31 Boulcott Street, Boulcott, Lower Hutt
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.
Boulcott Kindergarten provides all-day education and care for up to 45 children, aged over two years. Of the total roll of 41 children, two are Māori.
The kindergarten philosophy emphasises a peaceful and natural environment and involved and engaged children, teachers and whānau. This is underpinned by identified values of playfulness, mana, kaitiakitanga, manaakitanga and whanaungatanga. The centre is a member of enviroschools.
All teachers at Boulcott Kindergarten are fully qualified. Since the September 2015 ERO report there have been significant staff changes including the head teacher role. The association has supported an increase in staffing in response to additional needs of whānau and children.
Boulcott Kindergarten is one of 19 in the Lower Hutt region, governed and managed by Hutt City Kindergarten Association (the association). Since the previous ERO review, a new senior leadership team has been appointed. This includes a general manager and two senior teachers, guided by a team leader. The governance board has also undergone significant changes.
The previous ERO report identified key next steps for the kindergarten. These included assessment, planning and evaluation, self review and teacher inquiry. Good progress is evident.
Practices requiring development were also identified for the association. These included: strategic planning; cultural responsiveness to Māori and Pacific families; evaluation; and the appraisal process. Good progress has been made.
This review was one of a cluster of nine in the Hutt City Kindergarten Association.
Children benefit from warm, respectful relationships with their teachers in a calm learning environment. Teachers are responsive to their needs and work alongside them supporting their play and learning. The learning environment is set up well to promote children's exploration, interaction, experimentation and fun.
Effective collaboration between families the kindergarten and local schools support children to successfully transition to school.
Children with additional learning needs are well supported. Teachers work in partnership with whānau and external agencies to eliminate any barriers to each child’s participation.
A review of the centre philosophy is planned. It is timely for teachers to consider how best to consult with whānau Maori and their Pacific community to enhance their understanding of what educational success means for their children. In addition, teachers should consider how best they can weave a place-based curriculum that promotes and celebrates places of significance for mana whenua and is unique to their community. Association leaders should also continue to build teachers’ understanding of specific strategies, in partnership with whānau, that promote the learning success of Māori children.
Aspects of kaupapa Māori are evident in the learning environment. Leadership opportunities for children through pepeha are valued and celebrated. A key next step is for teachers to more consistently use te reo Māori in their everyday practice in the kindergarten. This is likely to be enhanced by the association’s current strategic focus on bicultural practices.
Collaborative ways of working are fostered. Shared leadership is encouraged.
A sound group planning framework and appropriate experiences support children’s emerging interests. Learning partnerships are established that enable parents, whānau and teachers to co-construct meaningful goals that meet each child’s needs. Further improvement is needed in assessment documentation to make visible how teachers purposefully extend children’s learning, and Māori children's culture, language and identity.
Teachers are beginning to build their knowledge and understanding of how to evaluate the impact of the curriculum and their practices on children’s outcomes. They are supported to grow their evaluation practice through very useful association systems and tools. Senior teachers should continue to work with teachers to build their capacity to measure the impact of their practice on children’s learning.
A comprehensive, well-considered appraisal process is in place. Teachers challenge themselves to continually improve their practice through strategic goal setting and professional learning. Plans are in place to further strengthen teacher development by implementing an inquiry-based approach to appraisal. This should support teachers to better measure the success of improved practices in promoting outcomes for specific children and priority groups.
The governance board includes community representatives with a wide range of useful skills. The board and senior leadership team work well together, with a shared commitment to meeting strategic goals and objectives for the benefit of children, whānau and community. Resource allocation clearly aligns with this focus. Equitable and inclusive ways to eliminate barriers to children’s learning and wellbeing are actively sought.
ERO, the governance board and senior leaders agree that they should continue to build their effectiveness by:
The association's senior teaching team are reflective and highly improvement focused. Robust, linked systems and processes have been skilfully developed to guide and grow teacher capability and positively impact on children’s learning. Leaders are successfully fostering a collective sense of responsibility for the vision, values and mission of the association.
ERO and kindergarten teachers agree that their priority next steps are to:
The association agrees they should increase the focus on:
Before the review, the staff and management of Boulcott 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 Boulcott Kindergarten will be in three years.
