17 Cockle Bay Road, Cockle Bay, Auckland
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 Cockle Bay Private Kindergarten are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) |
Whakaū Embedding |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
|
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions |
Whakaū Embedding |
Cockle Bay Private Kindergarten provides education and care for children over two years of age. The owner and a qualified centre manager lead a team of three qualified teachers and two support staff. The centre philosophy values close relationships and aims to provide children with a home away from home.
Children are valued for who they are. They experience a play-based, responsive curriculum that provides rich and meaningful learning experiences. Teachers foster children’s curiosity and imagination. Children lead their own learning supported by caring friendships with their peers.
Teachers assess children’s learning and progress in relation to the goals and outcomes of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Planning is informed by children’s interests and parent aspirations. Teachers observe and plan a curriculum that prioritises the individualised learning and development of each child.
Te reo and tikanga Māori are woven through the curriculum and teaching practices. Teachers are continuing to deepen their knowledge of te ao Māori (the Māori world) and to include this knowledge in their work with children. Children’s connections to their families, culture and whakapapa are included and recognised as an important part of their learning. As a result, children have a strong sense of belonging and wellbeing at the service.
Children’s learning and wellbeing in the context of whānau relationships are recognised and valued. This includes the development of responsive partnerships between external agencies, other services and the wider community. Teachers intentionally encourage children to move easily in and out of the role of the teacher/learner. Children are viewed as competent and confident learners.
Leaders have established a culture of relational trust, and teachers have regular opportunities for professional learning. Leaders value each other and the contributions of their team. Internal evaluation is improvement focused and collaborative. Evaluating how well changes have impacted on improved outcomes for learners, will likely provide deeper insights into the effectiveness of the curriculum and teaching practices.
Cockle Bay Private Kindergarten will include the following action in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Develop teachers’ collective capacity to undertake evaluation that shows the impact of improvement and innovation on children’s learning.5
Before the review, the staff and management of Cockle Bay Private 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.
Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
16 September 2022
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Cockle Bay Private Kindergarten |
|
Profile Number |
25281 |
|
Location |
Cockle Bay, Auckland |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
24 children aged over 2 years |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
32 |
|
Review team on site |
July 2022 |
|
Date of this report |
16 September 2022 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, December 2018 |
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Cockle Bay Private Kindergarten is located in east Auckland. The centre operates in a residential home and is licensed for 24 children over the age of two years. The roll includes several Māori children and a small number from diverse cultural backgrounds.
The centre's philosophy values children as talented and competent learners. It also promotes the principles of inclusion and equitable opportunities underpinned by an emphasis on the importance of family. The philosophy supports the centre's vision that children should flourish and grow as strong and competent members of the wider community.
ERO's 2014 report noted that children showed a sense of belonging, worked cooperatively and enjoyed positive relationships. Teachers were beginning to incorporate te reo and tikanga Māori in the programme. Areas for development included planning, assessment and evaluation, appraisal processes and the transition to school programme. The owner/manager has made steady progress in these areas.
Since the last 2014 ERO review, the centre has managed the appointment of a new manager/kaiako, two new kaiako and one unqualified reliever.
Children and parents are warmly welcomed into the centre. Kaiako know children well and support families in a caring and homely learning environment.
Children are confident and articulate, and display a growing knowledge of te reo and tikanga Māori. They learn through play and benefit from kaiako who support an unhurried pace of learning. Children are caring of one another. They are involved in cooperative and imaginative play and learning. Children and adults share a good sense of humour with each other as a result of the positive and affirming relationships that have been established.
Teaching practices are respectful and responsive. Staff have continued to place importance on Māori as tangata whenua through building centre capability around te reo and tikanga Māori. Kaiako have developed trusting relationships with children and support their emotional wellbeing.
The learning environments are well planned and managed, support children's learning, and are underpinned by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Children can select from a range of open-ended resources that they can choose how to use. They benefit from a programme that encourages them to lead their learning. This enables them to engage in creative play, physical challenges and activities that have a natural science focus. Kaiako have established a cycle of assessment, planning and evaluation.
Transitions into the centre are gradual and well-managed. Kaiako carefully consider transitions beyond the centre. They are exploring ways to strengthen this process with contributing schools.
The manager ensures that kaiako have access to relevant professional development in order to support a culture of ongoing improvement. Internal evaluation informs future plans. Staff have identified the need to extend their understanding of the revised Te Whāriki, in order to provide the best outcomes for tamariki.
