100 Melbourne Road, Island Bay, Wellington
View on mapHow well placed is Island Bay Kindergarten to promote positive learning outcomes for children?
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
With ongoing targeted support from the association, Island Bay Kindergarten is well placed to promote positive outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Island Bay 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. A new senior teacher has recently been appointed to Island Bay Kindergarten.
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 December 2011 ERO report for Island Bay Kindergarten identified areas that needed further development. The outdoor environment and teachers’ use of purposeful conversations promoting learning have been addressed. The bicultural curriculum, self review and assessment practices continue to need 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. These feature as key next steps in this report. The alignment of individual kindergartens' annual plans with the association’s strategic priorities has now been appropriately addressed.
Since the previous ERO review, the two separate licences making up Island Bay Kindergarten have been combined. This merger includes the teaching teams. Hours of operation have changed and a mixed-age programme operates daily. A playgroup is offered within the morning session from Monday to Thursday.
This review was part of a cluster of 16 reviews in the He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua kindergartens.
The kindergarten needs to undertake significant work to further implement its curriculum effectively. ERO has confidence that with the support of the senior teacher and the association, staff are well placed to make the necessary improvements.
Aspects of the philosophy are evident in practice. The implementation of Te Manawa should be further strengthened to enable teachers at Island Bay Kindergarten to respond to and promote successful outcomes for all children. The merging of the two licences has led to some operational decisions which are not yet effectively supporting all children’s learning. It is timely now to review the present programme to enhance children's learning opportunities.
Assessment, planning and evaluation practices have improved since the previous ERO review. They now require further strengthening to support greater consistency amongst teachers in capturing and responding to children’s cultures, interests and previous learning.
Self review for improvement has developed since the previous ERO review. It has become embedded practice and led to some positive changes in the kindergarten. A new process has recently been introduced. This has increased staff participation and ownership. Teachers have identified they need to continue to strengthen this new process. ERO‘s evaluation affirms this ongoing focus.
Children at Island Bay Kindergarten have some opportunities to learn about Aotearoa New Zealand’s dual cultural heritage. A key next step is for teachers to seek support from the association to further develop the bicultural curriculum. This was an area for development in the previous ERO report.
Association leaders acknowledge that they need to build teachers’ capability to be responsive to Māori children’s culture, language and identity. This development should include establishing relationships with mana whenua and making use of Ministry of Education resources such as, Ka Hikitia - Accelerating Success 2013 - 2017 and Tātaiako: Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners.
ERO observed teachers using some effective practices to engage children in the programme. Established links with local schools have been sustained and help to promote experiences that assist children and their families as they move on to school. Children show independence and care and concern for one another.
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 previous ERO report identified that the association needed to improve the appraisal process. This continues to require strengthening. A recently revised appraisal model, yet to be implemented, includes: more focused goals that build teacher and leader capability; more regular and targeted feedback and feed forward about teaching practice; and clearer links with the Registered Teacher Criteria.
The senior teacher, head teacher and staff should strengthen the implementation of Te Manawa by:
The senior management team of He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua should continue to further improve processes for growing and developing the practice of teachers, head teachers and senior teachers. These should include:
Before the review, the staff and management of Island Bay 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.
Since the on-site phase of the review, the kindergarten has addressed concerns ERO had about documentation related to accidents to children and fire and earthquake drills. The service provider must ensure that these recent improvements to practice are maintained.
The next ERO review of Island Bay Kindergarten will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
22 June 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.
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Location |
Island Bay, Wellington |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
60087 |
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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 |
60 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
148 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 74, Girls 74 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Other ethnic groups |
8 127 13 |
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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 |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
April 2015 |
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Date of this report |
22 June 2015 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) These are available at www.ero.govt.nz |
Education Review |
December 2011 |
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Education Review |
May 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.
Kura Pepe O Tapu Te Ranga Island Bay 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 service provider contact person for 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 kindergarten caters for children between the ages of six months and five years. It works closely with the adjacent Kura Tamaiti O Tapu Te Ranga Island Bay Kindergarten sharing the site and head teacher. The hours of the service were restructured at the beginning of 2011 following community consultation. This provides parents with a variety of choices when selecting early childhood education.
Children are calm and settled within the positive learning environments. Routines and expectations are well understood by children and contribute to their well-being. Children freely access a range of resources to support their current interests. They are able to pursue sustained, independent and cooperative play. Teachers provide good support for children to make choices about their play and transition within and beyond the kindergarten.
Teachers have developed a consistent, shared process for planning. This enables children’s strengths, needs and interests to emerge and develop. They reflect on the programme, identify children’s learning and consider actions and strategies to better support children.
Portfolios provide detailed individualised records of children's involvement in the programme. These records identify elements of learning and development, celebrate successes and are readily accessible for parents to share in their children’s learning and to promote learning partnerships.
The head teacher is effectively leading change. She is taking a strategic approach to the implementation of consistent practices that enhance the quality of teaching and learning.
Teachers work collaboratively to develop a professional learning community. They have a shared vision and goals. These provide a good basis for self review. Management and staff have identified, and are progressively working on, areas for development and review. These include the strengthening of self review, and assessment, planning and evaluation practices. ERO’s external evaluation concurs with these developments.
ERO is likely to review the service again in three years.
Before the review, the management of Kura Pepe O Tapu Te Ranga Island Bay 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 atKura Pepe O Tapu Te Ranga Island Bay 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.
The kindergarten is one of two licensed early childhood services sharing the same site that offer different session times. In 2011 a change in the management structure resulted in the appointment of a senior head teacher who oversees both services. Two sessions are run on the Kura Pepe site.
