The Cottage Kindergarten Ltd

Education institution number:
45871
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
45
Telephone:
Address:

181 Taha Road, RD1, Waimauku

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The Cottage Kindergarten Ltd

1 ERO’s Judgements

Akarangi | 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 (PDF 3.01MB) are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. The Akarangi Quality Evaluation Judgement Rubric (PDF 91.30KB) derived from the indicators, is used to inform the ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.

ERO’s judgements for The Cottage Kindergarten Ltd are as follows:

Outcome Indicators

ERO’s judgement

What the service knows about outcomes for learners

Whakawhanake Sustaining

Ngā Akatoro Domains

ERO’s judgement

He Whāriki Motuhake

The learner and their learning

Whakawhanake Sustaining

Whakangungu Ngaio

Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability

Whakawhanake Sustaining

Ngā Aronga Whai Hua

Evaluation for improvement

Whakaū Embedding

Kaihautū

Leaders foster collaboration and improvement

Whakawhanake Sustaining

Te Whakaruruhau

Stewardship through effective governance and management

Whakaū Embedding

2 Context of the Service

The Cottage Kindergarten Ltd is a privately owned service located in a semi-rural community. The philosophy focuses on children learning within a culture of respectful and connected relationships, supported by a sense of belonging and community. The owner, who is also a qualified teacher, oversees governance and management of the service. She leads a team of five qualified and two unqualified teachers. A small number of children at the service are Māori.

3 Summary of findings

The service’s philosophy is highly evident in practice. A high level of respect is demonstrated through the interactions between teachers, children and their whānau. This empowers children to lead the daily curriculum and have a strong sense of ownership of their learning. They easily settle into play and confidently communicate with peers and teachers.

Children’s mana is fostered within their day-to-day experiences at the service. Teachers take time to listen carefully and engage in meaningful conversations with children. Children with individual needs are well-supported by teachers and leaders. In partnership with whānau, teachers and leaders respond to children’s individual needs and their learning and access specialised external support.

Children’s explorations and investigations are supported by the rural location that provides them with rich learning opportunities. Teachers carefully use the environment to provide challenges that extend children’s learning. Children demonstrate respect and take responsibility for looking after their environment.

Leaders and teachers collaborate to build and sustain responsive relationships with the community. Parents who spoke with ERO, said they felt respected, supported and that their aspirations for their children’s learning are valued by teachers. Teachers could more deliberately document their discussions with parents, to show how teacher/whānau partnerships impact positively on children’s learning.

A culture of high relational trust within the team encourages professional discussion and critical reflection. Systems for inquiry and evaluation are embedded in teaching and management practices. The team could now focus more specifically on how improvements to the curriculum and teaching practice result in improved outcomes for children.

The experienced leadership team creates a positive working environment. They skilfully mentor and coach teachers to enhance their professional capability. The owner’s support of local schools and community initiatives helps to build knowledge and capability within the wider community and education sector.

4 Improvement actions

The Cottage Kindergarten Ltd will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

  • to document how teachers, respond to parent’s aspirations for children’s learning in assessment, planning and evaluation records
  • to make increased use of the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, to identify curriculum priorities and planning
  • to monitor the implementation of improvement actions and how these impact on outcomes for children.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of The Cottage Kindergarten Ltd 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.

Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliance:

  • checking equipment, premises and facilities daily for hazards to children (HS12).

Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

11 June 2021 

6 About the Early Childhood Service

Early Childhood Service Name The Cottage Kindergarten Ltd
Profile Number 45871
Location Waimauku, Auckland

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

34 children, including up to 0 aged under 2

Percentage of qualified teachers

80%+

Service roll

47

Ethnic composition

Māori  7
NZ European/Pākehā 36
other ethnic groups 4

Review team on site

May 2021

Date of this report

11 June 2021

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, November 2016
Education Review, September 2013

The Cottage Kindergarten Ltd - 02/11/2016

1 Evaluation of The Cottage Kindergarten Ltd

How well placed is The Cottage Kindergarten Ltd to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

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

Background

The Cottage Kindergarten Ltd was established in 2011 and is located on a rural property in Waimauku. It provides early childhood education for up to 30 children from two to five years of age. Children enjoy a mixed-age programme in a spacious and inviting environment that has a rural outlook. Most families live in the local community. The centre philosophy has a focus on capable, competent and resilient children who learn through play. Centre staff use Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, as a framework and incorporate tested theories and ideas from recent research that support education in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Teachers believe that the learning environment plays a teaching role and they are very committed to bicultural practices. Five teachers have full certification, one teacher has provisional certification and there is one teacher aide. Teachers work as a collaborative team and have developed very good relationships with parents and whānau

The centre owner provides leadership for the centre. She has responsibility for management and administration systems, and a framework of policies and procedures. She works collaboratively with staff to review and refine governance, management and administration systems and processes.

