89 Apu Crescent, Lyall Bay, Wellington
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Lyall Bay Kindergarten is located in Lyall Bay, Wellington and provides education and care for children aged from two to five years. Six-hour daily sessions are offered five days a week. The kindergarten is licensed for up to 40 children. Children attending represent a wide range of ethnic groups.
All teachers are qualified and registered. The programme is further assisted by support staff. The kindergarten has a positive reporting history with ERO.
The kindergarten is one of 85 kindergartens and three home-based education and care networks governed and managed by He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua Free Kindergarten Association Incorporated (the association). This is a new kindergarten association created from joining the Rimutaka and Wellington Kindergarten Associations in 2014.
The board and managers provide governance for the organisation. Senior teachers have delegated kindergartens. Their role is to provide regular support and a range of professional learning and development opportunities for teachers.
In 2012, the association developed a framework to guide the implementation of its curriculum, Te Manawa. This document outlines criteria for curriculum delivery including expectations for assessment and planning for children’s learning.
The February 2012 ERO report identified areas requiring further development. These included: assessment, planning and evaluation, the bicultural curriculum and self review. Good progress has been made in most areas.
Areas where the association could strengthen its support for teachers were also identified, and positive progress has occurred. The alignment of individual kindergartens’ annual plans with the association’s strategic priorities has now been appropriately addressed.
This review was part of a cluster of 10 reviews in the He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua kindergartens.
Children participate in a child-led, sustained play programme. They experience warm, welcoming and respectful relationships. Teachers provide a range of literacy and mathematics learning opportunities effectively woven through the context of play.
Teachers know children well. They work alongside them to help support their learning. Routines are well managed and flexible to meet individual needs. Children with additional learning needs are well included into the kindergarten. External agencies are accessed when required to help support their learning.
The kindergarten’s philosophy has recently been reviewed by leaders and teachers. A key next step is to consult with the community. This should provide an opportunity to develop a shared understanding of learning expectations. Developing clear indicators of good practice should further support effective implementation of the philosophy.
Leaders and teachers respond promptly and sensitively to support parents and their children. Whānau and parents have regular opportunities to contribute to their child's learning.
Te reo me ngā tikanga Māori are effectively promoted and well established in the kindergarten. Teachers and children use te reo Māori in general conversations.
Children have opportunities to reply in te reo Māori or English. Strong relationships have been developed with whānau Māori and the Pacific community. Leaders have identified the need to strengthen this by further developing learning partnerships. ERO agrees with this direction.
A newly introduced planning process is now in place that is based on children's collective interests. There is a range of planned experiences, activities and resources to support children's learning.
Individual planning is adequately recorded through children's learning profiles. These provide a useful record of their participation and friendships in the programme. Leaders have identified, and ERO agrees, the need to strengthen the quality of assessment, planning and evaluation practice in the kindergarten.
Leaders are focused on improving the quality of education through ongoing, systematic internal evaluation. Developing the evaluative capability of teachers is a key next step. This should assist them to measure the impact of their teaching on children's learning.
The senior teacher provides termly written feedback that outlines agreed development priorities and progress in relation to the quality of teaching and learning. An annual internal evaluation that supports strengthening of these termly reports is completed. There is a deliberate focus on outcomes for children and teacher/leader performance.
The previous report identified that the association needed to improve the appraisal process. Managers undertook an internal review of the appraisal system. The revised model is being implemented across the kindergartens. The process includes focused goals that build teacher and leader capability and clearer links with the Practising Teacher Criteria.
The senior teacher, staff and ERO agree on the following key next steps for Lyall Bay Kindergarten teachers, to:
consult with their community and develop clear indicators of good practice based on the kindergarten philosophy
develop learning partnerships with whānau Māori and the Pacific communities
strengthen assessment, planning and evaluation
build teachers’ evaluative capabilities.
The association should continue to support the development of formal critique of teaching practice and strengthening responsiveness to Māori children.
Before the review, the staff and management of Lyall Bay 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.
The next ERO review of Lyall Bay Kindergarten will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
24 June 2016
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 |
Wellington |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
5357 |
||
|
Licence type |
Free Kindergarten |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
40 children aged over 2 years |
||
|
Service roll |
67 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 44, Girls 23 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Samoan Asian Middle Eastern Other ethnic groups |
9 33 3 10 4 8 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
|
Reported Ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
May 2016 |
||
|
Date of this report |
24 June 2016 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
February 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
April 2008 |
||
|
Education Review |
June 2005 |
||
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 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.