The first is known as Isola, which runs from 8.30 to 11.00 am each day and is run similarly to a playgroup. Parents and caregivers attend the Isola playgroup with their children. Provision is made for up to six children to attend without a significant adult accompanying them.
The second is a four hour daily kindergarten session for children from three to five years old from 11.00 am to 3.10 pm, referred to as Kura Pepe.
Interactions
Children cooperate well and regularly support each other as they engage in exploration and creative activities. They are friendly and inclusive. Children confidently communicate with their teachers and each other.
Teachers promote positive, caring, respectful interactions with and between children. They are responsive to children’s interests and support them to manage their learning. Staff members work well as a coordinated team to effectively provide for children’s needs. Use of te reo Māori is evident in conversations, instructions, and in routines. Some good quality teacher interactions support children’s developing interests and make connections to earlier learning experiences.
Provision for infants and toddlers Teachers working with infants and toddlers in the Isola playgroup model high quality interactions. They structure the programme and routines to follow the natural rhythms of children in their care. Planning is well displayed to make information clear and available to parents.
Learning Environment
Children are calm and settled within the positive learning environments. They are able to self select from a wide range of resources which allows for sustained, independent and cooperative play. Teachers further support learning through purposefully selected resources and by responding to children’s requests for additional equipment. Routines and expectations are well understood.
Children have a variety of choices for messy, creative and active play and freely pursue their interests. Afternoon access to the neighbouring Kura Tamaiti environment provides children with increased opportunities for interaction and learning.
Parent and Whānau Partnerships Staff demonstrate a high level of commitment to engage with parents and whānau to share information about children. Parents are made to feel welcome and teachers value their contributions.
Programme
Teachers are developing a consistent, shared process for planning. This process enables children’s strengths, needs and interests to emerge and develop. Opportunities for regular dialogue and communication allow teachers to reflect on the programme, identify children’s learning and consider actions and strategies to support children's growth. Teachers appropriately promote children's developing physical and social skills.
The use of te reo Māori is evident in the kindergarten and teachers are being supported to share their strengths and build capacity in te reo me ngā tikanga Māori across the kindergarten.
Portfolios provide individualised records of children's involvement in the programme, identify elements of learning and development, and celebrate successes. These are readily accessible, allowing parents and whānau to share in their children’s learning and promote learning partnerships.
Teachers effectively focus on building common practices across the kindergarten to ease children's transitions within the kindergarten and between learning activities. They have strengthened relationships with local schools and formalised the process for transition to school to foster children's familiarity with new environments and practices.
The head teacher effectively leads change. She demonstrates a strategic approach to the development of consistent practices across the kindergarten. A focus on enhancing the quality of teaching and learning drives improvement. The expanded appraisal process provides effective support for teachers to develop their capability and professional responsibilities in line with the kindergarten’s vision and priorities.
Teachers work collaboratively within a developing professional learning community. They engage positively in regular opportunities to examine and discuss their practice. Professional readings and information are sourced and shared to build understanding of effective practice and support ongoing development to improve outcomes for children.
Self review A considered approach to establishing effective self-review practices across the kindergarten is underway. The practice statement clearly articulates a shared vision and aims for the kindergarten, and provides a basis for self review. Teachers engage in reflective examination of their practices to determine priorities for improvement.
Management and staff have identified the need to:
ERO’s evaluation affirms these directions.
To strengthen bicultural aspects of the programme further engagement with whānau is needed to ascertain aspirations and enrich connections within the community.
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:
There are no children with moderate to severe special needs currently enrolled in this service. Kindergarten staff have demonstrated effective communication with families and support agencies to provide a positive and responsive approach to the care needs for individuals previously enrolled.
Before the review, the staff of Kura Pepe O Tapu Te Ranga Island Bay 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 Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to10 aged under 2 |
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Roll number |
84 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 42, Boys 42 |
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Ethnic composition |
NZ European/Pākehā 70, Asian 4, Māori 3, Other ethnic groups 7 |
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Review team on site |
September 2011 |
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Date of this report |
12 December 2011 |
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Previous ERO report |
Education Review May 2008 |
These are the findings of the Education Review Office’s latest report on Kura Pepe O Tapu Te Ranga Island Bay Kindergarten.
Kura Pepe O Tapu Te Ranga Island Bay 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 service provider contact person for 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 kindergarten caters for children between the ages of six months and five years. It works closely with the adjacent Kura Tamaiti O Tapu Te Ranga Island Bay Kindergarten sharing the site and head teacher. The hours of the service were restructured at the beginning of 2011 following community consultation. This provides parents with a variety of choices when selecting early childhood education.
Children are calm and settled within the positive learning environments. Routines and expectations are well understood by children and contribute to their well-being. Children freely access a range of resources to support their current interests. They are able to pursue sustained, independent and cooperative play. Teachers provide good support for children to make choices about their play and transition within and beyond the kindergarten.
Teachers have developed a consistent, shared process for planning. This enables children’s strengths, needs and interests to emerge and develop. They reflect on the programme, identify children’s learning and consider actions and strategies to better support children.
Portfolios provide detailed individualised records of children's involvement in the programme. These records identify elements of learning and development, celebrate successes and are readily accessible for parents to share in their children’s learning and to promote learning partnerships.
The head teacher is effectively leading change. She is taking a strategic approach to the implementation of consistent practices that enhance the quality of teaching and learning.
Teachers work collaboratively to develop a professional learning community. They have a shared vision and goals. These provide a good basis for self review. Management and staff have identified, and are progressively working on, areas for development and review. These include the strengthening of self review, and assessment, planning and evaluation practices. ERO’s external evaluation concurs with these developments.
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