Campbell Street Early Learning

Education institution number:
5252
Service type:
Free Kindergarten
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
53
Telephone:
Address:

63 Campbell Street, Palmerston North

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Campbell Street Early Learning - 26/02/2020

ERO’s Judgement

Regulatory standards
ERO’s judgement

Curriculum

Meeting

Premises and facilities

Meeting

Health and safety

Meeting

Governance, management and administration

Meeting

At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.

Background

Campbell Street Early Learning changed its operational model from a kindergarten to an all day, full year education and care service in July 2019. There have been staffing changes since the previous report. The centre is administered by the Ruahine Kindergarten Association (the association).

Summary of Review Findings

A shared philosophy guiding the service’s operation is currently under review. Teachers engage in meaningful, positive interactions within a language-rich environment. Children’s interests, needs and preferences are respectfully responded to. Links between home and centre and a range of indoor and outdoor experiences and opportunities extend children’s learning and development.

Teachers plan, implement and evaluate a curriculum based on Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. They demonstrate a commitment to supporting children with additional learning needs.

Suitable human resource management practices are implemented. An annual plan guides the service’s operation.

To meet health and safety practice, the service must implement the association’s excursion policy. Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that this has been addressed.

Next ERO Review

The next ERO review is likely to be an Education Review.

Darcy Te Hau

Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)

Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

26 February 2020

Information About the Service

Early Childhood Service Name

Campbell Street Early Learning

Profile Number

5252

Location

Palmerston North

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

49 children, including up to 10 aged under 2.

Percentage of qualified teachers

80%+

Reported ratio of staff to children under 2

1:5 - Meets regulatory standards.

Reported ratio of staff to children over 2

1:10 - Meets regulatory standards.

Service roll

44

Gender composition

Male 22, Female 22

Ethnic composition

Māori 12,
NZ European/Pākehā 15,
Pacific 4,
Indian 5,
Other ethnic groups 8

Review team on site

January 2020

Date of this report

26 February 2020

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, June 2016;
Education Review, November 2012;
Education Review, June 2009

General Information about Assurance Reviews

All services are licensed under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008. The legal requirements for early childhood services also include the Licensing Criteria for Education and Care Services 2008.

Services must meet the standards in the regulations and the requirements of the licensing criteria to gain and maintain a licence to operate.

ERO undertakes an Assurance Review process in any centre-based service:

  • having its first ERO review – including if it is part of a governing organisation
  • previously identified as ‘not well placed’ or ‘requiring further development’
  • that has moved from a provisional to a full licence
  • that have been re-licenced due to a change of ownership
  • where an Assurance Review process is determined to be appropriate.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

All early childhood services are required to promote children’s health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements. Before the review, the staff and management of a service 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:

  • curriculum
  • premises and facilities
  • health and safety practices
  • governance, management and administration.

As part of an Assurance Review ERO assesses whether the regulated standards are being met. In particular, ERO looks at a 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 certification; ratios)
  • evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.

As part of an Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:

  • discussions with those involved in the service
  • consideration of relevant documentation, including the implementation of health and safety systems
  • observations of the environment/premises, curriculum implementation and teaching practice.

Campbell Street Early Learning - 01/06/2016

1 Evaluation of Campbell Street Kindergarten

How well placed is Campbell Street Kindergarten to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

Campbell Street Kindergarten is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.

Background

Campbell Street Kindergarten is one of 25 early childhood services administered by the Ruahine Kindergarten Association Incorporated (the association). It is licensed for 40 children aged over two years. Of the 48 children enrolled, 14 are Maori. At the time of this review there were 18 new children on the roll.

The kindergarten receives Ministry of Education equity funding to strengthen support for children's learning and wellbeing. Four of the five teachers are qualified and registered. One is in her final year of training.

Since the November 2012 ERO review, stage one of the redevelopment of the outdoor area has been completed. The centre now operates 30 hours per week. A holiday programme for children enrolled in the association’s kindergartens, and a playgroup for very young children, also operate at the centre. There have been a number of changes to the staff team, including the employment of an additional teacher.

The kindergarten philosophy emphasises the importance of whanaungatanga (relationships and partnership with whānau), manaakitanga (care), kaitiakitanga (guardianship of the environment) and ako (children and teachers learning together) in supporting children’s learning.

The previous ERO report affirmed teachers’ decision to further develop their knowledge of te ao Māori and support for children’s transition to primary school. It also identified the need to further improve their approach to planning for learning and internal evaluation. Professional support has been provided. Good progress has been made.

A governing board is responsible for setting the overall strategic direction for the association. Dayto-day management of the association’s affairs is the responsibility of the general manager. The senior teacher’s role is to provide professional leadership for teaching and learning. An operations manager supports kindergartens’ compliance, policy development and leadership. A management restructure has been undertaken since the 2012 ERO reviews of kindergartens in this association.

