Riverside Road, Orewa
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Orewa Beach Kindergarten is very well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Orewa Beach Kindergarten, previously known as Hibiscus Coast Kindergarten, is one of 15 early childhood services operating under the umbrella of the Northern Auckland Kindergarten Association, (the association) now trading as Kaitiaki Kindergartens. The service is licensed for 40 children aged over two years and serves a diverse ethnic community. Of the 58 children enrolled, 10 are Māori. Daily sessions are for a mixed-age group of children from three-to-five years. The kindergarten has been in operation for 50 years.
A governing board sets strategic directions for the association. Management of the association’s affairs is the responsibility of the general manager (GM). Two professional practice leaders (PPL's) have oversight of teaching and learning, compliance, policy development and leadership. Day-to-day operation in this kindergarten is the responsibility of the head teacher who leads a team of five registered teachers.
Since the June 2015 ERO report, there has been turnover of personnel at management and senior leadership levels. All teachers at the kindergarten are long serving.
The philosophy underpinning teaching and learning emphasises the value of whakawhanaungatanga (family/connections), manaakitanga (respect) and ako (learning). The natural environment and sustainable practices are a major focus of learning programmes and activities. The kindergarten has been awarded the Enviroschool status of silver.
Orewa Beach Kindergarten is a member of the Orewa Kāhui Ako l Community of Learning.
ERO's evaluation findings in 2016 identified the need to strengthen opportunities for children to develop critical thinking skills, reflect Māori and Pacific cultural identities in assessment documentation, grow staff leadership, and evaluate the effectiveness of teaching strategies. Progress against these next steps for improvement is evident.
This review is one of nine in the Northern Auckland Free Kindergarten Association.
Children confidently participate in activities and play experiences for sustained periods. The inclusive, richly-resourced learning environments promote genuine interactions based on respect, trust and a willingness to learn. Interactions with children are warm and highly responsive. Teachers effectively allow children the space and time to develop and test their thinking, with the use of natural and open-ended resources. Children's participation in learning experiences is captured, revisited and used as a platform for further curiosity and discovery.
The philosophy underpinning the service's values and beliefs reflects the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa. The valued learning outcomes described in the philosophy are highly evident in practice. Children are very engaged and self-motivated. Literacy, science, mathematics and the arts are integrated into the programme in meaningful ways. Environmental sustainability is effectively practised, and children are actively involved in promoting this.
All children's cultures are highly visible and celebrated throughout the learning environment and programme. This focus needs to be more consistently included in children's planning and assessment documentation. Teachers actively promote te reo Māori through waiata and karakia. The team has ongoing support from the Orewa Kāhui Ako to continue to develop language acquisition.
The teaching team is reflective and improvement focused. Group planning is well considered, meaningful and evaluated. Children's individual portfolios record useful information about their interests, skills, learning and engagement in a rich curriculum. Teachers know children well. Parents' aspirations are regularly sought and valued. These need to be more deliberately included in planning and assessment documentation.
Children's sense of belonging is well supported during and after transition into and within the service. Relationships with local primary schools are well established. Parents are well informed through transition-to-school information evenings. Teachers liaise with parents and outside agencies, as appropriate, to best support the learning and wellbeing of children with diverse needs.
The head teacher effectively leads the teaching team. She has high expectations of teachers and supports their professional practice. Opportunities for leadership are provided.
Internal evaluation is well understood. The kindergarten has a sound framework to support relevant and meaningful internal evaluation. It encourages teachers to reflect, review and improve their practice. This leads to positive learning outcomes for children. Continuing to embed and refine the framework is a key next step.
The association has some good processes in place to support teachers. These include an improved inquiry-based appraisal, targeted learning and development opportunities, and access to the guidance of PPL's. Assisting teachers to implement and embed the new policy framework and reporting requirements, and deciding on the form and function of the PPL role and how this will be enacted in kindergartens, are priorities.
With the appointment of a new board, GM and leadership team, considerable work has been done to review the existing management structures, processes and guidelines for operation, and to improve accountability. In consultation with teachers and the community, the board and GM should continue to review and develop governance and operational roles and responsibilities to support the sustainability of operations and ensure continuous improvement for children.
Leaders and teachers agree that strengthening aspects of the assessment of planning, and continuing to embed and refine internal evaluation for improvement, will further promote positive learning outcomes for children.
