99 Muritai Road, Eastbourne, Lower Hutt
View on mapHow well placed is East Harbour Kindergarten to promote positive learning outcomes for children?
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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.
East Harbour Kindergarten is one of 85 kindergartens and three home-based education and care networks governed and managed by He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua Free Kindergarten Association Incorporated (the association). This is a new kindergarten association created from joining the Rimutaka and Wellington Kindergarten Associations in 2014. The transition to the new association is expected to be a three-year process.
The board and managers provide governance for the organisation. Senior teachers have delegated kindergartens. Their role is to provide regular support and a range of professional learning and development opportunities for teachers.
The January 2012 ERO report for East Harbour Kindergarten identified that assessment and self review needed further development. Areas where the Wellington Kindergarten Association needed to strengthen its support for teachers were also identified at the time. Improvement continues to be needed in some of these areas that the association has plans to address. Aspects of leadership at East Harbour and the alignment of individual kindergarten’s annual plans with the association’s strategic priorities have now been appropriately addressed.
All teachers at East Harbour Kindergarten are qualified. Since the previous ERO review, a new teaching team has been established. The head teacher was appointed in January 2014.
This review was part of a cluster of 12 reviews in the He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua kindergartens.
The kindergarten’s vision of empowering confident, innovative learners is clearly evident in practice.
Children independently access a wide range of stimulating and purposeful activities. They benefit from many opportunities to make their own choices, follow their own interests and work collaboratively with others. The programme is enhanced by visits to the wider community, which support children’s sense of place and belonging.
Teachers know children well. They are skilled in supporting their growing self reliance. They successfully support children’s emerging mathematics, literacy and scientific interests. They respond effectively to their individual needs and proactively support Pacific children and families.
Clear and consistent leadership is evident. The head teacher has established appropriate priorities for change management and she has provided able leadership.
Practices to support continuing improvement and evaluate progress are strengthening. Self review is developing and teachers’ knowledge of its value in improving outcomes for children continues to grow. The head teacher is working well with her team to develop a shared understanding of effective teaching.
In 2012, the association developed a framework to guide the implementation of its curriculum, Te Manawa. This document outlines criteria for curriculum delivery including expectations for assessment and planning for children’s learning.
The head teacher and staff at East Harbour Kindergarten have taken steps to strengthen this area of their programme. Information from individual and group assessment of children’s learning and from parents’ aspirations is used effectively to plan the curriculum. Teachers recognise that assessment and planning can be further strengthened and have identified appropriate next steps.
The previous ERO report identified that the association needed to improve appraisal processes to better support teaching and leadership capability. These continue to require strengthening. A recently revised appraisal model has the potential to better support the development of teachers and leaders. The head teacher at East Harbour Kindergarten has been pro-active in strengthening appraisal for teachers. Deliberate, intentional support is contributing to enhanced teaching practice.
Children at East Harbour Kindergarten have opportunities to learn about Aotearoa New Zealand’s dual cultural heritage.
Teachers and association leaders acknowledge they need to build their capability to be more responsive to Māori children’s culture, language and identities. This includes strengthening relationships with mana whenua and making greater use of Ka Hikitia- Accelerating Success 2013 - 2017 and Tātaiako: Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners.
The senior teacher provides termly written reports that outline agreed development priorities and progress in relation to the quality of teaching and learning. The association has recently implemented new reports that should more deliberately focus on outcomes for children, teacher and leader performance. ERO's evaluation affirms this development.
The senior teacher, head teacher, staff and ERO agree on the following key next steps for East Harbour Kindergarten:
continuing to embed and refine systems and processes to strengthen the quality of teaching and learning. These include assessment of children’s learning, staff appraisal and self review.
The senior management team of He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua should continue to further improve processes for growing and developing the practice of developing teachers, head teachers and senior teachers. These should include:
Before the review, the staff and management of East Harbour 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.
When is ERO likely to review the service again?
The next ERO review of East Harbour Kindergarten will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
4 June 2015
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Location |
Eastbourne |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
5349 |
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Licence type |
Free Kindergarten |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
40 children aged over 2 years |
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Service roll |
78 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 46, Girls 32 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Pacific |
8 67 3 |
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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 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
February 2015 |
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Date of this report |
4 June 2015 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) These are available at www.ero.govt.nz |
Education Review |
January 2012 |
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Education Review |
April 2008 |
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Education Review |
August 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.
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.
East Harbour Kindergarten is affiliated to the Wellington Region Free Kindergarten Association (the association). The association has a governing board and a general manager. The general manager is the licensee of the kindergarten. The association employs a team of senior teachers, one of whom is responsible for leading the professional support and advice and guidance to the teaching team. She also liaises with the kindergarten community.
