Learning at the Point Comm. Kindergarten

Education institution number:
20264
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
27
Telephone:
Address:

20 Huia Road, Point Chevalier, Auckland

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Learning at the Point Comm. Kindergarten

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 (PDF 3.01MB) are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. The Akarangi Quality Evaluation Judgement Rubric (PDF 91.30KB) derived from the indicators, is used to inform the ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.

ERO’s judgements for Learning At The Point Community Kindergarten are as follows:

Outcome Indicators

ERO’s judgement

What the service knows about outcomes for learners

Whakaū Embedding

Ngā Akatoro Domains

ERO’s judgement

He Whāriki Motuhake

The learner and their learning

Whakawhanake Sustaining

Whakangungu Ngaio

Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability

Whakawhanake Sustaining

Ngā Aronga Whai Hua

Evaluation for improvement

Whakaū Embedding

Kaihautū

Leaders foster collaboration and improvement

Whakawhanake Sustaining

Te Whakaruruhau

Stewardship through effective governance and management

Whakaū Embedding

2 Context of the Service

Learning at the Point Community Kindergarten is a well-established centre governed by parent volunteers. It is well supported by the community, and most staff are long serving, including the head teacher. The centre offers all-day care for up to 22 children from three years of age to five years of age.

3 Summary of findings

Children’s mana and identity as successful learners are valued. Children develop responsive and respectful relationships with peers and teachers. The child-led programme supports learning through meaningful play-based experiences. The spacious environments provide many opportunities for children to lead their own learning.

The curriculum framework is individualised for each child. Children’s interests and strengths inform planning, and the teaching team uses a range of useful strategies to facilitate and support children’s learning. Children are articulate, and teachers are skilled in supporting them to negotiate, problem solve and express themselves. Children with additional needs are well cared for. They are included in all aspects of the centre, and their individual strengths and needs are responded to.

Parents who spoke with ERO, appreciate the trusting relationships they have with teachers. They can access and respond online to their child’s learning and feel well informed about their children’s progress. Relational trust with parents and the local community continues to be a strength of the service. Teachers have meaningful relationships with community networks and external agencies to provide support for children and their families.

The transition to school programme offers children individual teacher time focused on developing early literacy and numeracy skills. Children have regular visits to the local school with their parents.

High relational trust is evident between the board and head teacher to support ongoing growth and staff development. The board prioritises professional development to grow teaching capability. The head teacher and staff work collaboratively to ensure that the shared vision, goals and philosophy guide teaching practice and decision-making.

Evaluation systems and procedures are improvement focused. Teachers use appropriate resources and templates to support a more consistent approach to evaluation. This is contributing to a shared understanding of how evaluation supports ongoing centre improvement.

4 Improvement actions

Learning At The Point Community Kindergarten will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

  • Evaluating the effectiveness of professional learning on improving teacher practice, and the impact of the current curriculum framework on improving outcomes for children.
  • Strengthening the team’s use of bicultural perspectives and practices to provide a more bicultural curriculum.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Learning At The Point Community 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.

Phil Cowie
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

29 November 2021 

6 About the Early Childhood Service

Early Childhood Service Name

Learning At The Point Community Kindergarten

Profile Number

20264

Location

Point Chevalier, Auckland

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

22 children over 2 years of age.

Percentage of qualified teachers

80-99%

Service roll

49

Ethnic composition

Māori 2, NZ European/Pākehā 34, Asian 7,
other ethnic groups 6

Review team on site

June 2021

Date of this report

29 November 2021

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, December 2017.

Learning at the Point Comm. Kindergarten - 15/12/2017

1 Evaluation of Learning at the Point Comm. Kindergarten

How well placed is Learning at the Point Comm. Kindergarten 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

The kindergarten, located in Point Chevalier, Auckland is a well-established community-based centre governed by parent volunteers. The centre is licensed for 22 children over the age of two years. Most children are Pākehā, with a small number of Māori children and children from other cultural backgrounds. The centre continues to have stable staffing.

The centre's vision and philosophy promote respectful and reciprocal partnerships with families and whānau and the wider community. They also support a learning environment that is nurturing and flexible so that children develop as competent and confident learners.

ERO's 2014 report noted happy and confident children supported by teachers who were increasingly incorporating te reo Māori and waiata into the programme. These positive aspects are still evident. ERO also identified areas for development to do with improving planning, assessment and evaluation of children's learning, staff appraisal processes, and making diverse cultures more visible in the learning environment. The head teacher and teachers have made good progress in relation to all of these.

The Review Findings

Children, parents and whānau are warmly welcomed into the centre. Teachers know their centre community well and are responsive to parents' aspirations for their children.

Children are content and settled in the centre environment. They choose from a variety of activities in the indoor and outdoor learning areas, and engage in sustained, collaborative and individual play. They converse with each other and adults to make sense of their world.

The learning programme provides a mix of teacher-led and child-initiated play. Teachers explore and interweave local contexts into the programme. Routines during the day provide opportunities for children to listen to stories, join in musical experiences, explore healthy eating habits and learn about environmental sustainability. Teachers could now consider providing further opportunities for children to plan their own play.

Teaching practices enhance children's sense of themselves as successful learners. Teachers regularly discuss children's learning, and collaboratively plan for individual and group interests. They use the 'notice, recognise and respond' approach to support children's emerging interests. Teachers engage in respectful and responsive interactions with children, and now need to strengthen the extent to which their interactions extend and challenge children's thinking.

The head teacher provides good professional development and leadership opportunities for teachers. Teachers' reflective practice continues to be strengthened. A recent internal evaluation around transitions to school was undertaken. It would be useful now for teachers to use the new Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum document, to refine their thinking about transition to school programmes.

The centre is well governed and managed. Appropriate strategic and annual plans have been implemented to align with teachers' appraisals and professional learning. The centre has planned for a complete new outdoor learning environment to be opened in 2018. As part of a culture of ongoing improvement being realised across the centre, it would now be timely for the governance committee to formally evaluate their effectiveness as a governing body.

Key Next Steps

The governance committee and head teacher agree that the key next steps for the centre include:

  • teachers continuing to develop the quality of teaching and learning through professional development that strengthens their understanding of best practice

  • further development of te reo and tikanga Māori programmes, and more specific reference to bicultural partnership in the centre philosophy statement

  • continuing to develop a responsive curriculum.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Learning at the Point Comm. 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.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Learning at the Point Comm. Kindergarten will be in three years.

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

Te Tai Raki - Northern Region

15 December 2017

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

Point Chevalier, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

20264

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

22 children over 2 years of age

Service roll

49

Gender composition

Boys 27 Girls 22

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā
Chinese
Latin American
other European
other

6
22
6
2
5
8

Percentage of qualified teachers

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Over 2

1:6

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

November 2017

Date of this report

15 December 2017

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

March 2014

Education Review

February 2011

Education Review

November 2007

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.