Before the review, the staff and management of Orewa Beach 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.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region - Te Tai Raki
26 March 2020
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 |
Orewa |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
5022 |
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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 |
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Service roll |
58 |
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Gender composition |
Female 31, Male 27 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
10 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
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 |
November 2019 |
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Date of this report |
26 March 2020 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
April 2016 |
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|
Education Review |
December 2012 |
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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 will depend on how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
Very well placed
Well placed
Requires further development
Not well placed
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.
Hibiscus Coast Kindergarten is part of the Northern Auckland Kindergarten Association, Te Matōpū Kura o Te Tai Tokerau. The Association provides support and an organisational framework for 15 services. The Association’s management team comprises the general manager and two teaching services managers (TSMs), as well as development and finance managers. Teachers and whānau are represented on the Association’s board.
The kindergarten is well established and provides a service for the families of Orewa and its surrounding rural community. Many families have longstanding relationships with the kindergarten. The service has strong connections with local schools, which helps to smooth transitions to school for children. The service is licensed for up to 40 children over two years of age. Forty children attend in the mornings and 20 children stay all day. The children come from an increasingly diverse community. Almost one fifth of the children are of Māori descent.
The teaching team is made up of both long serving and recently appointed, fully registered teachers. Since the 2012 ERO review, a new head teacher and two new teachers have been appointed. The kindergarten's philosophy is based on the values of whanaungatanga, manaakitanga and ako, and has a strong focus on environmental sustainability.
The 2012 ERO report identified many positive features of the service. Children were competent and confident learners, and teachers engaged children in frequent, affirming conversations. These good features have been sustained.
The 2012 report also identified that self-review processes and children's assessment records needed to be strengthened. This review finds that planning, evaluation and assessment practices have evolved with changes in the teaching team. Teachers have used self review well to sustain and improve established good practices.
This review was part of a cluster of four kindergarten reviews in the Northern Auckland Kindergarten Association.
The long-term relationships many families have had with the kindergarten contribute to children's strong sense of belonging. Children are settled and confident. They play well, both independently and cooperatively, using resources flexibly to extend their play. They have good opportunities to develop early literacy skills. They experiment with writing and enjoy books. Children encourage each other and confidently engage in a wide range of play areas. They are independent and are developing good selfmanagement skills.
Teachers are welcoming and inclusive. They prioritise strategies that will enable children to become independent, capable learners who work well with others and actively explore their environment. Teachers are respectful in their conversations with children, acknowledging their competence and supporting them to make their own decisions. Through their relationships with families, teachers know about children's backgrounds and provide resources that support their sense of belonging and identity. Children learn about environmental sustainability and have many opportunities for physical challenge.
Teachers are responsive to children's interests and strengths. They discuss children's assessments and strategies to extend their learning at staff meetings. There are good examples of assessment that show how well teachers know children. These records show children's dispositions and learning progress over time.
Parents/whānau are encouraged to be partners in their children’s learning, to contribute to the programme, and to enhance children's experiences at the kindergarten. Families have many opportunities to participate in the programme, contribute to reviews and be aware of their children’s progress. Digital communication is beginning to strengthen partnerships with parents, based on children's learning.
The new head teacher has led and modelled reflective practice. Teachers have a collaborative approach to building their capability and work well together as a team. Whānau are beginning to support the development of bicultural practices, including the use of te reo Māori in the kindergarten. The kindergarten's philosophy of whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, ako and environmental sustainability is evident in practice.
Association managers lead a culture of reflective and strategic thinking. They continually seek to strengthen systems for knowing about and enhancing the quality of provision for children, communities and staff. Managers are currently reviewing and developing several key systems and practices. These include strategic planning, teacher performance appraisal, and health and safety systems. They are working to strengthen links between quality assurance processes and indicators of best practice in early childhood education.
The teaching team has appropriately identified strategic priorities for development, building on their current areas of focus and good practice. Key next steps include:
completing the in-depth review that teachers are presently undertaking of how children's critical thinking can be further challenged through play
more explicitly documenting, in the portfolios of Māori and Pacific children, how their cultural identity is being acknowledged and responded to in order to better reflect the kindergarten's actual practice
more frequently recording planned teaching strategies and evaluating their effectiveness in responding to the interests and abilities of all children
continuing to grow the leadership of staff.
Before the review, the staff and management of Hibiscus Coast 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.
When is ERO likely to review the service again?
The next ERO review of Hibiscus Coast Kindergarten will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
15 April 2016
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 |
Orewa |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
5022 |
||
|
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 |
58 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 31 Girls 27 |
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|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Chinese other |
11 35 4 8 |
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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 |
February 2016 |
||
|
Date of this report |
15 April 2016 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
December 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
November 2009 |
||
|
Education Review |
December 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.