Alan Wynyard
Director Review and Improvement Services
Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region
17 October 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 |
Lower Hutt |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
5338 |
||
|
Licence type |
Free Kindergarten |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
45 children aged over 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
41 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 22, Boys 19 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
2 |
|
|
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 |
September 2018 |
||
|
Date of this report |
17 October 2018 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
September 2015 |
|
|
Education Review |
August 2012 |
||
|
Education Review |
February 2009 |
||
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.
Boulcott Kindergarten is situated adjacent to Boulcott School. The service provides flexible sessions for children aged between two and five years of age. Most children attending are over three years old.
An acting head teacher leads a new teaching team. High levels of community involvement is a feature of the kindergarten.
The kindergarten is governed by the Hutt City Kindergarten Association (the association). Two professional practice managers (PPMs) are employed by the association to provide professional support and guidance to teachers. Since the August 2012 ERO report there have been several changes of General Manager.
The previous ERO report identified that self review, te ao Māori, assessment, planning and evaluation required further development. Aspects recognised as strengths have been sustained.
This review was part of a cluster of nine reviews in the Hutt City Kindergarten Association.
Children learn in an environment that supports meaningful and enjoyable exploration. They engage in free, uninterrupted play and investigation that supports their developing independence and extends learning. Children’s talk is encouraged and respected. Teachers ask open questions of children that allow their ideas to lead learning. Individual emerging interests in literacy and numeracy are encouraged and supported.
Teachers work collaboratively to strengthen and improve consistency of teaching and learning practices. Regular discussions and planning meetings support these ongoing developments. Teachers recently revisited the kindergarten's philosophy and have a focus on ensuring teaching practice and the environment are supportive and inclusive. Shared values promote trust, respect and a sense of belonging. Staff carefully monitor children with additional needs. They work in partnership with parents and whānau to develop individual learning plans that support their learning.
Portfolios provide a useful record of each child’s participation and enjoyment in learning. Teachers view each family and its knowledge of their child as an important part of the kindergarten’s learning community. A developing part of this planning process is the collection and sharing of assessment information with families through e-portfolios. This approach has the potential to further extend children’s learning. Teachers are aware they should continue to develop and refine assessment, planning and evaluation processes and documentation of children’s learning.
The dual heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand is reflected in the environment in a variety of ways. The outdoor area has been thoughtfully designed with well-integrated use of natural materials. It shows a commitment to biculturalism that is visually appealing and supports sustainable practices. Children engage with the living world in genuine and meaningful ways.
Children have opportunities to experience te reo me ngā tikanga Māori in the curriculum. Teachers continue to extend their knowledge and understandings in giving significance to Māori learners’ culture, language and identity.
Transition to school focuses on children feeling well supported and confident in new situations. Kindergarten teachers support families with information and discussion. They continue to build positive relationships with the local schools.
The acting head teacher provides collaborative leadership and values the skills and knowledge of the teaching team. Effective use is being made of current best practice to support developing self-review and inquiry processes. Teachers are very reflective and improvement-focused.
The association is part way through the implementation of a new approach to appraisal. Once fully established this should assist leaders to provide a robust, supportive and developmental process. The PPMs should then undertake regular monitoring of how well appraisal is being implemented in each kindergarten.
The board receives a range of useful information. A key next step is for leaders to provide more evaluative reporting to assist in decision making and ongoing resourcing. The strategic plan provides a vision and shared direction to guide development. Establishing clearer measures of success should strengthen evaluation of progress towards goals. In addition, strategies that promote cultural responsiveness to Māori and Pacific families should be highlighted in strategic documents.
The PPMs provide half-yearly written reports. These show how the kindergarten is meeting legislative requirements, and at times, make recommendations.
These reports should be strengthened by providing critical feedback on the quality of teaching and the effectiveness of the curriculum in improving outcomes for children. The association provides guidance and support to teachers for continuous improvement of teaching and learning. This includes:
At the time of this review the association was involved in a process of a formal review to determine the future direction of Hutt City Kindergartens. ERO identified that within the current operating model the capacity of senior staff to provide targeted support that promotes ongoing improvement to teaching and learning is limited.
ERO identified that priorities for improvement should include:
The association should:
Before the review, the staff and management of Boulcott 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 Boulcott Kindergarten will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
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 |
Lower Hutt |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
5338 |
||
|
Licence type |
Free Kindergarten |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
45 children, aged over 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
79 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 47, Boys 32 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Samoan Indian Chinese Other ethnic groups |
3 58 1 7 7 3 |
|
|
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 |
July 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
15 September 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
August 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
February 2009 |
||
|
Education Review |
January 2006 |
||
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.