2 Bayfield Road, Andersons Bay, Dunedin
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Bayfield Kindergarten is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Bayfield Kindergarten provides early childhood education for children aged over two years of age. The kindergarten is licensed for up to 42 children. Children participate in half or whole day learning programmes running from 8.30am to 2.30pm. The day-to-day operation of the kindergarten is managed by a head teacher, supported by four qualified early childhood teachers and two support staff.
The kindergarten's philosophy states that children will:
explore, create, and care for each other and their world
honour Papatūānuku and reinforce children’s guardianship/kaitiakitanga of the land
celebrate diversity and treasure ngā taonga o Aotearoa
recognise their rights and needs, and value their ideas and aspirations.
The kindergarten has sustained the effective practices noted in ERO's 2015 review. It has continued to make good progress with curriculum assessment, planning and evaluation practices, teacher appraisal and internal evaluation systems and practices.
Bayfield Kindergarten is one of 24 kindergartens administered by Dunedin Kindergartens (DK). A general manager oversees the association under the governance of a board. Senior teachers provide ongoing professional advice and guidance to each kindergarten on teaching and learning. This review was part of a cluster of five reviews in DK.
Children’s wellbeing and learning are well promoted and valued. Children are active and engaged learners. They are respectful, caring and inclusive of others. Children are:
confident, capable and competent
supported to develop their ability to negotiate and make informed decisions about their learning.
The language, culture and identity of children are valued and reflected in the programme and the curriculum design. Good use of internal evaluation has helped to strengthen oral language for groups of children. Children with diverse learning needs are well supported. There is regular and ongoing communication with parents and whānau to discuss and implement learning plans for children.
Bicultural perspectives are integrated in meaningful ways within the learning programme. Teachers actively work with children to strengthen their use of te reo Māori and their understanding of tikanga Māori practices.
The learning environment reflects the strong focus on sustainability and caring for the environment. The layout of the indoor and outdoor environments is well structured and accessible for all children. There is a broad range of resources, activities, and equipment available to support children with physical exploration, risk and challenge in their play.
The group programme is well planned and implemented, including opportunities to add complexity to children's learning. The intentional resourcing of the programme helps to extend, deepen, and enrich children's knowledge and learning. Teachers use a range of intentional teaching strategies to promote early literacy skills for children. ICT is well used by all children and adults in the environment.
Professional relationships with local schools and external agencies are well established. Transitions into, within, and beyond the kindergarten, are well managed by leaders and teachers. Leaders and teachers work collaboratively with parents, whānau and external agencies to support children's learning and wellbeing. Teachers encourage, acknowledge and value contributions from parents and whānau to the programme.
Leaders promote collaboration amongst teachers within a culture of distributed leadership. Teachers benefit from relevant professional learning opportunities to support their teaching practice and enhance their professional capabilities. Teachers value and use each other's strengths and expertise to support their teaching capabilities.
The DK board has made good progress in addressing the governance recommendations from ERO's 2015 reviews. The DK’s mission and strategic priorities are well known and reflected in each kindergarten's strategic and annual plans. The DK has a sound policy and procedure framework that provides guidance for kindergartens and sound systems to monitor health and safety. Leaders and teachers benefit from relevant professional development and leadership support. The DK actively supports equity of outcomes for all children by funding additional teaching resources to support children with additional needs.
The board have clearly identified, and ERO agrees, that the key next steps to further improve outcomes for children are to:
ensure that reporting and monitoring at all levels is evaluative to clearly show how desired outcomes for children have been improved in relation to the DK’s and kindergartens’ priorities for learning and other strategic priorities
ensure that a robust and systematic quality assurance framework is implemented to inform and monitor ongoing improvements in each kindergarten.
The teaching team has identified, and ERO agrees, that the key next steps to further improve outcomes for children are to:
strengthen learning-focused partnerships with parents and whānau
clarify the kindergarten's valued learning outcomes for children
continue to strengthen aspects of assessment, planning and evaluation for individual children
continue to build effective internal evaluation practices.
Before the review, the staff and management of Bayfield 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.
