25 Gilling Place, Cromwell
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Cromwell Kindergarten is located alongside Goldfields Primary School. It provides education and care for children from two to five years of age. The licence allows for up to 30 children at any one time. The kindergarten continues to build and sustain the strong relationships with the community. Teachers appreciate the support they get.
The 2014 ERO report identified several areas for review and development. These areas included:
This review evaluates how effectively the kindergarten has addressed these areas. The kindergarten has made significant progress and improvement in addressing all the areas. Staff continue to receive effective support from Canterbury Westland Kindergarten Association (trading as Kidsfirst Kindergartens). This support includes targeted and well-planned professional learning and development and regular support from the education service manager (ESM). Areas of governance and management within the Association have also been well supported by personnel from Kidsfirst. This has led to positive outcomes for children, their families and teachers.
Teachers have designed and implemented a rich curriculum that is responsive to children’s interests and needs. The curriculum provides a natural ‘flow’ to ensure that learning is unhurried and at the children’s pace. Children enjoy authentic learning experiences that connect strongly to their lives outside the kindergarten. Older children benefit from a planned nature programme that builds on children’s exploration of the living world. Other key features of the curriculum include:
Teachers have reviewed the kindergarten’s philosophy to ensure that their beliefs and practices for teaching and learning are evident in the kindergarten and the daily interactions they have with children and their parents. Teachers are skilled at following children’s cues, knowing when to help them and when to stand back and allowing them to solve problems independently.
Professional learning and development for teachers has had a significant impact on what happens for children. This has led to improved outcomes for children, particularly for the children who are under three years old. Teachers acknowledge that they are far more aware of the learning needs of younger children and have adapted their programmes and teaching practices to reflect this. Children benefit from caring, nurturing and learning conversations with their teachers.
The teachers, with support from the Kidsfirst Education Support Manager, have developed and implemented robust systems for assessment, planning and evaluation. Individuals and groups of children are planned for. Records of learning show children’s progress and next steps for learning, and what strategies teachers will use. Teachers gather parents' wishes for their children’s learning and include these in the planning. Teachers regularly discuss and evaluate what impact their teaching is having on children’s learning.
Teachers have developed a shared understanding of the purpose of self review. There is a strong focus on enhancing children’s learning and improving teaching.
Teachers have worked hard to strengthen bicultural practices in the kindergarten. Children regularly hear te reo Māori and participate and lead waiata during group times.
The head teacher is managing the kindergarten well. She, with the support of the ESM, is building leadership across the team. She values the strengths and interests of teachers. Teachers who spoke to ERO said that they felt well supported and valued. Teachers are receptive to constructive feedback that leads to improvements in teaching.
The head teacher and teachers agree that the following next steps for the kindergarten are to continue to embed processes and practices for assessment, planning and evaluation and continue to carry out robust self review.
Before the review, the staff and management of Cromwell 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.
The next ERO review of Cromwell Kindergarten will be in three years.
Chris Rowe
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Acting)
28 July 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 |
Cromwell |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
5487 |
||
|
Licence type |
Free Kindergarten |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
30 children from age 2 to 5 years old |
||
|
Service roll |
37 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls: 19 Boys: 18 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
7 |
|
|
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 |
June 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
28 July 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
July 2014 |
|
|
Education Review |
February 2011 |
||
|
Education Review |
March 2008 |
||
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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Programmes and practices at Cromwell Kindergarten require further development to be effective.
The kindergarten needs significant ongoing support from the Central Otago Kindergarten Association (COKA) in order to be considered well placed.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Cromwell Kindergarten is one of five early childhood centres in Cromwell. It is located alongside Goldfields Primary School. It provides education and care for children from two-to-five years of age. The licence allows for up to 30 children at any one time.
There have been a number of changes at the kindergarten. These include:
Children enjoy the large outside area that provides them with physical challenges.
A small and committed group of parents provides substantial financial support to make improvements to the physical environment.
ERO has found that the recommendations from the previous two ERO reports are still key areas for improvement. These are to improve planning and assessment for children’s learning, develop a rich curriculum and implement robust self review.
This review was part of a cluster of seven kindergarten reviews in the Central Otago Kindergarten Association (COKA).
Children and their families are warmly welcomed by teachers. Parents’ contributions and participation in the programme are encouraged.
Children have well-established friendships with each other and some older children support the nurturing of younger children. Teachers are positive and caring in the way they work with children. They have a strong focus on supporting children to develop social skills.
On the day of the review ERO observed teachers:
These practices were not consistent and were not well aligned to any group programme goals.
The kindergarten has recently changed sessions to include under-three-year-old children. The teachers have taken part in some professional learning to help them better understand the needs of toddlers. The teachers have made some changes to the inside and outside areas to accommodate toddlers.
Older children take part in the Wild Things discovery programme which offers a wide variety of learning opportunities beyond the kindergarten. Teachers have developed a close link with Goldfields Primary School. Students from the school are “big buddies” and visit weekly to develop relationships that will support children as they move on to school.
Planning and assessment is not specific enough to guide teachers’ work with children. Records of learning show activities children have been involved in. However, they do not focus strongly enough on what children are learning and what teachers might do to support their next learning steps.
Kindergarten systems and guidelines are in the process of being redeveloped. These need to be aligned with the association’s expectations in order to be more helpful.
Governance
Over the past three years the Central Otago Kindergarten Association has gone through an unsettled period. There has been a break down in governance, management and systems which has adversely affected the effectiveness and level of leadership provided to each kindergarten. This has led to the board contracting Canterbury Westland Kindergarten Association (trading as Kidsfirst Kindergartens) in 2012 to undertake an independent review of the management structure. Then in September 2013, Canterbury Westland Kindergarten Association was contacted again to provide management support and guidance in an effort to establish robust systems, competent leadership and management. The process for redevelopment is still underway. New systems are being established and at the time of this review, ERO found it was too early to tell how well they would be implemented. Overall, there has been a substantial turnover of teachers within the association. ERO also found that the appraisal process was not robust and needs further development.
The head teacher and teachers would benefit from implementing the COKA Quality Indicators to guide and support the operations, programmes and teachers’ practice.
The leaders and teachers identified, and ERO agrees, that the next steps are to improve planning and assessment. This includes documenting what the intended learning is, the strategies and experiences they provide and the difference they have made to children’s learning. They need to develop and implement a rich curriculum that shows how they respond to group and individual children’s interests, needs and strengths and parents’ wishes for their children’s learning. Teachers also need to evaluate how well the programmes and teaching strategies are supporting children’s learning.
The head teacher and teacher need to further develop their understanding of effective self review. Robust self review should be used to improve:
They could seek further professional development to ensure toddlers’ care and learning needs are well met.
Before the review, the staff and management of Cromwell 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.
ERO recommends that the service, in consultation with the Ministry of Education, develops a plan to address the key next steps and actions outlined in this report.
The next ERO review of Cromwell Kindergarten will be within two years.
Graham Randell
National Manager Review Services Southern Region
4 July 2014
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 |
Cromwell |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
5487 |
||
|
Licence type |
Free Kindergarten |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
30 children |
||
|
Service roll |
35 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls: 19 Boys: 16 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā |
5 30 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates |
80% |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
Not Applicable |
|
|
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
April 2014 |
||
|
Date of this report |
4 July 2014 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
February 2011 |
|
|
Education Review |
March 2008 |
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.