Lyall Bay Kindergarten is affiliated to the Wellington Region Free Kindergarten Association (the association). The association has a governing board and a general manager. The general manager is the licensee of the kindergarten. The association employs a team of senior teachers, one of whom is responsible for leading the professional support and advice and guidance to the teaching team. She also liaises with the kindergarten community.
Children’s individual development is supported and nurtured in the strongly inclusive culture. The teaching team has been established since Term 2, 2011.
Teachers welcome parents and children warmly. They are approachable and open in their communications. Teachers know the children well and demonstrate an interest in the child’s social and emotional well-being. Children are confident in their interactions with each other, are provided with equitable opportunities for learning, and participate in sustained play as individuals, and within groups.
Teachers are aware of the need to continue to deepen links with the wider community, increase the accessibility of the programme to parents and increase parents’ and children’s perspectives in assessment. To support this process, teachers are beginning to establish a cycle of continuous improvement including systematic self review. Doing so will enable them to develop a more comprehensive framework with which to review the programme and other aspects of operation.
ERO is likely to review the service again in three years.
Before the review, the management of Lyall Bay Kindergarten was invited to consider its priorities for review using guidelines and resources provided by ERO. ERO also used documentation provided by the centre to contribute to the scope of the review.
The detailed priorities for review were then determined following a discussion between the ERO review team and the management and staff. This discussion focused on existing information held by the centre (including self-review information) and the extent to which potential issues for review contributed to positive outcomes for children atLyall Bay Kindergarten.
All ERO education reviews in early childhood focus on the quality of education. For ERO this includes the quality of:
In addition, ERO decided to evaluate:
ERO’s findings in these areas are set out below.
The April 2008 ERO report recognised that the kindergarten’s philosophy of having a holistic approach to teaching and providing choices for children was evident in the learning environment. ERO found that this philosophy supports the overall strengths of the programme which provides opportunities for children to learn in cooperative, respectful and responsible ways.
There is a new teaching team at the kindergarten. They are continuing to focus on creating shared understandings and expectations for children’s learning.
The programme is child centred and fosters children’s independence and decision-making skills. Children engage in sustained, collaborative and cooperative play as individuals and groups.
Teachers create a range of opportunities for parents to participate in the development of the programme.
Children’s learning is recorded and assessed through a rich, narrative approach. This allows teachers to track and respond to children’s individual dispositions.
Teachers are focused on children’s holistic development and provide opportunities for creating links between learning at the kindergarten and at home. They know children and families well. Teachers identify and respond to children’s strengths and needs, which forms the bases of their spontaneous self-review. Aspects of systematic self review are developing.
The integration of te reo Māori within the programme is emerging.
Teachers have identified and ERO agrees they need to:
continue to make the programme visible to parents. Doing so would increase opportunities to include parents’ perspectives in the assessment of their children’s learning
consider the place of te reo Māori within a broader approach to the bicultural context of Aotearoa/New Zealand. Teachers are currently focused on developing their capabilities in this area
establish a cycle of continuous improvement. This would enable teachers to more strategically identify opportunities to enhance and extend children’s learning.
The indoor and outdoor environments are flexible, spacious and allow for extension of curriculum areas. Children have easy access to all activities and a wide range of resources, adding levels of complexity to their play.
Children use a wide range of moveable equipment which provides ongoing challenge to their developing physical skills.
Wall displays of children’s learning are attractive and informative.
Teachers are aware of the need to continue to embed recently adjusted routines and transition times, and maintain the physical environment to support these changes.
There is a warm, settled tone in the centre. Relationships between staff are supportive, positive and affirming.
Teachers encourage children in a range of ways, nurturing their sense of independence and autonomy in decision making.
Children’s interests are extended by teachers drawing on their prior knowledge and using a range of prompts to extend learning.
Teachers model appropriate conflict resolution and negotiation skills. A consistent approach to developing children’s social competence is evident.
Making specific connections across curriculum areas would facilitate the enrichment and extension of children’s learning.
The 2008 ERO review of the association identified several strengths, including the provision of professional development, sound operation plans, support for property development and the use of a range of communication strategies to keep teachers and communities informed. Areas for improvement included the quality and depth of the written feedback given to teachers by the senior teacher and strengthening the appraisal process.
Since 2008, the association has led consultation with the community to modify session times and improve the ratio of teachers to children from 1:15 to 1:10 and maintained its policy of employing qualified, registered teachers in regulated permanent positions.
