Corstorphine Kindergarten

Education institution number:
5493
Service type:
Free Kindergarten
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
28
Telephone:
Address:

10 Lockerbie Street, Dunedin

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Corstorphine Kindergarten - 10/12/2019

1 Evaluation of Corstorphine Kindergarten

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

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

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

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

Background

Corstorphine Kindergarten provides early childhood education for children aged two years to school age. It is licensed for up to 90 children. It currently has a roll of 28 children, 9 of whom identify as Māori. Sessions operate from 8.30am to 2.30pm.

Teachers aim to support children to develop their communication and relationships skills and a sense of belonging within the kindergarten. In addition, they aim to promote children's critical thinking and dispositions for learning.

The kindergarten's philosophy states that teachers will achieve these outcomes through building partnerships with parents, valuing and respecting children's cultures and diversity, and by providing an inclusive curriculum and learning environment that responds to children's interests, strengths and abilities.

The teaching team has made good progress in addressing the areas for development identified in ERO's December 2015 review. These included strengthening individual and group planning, and internal evaluation.

At the time of this review the kindergarten, with support from Dunedin Kindergartens (DK), was midway through a significant upgrade of its outdoor environment and learning resources. It was sharing its outdoor environment with children from Richard Hudson Kindergarten, which is temporarily co-located.

Corstorphine Kindergarten is one of 24 kindergartens governed by DK. Day-to-day operations are led by a head teacher with the support of three experienced, qualified teachers. A senior teacher from DK provides support for professional and operational practice.

This review was one of a cluster of 11 reviews in the Dunedin Kindergarten Association.

The Review Findings

Children are effectively supported to develop their communication and social skills. Teachers attend carefully to children's non-verbal and verbal communication. They use a range of strategies, across the breadth of the curriculum, to skilfully extend children's oral language. Teachers consistently model, encourage and praise children's developing social skills. Children have many and varied opportunities to practice their skills as they learn and play alongside their peers.

Children's sense of belonging is fostered. Teachers take time to get to know children and their families well. They value and respect parents' knowledge of their children and aspirations for their learning. They are beginning to make parent's perspectives and contribution to children's learning more evident in planning and assessment of learning. Teachers acknowledge and celebrate children's diversity and individuality. They are increasingly mindful of incorporating aspects of children's languages and cultures into the learning environment and programme. They identify and build on children's interests and preferred ways of learning. New and younger children are thoughtfully supported to become familiar with kindergarten routines and expectations and to confidently access the breadth of learning resources and opportunities.

The learning environment is well resourced and purposefully set up to support the learning outcomes valued by the kindergarten community for children. The outdoor environment provides a variety of opportunities for children to build their physical skills and challenge themselves. Thought has been given to the learning needs of younger children and to adapting the environment to ensure all aspects of the curriculum are available to them.

New Zealand's indigenous Māori culture is evident in the learning environment. Children hear te reo Māori throughout the programme and participate in learning experiences that build their knowledge and understanding of Māori culture. Teachers are building and sharing their understandings of the Māori values and principles in the early childhood curriculum Te Whāriki. The next step will be to make these more evident in the kindergarten's philosophy and in assessment and planning.

Children with additional needs are well supported to make progress and achieve positive learning outcomes. Teachers work sensitively and closely with families and external specialists to identify children's needs and to develop individual learning plans. These are regularly reviewed and children's progress and developing capabilities celebrated. Targeted funding is well used to provide additional teaching and learning resources and experiences to support these children's learning. Teachers are highly supportive of families in times of need and work with the kindergarten's parent committee and community organisations to provide a range of practical support.

Leaders and teachers are committed to ongoing improvement. They work collaboratively to review and adapt teaching practices, programmes and kindergarten operations to better support children's learning. This has included strengthening systems for ensuring that all children's learning goals are planned for and known by all teachers. They are developing the rigour of internal-evaluation processes. Leaders and teachers are well engaged in ongoing professional learning which is focussed on the learning needs and priorities of children.

The board of DK has made good progress in addressing the governance recommendations from ERO's 2015-2016 reviews. DK's mission and strategic priorities are well known and reflected in each kindergarten's strategic and annual plans. It has a sound policy and procedure framework that provides guidance for kindergartens and sound systems to monitor health and safety. Leaders and teachers benefit from relevant professional development and leadership support. DK actively supports equity of outcomes for all children by funding additional teaching resources to support children with additional needs.

Key Next Steps

For ongoing improvement, key next steps are for leaders and teachers to:

  • further develop shared understandings of core Māori values and concepts and to make these more visible in the kindergarten philosophy and in planning and assessment

  • document the criteria for effective assessment, planning and evaluation of children's learning to better support the consistency and sustainability of these practices

  • embed and deepen practices for gathering and responding to family aspirations and cultures in assessment and planning

  • strengthen the analysis of current practice within internal evaluation processes.

The board has clearly identified, and ERO agrees, that the key next steps for DK to further improve outcomes for children are to ensure that:

  • reporting and monitoring at all levels are evaluative, to clearly show how desired outcomes for children have been improved in relation to DK's and kindergartens' priorities for learning and other strategic priorities

  • a robust and systematic quality assurance framework is implemented to inform and monitor ongoing improvements in each kindergarten.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Corstorphine 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.

