60 Fergusson Street, Tokoroa
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Central Kids Kindergartens - David Henry is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Central Kids Kindergartens – David Henry, located in Tokoroa, is licensed to provide all-day education and care for 40 children from two years to school age. The current roll of 49 children includes 18 who identify as Māori. The kindergarten operates under the governance and management of the Central North Island Kindergarten Trust, a community not-for-profit organisation.
The overarching philosophy of the organisation is to provide kindergartens where children learn through play and are supported to reach their potential. Central Kids Kindergartens - David Henry philosophy is currently under review. It is underpinned by the four main values of whanuangatanga, whānau, ako, manaakitanga, and has a strong focus on cultural responsiveness, inclusiveness, holistic development and social competency.
Since the 2016 ERO review there have been several changes to the leadership and teaching team. In 2018 a new professional leader was assigned, and the long-serving head teacher retired. This leadership position remains vacant. A long-standing teacher is acting in the head teacher role. The current team have worked together for nearly three years and are all fully qualified and registered teachers. The key areas for development identified in the previous report remain a priority.
This review was part of a cluster of four kindergarten reviews in the Central North Island Kindergarten Trust.
The curriculum responds effectively to the emerging interests, strengths and capabilities of children, who are given time and space to challenge themselves and make decisions about their learning. Children’s independence and self management are actively encouraged through responsive and flexible routines. The learning environment and open-ended resources foster children's confidence and resilience through risk taking and physical challenge.
The language, culture and identity of Māori children and whānau are highly visible and valued in both the environment and teaching practice. Māori children are supported to experience educational success as Māori. Teachers implement a well-considered approach to supporting children with additional needs to achieve success. Inclusive and consistent practices support full engagement in the programme and the life of the kindergarten for those children. A key teacher approach enables successful transitions of children and their whānau into and beyond the kindergarten. Children and their families experience a sense of wellbeing and belonging.
Assessment captures and documents children’s emerging interests and engagement in the life of the kindergarten. Digital and hard-copy portfolios are regularly accessed by children, and families are encouraged to contribute to and share children's learning experiences. Further strengthening of assessment, planning and evaluation is needed.
Teachers provide a warm, welcoming and inclusive environment. Children of all ages benefit from respectful and responsive teaching practices. Thoughtful conversations between teachers and children promote rich oral language development. Collaborative relationships in learning encourage problem solving and challenge children’s thinking. Teachers positively encourage and acknowledge children's efforts and successes. Highly-effective teaching strategies support children’s developing social and emotional competency. Teaching practices support the building of independent and self-confident children.
Leadership is in a state of transition. A harmonious and collaborative team culture is providing leadership opportunities where the strengths of the individual teachers are well utilised. Leaders encourage and value parent and whānau participation in decision making. They have established a culture where children’s educational outcomes are valued and celebrated. Leaders need to develop and embed an effective framework for internal evaluation to consistently support meaningful change and improvement.
Governance and management have comprehensive, well-established systems and practices that enable the organisation to monitor, evaluate and plan for improvement for the kindergarten. Clear guidelines and expectations for kindergarten practice and curriculum are strongly fostered by the leadership team and trust. The vision and values support positive outcomes for the learning and wellbeing of tamariki and their whānau.
Leaders and teachers need to strengthen assessment, planning and evaluation practices by utilising the learning outcomes from Te Whāriki to support individual planning that shows:
progression of learning and increasing complexity over time
learning-focused partnerships with parents
all children’s language, culture and identity.
Before the review, the staff and management of Central Kids Kindergartens - David Henry 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.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services Central
Central Region
24 April 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 |
Tokoroa |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
5168 |
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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 |
40 children, aged over 2 |
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Service roll |
49 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 25 Boys 24 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
18 |
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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 |
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
March 2019 |
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Date of this report |
24 April 2019 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
January 2016 |
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|
Education Review |
July 2016 |
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Education Review |
July 2009 |
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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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Central Kids Kindergartens - David Henry is located in Tokoroa. It is a well established kindergarten with many connections and links to the local community. Children come from diverse social and cultural backgrounds. The kindergarten is governed by the Central North Island Kindergarten Trust, trading as Central Kids Kindergartens. It is licensed for 40 children over the age of two. At the time of this ERO review there were 50 children on the roll, including 17 who are identified as Māori. Teachers are all fully qualified and a teacher aide and administration person provide valuable support for teachers and children.
