27 River Road, Ngatea
View on mapNot well placed | Requires further development | Well placed | Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Central Kids Kindergartens - Ngatea operates under the umbrella of Central North Island Kindergarten Trust. The kindergarten is located on the Hauraki Plains in the township of Ngatea. It is licensed to cater for 40 children from two years to school age and is open from 8.45 am to 2.45 pm Monday to Friday. Many families travel from a large rural area to attend the service.
Since the previous ERO review staffing has remained relatively consistent. The kindergarten has a positive ERO reporting history. Management has responded effectively to the recommendations made by ERO in 2012, to review the centres assessment and planning processes. Teachers have continued to undertake professional development to keep them well informed about current educational practices, theory and research.
The kindergarten is well supported by the Central North Island Kindegarten 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 regulation requirements and management expectations. Kindergarten teachers have generous opportunities to attend professional development opportunities to grow their teaching and leadership skills.
Teachers have a shared understanding of high quality education and care and this is outlined in their service philosophy. This statement documents a commitment to ensuring that children experience positive relationships and a strong sense of belonging to the kindergarten community. Practices are underpinned by the principles of Te Whāriki.
This review was part of a cluster of seven kindergarten reviews in the Central North Island Kindergarten Trust.
Teachers have established highly respectful and trusting relationships with children, their parents and whānau. Teachers operate an inclusive programme and plan carefully to meet the diverse developmental needs of children. They take time to get to know them and their families well. This enables teachers to be highly responsive to children’s wellbeing, unique interests, skills and abilities as well as parents’ aspirations. Children settle into the kindergarten confidently and develop a strong sense of belonging and ownership of the environment. Teachers value family and community as being essential and integral to fostering children’s learning and wellbeing. They demonstrate a genuine respect for parents/families and involve them in their child’s education and the life of the kindergarten. As a result many parents and extended whānau enjoy spending time in the kindergarten and contributing to its culture.
Positive relationships also support children’s emotional well-being. Teachers are extremely receptive and responsive to individual children’s temperaments and personalities. They skilfully use this understanding to foster their wellbeing and learning.
Individual portfolios celebrate children’s learning over time. Open communication and the use of on-line portfolios provide rich information about their learning. Linking children’s kindergarten experiences with home experiences enables teachers to plan responsive learning experiences that cater for the diverse strengths, interests and abilities of children.
There are extensive opportunities for children to develop friendships and become involved with interactions and experiences that support their social skills. Teachers model positive communication and support children to develop strategies in negotiating, taking on others view points, and working as a cooperative group.
Children are trusted as capable learners who can choose to follow their interests, take safe risks, and make good decisions. They actively explore their ideas and build on their knowledge, skills and learning dispositions. Teachers are highly skilled in having learning conversations that support children’s thinking processes and extend their learning and self-help skills. This also includes children having many opportunities to develop their leadership skills. They enjoy taking responsibility for themselves, one another and the environment.
A unique and continuing feature of the curriculum is the Ngahere programme for older children. This involves a small group of children experiencing an innovative programme one day a week at a nearby natural bush reserve. Children learn to appreciate and respect the natural environment and use their creativity to investigate, research, problem solve, and learn ways to inquire in order to make sense of the world around them. Teaching staff closely observe children and make wise decisions about when and how to respond to extend thinking and learning.
Children benefit from their sustained engagement in meaningful and challenging activities that add complexity to their understanding, development and competencies. Literacy and mathematics are naturally integrated into children’s play. High quality resources encourage children to explore and build on their knowledge and skills. Te reo and tikanga Māori are also naturally included in daily conversations. Children are confident to sing waiata and be involved in the kawa of the kindergarten. Teachers are strong advocates for children and their families, and have genuine respect and appreciation for children’s language, culture and identity.
The experienced head teacher works within a shared leadership model, where staff can use their professional leadership skills to contribute to the smooth operation of the kindergarten. They have strong working relationships with other community agencies and educational services. Teachers access relevant professional development to keep up-to-date with current early childhood practices. Teachers are well supported by a knowledgeable professional leader who provides helpful feedback about what is going well and areas to consider for further development. Systematic self-review processes ensure kindergarten practices are regularly reviewed with a focus on positive outcomes for children and their families.
Through the kindergarten’s self-review processes, leaders and teachers have identified useful next steps for ongoing development. These include:
Before the review, the staff and management of Central Kids Kindergartens - Ngatea 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 - Ngatea will be in four years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
5 November 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 | Ngatea, Hauraki Plains | ||
| Ministry of Education profile number | 5629 | ||
| Licence type | Free Kindergarten | ||
| Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 | ||
| Number licensed for | 40 children aged over 2 | ||
| Service roll | 62 | ||
| Gender composition | Boys 34 Girls 28 | ||
| Ethnic composition | Māori Pākehā Other European | 21 39 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 2015 | ||
| Date of this report | 5 November 2015 | ||
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review | October 2012 | |
| Education Review | November 2009 | ||
| Education Review | February 2007 | ||
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.
