Khandallah Nursery School

Education institution number:
46894
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
40
Telephone:
Address:

3 Station Road, Khandallah, Wellington

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Khandallah Nursery School

1 ERO’s Judgements

Akarangi | Quality Evaluation evaluates the extent to which this early childhood service has the learning and organisational conditions to support equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners. Te Ara Poutama Indicators of quality for early childhood education: what matters most are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Judgements are made in relation to the Outcomes Indicators, Learning and Organisational Conditions. The Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.

ERO’s judgements for Khandallah Nursery School are as follows:

Outcome Indicators

(What the service knows about outcomes for learners)

Whakatō Emerging

Ngā Akatoro Domains

 

Learning Conditions
Organisational Conditions

Whāngai Establishing

Whakatō Emerging

2 Context of the Service

Khandallah Nursery School is one of four services under common private ownership. There has been a recent restructure of the governing organisation. A pedagogical leader oversees operation and practice. Day-to-day management is the role of a long-serving head teacher.

3 Summary of findings

Children’s mana and identity as successful learners are enhanced by the play-based curriculum, and attentive teachers. The strong focus on their developing interests, along with a culture of care, foster their wellbeing and sense of belonging. Relationships among staff and families are well established and responsive. The use of children’s home languages, including te reo Māori, is valued and integrated into teaching and learning.

Teachers and leaders have yet to build shared understandings about how the learning outcomes, in Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, are used in assessment. Teachers record detailed plans about activities to support children’s learning and development. Assessment records include some examples that show decisions about planning. The curriculum and teaching practices are informed by data about children’s learning, progress, and parents’ feedback.

Leaders and teachers are well supported by the pedagogical leader who has a strong focus on staff wellbeing, positive child outcomes, and promoting a sense of team. While a staff appraisal process is in place, management has not yet implemented the Teaching Council’s professional growth cycle. The team is at an early stage of building capability to do and use evaluation.

Progress in relation to the key next steps identified in ERO’s 2019 report is limited. It is imperative that measures are put in place to support sustained development focused on outcomes for children through the strategic plan. While te ao Māori is respected in the organisation, the importance of the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, expressed in the philosophy, is not sufficiently reflected in operation, guidelines, or practice.

4 Improvement actions

Khandallah Nursery School will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning. These are to:

  • continue to strengthen the design of the curriculum by deepening learning partnerships with parents; and building a team approach to planning the programme which recognises the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki as key

  • engage with relevant publications and people to continue to build shared understanding and implementation of Te Tiriti-based practices at all levels of the organisation      

  • build the teaching team’s capability to use internal evaluation as a tool to inform decision making about change and improvement

  • review systems for quality assurance, staff appraisal and support, and long-term planning to ensure that key requirements of operation and practice are consistently met and best outcomes for children promoted and sustained.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Khandallah Nursery School 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.

Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

19 July 2022

6 About the Early Childhood Service

Early Childhood Service Name

Khandallah Nursery School

Profile Number

46894

Location

Wellington

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

30 children, including up to 30 aged under 2

Percentage of qualified teachers

80-99%

Service roll

39

Ethnic composition

NZ European/Pākehā 27, Other ethnic groups 12

Review team on site

May 2022

Date of this report

19 July 2022

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, January 2019

Khandallah Nursery School - 16/01/2019

1 Evaluation of Khandallah Nursery School

How well placed is Khandallah Nursery School to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.

Background

Khandallah Nursery School is an early learning service privately owned by Life Learning Aotearoa Ltd located in Wellington. It provides education and care for 30 children, including 19 up to two years. At the time of the review there were 31 children enrolled, two who identify as Māori. Governance and management is undertaken by the umbrella organisation Little Schools.

The owner has a clear vision for the organisation and is responsible for setting overall strategic and policy direction. The management team comprises of three qualified and experienced early childhood and primary school teachers. Mentor teachers monitor the quality of teaching and learning and support teachers’ ongoing professional learning, growth and development. A head teacher has been appointed for the period of one year. There have been other staff changes.

The philosophy places importance on developing foundations for lifelong learning and enabling a smooth transition between this service, to other Little School centres and onto primary school.

This is the first report for Khandallah Nursery School.

