124 A Don Buck Road, Massey, Auckland
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.
Don Buck Kindergarten is located on the grounds of Don Buck Primary school in Auckland and is licensed for 40 children from two years to school age. The kindergarten's roll has a high percentage of Māori and Pacific children and others from diverse cultures.
The teaching team is new and consists of four registered teachers including the head teacher. A teacher aide and an administrator support the teaching team. The team is developing into a cohesive team that is focused on enhancing outcomes for children.
The kindergarten's philosophy is influenced by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Teachers aim to foster a programme for children to grow as confident and competent lifelong learners who make a valuable contribution to society. The philosophy emphasises the team's commitment to having responsive and reciprocal relationships with parents and whānau.
The 2014 ERO report identified many positive features. Good progress has been made in relation to ERO's recommendations to continue to develop programme planning. Teachers have also strengthened internal evaluation and enhanced strategies for extending children's learning.
The kindergarten is part of the Auckland Kindergarten Association (AKA), which provides a governance and management framework. Professional support personnel assist teachers with curriculum, management and property matters.
This review was part of a cluster of nine reviews in the Auckland Kindergarten Association.
Children settle quickly into the programme when they arrive in the morning. They are familiar with the kindergarten routines and expectations that they will choose their play activities. Children are confident and play well together. They ask teachers for help and assistance as needed.
Teachers design the daily programme carefully. They set up the indoor and outdoor environments to support children's interests and learning. Teachers meet daily to discuss what learning they have noticed and what needs to be continued. They set up 'provocations' to stimulate learning and challenge children. Teachers may want to consider further ways to provoke children's curiosity and encourage children to contribute to daily programme design.
Children learn about gardening and how to look after their environment. Natural resources are highly valued. Teachers promote literacy, mathematics, science and technology as part of children's play.
Intentional teaching strategies supports different age groups, especially the younger children. Teachers could continue to consider balancing the programme so that older children are more challenged in their play. Teachers' strong partnership with the neighbouring school supports smooth, seamless transitions for children and families.
Teachers recognise and value community diversity and are committed to reflecting diverse cultures in their daily programmes. They aspire to be inclusive of children with diverse learning needs and cultural backgrounds. They are developing ways to increase their understanding and knowledge of whānau and the wider community. Teachers have a strong commitment to bicultural practices. They are working with whānau Māori to strengthen the bicultural programme and build on their professional knowledge.
Teachers have developed a programme template to promote positive outcomes for children and strengthen partnerships with parents and whānau. They revise assessment and planning processes regularly so they are more meaningful and contextualised.
Kindergarten operations are guided by a comprehensive strategic plan and a shared vision, linked to the AKA strategic goals. A Quality Improvement Process (QIP) also aligns with AKA and kindergarten strategic plans. It enables the AKA and teachers to monitor quality and promote ongoing improvement for positive outcomes for children. The AKA continues to review its management and leadership structure. It has begun a process of internal evaluation to establish how effectively the four pillars of its strategic plan are resulting in more positive outcomes for children, their families, and the organisation.
The teaching team agrees that useful next steps to strengthen the programme include:
increasing the extent to which the programme and children's records reflect their cultural identity and language, and link to parents' aspirations
continuing to develop assessment and planning processes that show how children’s individual interests are noticed, responded to, and extended over time
evaluating how the programme supports children from diverse Pacific nations and other cultural backgrounds
strengthening and aligning the strategic plan to the annual business plan and measuring progress towards strategic goals.
The AKA has useful processes for supporting teachers’ ongoing professional development. This process could be strengthened by ensuring that teachers’ individual goals are measurable and based on the evaluation of teaching practices and their impact children’s learning.
Before the review, the staff and management of Don Buck 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:
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 Don Buck Kindergarten will be in three years.
Violet Tu’uga Stevenson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
27 October 2017
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 |
Massey |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
5046 |
||
|
Licence type |
Free Kindergarten |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
40 children, aged from two years |
||
|
Service roll |
42 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 26 Boys 16 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
9 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
August 2017 |
||
|
Date of this report |
27 October 2017 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
December 2014 |
|
|
Education Review |
November 2011 |
||
|
Education Review |
November 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:
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 |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Don Buck Kindergarten is a well-established service that provides education and care for up to 40 children over two years old. The kindergarten operates sessions whose hours match those of schools. Some children attend for mornings only.