The programme, interactions and environment reflect the values and aspirations written in the kindergarten team philosophy statement. Parents are welcomed warmly. Many stay to share time with their children. Teachers seek and value parent feedback about and input into kindergarten activities. The atmosphere is inclusive and interactions indicate a strong sense of belonging and ownership.
Relationships are positive and respectful. Teachers are gentle and responsive to children’s interests and needs. They make the most of opportunities to support and extend children’s learning, engaging in stimulating conversations.
Children are contented and confident learners who show high levels of cooperation and independence. They are able to persist in their play and establish and maintain relationships with others. Well established routines provide good support for children’s developing self-management skills. Expectations for behaviour are clear. The atmosphere is calm and settled.
The attractive setting invites enthusiastic participation. Both the extensively developed outdoor environment and the indoor area have a wide range of resources for children to access and explore.
Teachers effectively implement a child-centred programme. They work hard to identify and cater for individuals and different groups of children. The broad curriculum provides for creative and imaginative play and inquiry.
Early literacy and numeracy development is valued and evident in the programme and environment. Both literacy and numeracy concepts are integrated in meaningful contexts related to play or current interests. Many children competently articulate ideas and share knowledge with others.
Staff have set appropriate priorities for further development. These include building a team approach to integration of bicultural practices within the programme and increasing understanding of self review.
ERO is likely to review the service again in three years.
Before the review, the management of East Harbour Kindergarten was invited to consider its priorities for review using guidelines and resources provided by ERO. ERO also used documentation provided by the centre to contribute to the scope of the review.
The detailed priorities for review were then determined following a discussion between the ERO review team and the management and staff. This discussion focused on existing information held by the centre (including self-review information) and the extent to which potential issues for review contributed to positive outcomes for children atEast Harbour Kindergarten.
All ERO education reviews in early childhood focus on the quality of education. For ERO this includes the quality of:
In addition, ERO decided to evaluate:
ERO’s findings in these areas are set out below
Since the 2008 ERO review, the kindergarten has been relicensed as a full-day service with a teacher-to-child ratio of one to ten. The teaching team comprises a head teacher and four teachers, one of whom is provisionally registered. Two teachers joined the kindergarten this year. Environment upgrades include considerable development of the outdoor area.
Interactions interactions between teachers and children and among children are positive and respectful. Teachers engage with children warmly and are responsive to recognised interests and needs. They make the most of opportunities to support and extend learning, engaging in stimulating conversations.
Children are contented and confident learners who show high levels of cooperation and independence. They are able to persist in their play for sustained periods. Well established routines provide good support for children’s developing self-management skills. Expectations for behaviour are clear. The atmosphere is calm and settled.
Environment The attractive environment invites enthusiastic exploration. The extensively developed outdoor and indoor play areas are well resourced. Attention is given to aesthetics, nature and natural materials. Many displays and photographs provide rich opportunities for children and adults to be informed, to reflect on recent work and their participation in kindergarten events. The environment is clearly regarded as a third teacher for children.
Assessment, planning and evaluation Teachers successfully implement a child-centred programme. They work hard to identify and cater for individuals and different groups of children. The broad curriculum provides for creative and imaginative play and challenging, investigative learning. Teachers use Te Manawa, the criteria for curriculum implementation, to effectively document learning and planning for children. Displays of emerging group activities clearly illustrate the programme in action. Analysis of outcomes shows the learning that has occurred.
Teachers meet regularly to plan programmes. They share observations, learning stories and their knowledge of children and families. They discuss and record how they will meet, extend and prolong the emerging interests of children.
Children’s profile books are well presented, informative and provide a good record of their learning and involvement in activities. Teacher and child perspectives are evident in written observations that, over time, record skill development, next steps and achievement. Profiles are accessible to children who enjoy looking at these and revisiting previous experiences.
Literacy and mathematics Early literacy and numeracy learning is valued and celebrated. High quality experiences are interwoven meaningfully through the programme and environment. Many children competently share ideas and knowledge with others.
Transition to school Children and their families are carefully prepared for transition to school. This includes reciprocal exchanges of teachers, sharing assessment information and children visiting new entrant classes.
Parent Partnerships An inclusive family atmosphere and community spirit underpin the life of the kindergarten. Parents are warmly welcomed and many stay to spend time with their children. Staff seek and value their feedback about, and input into, kindergarten activities. A strong sense of belonging and ownership is displayed by children, parents and teachers.
