1 A Holly Grove, Maungaraki, Lower Hutt
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Maungaraki Kindergarten provides sessional education and care for up to 50 children, aged over two years. Of the total roll of 49, five children are Māori. The kindergarten serves a culturally diverse community.
The philosophy emphasises relationships, confidence and self-expression. The teaching team are long-serving. They are all fully qualified.
Maungaraki Kindergarten is one of 19 services in the Lower Hutt region, governed and managed by Hutt City Kindergarten Association (the association). Since the September 2015 ERO report, a new senior leadership team has been appointed. This includes a general manager and two senior teachers, guided by a team leader. The governance board has also undergone significant changes.
The previous report identified key next steps for this kindergarten, including: establishing shared assessment understandings; evaluation; purposeful routine times; and reflection of the service philosophy in practice. These areas have been suitably progressed.
The association also had some areas for development, including: strategic planning; cultural response to Māori and Pacific families; evaluation and the appraisal process. Good progress has been made in these areas.
This review was part of a cluster of eight in the Hutt City Kindergarten Association.
Children benefit from positive interactions with teachers who are highly attentive to their interests and ideas. Sustained interactions and 'wondering' conversations are well promoted. Teachers expand on cultural events and group interests through art experiences, stories and excursions. Children's active movement, oral language and creativity are encouraged.
Teachers successfully strategise to increase the involvement of families in the programme and have consulted with them to establish valued learning outcomes for their children. It is timely for the philosophy to be reviewed to strongly reflect these priorities.
Very useful processes, displays and reciprocal relationships with school staff support children and families to confidently transition to the next stage of their learning journey. Children with diverse learning needs are appropriately supported through liaison with parents and outside agencies.
Children have opportunities to see, hear and experience te reo me ngā tikanga Māori. Improvements in these areas are ongoing. The association’s current strategic focus on bicultural practices should support this improvement. Building teachers’ understanding of specific strategies, in partnership with whānau, to promote the learning success of Māori and Pacific children should also be a focus for association leaders.
Recently developed assessment, planning and evaluation processes are yet to be fully embedded. These processes should be further developed, to more clearly make use of parents' aspirations and information about children’s culture, language and identity. Teachers should also ensure that portfolio documentation strongly demonstrates how planned teaching strategies have purposefully extended children’s learning and resulted in improved learning outcomes.
Teachers use research and community consultation to make well-considered changes. They are supported to grow their internal evaluation practice through very useful association systems and tools. Senior teachers should continue to work with teachers to use measureable, outcome-focused indicators of success, to better evaluate the effect of their practice on children’s learning.
A comprehensive, well-considered appraisal process is in place. Teachers challenge themselves to continually improve their practice through strategic goal-setting and professional learning. Plans are in place to further strengthen this system by developing an inquiry-based approach to teacher appraisal. ERO's evaluation confirms this direction. This should support teachers to better measure the success of improved practices in promoting outcomes for specific children and priority groups.
The teaching team are reflective, collaborative and motivated. With increased challenge and guidance from senior leadership, ERO has confidence in their capacity to progress improvements.
The governance board includes a wide range of community representation and useful skills. The board and senior leadership team work well together, with a shared commitment to meeting its goals and objectives for the benefit of children, whānau and community. Resource allocation clearly aligns with this focus. The board and senior leadership actively seek equitable and inclusive ways to eliminate barriers to children’s learning and wellbeing.
ERO, the governance board and senior leaders agree that the association's next steps are to:
monitor, evaluate and report on the extent to which children and their families’ outcomes are improved though systems, processes and initiatives. This should include consideration of impact on specific priority groups
consider ways to increase opportunities for whānau to actively contribute to the association’s operation and strategic direction.
The association's senior teaching team are reflective and highly improvement focused. Robust, linked systems and processes have been skilfully developed to guide and grow teacher capability and positively impact children’s learning. Leaders successfully foster a collective sense of responsibility for the vision, values and mission of the association.
ERO and kindergarten teachers agree that their priority next steps are to:
review the service philosophy to reflect parents' priorities
build culturally responsive practices
continue to develop and embed the cycle of assessment, planning and evaluation.
The association agrees they should increase focus on:
measuring outcomes for children and their families
developing whānau and community partnership practices.
Before the review, the staff and management of Maungaraki 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:
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.
The next ERO review of Maungaraki Kindergarten will be in three years.