The centre is part of the Auckland Kindergarten Association (AKA) and operates within the policies and management framework of this organisation. A professional services manager (PSM) visits regularly and provides management and curriculum support for teachers. A parents’ support group has recently become re-established and provides valued support for teachers. The AKA has high expectations that teachers will provide a bicultural programme.
The head teacher has recently returned to the kindergarten after two years’ leave. The acting head teacher during this period was well supported by the AKA to lead the team and continue the development of the kindergarten. The teachers, who are all registered, have been engaged in professional development focused on deepening children's learning. They intend to use their knowledge from this course as they re-establish their team and review their philosophy and teaching practices.
In 2010 ERO identified strengths in the kindergarten. Children were independent learners and their early literacy was well supported. Teachers were an effective team and had strong relationships with families. They were considering strategies for extending children's learning, promoting bicultural practices, and enhancing partnerships with Māori whānau. The team has sustained good practices and is committed to ongoing improvements in the programme.
This review was part of a cluster of 10 kindergarten reviews in the Auckland Kindergarten Association.
Children engage enthusiastically in play. They settle in areas of interest quickly, often sustaining their individual play or working collaboratively with others. They share positive relationships with teachers and their peers, frequently supporting each other when working in a group. Children know about making choices and benefit from opportunities to develop early literacy and mathematics knowledge in meaningful contexts. They are becoming familiar with aspects of te reo and tikanga Māori and many are able to introduce themselves confidently with a simple mihi.
Teachers work closely with children to support their play. They engage children in social conversation and guide learning by describing concepts, using open questions and prompting new ideas. They also expect children to work independently and pursue their own interests. Teachers foster tuakana-teina relationships, encouraging children to share their skills and understanding with others.
Teachers meet daily to discuss children's emerging interests. They document significant play in weekly plans that are prominently displayed. Teachers encourage parents and children to record comments on plans to guide ways of extending children's interests. Teachers use children's assessment portfolios well to analyse children's learning and demonstrate their teaching strategies. They monitor the contents of portfolios, and recognise that more evaluative reviews of their assessment processes would provide better information about the quality of children's learning.
Parents and whānau who were interviewed during the course of this review report that they appreciate the caring environment teachers provide. They value the multicultural community and opportunities for children to learn about New Zealand’s dual cultural heritage. Teachers listen well to parents’ aspirations and frequently talk to them about their child’s learning. Parents are enthusiastic about the high quality of resources, the enjoyable excursions provided for their children, and the strong support given to children making the transition to school.
The kindergarten is well managed. The acting head teacher has encouraged collaborative teamwork and teachers share responsibilities effectively. Teachers use electronic systems well to engage in reflective self review focused on improving outcomes for children. There are strong links between the Association’s strategic goals and the teachers’ annual plans. Appraisal goals are appropriately linked to achieving set targets. The PSM will provide support for the permanent head teacher as she catches up with team development and re-establishes herself in the leadership role.
The Auckland Kindergarten Association continues to provide strong governance for kindergartens. Positive strategies include effective professional learning and development that is responsive to strengthening teachers’ professional skills, knowledge and practice. Distributed leadership among kindergarten teaching teams is also promoted and the sharing of knowledge and expertise within the Association is encouraged. Association leaders are currently reviewing the appraisal process and continue to explore appropriate ways to support teachers and ensure high quality outcomes for children.
The teachers, the PSM and ERO agree that the key next steps for kindergarten development should include teachers:
Before the review, the staff and management of Don Buck 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 Don Buck Kindergarten will be in three years.
Dale Bailey
National Manager Review Services Northern Region
3 December 2014
|
Location |
Massey, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
5046 |
||
|
Licence type |
Free Kindergarten |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
40 children, including up to 0 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
47 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 25 Girls 22 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Indian Tuvaluan Filipino Samoan Asian Tongan other |
11 12 4 4 3 3 2 2 6 |
|
|
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 2014 |
||
|
Date of this report |
3 December 2014 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
November 2011 |
|
|
Education Review |
November 2008 |
||
|
Education Review |
June 2005 |
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.
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.