Papatoetoe Kindergarten

1 Evaluation of Papatoetoe Kindergarten

How well placed is Papatoetoe Kindergarten to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Papatoetoe Kindergarten is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

Papatoetoe Kindergarten is licensed for up to 40 children over two years of age. It offers seven-hour days and serves a culturally diverse community. The majority of children attending are Indian, with smaller numbers of Māori children and those with Pacific heritage. Many children have English as an additional language. The kindergarten continues to foster relationships with organisations that provide English classes in the kindergarten for parents, whānau and the wider community.

The kindergarten is staffed by an acting head teacher and three other registered teachers, a teaching assistant, a teacher aide and an administrator. They are supported by personnel in Learning Support roles and the parent whānau support group.

The kindergarten philosophy values whanaungatanga and whānau involvement. Teachers promote manaakitanga and whakaute (kindness and respect) as key values. They believe that children learn best through play and are committed to following Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.

Teachers have maintained and continued to build on good practices noted in ERO’s 2015 report. They have enhanced bicultural practices and supported children to set their own learning goals.

The kindergarten is part of the Auckland Kindergarten Association (AKA), which provides leadership, a framework of policies and operational guidelines, support personnel, and programmes of professional learning and development. Strategic planning supports the kindergartens' development and future focus. A new AKA structure has been established and new personnel appointed. Many of these roles have recently been established.

This review was part of a cluster of 10 reviews in the Auckland Kindergarten Association.

The Review Findings

Children have a strong sense of belonging and of themselves as learners. They eagerly share their ideas and offer support to peers. Children demonstrate respect and kindness towards others of differing backgrounds and abilities. They have fun and establish friendships.

Children are confident, capable learners and communicators. They frequently use their home language with teachers and their peers. Children have good opportunities to be leaders and independent thinkers.

Teachers provide a learning environment that is inclusive and inviting to adults and children. Displays and resources reflect teachers’ respect for tangata whenua, Pacific communities and children’s family backgrounds. Thoughtfully presented play areas inspire children to initiate, sustain play and make discoveries. The spacious outdoor area provides very good opportunities for natural science, physical challenge and imaginative play. Children have good opportunities for uninterrupted play and decision-making.

Teachers' bicultural practices are evident. They have a strong commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and to building their own and children’s familiarity with te reo and tikanga Māori. Teachers use words and phrases of te reo Māori in play, routines and conversations, as well as in waiata and dance. They affirm Māori children's cultural identity and make connections through whakapapa.

Teachers affirm and value children’s prior knowledge and strengths. They encourage children to set goals and plan. Teachers build on children’s understanding of the world around them in meaningful ways. They nurture children’s curiosity, imagination and problem solving through play. Teachers build on children’s oral language in conversations and storytelling. Mathematics and science are extended through skilful teaching strategies in authentic situations.

Respectful, trusting and responsive relationships between adults and children contribute to the strong sense of whanaungatanga in the kindergarten. Teachers know children and their whānau well. They encourage whānau to share their aspirations and record how they respond to these. Parents/whānau are encouraged to take an active role in their children’s learning.

Teachers plan and implement a culturally responsive, child-led programme. Comprehensive programme documentation shows how children’s interests, dispositions and parent aspirations guide the programme. Individual portfolios show children's learning journey and include their own and their families' contributions. The use of online portfolios provides another way for whānau to be part of their children's learning.

Teachers are reflective, and improvement focused. They work collaboratively as a team. Teachers have high expectations, and a genuine commitment to inclusion, equity and ensuring positive outcomes for all children. They share strengths, have leadership opportunities, and engage in research and professional development. Internal evaluation is well established, informs decision-making, and contributes to improvements to teaching practice and the service provided for children and their whānau.

The AKA continues to provide support for kindergartens to strengthen bicultural practices. In many instances this has made a significant difference to confidence and capability. Specialist support impacts positively on teachers’ confidence and inclusion of children with additional learning needs. Specific programmes that help teachers to support children’s developing social competencies can now be extended across all kindergartens. The strategic direction being established by new AKA leaders is providing a positive framework for kindergartens’ annual planning.

Key Next Steps

The teaching team agrees that key next steps include strengthening:

• internal evaluation to make evaluative thinking and outcomes for children more visible

• refining assessment and planning to make teaching strategies and children's learning outcomes more evident in documentation

• teachers' understanding of the new AKA appraisal process.

It would be useful for AKA managers to:

• clarify new roles and engage teaching teams in the implementation of the new structure across the AKA

• increase the rigour of monitoring and quality assurance, and strengthen internal evaluation at all levels of the AKA

• identify and implement strategies for achieving greater consistency of the practices that are strengths in some kindergartens, across the AKA.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Papatoetoe 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:

• 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.

Steve Tanner

Director Review and Improvement Services Northern

Northern Region

2 October 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

The overall judgement that ERO makes will depend on how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:

• Very well placed

• Well placed

• Requires further development

• Not well placed

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.