- ERO evaluates and reports on the education and care of children and young people in early childhood services and schools.
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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.
Kereru Kindy was previously known as Kowhai Kids. It provides a service for families from Wellsford and its surrounding rural communities. The centre is licensed for up to 25 children over the age of two years and as most children attend part time, currently has 44 children on its roll. It operates in an adapted residential house on a large section that provides a spacious and interesting learning environment for children.
The owners manage the centre and employ a part-time administrator for day-to-day matters. The teaching team is led by a well-qualified and experienced head teacher. The centre’s philosophy statement clearly expresses a commitment to providing a caring, inclusive service that focuses on relationships with families and the community. Teachers respond to individual children’s interests to foster their curiosity and support their learning, and promote the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand. ERO’s 2012 report identified many positive features in the centre and these have been sustained.
The principles of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, are well reflected in practice. Children are well cared for and supported in their learning. They play independently and in cooperative groups. Trusting relationships are established and children and their families have a sense of belonging and security in the centre. Parents appreciate the comfortable, welcoming and inclusive atmosphere and spend time at the centre with their children. There is a calm, unhurried tone as children engage in the variety of activities available.
Children develop confidence to negotiate and direct their play ideas. They make good use of the indoor resources and spaces as well as the deck and outdoor environment. The outdoor area provides physical challenges, gardens, a mud kitchen and flexible resources to support child-directed play. Teachers continually consider ways to adapt and enrich the learning environments to respond to children’s emerging interests, capabilities and ideas. Their teaching priorities, such as literacy, and learning about te reo and te ao Māori, are visible in the environment.
Teachers respond well to children’s interests and support them to investigate, revisit and extend their ideas. They plan learning experiences that extend children’s understanding about the world around them. Teachers recognise and celebrate the learning that occurs through children’s imaginative and creative play and share this information with whānau in a variety of useful ways.
Teachers work well together as a team. They keep very good records of children’s learning and how it evolves over time. Teachers have established an effective process for identifying and evaluating their own role in supporting learning. The head teacher models good practice and leads a culture of continual reflection about how to improve provision for children. Teachers are making use of external support and are enthusiastic about building their confidence in using te reo Māori as a natural part of everyday programmes.
Children’s individual learning journals reflect teachers’ growing partnerships with parents, and their focus on fostering positive dispositions for learning. This focus supports smooth transitions for children when they move on to school. Teachers agree that it would be worthwhile to review their planning for the Kiwi Club for the older children, so that it focuses less on simple skills, aligns better with the centre’s philosophy, and promotes meaningful extended learning.
The owners have established clear and relevant strategic goals, and plans for their achievement. They make good use of external advice to support centre development. Teachers consider parents’ aspirations and the community as part of their review and planning for improvement. The centre is well placed to consolidate good practices and to enrich its provision for children’s care and education.
The owner and head teacher have identified appropriate next steps for centre development, including:
Before the review, the staff and management of Kereru Kindy 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 Kereru Kindy will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
26 November 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 |
Wellsford |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
45423 |
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Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
25 children, including up to 0 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
44 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 25 Boys 19 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā |
3 41 |
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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 |
1:9 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
November 2015 |
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Date of this report |
26 November 2015 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
October 2012 |
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.