|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Central Kids Kindergartens - Rotorua East is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Central Kids Kindergarten - Rotorua East is located in a residential area of Rotorua. It is licensed to provide education and care for 40 children from two years to school age. The current the roll of 56 children includes nine who identify as Māori. The kindergarten is open from 8.30 am to 2.30 pm, five days a week. The kindergarten operates under the governance and management of the Central North Island Kindergarten Trust, a community not-for-profit organisation. All kaiako are qualified and registered and have worked together for three years.
The overarching philosophy of the organisation is to provide kindergartens where children learn through play and are supported to reach their potential. Central Kids Kindergarten - Rotorua East philosophy aims to run a child-centred, interest-based programme of inquiry. The philosophy states that relationships underpin all learning between children, their whānau and kaiako.
Since the last ERO report in 2015, internal evaluation has improved and regular links with iwi have been established to further promote a more bicultural curriculum. In addition, new staff have joined the team. A head teacher was appointed from within the team in December 2017, and a new kaiarataki was assigned in the beginning in 2018. The kindergarten is recovering from a major flood and relocated to another site for 12 months whilst the kindergarten was rebuilt.
This review was part of a cluster of four kindergarten reviews in the Central North Island Kindergarten Trust.
Reciprocal relationships and key teachers for individual children promote a strong sense of belonging and wellbeing for children and their families. Children with additional needs are well supported through individualised planning and responsive teacher practice. Very young children are considered capable and competent. They are empowered to be successful learners through equitable opportunities for learning. Children experience a positive culture for learning through a strong focus on social relationships.
The curriculum is highly inclusive and responsive to all children’s needs. The purpose-built learning environment is spacious and well resourced. Children lead their learning and make choices and decisions. Risk taking, and challenge are effectively promoted within the programme. Literacy, mathematics and science are naturally woven throughout the programme. Children's interests are effectively responded to through authentic learning opportunities.
Kaiako recognise children as learners. Children's characteristics and dispositions are well known, and habits of mind support assessment and planning. Kaiako now need to further strengthen planning, assessment and evaluation to show progress and continuity of learning. Children’s social competence is supported through positive and consistent guidance strategies. Transitions are well-considered into and beyond the kindergarten. These transitions are highly responsive to the individual needs of children and their whānau. Children experience a rich curriculum where they are well known and encouraged to become confident and successful learners and explorers.
Children are supported to build their knowledge about New Zealand’s unique cultural heritage through the use of te reo Māori, waiata and the kindergarten pepeha. The kindergarten has made connections to the wider community including iwi that is promoting a stronger view of Māori culture. Children’s different culture are visible in displays around the centre. Translators have been utilised to support families for whom English is an additional language.
Leaders successfully promote a collaborative and cohesive culture of teaching and learning. Leadership models and supports responsive and reflective practice. Communication and consultation with parents are effective and informative. The philosophy and values have been developed to promote the kindergarten's identity. Internal evaluation guides effective review and leads to informed change and improvement. Appraisal systems are in place to build kaiako capability. Regular and responsive visits from the kaiarataki provides useful feedback and feedforward to guide and improve practice. Children experience high levels of mutual respect and collaboration that is modelled by leaders and contributes to positive learning outcomes.
Governance and management have comprehensive, well-established systems and practices to enable the organisation to monitor, evaluate and plan for improvement for the kindergarten. Clear guidelines and expectations for centre practice and curriculum are strongly fostered by the leadership team and trust. The kindergarten vision and values support positive outcomes for children’s learning, wellbeing, and that of whānau.
Leaders and kaiako now need to continue to build the kindergarten’s knowledge including Te Whāriki to:
ensure learning outcomes (assessment, planning and evaluation) that enable kaiako to more effectively plan and evaluate for individual children’s learning are visible
develop a localised curriculum that reflects the history, places of significance, and kawa of local iwi
further develop relationships with parents to promote strong learning focused partnerships.
Before the review, the staff and management of Central Kids Kindergartens - Rotorua East 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.