The Review Findings

Children confidently engage in a range of teacher-designed activities or self-directed play. They have easy access to environments that are well resourced and encourage exploration. Teachers use a range of strategies to extend children's learning.

Learning opportunities for children are successfully promoted through care times and routines. Responsive caregiving is highly evident and supports infants to form secure attachments. In the toddlers' rooms there is a suitable focus on developing children's thinking, independence and social competence.

Nursery School's philosophy is currently under review. When completed the identified valued learning outcomes should be clearly evident in practice and all documentation.

Te reo me ngā tikanga Māori are evident in the environment. Te ao Māori is visible through written reo, artefacts and other resources. The diverse cultures of enrolled children are visible and valued within the programme.

Relationships with parents and their families are apparent. A range of strategies are used to regularly inform them about aspects of the programme. Aspirations are gathered and form the basis of their children's individual goals.

Programme planning effectively responds to the individual needs and interests of infants and toddlers. Teachers regularly contribute to group planning. Within this, individual children's goals and interests are identified. Encouraging parents to contribute to this on an ongoing basis would add value to their learning. Formative assessment for individual children identifies what learning is taking place, emerging friendships and communication.

Evaluation of children's learning needs to be strengthened and more clearly focused on the outcomes of the programme provided. Teachers should consider how to:

  • better acknowledge progress over time

  • consistently promote children's individual culture, language and identity in documentation

  • show how parent aspirations contribute to the programme plan

  • determine relevant, specific next steps for children's learning.

Well-considered centre transitions into, between and onto the neighbouring Little School centre are collaboratively undertaken by staff, parents and children. These are individualised and sensitively managed.

The service has yet to engage with the revised Te Whāriki, early childhood curriculum document. It is timely for management to promote a deeper understanding of the shifts in teacher practice required to fully enact the intent of this document.

Good support is available for leaders and teachers to develop their practice. Professional learning is valued and suited to staff needs. Opportunities for leadership and collegial discussion are evident. A positive team culture is evident. The head teacher seeks ways to grow staff knowledge and practice. Appraisal requires further strengthening. The policy should be revised and fully implemented to include all aspects of the Education Council's expectations for meaningful appraisal.

A suitable policy framework guides centre operation. Managers have commenced work to document and align systems and processes to promote consistency across the service. The strategic plan focuses on business priorities for Nursery School. The newly developed teaching and learning component appropriately identifies goals linked to positive learning outcomes for children.

The purpose and use of internal evaluation is not yet well understood. Spontaneous review is regularly undertaken and links to improving outcomes for children. A useful framework is in place to support planned review. A next step is to clearly identify measurable indicators, based on best practice, to guide the process and promote well informed decision making.

Key Next Steps

ERO, managers and leaders agree that priorities at centre level are to continue to strengthen:

  • assessment, planning and evaluation

  • internal evaluation.

At governance level, priorities are to continue to support development of:

  • teachers' engagement with the revised Te Whāriki

  • a revised philosophy

  • understanding and use of internal evaluation at all levels

  • the teacher appraisal process.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Khandallah Nursery School 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.

In order to improve practice the service should ensure:

  • endorsement of teachers' practising certificates meets a reliable and consistent standard, and all Education Council Requirements are met

teachers engage in professional development to support their understanding of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Khandallah Nursery School will be in three years.

Alan Wynyard

Director Review and Improvement Services

Southern Region

16 January 2019

The Purpose of ERO Reports

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.

2 Information about the Early Childhood Service

Location

Wellington

Ministry of Education profile number

46894

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

30 children, including up to 19 aged under 2

Service roll

31

Gender composition

Girls 16, Boys 15

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā
Other ethnic groups

2
21
8

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%+

Based on funding rates

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:4

Better than minimum requirements

Over 2

1:8

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

November 2018

Date of this report

16 January 2019

Most recent ERO report(s)

No previous ERO reports

3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

ERO’s Evaluation Framework

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.

ERO’s Overall Judgement and Next Review

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:

  • Very well placed – The next ERO review in four years
  • Well placed – The next ERO review in three years
  • Requires further development – The next ERO review within two years
  • Not well placed - The next ERO review in consultation with the Ministry of Education

ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.

Review Coverage

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.