaise with families in designing an appropriate programme of learning for their child. Assessment information should be strengthened through stronger alignment between the goals set and the range and clarity of information gathered to inform goal setting and subsequent enactment. Learning and progress overtime should be made clearer in assessments documents for families.
Self review is developing. Teachers should continue to strengthen their understanding of the self-review process and their knowledge of evaluation. This should provide additional information to judge the effectiveness of kindergarten operations and practice and inform future decision making.
The association provides high levels of guidance and support to teachers for the continuous improvement of teaching and learning. This includes:
Senior teachers should undertake strategic review and evaluation across the association and use this information to inform decision making. They should also support teachers to build their evaluative capacity to regularly enquire into the effectiveness of their practice to further improve positive outcomes for children.
Since the first cluster of these kindergartens the association has reviewed the implementation of the appraisal process. A revised approach is beginning to be put into practice and formal documentation is developing.
ERO and kindergarten leaders agree that the key next steps are to strengthen:
The association's key next step is to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Ormond 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 Ormond Kindergarten will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
National Manager Review Services Central Region
11 September 2014
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.
|
Location |
Gisborne |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
55216 |
||
|
Licence type |
Free Kindergarten |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
34 children, including 5 aged up to 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
46 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 24, Boys 22 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā |
11 35 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:5 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
July 2014 |
||
|
Date of this report |
11 September 2014 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Supplementary Review |
September 2010 |
|
|
Education Review |
June 2009 |
||
|
Supplementary Review |
October 2005 |
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.