Alan Wynyard
Director Review & Improvement Services
Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region
13 September 2018
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 |
Lower Hutt |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
5331 |
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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 |
50 children aged over 2 |
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|
Service roll |
49 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 26, Girls 23 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
6 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
August 2018 |
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|
Date of this report |
13 September 2018 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
September 2015 |
|
|
Education Review |
July 2012 |
||
|
Education Review |
February 2009 |
||
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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Maungaraki Kindergarten provides education and care for children from two to five years of age. Morning sessions are provided daily and afternoon sessions are offered twice weekly. The kindergarten is licensed for 45 children. Members of the teaching team are fully qualified and the programme is further assisted by support staff. The kindergarten has a positive reporting history with ERO.
The July 2012 ERO report identified areas requiring further development. These included strengthening assessment, planning and evaluation, self review, appraisal and developing explicit processes to engage with Māori whānau. Some progress is evident in these areas and teachers remain committed to strengthening their practice.
The kindergarten is governed by the Hutt City Kindergarten Association (the association). Two professional practice managers (PPMs) are employed by the association to provide professional support and guidance to teachers. Since the previous ERO review there have been several changes of General Manager.
This review was part of a cluster of nine kindergarten reviews in the Hutt City Kindergarten Association.
Children’s independence is promoted through a play-based, child-led programme. Exploration is encouraged through teachers providing a well-considered learning environment. Children play collaboratively. Teachers actively promote the concept of tuakana teina, where children support their peers. Sustained play is evident.
Teachers work respectfully alongside children. They know them well within the context of their family and engage in conversations about things that have meaning to the child. Teachers find opportunities to work with children in small groups and support and challenge their learning. A range of effective communication strategies are used to encourage children to solve problems and make their own decisions.
Mat times are held each week with a focus on developing children’s listening comprehension and confidence to speak publically. To support children’s full engagement in this mat time, teachers should plan with a clear purpose which should enable them to evaluate the effectiveness of this activity.
Collaborative and supportive leadership is evident. The vision and philosophy provide a shared direction for the kindergarten programme and teaching practice. Teachers agree that these documents require further development. This should include the philosophy clearly reflecting the learning that is valued in the kindergarten. Indicators of quality practice should then be developed and used to guide the kindergarten programme and evaluate outcomes for children.
Children’s profiles provide parents and whānau with an insight into how their child spends time in the kindergarten and their developing friendships. Parents’ aspirations are sought and used to inform their child’s programme of learning. A key next step is to develop a shared understanding of assessment for learning and expectations of how this is reflected in profiles.
Bicultural practice is integrated throughout the curriculum. Teachers show a commitment to using te reo Māori and practising aspects of tikanga Māori in the programme. Teachers should continue to develop their understanding of how they promote success for Māori in this context. Pacific culture is reflected through the resources and teachers remain committed to ongoing learning in this area.
Teachers work with parents and external agencies where appropriate, to support children with additional learning needs to be successful learners. A range of useful strategies support children’s successful transition to school.
A useful framework guides the implementation of review in the kindergarten. Teachers should continue to build their evaluative capacity to use self review that focuses on improving outcomes for children.
The association is part way through the implementation of a new approach to appraisal. Once fully established this should assist leaders to provide a robust, supportive and developmental process. Professional practice managers should then undertake regular monitoring of how well appraisal is being implemented in each kindergarten.
The board receives a range of useful information. A key next step is for leaders to provide more evaluative reporting to assist in decision making and ongoing resourcing. The strategic plan provides a vision and shared direction to guide development. Establishing clearer measures of success should strengthen evaluation of progress towards goals. In addition, strategies that promote cultural responsiveness to Māori and Pacific families should be highlighted in strategic documents.
The PPMs provide half-yearly written reports. These provide information about how the kindergarten is meeting legislative requirements, and at times, make recommendations. These reports should be strengthened by providing critical feedback on the quality of teaching and the effectiveness of the curriculum in improving outcomes for children.
The association provides guidance and support to teachers for continuous improvement of teaching and learning. This includes:
At the time of this review the association was involved in a process of a formal review to determine the future direction of Hutt City Kindergartens. ERO identified that within the current operating model the capacity of senior staff to provide targeted support that promotes ongoing improvement to teaching and learning is limited.
ERO identified that priorities for improvement should include:
The association should:
Before the review, the staff and management of Maungaraki 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.
The next ERO review of Maungaraki Kindergarten will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
10 September 2015
|
Location |
Lower Hutt |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
5331 |
||
|
Licence type |
Free Kindergarten |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
45 children, over two years of age |
||
|
Service roll |
68 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 40, Boys 28 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Asian Samoan Other ethnic groups |
8 43 10 1 6 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
July 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
10 September 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
July 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
February 2009 |
||
|
Education Review |
February 2006 |
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.