Dr Lesley Patterson

Director Review and Improvement Services Southern

Southern Region

10 December 2019

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

Dunedin

Ministry of Education profile number

5493

Licence type

Free Kindergarten

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

90 children from two years to school age

Service roll

28

Gender composition

Male 16

Female 12

Ethnic composition

Māori
NZ European/Pākehā
Other

9
17
2

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%+

Based on funding rates

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

N/A

N/A

Over 2

1:10

Meets minimum requirements

Review team on site

November 2019

Date of this report

10 December 2019

Most recent ERO reports

Education Review

December 2015

Education Review

September 2012

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

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.

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.

Corstorphine Kindergarten - 07/12/2015

1 Evaluation of Corstorphine Kindergarten

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

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

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

Background

Corstorphine Kindergarten is one of 24 kindergartens under the Dunedin Kindergarten Association (DK). The kindergarten philosophy shows that teachers prioritise having a safe, happy and welcoming place where children can learn and play together. Since the closure of the local school, the kindergarten has become a hub for local families to meet socially.

The kindergarten provides a mixed-age programme for children aged from two-to-five years from 8:30am to 2:30pm each day. The children come from diverse backgrounds. Children’s various cultures are reflected throughout the kindergarten environment.

At the time of this review, the head teacher was on leave and an acting head teacher had been appointed. There were also other staff changes and the association was working to fill vacancies. Apart from the head teacher all teachers are part time. This presents challenges for ensuring consistent practices and shared understandings.

Some progress has been made in addressing the recommendations from the 2012 ERO review. These are still work in progress.

This review was part of a cluster of 24 kindergarten reviews in the DK.

The Review Findings

Children benefit from warm, caring relationships with their teachers. Teachers have a strong focus on pastoral care for children and their families. In partnership with the Salvation Army they provide food and counselling to families in need and support them to access specialist agencies. Parents see this as a safe and welcoming place. The kindergarten and local schools work together to enable smooth transitions for children to school. 

Children are well supported to develop friendships, learn to play independently and alongside others and practise problem solving. Children are seen as able and are confident to make choices within the kindergarten. The indoor and outdoor areas are purposefully arranged to provide children with a variety of spaces to explore and develop their physical skills. Teachers listen to what children are interested in and plan a wide range of experiences that stimulate children’s curiosity. For example, children benefit from:

  • regular small group activities such as music and movement
  • incorporating early mathematics and literacy in meaningful ways
  • gardening and baking
  • sensory experiences
  • excursions linked to the term focus.

Currently evaluations of programmes and practices are mostly descriptive. These would be more useful if teachers evaluated how well they have met the intended purposes and made the necessary changes to improve outcomes for children.

A strength of this kindergarten is the way parents come together and contribute their skills to celebrate important cultural events, such as Matariki and Polyfest. Māori and Pacific cultures are strongly reflected in the environment.

Teachers focus on helping children to express themselves through oral language. They deliberately work on children being able to pronounce words correctly.

Profile books are an attractive record of each child’s journey through kindergarten. They are well loved by children who sit together and with adults to relive their experiences and learning. The best examples of children’s learning records show continuity of learning, progress and what strategies teachers will use. However, the quality of these is variable.

The vision of the DK is to provide excellence in early childhood education for all children. The DK is governed by a board and managed by a long-serving general manager. The kindergarten teachers told ERO they appreciated the support they receive from the association and the advice and guidance of the senior teachers.

The board, general manager and senior teachers:

  • provide appropriate opportunities for parents and staff to contribute their ideas about matters in the association
  • are responsive to identified needs of children and families within the association and provide funding and support to enable these to be met
  • have developed a useful framework to guide their work
  • take all reasonable steps to ensure safe environments for children, teachers and other staff
  • maintain their professional learning and provide ongoing professional learning for teachers in the association. 

Key Next Steps

Teachers have identified, and ERO agrees, that they need to develop sustainable systems to support assessment, planning and evaluation. This includes:

  • consistency in writing learning stories that show continuity and progress of children's learning and strategies teachers use to support learning
  • ensuring children’s next steps for learning are shared with all teachers
  • gathering and responding to parents’ aspirations for their children’s learning
  • evaluation of group planning.

The head teacher and teachers have identified that they need to develop a shared understanding of rigorous self review and use this to make improvements.

With changes in the leadership and teaching team (mostly part-time) there needs to be an ongoing focus on further developing and sustaining systems for effective communication about children’s needs, programmes, practices and operations. It is also timely to review the philosophy to ensure there is a shared understanding of priorities for learning.

Next steps for the board, with the support of the general manager and senior teachers, are to:

  • continue to define what excellence in education looks like in the DK
  • further develop strategic planning to better show future goals and priorities and how these will be achieved  in the association and in the kindergartens
  • ensure that the reports they receive show how well the association's vision and goals are met, are evaluative and inform future planning
  • continue to strengthen the appraisal process and be assured that appraisals are rigorous and consistent throughout the kindergartens.

With the appointment of a new senior teacher, it is timely for the board and general manager to review the role of the senior teachers and strengthen systems to ensure consistently high-quality practice across all kindergartens within the association.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Corstorphine 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 Corstorphine Kindergarten will be in three years.

Chris Rowe
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Acting)

7 December 2015

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

Dunedin

Ministry of Education profile number

5493

Licence type

Free Kindergarten

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

45 children between two-to-five years of age

Service roll

29

Gender composition

Boys:  15

Girls:  14

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā
Cook Island
Asian

  8
16
  4
  1

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49%       50-79%       80%+

Based on funding rates

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

N/A

 

Over 2

1:10

Meets minimum requirements

Review team on site

October 2015

Date of this report

7 December 2015

Most recent ERO report(s)

 

Education Review

September 2012

Education Review

May 2009

Education Review

May 2006

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.