Lumsden Kindergarten - 20/03/2018

• On this page:

• 1 Evaluation of Lumsden Kindergarten
• 2 Information about the Early Childhood Service 
• 3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

How well placed is Lumsden Kindergarten to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

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

Background

Lumsden Kindergarten is a privately owned and operated service that provides all day education and care, five days a week. It is licensed for 68 children, including 15 up to the age of two. Separate areas are provided for infants, toddlers and young children. Of the 68 children currently enrolled, 10 are Māori.

The centre philosophy emphasises the importance of relationships and the environment in engaging learners. Respecting culture and making global connections is a key focus.

A board of directors has legal and financial oversight of the service. Strategic direction and
day-to-day operation are the responsibility of the centre director and manager. Since the March 2016 ERO report, two team leaders, with oversight of the curriculum, have been appointed.

The previous ERO review found significant improvement was needed in: governance and management practices; review and evaluation; planning and assessment; and strategies to support educational success for Māori children. Since that time the centre has received targeted support through a Ministry of Education funded programme, Strengthening Early Learning Opportunities (SELO).  The centre has made substantial progress.

The Review Findings

Children experience a curriculum that is strongly underpinned by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and the centre philosophy. They make choices about their learning within a programme designed to support and extend their interests and skills. Literacy, languages and art experiences are highly valued. Children demonstrate curiosity and confidence.

Infants and toddlers benefit from a well-resourced, calm environment. Teachers are responsive to their needs and deliberate in their actions to grow children's skills and knowledge. Children display a sense of security and belonging.

Children with additional learning needs are supported to achieve positive outcomes. Teachers use information from parents and ongoing professional education to help progress these children's learning. 

Teachers are increasingly seeking ways to connect children to their culture, language and identity. Children are given opportunities to engage with te ao Māori through a developing bicultural curriculum. Continuing to increase the use of te reo Māori in meaningful contexts should further strengthen this.

Leaders and teachers are growing their understanding of approaches to promote educational success for Māori children. This continues to be a strategic focus as teachers begin to use this knowledge in practice. ERO's external evaluation confirms this direction.

Strategies to support educational success for Pacific children are yet to be fully explored. Leaders have identified the need to strengthen partnerships with Pacific families to allow teachers to be more responsive to these children.

Learning partnerships with parents and whānau are emerging. Many parents contribute to the curriculum and share aspirations for their children which are reflected in individual children's assessment.

Children's learning is regularly planned for and assessed. Their participation in centre activities and progress over time is presented in individual portfolios. Through the new planning framework teachers should better identify and respond to the complexity of individual learning across all areas of the curriculum.

Staff are well supported in their roles. Newly developed employment procedures describe clear expectations for teacher practice and support. The recently implemented appraisal system provides a sound framework to promote teacher growth. Teachers are highly reflective and engage in regular professional learning. A next step is to evaluate how changes in teaching practice improves outcomes for children.

Governance and management practices have been significantly strengthened since the previous ERO report. The centre philosophy is central to all aspects of operation. A comprehensive system of policies and procedures provides good guidance. Regular self review contributes to changes within the service. Leaders and teachers should develop their understanding and use of effective internal evaluation for improvement to ensure that:

• robust investigation and analysis underpins decision making
• progress towards high quality teaching practice is identified
• change is focused on outcomes for children.

Key Next Steps

ERO has identified that key next steps are to:

• embed recently developed processes and understanding of high quality into everyday practice
• continue to build practices that promote educational success for Māori and Pacific children
• develop shared understanding and use of effective internal evaluation. 

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Lumsden 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 Lumsden Kindergarten will be in three years.

Alan Wynyard
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)

Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region

20 March 2018 

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 

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.