The association provides expectations and guidance to the kindergarten through its strategic plan, policies and procedures and more recently, the professional development strategy Te Manawa: Criteria for Curriculum Implementation.
The association continues to provide high levels of guidance and support to teachers for the continuous improvement of teaching and learning. These include:
the strategic plan, setting expectations for participation, parent/whānau involvement and quality teaching practices
clearly defined indicators of quality teaching and learning practice through Te Manawa
a wide range of professional development opportunities
ongoing support in property development, human resource management, finance and resourcing.
The association, senior teachers and ERO have identified areas where the association can strengthen its support for teachers. These include:
further developing and supporting leadership, including a review of the appraisal process
reviewing senior teacher documentation to show how teachers have improved their practice, as a result of feedback
reviewing how kindergartens’ annual plans for teaching and learning could more explicitly show how teachers respond to the association’s strategic priorities.
ERO provides information about the education system as a whole through its national reports. This information will be used as the basis for long term and systemic educational improvement.
As part of this review ERO evaluated the extent to which:
The kindergarten has children with severe to moderate special needs currently enrolled.
Teachers liaise closely with families and external agencies to ensure a comfortable transition for children into and out of the kindergarten.
Ongoing opportunities to support the child and manage any potential challenges are created through partnerships with families and external agencies where appropriate.
A strongly inclusive culture actively supports and nurtures children’s individual development.
Before the review, the staff of Lyall Bay Kindergarten completed an ERO Centre Management Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they have attested that they have taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal obligations related to:
During the review, ERO looked at the service’s documentation, including policies, procedures and records of recent use of procedures. ERO also checked elements of the following areas that have a potentially high impact on outcomes for children:
ERO and the kindergarten leaders agreed that the priorities for development and review are those outlined in the report.
ERO is likely to review the service again in three years.
Kathleen Atkins
National Manager Review Services
Central Region
|
Type |
All Day Kindergarten |
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Centres) Regulations 1998 |
|
Number licensed for |
45 children aged over 2 |
|
Roll number |
66 |
|
Gender composition |
Boys 45, Girls 21 |
|
Ethnic composition |
NZ European/Pākehā 27, Indian 6, Pacific 6, Māori 5, Other ethnic groups 22 |
|
Review team on site |
October 2011 |
|
Date of this report |
1 February 2012 |
|
Previous three ERO reports |
Education Review April 2008 Education Review Report June 2005 Accountability Review July 1998 |
1 February 2012
These are the findings of the Education Review Office’s latest report on Lyall Bay Kindergarten.
Lyall Bay Kindergarten is affiliated to the Wellington Region Free Kindergarten Association (the association). The association has a governing board and a general manager. The general manager is the licensee of the kindergarten. The association employs a team of senior teachers, one of whom is responsible for leading the professional support and advice and guidance to the teaching team. She also liaises with the kindergarten community.
Children’s individual development is supported and nurtured in the strongly inclusive culture. The teaching team has been established since Term 2, 2011.
Teachers welcome parents and children warmly. They are approachable and open in their communications. Teachers know the children well and demonstrate an interest in the child’s social and emotional well-being. Children are confident in their interactions with each other, are provided with equitable opportunities for learning, and participate in sustained play as individuals, and within groups.
Teachers are aware of the need to continue to deepen links with the wider community, increase the accessibility of the programme to parents and increase parents’ and children’s perspectives in assessment. To support this process, teachers are beginning to establish a cycle of continuous improvement including systematic self review. Doing so will enable them to develop a more comprehensive framework with which to review the programme and other aspects of operation.
ERO is likely to review the service again in three years.
When ERO has reviewed an early childhood centre we encourage management to inform their community of any follow up action they plan to take. You should talk to the management or contact person if you have any questions about this evaluation, the full ERO report or their future intentions.
If you would like a copy of the full report, please contact the centre or see the ERO website, http://www.ero.govt.nz.
Kathleen Atkins
National Manager Review Services
Central Region
ERO is an independent, external evaluation agency that undertakes reviews of schools and early childhood services throughout New Zealand.
ERO follows a set of standard procedures to conduct reviews. The purpose of each review is to:
Reviews are intended to focus on outcomes for children and build on each centre’s self review.
ERO’s framework for reviewing and reporting is based on four review strands.
ERO reviews do not cover every aspect of centre performance and each ERO report may cover different issues. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to this centre.
Most ERO reports include recommendations for improvement. A recommendation on a particular issue does not necessarily mean that a centre is performing poorly in relation to that issue. There is no direct link between the number of recommendations in this report and the overall performance of this centre.