Since the 2012 ERO review, there has been a change in leadership of the kindergarten. Two new teachers were appointed at the beginning of 2015. Teachers have continued to access professional learning and development to better support children in becoming socially competent. There have been some enhancements to the outdoor environment and there is now greater visibility of bicultural perspectives within the kindergarten. Parents/whānau can view learning stories and kindergarten news on line.
Teachers have responded positively to the areas for review and development in the 2012 ERO report. They have reviewed the philosophy, and increased the use of observations to support teacher appraisal.
The kindergarten philosophy is reflected in the whakatauki, 'Ngā te atuatanga o te tamaiti hei whakarahi - let the uniqueness of the child guide our work'. Teachers model the values and beliefs of the kindergarten and establish warm, welcoming relationships with parents and whānau.
The kindergarten is well supported by the Central North Island Kindergarten Trust. The trust’s strategic direction sets out the service’s vision, expected educational outcomes, and values. It also defines the strategies for delivering the principles and strands of the early childhood curriculum, Te Whāriki and for respecting Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The trust’s professional leaders monitor the kindergarten’s compliance with policies and procedures to ensure it meets regulatory requirements and management expectations. Kindergarten teachers have generous opportunities to attend professional development opportunities to grow their teaching and leadership skills.
This review was part of a cluster of 8 reviews in the Central North Island Kindergarten Trust.
Central Kids Kindergartens - David Henry is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children. Children experience a strong sense of wellbeing and belonging in the kindergarten environment. They communicate confidently with each other, their teachers and visitors. Teachers are caring, nurturing and responsive to children. Through their key teacher role, they get to know children and their families well, and sensitively interact with them. They use strategies such as affirmation, extending language, coaching and mentoring to promote appropriate behaviour and engagement.
Children play independently, cooperatively in small groups, or with support from an adult for sustained periods of time. Children with special learning requirements are well integrated into the inclusive kindergarten culture. Teachers are advocates for children and their families and are committed to their well being. They are skilled at identifying children’s needs and listen attentively to their views. Children are able to make their wishes and preferences known and contribute to decisions that affect them. Transition-to-school processes are being currently reviewed to better support children and their families.
The kindergarten curriculum offers children a wide range of learning experiences such as interactive learning activities, physical challenge, problem solving and exploration. There are many opportunities for imaginative and creative play and teachers encourage participation in music and dance, science investigations and revisiting learning in the profile books. The environment has been thoughtfully presented so that children freely explore and access a wide range of good quality resources. Literacy and mathematics are well integrated throughout the learning environment.
Teachers have good access to professional development provided by the trust. Some professional development is accessed independently. Teacher appraisal is in the process of being reviewed to better align to the requirements of the practising teacher criteria.
The head teacher brings a wide range of knowledge and skills to the leadership position and is building professional capability and leadership in the new teaching team. She positively models respectful relationships and interactions in the kindergarten community. The head teacher is well supported by the professional leader who, in a short time, has established positive relationships with teachers, parents and children. Kindergarten leaders strongly advocate for children and their whānau and foster an inclusive kindergarten culture.
ERO and the kindergarten leaders agree that next steps for further development include enhancing the quality of self review and through the use of:
In addition, ERO recommends that teachers explore ways to extend and enrich learning through deeper investigation and inquiry, based on children’s interests.
Before the review, the staff and management of Central Kids Kindergartens - David Henry 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 Central Kids Kindergartens - David Henry will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
12 January 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 |
Tokoroa |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
5168 |
||
|
Licence type |
Free Kindergarten |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
40 children, including up to 0 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
50 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 29 Girls 21 |
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|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Other Pacific Asian |
17 26 3 3 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 |
November 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
12 January 2016 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
July 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
July 2009 |
||
|
Education Review |
August 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:
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.