The kindergarten is very well placed to promote positive outcomes for children because self review processes are robust and inform decision making. The head teacher’s leadership is collaborative and there is a shared vision for teaching and learning that is well understood and enacted by teachers. Children, parents and staff continue to benefit from the effective governance provided by the association and the strong professional partnership that exists between the teachers and the professional leader.
Ngatea Kindergarten is located in the Hauraki plains township of Ngatea and operates under the umbrella of the Central North Island Kindergarten Association (CNIKA). It is licensed for 45 children over two years of age and has a current roll of 60, with nine of these children being of Māori descent. The kindergarten provides four, six-hour sessions each week, with a shorter session on Wednesdays. Children from a wide rural area attend the kindergarten, many of these being from families involved in farming.
Stable staffing continues to provides valuable continuity for children and their families. Teachers know families well and are responsive to the needs and aspirations of the parent community. There is a strong focus on building relationships that are based on mutual trust and respect. This contributes to a welcoming, inclusive culture and environment for learning.
Since the 2009 Education Review, considerable development in assessment and self review has occurred. A strategic approach to professional learning is impacting positively on the programme philosophy and teaching practice. There has been significant development of the environment to improve flow between the indoor and outdoor area, accessibility and use of natural resources.
This review was conducted as part of a cluster approach to reviews in 12 early childhood education services within the Central North Island Kindergarten Association umbrella organisation.
Teachers have worked together to develop a well-considered approach to teaching and learning that closely reflects current theory and research and which is strongly influenced by their professional development. As a result, they place a lot of emphasis on children’s emotional and social wellbeing, and through play, support them to form meaningful relationships with their peers and adults. Teachers closely observe the learning that is occurring in play for individual children, and write learning stories that can be shared with the child and parent. Information from these observations is also well used by teachers to plan further learning experiences for children.
The programme is designed to focus on the identified interests and needs of each child. Children are able to make choices about their learning and engage in sustained, meaningful play, with and alongside, their peers. Teachers prepare an environment for learning that has variety, incorporates natural resources and invites children to involve themselves in real-life play/work, in keeping with the kindergarten’s philosophy. They use appropriate language to assist children to play cooperatively, and join in play with other children. Teachers are continuing to strengthen the bi-cultural dimension of the programme.
Good use is made of natural features of the local environment to enrich and extend the learning opportunities for children. An example of this is the ‘Ngahere’ programme, where a group of older children experience explorative learning in a bush setting each week. This initiative provides an authentic learning context for children to learn about and consider the importance of the natural environment.
Parents interviewed by ERO value the way in which their children are able to develop their social skills. They describe a very warm, welcoming and inclusive culture for play and learning. The diverse needs of children needing additional support for their learning and development are recognised and well provided for. The kindergarten liaises closely with support agencies so that these children are able to benefit from specialist intervention.
The head teacher, with ongoing support from the professional leader, has developed a clear vision for teaching and learning which is shared and well understood by the teaching team. Together they have established a useful framework for assessment, planning and evaluation, and are continuing to refine this. They have also developed a self-review process that is closely aligned with the annual planning process. This process is helping them to make informed decisions, especially about professional development, appraisal and teaching practice.
ERO, kindergarten leaders and teachers agree that it would now be most beneficial to review assessment, planning and evaluation practice, and in particular, the intentional planning for learning component, with a view to making this more visible.
Before the review, the staff and management of Ngatea 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.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Makere Smith
National Manager Review Services Northern Region (Acting)
3 October 2012
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Location |
Ngatea, near Thames |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
5629 |
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Licence type |
All day |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
45 children, including 0 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
65 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 33 Boys 32 |
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Ethnic composition |
NZ European/Pākehā NZ Māori Samoan African |
46 14 3 2 |
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Review team on site |
August 2012 |
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Date of this report |
3 October 2012 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review Education Review Education Review |
November 2009 February 2007 June 2003 |
The Education Review Office (ERO) is the New Zealand government department that reviews schools and early childhood services throughout New Zealand.
ERO's education reviews in early childhood services focus on the factors that contribute to positive learning outcomes for children. ERO evaluates how well placed the service is to make and sustain improvements for the benefit of all children at the service. To reach these findings ERO considers:
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 self review and partnerships with parents and whānau.
ERO reviews do not cover every aspect of service performance and each ERO report may cover different issues. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to the service.