The centre is well governed and managed. A clear philosophy statement guides practice. With recent staff appointments, it would be opportune to review the philosophy. A good policy framework is in place and is regularly reviewed. Health and safety systems and processes are sound. The strategic direction of the centre is well documented and would be further strengthened by regularly evaluating progress towards strategic goals and annual updates.
The owner and manager agree that key next steps include:
strengthening evaluative thinking in the review of all systems and processes to improve outcomes for children
continuing to strengthen centre systems and practices that support further development in te reo and tikanga Māori
increasing teachers' focus in assessment, planning and evaluation on promoting learning outcomes for children.
Before the review, the staff and management of Cockle Bay Private 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.
In order to improve current practice the centre owner/manager needs to develop and implement rigorous appraisal policy and procedures that align with Education Council requirements.
The next ERO review of Cockle Bay Private Kindergarten will be in three years.
Violet Tu'uga Stevenson
Director Review and Improvement Services
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
20 December 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 |
Cockle Bay, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
25281 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
24 children aged over 2 years |
||
|
Service roll |
33 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 18, Girls 15 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
3 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:6 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
August 2018 |
||
|
Date of this report |
20 December 2018 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
September 2014 |
|
|
Supplementary Review |
August 2011 |
||
|
Education Review |
May 2010 |
||
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.
Cockle Bay Private Kindergarten is a well established service that changed ownership in 2012. It provides sessional and full day care for up to 24 children over two years old. The afternoon session currently includes a more formal transition to school programme. Most teachers are registered and several have worked at the centre for many years.
The new owner manages the daily operation of the service and delegates responsibility for the learning programme to qualified teachers. She is promoting a more relaxed atmosphere in the kindergarten and has made significant improvements to the outdoor environment.
Previous ERO reports have raised concerns over the kindergarten’s emphasis on formal literacy activities that are more suitable for a primary school setting. The owner hopes that families’ growing trust in her leadership will enable staff to modify the transition to school programme. She has recently worked with teachers to review the centre philosophy and improve their commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi.
Children show a sense of belonging in the centre. They have positive relationships with teachers and many enjoy friendships with their peers. Children engage well in activities that interest them. They work cooperatively and are developing persistence with difficult tasks. Children have opportunities to follow plans to build structures with manipulative equipment and use mathematics knowledge for real purposes.
Parents who spoke with reviewers were enthusiastic about the centre. They expressed their appreciation of the relationships their children have with teachers and that family cultures are acknowledged. Parents are pleased with the learning opportunities available to children and they feel well informed about their child’s progress. Parents can share their aspirations for their child’s learning and contribute to assessment portfolios. Whānau of Māori children are invited to share their pepeha. This good practice could be extended to other families.
Teachers closely support children's involvement in play. They foster conversation and encourage children to investigate resources. Teachers use questions to prompt children's ideas. They also use questions well while participating in children's imaginative play. Teachers celebrate a variety of cultural events with families. They recognise the need to improve bicultural aspects of the curriculum and have planned for professional learning to guide them.
Teachers’ planning could include clear strategies to extend children's individual learning and to foster more complex play. A greater focus on learning outcomes would help teachers to evaluate programmes more effectively and improve the quality of teachers’ assessment of children's learning.
Teachers provide formal reading and writing programmes in response to parents’ expectations. They understand that these tasks are not compatible with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and acknowledge that children make more sense of early literacy learning in the context of play.
The owner and teachers have made the learning environment and resources more accessible to children. As they continue this development, teachers could further define play areas and include useful prompts for children's learning in wall displays. Better display of Māori language resources could help with teachers’ efforts to include te reo Māori in the programme.
The owner is providing good support for staff. She encourages ongoing professional learning and values teachers' knowledge and contributions to self review. Teachers reflect on their own practices in relation to the registered teacher criteria. Strategic and annual planning, and a policy framework have been established and self-review processes documented. The owner acknowledges that management systems could be refined to further develop self-review and to implement strategic goals.
The owner agrees that next steps for centre development include:
Before the review, the staff and management of Cockle Bay Private 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.
In order to improve practices, the owner should include a protected disclosure statement in the Child Protection policy.
The next ERO review of Cockle Bay Private Kindergarten will be in three years.
Dale Bailey
National Manager Review Services Northern Region
8 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 |
Cockle Bay, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
25281 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
24 children, including up to 0 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
61 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 31, Girls 30 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Chinese Indian Asian other |
4 36 9 2 4 6 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates |
80% |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
NA |
|
|
Over 2 |
1:5 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
July 2014 |
||
|
Date of this report |
8 September 2014 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Supplementary Review |
August 2011 |
|
|
Education Review |
May 2010 |
||
|
Education Review |
June 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.