Avon Street, Stratford
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.
Avon Kindergarten is licensed to provide all day education and care for up to 39 children, aged over two years. Of the 37 children enrolled, 13 identify as Māori.
The kindergarten's philosophy emphasises the importance of children, teachers and whānau learning together within a nature-rich environment.
A parent committee supports the kindergarten with fundraising, finances and community events. The kindergarten is a new participant in the Enviroschools programme, and member of the Central Taranaki Kāhui Ako.
Since the May 2015 ERO report, there have been significant changes in staffing including a new head teacher appointed in mid-2016. All teachers at Avon Kindergarten are fully qualified.
Avon Kindergarten is one of 24 kindergartens governed and managed by Kindergarten Taranaki-Te Putahi Kura Pūhou o Taranaki (the organisation). Day-to-day management of the organisation is the responsibility of the chief executive. A governing board sets the overall strategic direction. A professional manager and two professional leaders provide regular support and a range of learning and development opportunities for teachers. An operations manager supports kindergartens' policy development and compliance.
In 2017, the board developed a strategic plan with the intention for individual kindergartens to align their strategic plans to the organisation's goals and measures. A Quality Evaluation Tool was introduced in late 2017. The purpose of this document is for teachers to self-assess teaching and learning practices to inform internal evaluation and improve outcomes for children.
The previous ERO report identified that increasing children's role in assessing their own learning and strengthening the bicultural curriculum were key next steps. Some progress has been made.
ERO also identified areas for the organisation to strengthen. These included:
developing the annual plan
strengthening systems and processes for performance management
consistent implementation of appraisal
reviewing and clarifying the role of the professional leaders in building teachers’ capability.
Progress in these areas is evident.
This review was part of a cluster of three in the Kindergarten Taranaki-Te Putahi Kura Pūhou o Taranaki.
Children are engaged in a curriculum that is responsive to their interests. Exploration and creativity are promoted through well-resourced spaces. The natural environment is used to create meaningful learning opportunities. Children lead their own learning, are independent and curious.
Teachers work responsively alongside children. They support and extend children's thinking to allow them to meet their own goals. Teachers view children as capable and confident learners. Opportunities to participate in projects within the centre promote their sense of belonging and ownership.
The service philosophy is evident in practice. Teachers are beginning to unpack Māori concepts in the philosophy to strengthen the bicultural curriculum. Continuing to build teachers use of meaningful te reo Māori is a key next step.
Children with additional learning needs are well supported. Teachers are proactive in growing their knowledge and design relevant strategies to support children and their families. They access external agencies when needed and work with local schools to promote successful transitions for these children.
Teachers are increasingly responsive to the culture, language and identity of Māori children. This is supported by the organisation's environmental focus, consideration of local bicultural values, teacher development goals and professional learning opportunities. A number of new initiatives and systems have been developed by the organisation that should further develop these aspects of practice.
Leaders and teachers have identified that exploring and implementing strategies for Pacific children's educational success is a key next step.
A range of initiatives have been recently introduced to gather parent aspirations for their children. These have the potential to create learning-centred partnerships between teachers and families, where parents are actively involved in setting learning goals and contribute to curriculum decision-making.
Assessment, planning and evaluation of children's learning has been developed. Individual planning identifies learning goals and teaching strategies to achieve these. Further strengthening is required to ensure teachers consistently:
identify the learning taking place for each child within an observation
capture the depth and breadth of learning within each assessment period
demonstrate links between individual plans and assessment to give a picture of learning progress over time.
Kindergarten leaders have established a collaborative team culture. Teachers take shared responsibility for ongoing improvement and have opportunities to lead. They are reflective and work within a common understanding of purpose and vision.
The organisation generally provides useful governance and management support for this kindergarten. This includes:
purposeful support from the professional leaders to build teacher capability
effective and targeted teacher and leadership development through an appraisal process
a range of professional learning opportunities.
Organisation leaders are purposefully building teachers’ understanding of internal evaluation through ongoing mentoring. Teachers should continue to clearly measure the impact of practices on children’s learning.
ERO, the professional leader and teachers agree the following key next steps for Avon Kindergarten are to further develop:
the bicultural curriculum, including meaningful use of te reo Māori
strategies that promote educational success for Māori and for Pacific children
assessment, planning and evaluation
understanding and use of internal evaluation for improved outcomes.