Alan Wynyard
Director Review and Improvement Services Southern
Southern Region
7 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 |
Dunedin |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
5490 |
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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 |
42 children aged over two years |
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Service roll |
49 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 26 Boys 23 |
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Ethnic composition |
NZ European/Pākehā |
41 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
February 2019 |
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Date of this report |
7 May 2019 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
November 2015 |
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Education Review |
July 2012 |
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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.
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Bayfield Kindergarten provides education and care for children aged from two years to school age. It is open for school-day hours but some of the younger children go home at lunchtime. There are up to 42 children at the kindergarten in the morning and 20 in the afternoon.
The kindergarten has made positive progress in meeting the recommendations of the 2012 ERO report. Since then, the buildings and grounds have also been upgraded and a new head teacher appointed. All the teachers are qualified. A parent committee supports the kindergarten with fundraising and improvements.
The kindergarten operates under the Dunedin Kindergartens (DK) umbrella. DK provides management and professional support for the teachers. This review was part of a cluster of 24 kindergarten reviews in the DK.
Children and their teachers have positive and trusting relationships. The children develop friendships and play well together. The teachers welcome parents and whānau and encourage them to contribute their knowledge and skills to the kindergarten. Teachers identify when children need additional support and help parents to access it.
The teachers have a strong focus on supporting children’s oral language. Their conversations with children prompt children to think more deeply. Teachers use the opportunities that come up in the course of play to extend children’s speaking and thinking, and to give children practice in making choices and decisions. A varied music programme also supports oral language learning.
Māori perspectives are woven into the programme. Children hear and use te reo Māori, waiata, karakia and traditional stories, and take part in celebrations. Teachers value and affirm the culture and identity of Māori children at the kindergarten.
The kindergarten has a range of high-quality resources. Teachers use the interactive whiteboard as an effective tool for children to learn about the wider world and explore the use of ICT. Routines are well used to support children’s independence and self-help skills.
Over time the teachers and parent committee have thoughtfully designed the environment to enhance children’s experiences at the kindergarten. The outdoor environment builds children’s sense of belonging through making connections with the past and the local landscape. Children have many opportunities to challenge their physical capabilities. Children also benefit from the teachers’ emphasis on environmental sustainability, in caring for the vegetable gardens, worm farm, chickens, and rabbits.
The teachers have a useful system for planning for individual children and groups. Their records of children's learning make children’s learning visible, often show the teachers’ role in supporting this, and identify next steps. Teachers build on their own and children’s enthusiasms to promote further learning for children. They are working on finding ways for parents to be more involved in planning for their children’s learning.
The teaching team has developed shared ideas about what is important learning for children at this kindergarten. Supported by the head teacher, the team works cooperatively and teachers use each other’s strengths for the benefit of children.
The teachers have an effective system for self review and it has led to some useful changes at the kindergarten. It would be worthwhile to deepen the scope of reviews. The kindergarten’s philosophy statement could more closely reflect what is unique and special about this kindergarten.
Teachers have a number of ideas about what they want for the future of the kindergarten. Their ideas could be developed into a strategic plan that shows the priorities and actions to achieve the desired outcomes. Related systems such as professional learning, appraisal, self-review topics and senior teacher support could then be aligned to strengthen the strategic focus.
The vision of the DK is to provide excellence in early childhood education for all children. The DK is governed by a board and managed by a long-serving general manager. The kindergarten teachers told ERO they appreciated the support they receive from the association and the advice and guidance of the senior teachers.
The board, general manager and senior teachers:
Teachers and ERO agree that key next steps for teachers, with support from their senior teacher, are to:
Next steps for the board, with the support of the general manager and senior teachers, are to:
With the appointment of a new senior teacher it is timely for the board and general manager to review the role of the senior teachers and strengthen systems to ensure consistent, high-quality practice across all kindergartens within the DK.
Before the review, the staff and management of Bayfield 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 Bayfield Kindergarten will be in three years.
Chris Rowe
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Acting)
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 |
Andersons Bay, Dunedin |
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|
Ministry of Education profile number |
5490 |
||
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Licence type |
Free Kindergarten |
||
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
42 children, over two years of age |
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|
Service roll |
48 |
||
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Gender composition |
Girls: 27 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
6 |
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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 |
Under 2 |
Not applicable |
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Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
September 2015 |
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Date of this report |
10 November 2015 |
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|
Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review |
June 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
November 2008 |
||
|
Education Review |
December 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.