Mayfield Road, Glenfield, 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.
Glenfield Kindergarten is part of the Auckland Kindergarten Association (AKA), which provides a governance and management framework and support personnel to assist the kindergarten. It is licensed to provide education and care for 40 children aged over two years. It is staffed by four qualified teachers and a teacher aide. The Kindergarten Day Model (KDM) allows children to attend sessions that are similar to school hours.
The kindergarten's recently reviewed teaching philosophy clearly outlines the team's commitment to providing a service that acknowledges Te Tiriti o Waitangi and recognises the unique place of Māori as tangata whenua. Teachers are also committed to recognising and celebrating the ways that the diversity of their community enriches their kindergarten. Glenfield Kindergarten is working with the Kaipatiki Community of Learning|Kāhui Ako (CoL) to build continuity of learning between the service and CoL schools.
The Kindergarten has a very positive reporting history with ERO. The 2013 ERO report noted positive practices that have been maintained, including teachers' responsiveness to children and the influence of the Enviroschools programme. ERO also identified ways that teachers could improve their self review. There has been good progress in these areas.
This review was part of a cluster of 10 kindergarten reviews in the Auckland Kindergarten Association.
Children arrive with a family member and these adults often help their children to sign in and settle at their first activity. Teachers welcome parents and children and engage them in conversation to help them reconnect with the environment. These positive and sensitive relationships help families to feel a sense of belonging and children to have a sense of ownership of their kindergarten.
Tuakana teina relationships are apparent in the way that children are encouraged to help each other and older children teach their younger peers. Teachers skilfully encourage children to think for themselves and at deeper levels. They empower children to make decisions in their play, to take appropriate risks and to solve problems. Teachers encourage parents and whānau to be part of their children's play.
Children play in an environment that is influenced by a strong literacy and mathematics curriculum and an awareness of the natural environment. This science focus encourages children to respect and take increased responsibility for their world. Children learn within the bicultural context of Aotearoa New Zealand while distinctly valuing and referencing other cultures.
Teachers meet regularly to plan a thoughtfully constructed curriculum. They plan programmes based on children's interests, strengths and aspirations. These interests and strengths are used by teachers to respond to and extend children's learning dispositions. Teachers make sense of children's learning by relating it to the strands ofTe Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and to recognised Maori values and concepts. Resources are purposefully acquired to build learning opportunities through children's play.
Teachers develop comprehensive learning journey records for each child, in digital online form and in individual assessment portfolios. Māori concepts are woven throughout these portfolios, relating learning progress to valued outcomes. Clear continuity of learning dispositions, including social and creative development can be seen in the learning journey records of individual children.
The head teacher knows her staff well and is developing shared understandings about good practice. Teachers' interests and strengths are recognised and form part of the team's combined capabilities and shared leadership strategy.
Teachers have worked together to develop a long-term plan with objectives that are based on their collaborative thinking. They are deliberate in their approach to internal evaluation and systematically plan self review through inquiry approaches. Teachers continually evaluate processes and outcomes, with a focus on ongoing improvement.
AKA systems for monitoring and promoting improvement in kindergarten operations are well established. Kindergarten operations are guided by a comprehensive strategic plan and a shared vision, linked to the AKA strategic goals. The Association continues to review and refine its policies and procedures, including those for teacher appraisal and the endorsement of teachers’ practising certificates.
New AKA roles have been established to provide more targeted support for head teachers in their leadership and management roles. A Quality Improvement Process (QIP) is aligned with AKA and kindergarten strategic plans, is informed by ongoing internal evaluation, monitors quality and promotes continual improvement in kindergartens. AKA support and guidance are responsive to each kindergarten’s individual context.
Teachers and AKA personnel recognise that to enhance current high quality practices in the kindergarten, the teaching team could continue to:
support children to explore their unique cultural identities in New Zealand's bicultural context
build learning partnerships with parents
work with local schools to support children as they transition to school.
Before the review, the staff and management of Glenfield 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.
The next ERO review of Glenfield Kindergarten will be in four years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
15 March 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.
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Location |
Glenfield, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
5052 |
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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, over 2 years of age |
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Service roll |
56 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 28 Girls 28 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Indian Filipino Chinese Sri Lankan Korean Iraqi Japanese Tongan other |
5 14 9 5 4 4 3 2 2 2 6 |
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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 |
December 2016 |
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Date of this report |
15 March 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s)
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Education Review |
August 2013 |
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Education Review |
March 2010 |
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Education Review |
September 2006 |
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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 |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Glenfield Kindergarten on Auckland’s North Shore provides for a community of diverse cultures, socio economic levels and family structures. The kindergarten operates as part of the Auckland Kindergarten Association (AKA). The association provides policy, procedural and operating guidelines. It also provides teachers with regular, topical professional development and on-going support from professional managers. The kindergarten moved to a full day model early in 2011 resulting in increased staffing and a new teaching team that has developed a shared philosophy.
Since the 2010 ERO report the kindergarten has become strongly influenced by the Enviroschools programme. It is working at forging stronger links with its community to encourage more effective collaboration and whānau involvement in the kindergarten’s programme.
This review was part of a cluster of 10 kindergarten reviews in the Auckland Kindergarten Association.
Children play cooperatively and enjoy learning together. They demonstrate a strong sense of belonging and develop friendships and social competence. Relationships at all levels are valued as a foundation for positive learning. Children explore the world around them and are developing an awareness of their own culture and other cultures.
Children are inquisitive and confident learners who take responsibility for themselves and others. They use their literacy and numeracy knowledge and skills as they play and are developing their independence. Children learn through the Enviroschools philosophy, which helps them to appreciate the natural world.
Teachers and children have positive and responsive interactions. Children’s contributions to conversations are encouraged, accepted and respected. Teachers involve children in decisions that affect them. Teachers listen, question deeply and are responsive to children as they learn.
Teachers provide a good quality programme underpinned by effective planning systems that are based on noticing and responding to the emerging interests of children. Weekly planning meetings are used to review and collaboratively plan the next stages in the linked and extended learning. Teachers integrate literacy and numeracy into children’s play in a purposeful way.
Teachers value their partnerships with whānau and are considering how to involve their families more in the kindergarten. Teachers seek ways to maintain children’s connections to their first languages and cultures. Aspects of te reo and tikanga Māori are included naturally in the programme.
The kindergarten works closely with AKA personnel who provide support and advice as this new team develops collaborative practices.
The teaching team and ERO agree that the next steps for teachers include:
Before the review, the staff and management of Glenfield 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 Glenfield Kindergarten will be in three years.
Graham Randell
National Manager Review Services Northern Region (Acting)
14 August 2013
|
Location |
Glenfield, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
5052 |
||
|
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 |
50 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 25 Girls 25 |
||
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Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Filipino Indian Chinese Japanese Korean Sri Lankan Tongan Samoan other |
9 12 6 4 3 3 2 2 2 1 6 |
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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 |
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Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
June 2013 |
||
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Date of this report |
14 August 2013 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
March 2010 |
|
|
Education Review |
September 2006 |
||
|
Education Review |
October 2003 |
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.