The head teacher and her comparatively new team have set the following priorities:
ERO’s external evaluation concurs with these directions.
The 2008 ERO review of the association identified several strengths, including the provision of professional development, sound operation plans, support for property development and the use of a range of communication strategies to keep teachers and communities informed. Areas for improvement included the quality and depth of the written feedback given to teachers by the senior teacher and strengthening the appraisal process.
Since 2008, the association has led consultation with the community to modify session times and improve the ratio of teachers to children from 1:15 to 1:10 and maintained its policy of employing qualified, registered teachers in regulated permanent positions.
The association provides expectations and guidance to the kindergarten through its strategic plan, policies and procedures and more recently, the professional development strategy Te Manawa: Criteria for Curriculum Implementation.
The association continues to provide high levels of guidance and support to teachers for the continuous improvement of teaching and learning. These include:
The association, senior teachers and ERO have identified areas where the association can strengthen its support for teachers. These include:
ERO provides information about the education system as a whole through its national reports. This information will be used as the basis for long term and systemic educational improvement.
As part of this review ERO evaluated the extent to which:
Transition into the kindergarten is well managed.Considerable importance is placed on the need for inclusivity to nurture children’s sense of well-being and belonging.Movement from one age group to another is thoughtfully considered and focuses on helping children settle in with flexible routines.
Teachers work in close partnership with family members to access external services to meet children’s needs and offer targeted support with effective strategies. This results in a shared, forward-looking focus on children.
Teachers, parents and education support workers have good relationships. All children are encouraged to welcome and support each other and build friendships.
Before the review, the staff of East Harbour Kindergarten completed an ERO CentreAssurance Statement andSelf-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 documentation, including policies, procedures and records of recent use of procedures. ERO also checked elements of the following areas that have a potentially high impact on outcomes for children:
ERO and the kindergarten leaders agree that the priorities for development and review are those outlined in the report.
ERO is likely to review the service again in three years.
Kathleen Atkins
National Manager Review Services
Central Region
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Type |
All Day Kindergarten |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Centres) Regulations 1998 |
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Number licensed for |
40 children over 2 years of age |
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Roll number |
80 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 41, Girls 39 |
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Ethnic composition |
NZ European/Pākehā 63, Māori 2, Other ethnic groups 15 |
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Review team on site |
October 2011 |
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Date of this report |
13 January 2012 |
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Previous three ERO reports |
Education Review April 2008 Education Review August 2005 Accountability Review August 1998 |
These are the findings of the Education Review Office’s latest report on East Harbour Kindergarten.
East Harbour Kindergarten is affiliated to the Wellington Region Free Kindergarten Association (the association). The association has a governing board and a general manager. The general manager is the licensee of the kindergarten. The association employs a team of senior teachers, one of whom is responsible for leading the professional support and advice and guidance to the teaching team. She also liaises with the kindergarten community.
The programme, interactions and environment reflect the values and aspirations written in the kindergarten team philosophy statement. Parents are welcomed warmly. Many stay to share time with their children. Teachers seek and value parent feedback about and input into kindergarten activities. The atmosphere is inclusive and interactions indicate a strong sense of belonging and ownership.
Relationships are positive and respectful. Teachers are gentle and responsive to children’s interests and needs. They make the most of opportunities to support and extend children’s learning, engaging in stimulating conversations.
Children are contented and confident learners who show high levels of cooperation and independence. They are able to persist in their play and establish and maintain relationships with others. Well established routines provide good support for children’s developing self-management skills. Expectations for behaviour are clear. The atmosphere is calm and settled.
The attractive setting invites enthusiastic participation. Both the extensively developed outdoor environment and the indoor area have a wide range of resources for children to access and explore.
Teachers effectively implement a child-centred programme. They work hard to identify and cater for individuals and different groups of children. The broad curriculum provides for creative and imaginative play and inquiry.
Early literacy and numeracy development is valued and evident in the programme and environment. Both literacy and numeracy concepts are integrated in meaningful contexts related to play or current interests. Many children competently articulate ideas and share knowledge with others.
Staff have set appropriate priorities for further development. These include building a team approach to integration of bicultural practices within the programme and increasing understanding of self review.
ERO is likely to review the service again in three years.
When ERO has reviewed an early childhood centre we encourage management to inform their community of any follow up action they plan to take. You should talk to the management or contact person if you have any questions about this evaluation, the full ERO report or their future intentions.
If you would like a copy of the full report, please contact the centre or see the ERO website, http://www.ero.govt.nz.
Kathleen Atkins
National Manager Review Services
Central Region