ERO and Kindergarten Taranaki agree that the organisation should further develop:
quality assurance processes and guidelines linked to compliance with regulations and association expectations
a policy framework to support kindergartens.
Managers and leaders should consolidate newly introduced plans and processes and evaluate the effectiveness of practices and operation across all levels of the organisation.
Before the review, the staff and management of Avon 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 Avon Kindergarten will be in three years.
Alan Wynyard
Director Review and Improvement Services Central
Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region
15 November 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 |
Stratford |
|
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
5230 |
|
|
Licence type |
Free Kindergarten |
|
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
|
|
Number licensed for |
39 children aged over 2 |
|
|
Service roll |
37 |
|
|
Gender composition |
Boys 20, Girls 17 |
|
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
13 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
|
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
September 2018 |
|
|
Date of this report |
15 November 2018 |
|
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
May 2015 |
|
Education Review |
July 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
October 2008 |
|
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.
Avon Kindergarten is one of 24 kindergartens administered by the newly established Kindergarten Taranaki, formerly North and South Taranaki Kindergarten Associations. The governing board is responsible for setting overall strategic and policy direction for the organisation. Four professional leaders are employed to support learning and development for teachers. The present management structure is under review.
The kindergarten is licensed for 39 children and has a roll of 41. Mixed-age sessions operate daily, from 8.30am to 2.30pm. All teachers are registered and qualified. A new head teacher was appointed in July 2013 and two new teachers joined the team in January 2015. Since November 2014, acting head teacher responsibilities have been shared. Team priorities have been developing a shared philosophy and agreed ways of working.
Teachers commit to a philosophy that is based on respect, upholding the mana of the individual, honouring Māori as tangata whenua and supporting children to be confident learners. Sound practices and approaches that support this philosophy are evident.
Considerable and ongoing improvements to property support the environmental focus and preference for locally-based contexts for play.
This review was part of a cluster of eight kindergarten reviews in Kindergarten Taranaki.
Children enjoy a well resourced, spacious environment with increasing emphasis on natural materials. Problem solving, exploring and imaginative play are encouraged. The atmosphere is calm and purposeful. Adults are unobtrusive, allowing children to make choices and follow their interests. Literacy and numeracy are interwoven.
The bicultural curriculum continues to strengthen under the head teacher’s leadership. Established links with iwi, support from local people and intensive professional learning are putting into action the holistic values of the philosophy. Children’s whānau experiences and beliefs are valued as part of daily practice.
Continuity of learning is very evident in each child’s portfolio. Documentation is of good quality and children are keen to share the entries. Useful planning results from teachers thinking about the learning and how this can be be extended. Parents, children and teachers share what is important. Whānau and teachers see the child as a learner.
The kindergarten’s culture is positive and inclusive. All children are welcome. Teachers and the teacher aide work with whānau and outside agencies to achieve the best possible outcomes for individual children. As a result, they can participate fully with others.
Transition times are well managed. Developing warm relationships, mutual trust and reassurance are given priority when parents enrol their children. Confident partnerships are established. Comfortable transition to school is enhanced by new initiatives including a visual record of the process.
Self review is thoughtful and well planned. The head teacher actively leads a process that is research based and evidence driven. Children’s wellbeing and parents’ views about what is important influence decisions. Both in-depth and spontaneous reviews identify what is going well, what needs to improve and likely solutions.
Communication between parents and teachers is regular and open. Teachers are aware of the different needs and experiences of children from rural and urban backgrounds. Children are happy with each other.
Kindergarten Taranaki is a new entity established in March 2014. Collaboratively developed strategies and values guide future direction. An internal review of capacity and capability of non-teaching roles has been completed. Further development of processes and practices is required.
ERO, the chief executive and professional leaders agree that priorities for improvement are:
Before the review, the staff and management of Avon 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 Avon Kindergarten will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
14 May 2015
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 |
Stratford |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
5230 |
||
|
Licence type |
Free Kindergarten |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
41 children, aged over 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
41 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 22, Girls 19 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Chinese |
3 37 1 |
|
|
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 |
March 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
14 May 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
July 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
October 2008 |
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.