- ERO evaluates and reports on the education and care of children and young people in early childhood services and schools.
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Old MacDonald’s Country Kindy provides education and care for up to 50 children over two years old. The centre is located in a semi-rural setting in Henderson Valley, Auckland. Children and teachers come from a number of cultural backgrounds and children with special needs are included in all aspects of the programme.
Since taking ownership of the centre in 2014, the owner has begun reviewing policies and procedures. The new owner works collaboratively with the head teacher and the administrator to oversee the operational and administration aspects of the centre.
The kindergarten’s philosophy values child-focused learning through play in a rural setting. High priority is placed on providing an environment that supports this.
The curriculum is underpinned by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. The 2012 ERO report noted that the learning environment, partnership with families, teaching and learning and leadership and management were strengths. The report also identified programme planning, documenting assessment and self review as areas for development. Good progress has been made in these areas.
Old MacDonald’s Country Kindy provides good quality education and care for children. Children are supported to be confident and competent learners who lead their own learning. They enjoy mixed-age play in indoor and outdoor spaces. They participate in imaginative play, build friendships and share ideas through their interactions with peers and with teachers.
Children and families/whānau are welcomed into the centre. Parents are welcome to stay for periods of time to support their children in the programme.
Children enjoy spaces to play both indoors and in the outdoor environment. Teachers could review the quality of play areas to increase the level of sustained and collaborative play. More discrete areas of play could invite children to play for longer and engage them in more challenging learning and problem solving.
Teachers work collaboratively to ensure children are supported in their play. They are positive with children. Teachers work as a cohesive team to provide a programme aimed at engaging all children including children who need extra support and care.
The curriculum shows clear links to the centre’s goals. Teachers document individual children’s interests and group learning. They use evaluations for further planning to cater for children’s interests. Teachers could now record children’s emerging interests and share these with parents. Although children and parents have access to their online portfolios, teachers should consider how children can access stories so they can revisit their learning.
Parents and whānau speak positively about the centre and the care their children receive from teachers. They enjoy connecting with teachers who encourage them to support their children to use self-help skills. Parents offer to support the centre by leading in areas of the programme such as the bicultural curriculum. Good support and information is provided for parents whose children transition to school through the centre’s Te Puawai transition to school programme.
The owner has recently begun to review policies, centre systems and procedures. She is continuing to build stronger partnerships with parents focusing on deliberate cultural connections. She has established good systems for the smooth running of the day to day operations. The owner could now consider seeking external expertise to establish clear leadership and management goals for the curriculum.
The centre manager and ERO agree that the key next steps to improve outcomes for children include:
Before the review, the staff and management of Old MacDonald's Country Kindy 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 Old MacDonald's Country Kindy will be in three years.
Dale Bailey
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
9 April 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.
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Location |
Henderson, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
10172 |
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Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
50 children, including up to 0 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
74 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 39 Boys 35 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Chinese Latin American Indian Samoan other Asian |
17 49 3 2 1 1 1 |
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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 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
January 2015 |
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Date of this report |
9 April 2015 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
March 2012 |
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Education Review |
March 2009 |
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Education Review |
June 2006 |
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.