360 Albany Highway, Albany, North Shore City
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 Kristin School Kindergarten are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
|
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions |
Whakawhanake Sustaining Whakawhanake Sustaining |
Kristin School Kindergarten operates in the grounds of a large private school situated on Auckland’s North Shore. Enrolled children are all in the four-to-five-year age group. A small number of Māori children are enrolled. Others attending are from ethnically diverse backgrounds, with approximately half of Chinese heritage.
A strong bicultural curriculum enables children to develop knowledge of te ao Māori. Te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and te ao Māori are represented in meaningful, authentic ways. Children use te reo Māori confidently and knowledgeably in their explanations of their world and in conversations.
The cultures of children and their whānau are intrinsically woven through the environment and documentation. Specialist staff support teachers to sustain a culturally responsive curriculum. Parent contributions, and the voices of their children, materially influence curriculum and decision making within this service.
Children experience a rich and responsive curriculum that affirms their unique learner identity. Teachers understand and affirm children’s learning attributes. This practice enhances children’s mana and self-confidence, while recognising and valuing their individual contributions to this learning community.
Leaders and teachers are skilled in combining the expectations of the International Baccalaureate programme and Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, in planning high quality programmes for children. Planning is inquiry based and multilayered, with a strong focus on children as global citizens. Leaders aim to continue their investigation into a place-based curriculum that seeks to support children as kaitiaki of this land.
Evaluation, inquiry, and knowledge building are highly evident throughout all systems, processes and teaching practices. Documentation works together to evidence progression and success of the service’s strategic goals. Leaders and teachers are strong advocates for inclusive, high-quality education and care. Extensive interdisciplinary support through the wider school, ensures leaders are well equipped to recognise and respond to the diverse needs of all learners.
Kristin School Kindergarten will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Continue to inquire into the history and legends of the local area in the development of a curriculum that seeks to support children in becoming kaitiaki of this space.
Before the review, the staff and management of Kristin School Kindergarten 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.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
9 November 2023
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Kristin School Kindergarten |
|
Profile Number |
20541 |
|
Location |
Albany, Auckland |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
50 children aged over 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
100% |
|
Service roll |
50 |
|
Review team on site |
September 2023 |
|
Date of this report |
9 November 2023 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, September 2018; Education Review, February 2014 |
Not well placed | Requires further development | Well placed | Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Kristin School Kindergarten operates in the grounds of a large private school situated on Auckland's North Shore. The service is licensed to provide education and care for up to 50 children aged over two years. Children enrolled are all in the four to five year old age group. They attend daily sessions similar to school hours. Children and their families, many of whom speak more than one language, reflect the cultural diversity of the local community.
Children are grouped according to their age into four classes of ten children. Each class has its own teacher. The younger children and their teachers occupy one room and the older children and their teachers occupy a separate space. A support teacher works in each room to assist the two class teachers.
Children in each group transition with their class teacher through the kindergarten and into the Year 0 class at Kristin School. The manager of the kindergarten is also the Year 0 Dean and reports to the Junior School Principal.
The leaders of the kindergarten are the manager and assistant manager. They work alongside a team of eight other qualified teachers. Some of these teachers work in a support or specialist role in each classroom. The teaching team reflects the diversity of enrolled families.
The philosophy of the service strongly values the unique qualities of each individual child. Teachers view children as capable and confident learners and strive to provide an environment that allows children to lead their own learning. They have a strong focus on promoting children's oral language development. Teachers foster children's pride in their own cultures and their knowledge of others.
Kristin School Kindergarten has a very positive reporting history. The 2014 and 2011 ERO reports acknowledged the very good practices evident for promoting children's learning, development and wellbeing, and the positive outcomes of a good quality self-review process. These quality aspects of practice have been sustained.
Children are confident explorers of the kindergarten environment. They take purposeful advantage of opportunities provided by their teachers to engage in meaningful and interesting experiences involving mathematics, literacy, science, and information technology. The programme provides a well-considered balance of play-based learning and teacher guided activities.
Children's learning opportunities are considerably extended through access to specialist teachers in the performing arts, music, language, and the visual arts. Specialist teachers also work with children to preserve and strengthen their knowledge in using their home languages, alongside English language learning. Teachers thoughtfully and skilfully provide opportunities for children to develop and extend their oral language skills.
Access to an area of bush on the school's extensive grounds supports children's developing knowledge of the natural world, and is seen by teachers as an integral component of the curriculum. Teachers provide numerous opportunities for children to access the varied specialist facilities available in the school. This enhances children's sense of belonging in the wider learning community that surrounds the kindergarten, and very effectively supports the transition of children to the junior school.
Leaders and teachers know children and their whānau well. They empower children to lead their own learning. Teachers work alongside children to write learning stories on the child's chosen topic and have implemented child led conferences where children share their learning with their parents. Parents who spoke with ERO shared a deep appreciation of the programme provided for their children, how well it aligned to their aspirations for their children's learning and the opportunities for them to be involved in the life of the kindergarten.
Teachers very successfully integrate the expectations of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme and Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, in planning high quality programmes for children. They support children's developing knowledge of the bicultural nature of Aotearoa New Zealand with a deliberate focus on Māori values throughout the programme. A specialised mentor has been appointed to strengthen teachers' knowledge in this area.
Programme planning is underpinned by evidence-based assessment for individuals and groups of children. The broad curriculum provided by teachers allows children to develop deeper knowledge of themselves and their impact on the world they live in, and builds their knowledge as global citizens. Teachers and leaders have effectively evaluated and redeveloped the curriculum over time, based on sound research. This engagement in deep reflection leads them to continually question and modify their practice and make deliberate, measured decisions to ensure positive outcomes for all children.
Kindergarten leaders work very effectively together. They know their teachers well. They have established a robust system of appraisal that is strongly based on teachers' inquiries into their own practice. These inquiries are then shared. This highly collaborative process allows the team to evaluate teaching practice as a group. It is supporting the development of shared understanding and implementation of high quality practice across the team.
The kindergarten works under the strategic plan of Kristin School. Developing some kindergarten specific indicators under the strategic pillars would enable leaders and teachers to map and evaluate their progress in meeting these strategic goals. The purpose of internal evaluation is well understood by the team and is well linked to the strategic pillars of the organisation. The process could be refined with a stronger focus on the evaluative aspects of review.
To support and further enhance their current high quality programmes for children, leaders and teachers will continue to focus on the meaningful inclusion of Māori values into everyday teaching practice and key kindergarten documentation.
Before the review, the staff and management of Kristin School 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 Kristin School Kindergarten will be in four years.
Violet Tu’uga Stevenson
Director Review and Information Services
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
17 September 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.
| Location | Albany, Auckland | ||
| Ministry of Education profile number | 20541 | ||
| Licence type | Education & Care Service | ||
| Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 | ||
| Number licensed for | 50 children aged 2 years and over | ||
| Service roll | 39 | ||
| Gender composition | Girls 21 Boys 18 | ||
| Ethnic composition | Pākehā Chinese Indian | 7 28 4 | |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 80% + | ||
| Reported ratios of staff to children | Over 2 | 1:7 | Better than minimum requirements |
| Review team on site | August 2018 | ||
| Date of this report | 17 September 2018 | ||
Most recent ERO report(s)
| Education Review | February 2014 | |
| Education Review | February 2011 | ||
| Education Review | September 2007 | ||
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.