32 Gregg Street, Dannevirke
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 Appleton Kindergarten are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) |
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Ngā Akatoro Domains |
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Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions |
Whakaū Embedding |
Appleton Kindergarten is one of two services governed and managed by Dannevirke Kindergarten Association. Approximately half of children enrolled are Māori. A small number are of Pacific heritage. There have been a number of staff changes since the 2019 ERO report.
Children’s interests, strengths and learning goals strongly inform the curriculum. Their social competence, language development and early literacy learning are well supported. Children are curious investigators and explorers within an inclusive and respectful environment. Their wellbeing and learning are promoted.
Learning focused relationships effectively enhance children’s learning. Teachers work with parents and whānau to understand and respond to their aspirations and children’s cultural identity. Children with diverse learning needs are well supported to participate and achieve their learning goals.
The recently developed assessment for learning process is affirming and celebrates children’s successes and challenges. Teachers are beginning to consider children’s involvement in setting their own learning goals and how well they reflect the cultural context in which children live. Children’s learning progress over time is increasingly visible.
Internal evaluation to support ongoing improvement is established. Teachers access professional learning and collectively engage with current research to inform change. Evaluation practices across the organisation are in the early stages of identifying the impact of improvements for individuals and groups of children.
A period of change is impacting governance and management’s capacity to progress towards strategic objectives. The Association has joined a New Zealand Kindergartens’ pilot to establish a national network operating model, resulting in significant changes to roles and responsibilities. Resourcing allocation is aligned to strategic intent. However, oversight of progress towards annual and strategic planning and effective evaluation for improvement at governance level are not yet occurring. Decision making is not clearly informed by what will most positively impact outcomes for children.
The Dannevirke Kindergarten Association will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Prioritise building internal evaluation capability across the organisation to monitor the implementation of improvement actions and evaluate the impact on outcomes for individuals and groups of children.
Appleton Kindergarten will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Explore opportunities and implement strategies to involve children in setting their own goals and leading assessment of their learning.
Increase information documented about children’s learning that reflects the cultural context in which they live and includes culturally valued knowledge, skills and attributes.
Further strengthen use of internal evaluation to identify how well changes in practice promote equitable outcomes for children.
Before the review, the staff and management of Appleton 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.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
1 March 2023
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Appleton Kindergarten |
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Profile Number |
5303 |
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Location |
Dannevirke |
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Service type |
Free Kindergarten |
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Number licensed for |
40 children |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
100% |
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Service roll |
46 |
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Review team on site |
December 2022 |
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Date of this report |
1 March 2023 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, May 2019; Education Review, June 2016 |
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Appleton Kindergarten is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Appleton Kindergarten, located in Dannevirke, Tararua, is licensed to provide all day education and care for 40 children over two years of age. Of the 45 children attending, 25 identify as Māori.
The kindergarten is one of two early learning services managed by the Dannevirke Kindergarten Association (the association). A governing body sets the service's strategic direction and goals. An association manager has overall responsibility for the day-to-day operation and human resource management. The association contracts the services of a professional practice manager to provide advice and guidance to teaching teams. Head teachers are appointed to each kindergarten and have delegated responsibility for leading teaching and learning and the day-to-day operation of the service.
There have been significant staffing changes since the June 2016 ERO review.
The kindergarten's philosophy is articulated through overarching statements. These are for children to shine through being seen in a positive light. 'Adults will water children with kind words. Children will be nurtured in a safe environment and they will children grow with opportunities to explore'. These conditions encourage 'a culture of kindness' and promote the intended outcomes for children of 'respect, honesty, enthusiasm, responsibility, kindness and patience'.
This review was part of a cluster of two in the Dannevirke Kindergarten Association.
This service is a member of the Dannevirke Kāhui Ako.
Children's learning, development and wellbeing is fostered within a culture of care and respect. The physical learning environment with its extensive and appropriate resourcing is attractively presented and inviting. Children have ready access to experiences that promote their foundational learning skills in literacy, mathematics and science. Creative, curious children enthusiastically explore and engage in learning opportunities of high interest to them.
The enactment of the service philosophy is evident in practice. The curriculum aligns with the principles of Te Whāriki 2017. Children have purposeful and sustained involvement in both spontaneous and planned learning.
Practices for building individual teacher capability are supportive. Due to significant staff turnover in recent years, internal evaluation has not been as robustly implemented as intended. It has however continued to result in improved practice. The learner-focused internal evaluation model includes appropriate teacher inquiry aligned to appraisal. Improvement actions support the service's annual goals and aims and the association's strategic direction.
Deliberate actions to improve curriculum provision for Māori learners has included the introduction of kaupapa Māori assessment practice. This continues to become embedded. More confident teachers authentically, meaningfully and confidently include te reo and te ao Māori in daily practice. They are positive role models for relievers and those teachers whose knowledge-base and experience is less.
Association managers and leaders should review how they support relieving teachers' ongoing professional growth. They need to be assured relievers understand and follow association expectations and are confident to contribute to assessment, curriculum planning and implementation.
It is timely to review the association's policies and procedures in relation to the Vulnerable Children's Act 2014. The association needs to be assured all staff are aware of their responsibilities to the Act and procedures and practices meet these.
Association managers and leaders should provide ongoing training and development to support all teachers' professional growth.
Continuing to build all teachers' capability to use internal evaluation effectively to sustain the good practices happening and continually improve teaching and learning for all children.
Before the review, the staff and management of Appleton 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.
Phillip Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services Central
Central Region
13 May 2019
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 |
Dannevirke |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
5303 |
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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 |
40 children, aged over 2 |
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Service roll |
45 |
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Gender composition |
Female 26, Male 19 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
25 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
March 2019 |
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Date of this report |
13 May 2019 |
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Most recent ERO report(s)
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Education Review |
June 2016 |
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Education Review |
December 2012 |
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Education Review |
February 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:
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.
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.
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.