This review is one of a cluster of 8 reviews of Ruahine Kindergartens.

The Review Findings

The philosophy is evident in practice. Teachers revisit it regularly to support shared understanding of agreed values underpinning teaching and learning. The development of relationships with parents and whānau is considered a key aspect. Care and respect for each other and the environment are modelled by teachers.

Good quality resourcing supports children's investigation of, and participation in, a wide range of learning experiences. The outdoor area is well designed, presenting interesting areas for exploration and physically challenging play, and a variety linked to an ongoing focus on environmental sustainability. Children are able to choose the level and timing of their participation and have free access to learning materials. They enjoy the opportunities provided, showing confidence, independence and enthusiasm for learning and cooperation and friendliness towards peers and teachers. A busy and purposeful tone is maintained.

Teachers are encouraging and affirming. They engage well with children to support their settling, play and sustained engagement in learning experiences. Clear rules and expectations promote consistent implementation of positive strategies to manage behaviour and support children's social competence.

The programme is responsive to individual children’s interests and needs. It is working well for all, including the large group of younger children attending and those with diverse needs. Tuakana teina relationships, where older help younger, are evident. Literacy, mathematics, creative play, physical activity and science are well integrated in the context of everyday experiences. Commitment to culturally responsive practice is demonstrated.

Teachers' approach to planning for learning continues to develop. They regularly meet to share information about individuals' emerging dispositions and interests, and identify strategies to strengthen these. An online programme is improving communication and learning relationships with parents and whānau. Well-presented portfolios record details of children's participation at kindergarten and learning over time. Teachers agree their next steps are to:

  • more clearly define teaching strategies, in portfolios and planning, to show progression of children's learning

  • strengthen evaluation to more clearly identify next learning and teaching steps

  • purposefully plan to meet parents' aspirations for their children's learning

  • strengthen acknowledgement of families’ cultures, languages and identities in assessment and curriculum.

Children's transitions into, and out of the kindergarten to primary school, are carefully supported. New families' and whānau cultural values are researched and respected. Significant progress has been made in developing purposeful connections with local primary schools. Sharing information about individual children, school and early childhood programmes should continue to be priorities.

With increasing numbers of Pacific families in the local community, teachers agree they need to build their knowledge and understanding of these cultures to better support children's learning.

The association provides good support for teachers to use a more evaluative approach to review for improvement. Teachers should continue to build their shared understanding and use of internal evaluation to support decision making that improves and sustains positive outcomes for children. The association agrees the continued development of the ‘Wise Practice' indicators should occur to support understanding about the quality and effectiveness of practice and operation at kindergarten through to board level.

The kindergarten's annual plan outlines priorities for the year linked to the association's strategic goals of having high quality staff, coordinated services, effective partnerships and operations. Progress is recorded and reflected upon in collaboration with the senior teacher and operations manager. Quality indicators linked to outcomes for children are a useful addition to the annual plan. These should be further defined to enable more effective monitoring of progress.

The programme acknowledges the importance and place of te ao Māori. This is evident in the environmental focus, consideration of bicultural values, ongoing relationship with a primary school bilingual classroom and some teacher development goals. Association leaders are strongly committed to implementing a bicultural curriculum and promoting success for Māori as Māori. The revised Te Tiriti o Waitangi policy, 'Wise Practice' document and bicultural exemplars should support development of these practices.

The association provides effective governance and management support for this service. This includes:

  • constructive and improvement-focused support from the senior teacher

  • suitable quality assurance processes and guidelines linked to compliance with regulations and association expectations

  • effective and targeted support for teacher and leadership development through appraisal and wide-ranging professional learning opportunities

  • a variety of operational and administrative support.

Key Next Steps

ERO and association leaders agree that teachers should be supported to continue to strengthen:

  • planning for learning

  • understanding and use of internal evaluation

  • implementation of bicultural curriculum and promotion of success for Māori as Māori.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Campbell Street 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:

  • 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; 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.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Campbell Street Kindergarten will be in three years.

Joyce Gebbie

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central

1 June 2016

The Purpose of ERO Reports

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.

2 Information about the Early Childhood Service

Location

Palmerston North

Ministry of Education profile number

5252

Licence type

Free Kindergarten

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

40 children aged over 2

Service roll

48

Gender composition

Boys 27, Girls 21

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

Pacific

Other ethnic groups

14

28

2

4

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

April 2016

Date of this report

1 June 2016

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

November 2012

Education Review

June 2009

Education Review

July 2005

3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

ERO’s Evaluation Framework

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.

ERO’s Overall Judgement and Next Review

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:

  • Very well placed – The next ERO review in four years
  • Well placed – The next ERO review in three years
  • Requires further development – The next ERO review within two years
  • Not well placed - The next ERO review in consultation with the Ministry of Education

ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.

Review Coverage

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.