In 2013 ERO identified many positive features of the service. Caring relationships and a child-centred curriculum were supporting children to become confident, self-managing learners. Teachers had strong partnerships with families and were developing children's assessment portfolios. At that time teachers identified the need explore ways to refine planning and assessment to better reflect children’s progress and learning. Planning, evaluation and assessment practices have continued to evolve with teachers’ professional learning. Teachers have used self review well to sustain and improve good practices.

The Review Findings

Children are happy, engaged and highly independent. They are also confident, responsive and articulate learners. They competently settle themselves in play areas and make deliberate choices about resources they need. Many persist at activities for prolonged periods, problem solving and experimenting with new ideas as challenges arise.

Children lead their own learning and have many opportunities for exploration and imagination. They are friendly and caring towards their peers, and often work cooperatively. In this focused and calm setting children use literacy, art and science for real purposes and are becoming familiar with the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand. Children sing waiata to welcome visitors and have access to a range of resources that reflect te ao Māori.

Teachers provide a welcoming and inclusive environment for children and their families. Of particular note is the responsive and caring way that children with additional needs are supported. Teachers prioritise strategies that will enable children to become independent, capable learners who work well with others and actively explore their environment. They skilfully engage children in play that prompts them to collaborate and investigate ideas.

Teachers constantly interact with children and use open questions well to facilitate reciprocal conversations and challenge children's thinking. Adults’ respectful conversations acknowledge children's competence and empower them to make their own decisions. Teachers are currently reviewing the effectiveness of the programme in meeting the learning and developmental needs of two year old children.

Teachers are reflective practitioners who are responsive to children's interests. They have reviewed and strengthened planning and assessment practices. Planning has a stronger focus on noticing, recognising and responding to children's individual learning. It is also more purposeful and teachers frequently discuss strategies for extending learning. Teachers have strengthened assessment in portfolios by focusing more on individual children's dispositions, interests and progress over time.

Parents are encouraged to be partners in their children’s learning. Teachers provide many opportunities for families to participate in the programme, contribute to reviews and be aware of their children’s progress. Parents discuss and contribute to learning stories and portfolios. Parents, teachers and children share information and lots of stories on a daily basis when children arrive at, and leave the centre.

Leadership is effective. A clear sense of strategic direction has been established. The centre owner has built a culture of professionalism, collaboration and internal evaluation. There is a continuous focus on ongoing improvement and positive outcomes for children. Teachers' strengths and interests are identified and they are encouraged to use these and take on leadership roles.

The centre is very well placed to continue building the collective capacity of teachers. Appraisal processes are well developed and include in-depth reflections and critique of teaching and learning. Teachers are supported to participate in both internal and external professional development as individuals and as a group. The centre owner and teachers have plans to build their coaching and mentoring skills.

The centre has sound and functional systems and processes. The vision, strategic and annual plans are well aligned and show in-depth review and strategic thinking to prioritise future developments. They build teacher capability and focus on outcomes for children and their families. The centre philosophy is highly evident in the programme. Internal evaluation is well understood and embedded and is resulting in improvements in teaching and learning, and centre-wide practices.

Key Next Steps

Centre leaders agree that their next steps for development include:

  • more explicitly linking children's assessment and the programme to children's dispositions and learning progress

  • further strengthening programme evaluation to focus on learning outcomes and the effectiveness of teaching strategies.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of The Cottage Kindergarten Ltd 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 The Cottage Kindergarten Ltd will be in four years.

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

2 November 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

Location

Waimauku, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

45871

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

30 children, including up to 0 aged under 2

Service roll

45

Gender composition

Girls 26 Boys 19

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

Indian

Samoan

6

36

2

1

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%+

Based on funding rates

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Over 2

1:6

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

August 2016

Date of this report

2 November 2016

Most recent ERO report(s)

 

Education Review

September 2013

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.