ERO identified an area of non-compliance relating to governance and management policies and procedures. To meet requirements and improve its performance in the following areas, the service must:
keep a record of emergency drills (earthquake) carried out and evidence of how evaluation of the drills has informed the annual review of the services emergency plan.
[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS8]
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services Central
Central Region
15 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.
|
Location |
Rotorua |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
5198 |
||
|
Licence type |
Free Kindergarten |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
40 children, aged over 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
56 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Male 42 Female 14 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
9 |
|
|
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 |
March 2018 |
||
|
Date of this report |
15 May 2019 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
October 2015 |
|
|
Supplementary Review |
February 2014 |
||
|
Education Review |
August 2012 |
||
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 - Rotorua East is situated in the eastern suburbs of Rotorua. It operates under the umbrella of the Central North Island Kindergarten Trust (CNIKT). The kindergarten is licensed to provide education and care for 40 children over the age of two years. At the time of this ERO review there were 52 children enrolled, including 11 children identified as Māori.
Since the last ERO review in 2014 the previous head teacher and one long-serving staff member have resigned. The new head teacher appointed in May 2014 is providing strong and collaborative leadership for the kindergarten and teaching team. This leadership is resulting in significant positive change to the kindergarten culture and improved outcomes for children. All the areas for development identified in the last ERO review have been addressed. These related to self-review, engagement of boys, language, culture, identity, and relationships.
Teachers have participated in ongoing professional development with a focus on building collaborative and trusting relationships, promoting language, culture and identity, and recognising and responding to children’s learning. This has resulted in a calm, settled, consistent yet challenging environment for children, families, whānau and staff.
Families and whānau are now welcome to take an active part in kindergarten life. They are able to access information about children’s learning through discussions with staff, on-line resources and portfolios.
Children are benefiting from the positive, trusting and responsive relationships they experience with teachers and their peers. Families enjoy taking time to settle and play alongside their children in a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Children are confident to express their ideas and opinions and are encouraged to be creative and imaginative. They have many opportunities to take increasing responsibility for their own learning as well as for one another. Children spend time planning and talking about what they are going to do and show persistence in sustaining meaningful play. They demonstrate a strong sense of wellbeing, belonging and fun as they make choices from a wide variety of interesting and open-ended equipment.
The head teacher and teachers have established a well-qualified, positive and collaborative professional team. Teachers recognise and value the importance of children learning through play. They have high expectations and develop warm, positive and respectful relationships with children and parents. Teachers know children and their families very well and support children to experiment, problem solve and be challenged. They model rich oral language as they talk with children throughout the day. Concepts of literacy, mathematics and science are integrated into conversations as they work alongside children and join in play. Children are given time and they are included in decisions about their learning. They share together in the many instances of fun and success.
Māori children experience success as Māori and benefit from the culturally responsive practices of teachers who are using and building their knowledge of tikanga and te reo Māori. Tuakana/teina relationships where older children support younger children are promoted. The programme strongly reflects Māori values and concepts, the natural world, local contexts for learning and Māori celebrations.
The CNIKT is providing high quality ongoing support and feedback to the head teacher and staff about practice. The professional leader has empowered staff to be more reflective about their practice using agreed criteria. Self review is integral to the kindergarten's operations and is leading to continuous improvements in programmes and outcomes for children.
Strong, responsive, reciprocal and respectful relationships with family/whānau support children’s sense of belonging. Parents and whanau report that they are well informed about their children’s learning and are involved in decision making by the kindergarten. On-line resources and portfolios are highly valued by parents to share and revisit learning opportunities.
The professional leader, head teacher and staff have identified, and ERO agrees, that the key next steps for this kindergarten are to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Central Kids Kindergartens - Rotorua East 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.
The next ERO review of Central Kids Kindergartens - Rotorua East will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
23 October 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 |
Rotorua |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
5198 |
||
|
Licence type |
Free Kindergarten |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
40 children |
||
|
Service roll |
52 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 30 Girls 22 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
11 |
|
|
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 |
23 October 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
February 2014 |
|
|
Supplementary Review |
August 2012 |
||
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.