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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Miropiko Kindergarten is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Miropiko Kindergarten, located in the centre of Hamilton, is licensed for 40 children. The kindergarten offers both full and part-day education and care for children from two years to school age. Children come from a diverse range of ethnic backgrounds and for many English is a second language. At the time of this ERO review 52 children were enrolled, including nine who identify as Māori.
The kindergarten is one of 29 kindergartens that operate under the Waikato Kindergarten Association (WKA), which is a charitable trust. The strategic direction of the association is guided by the overarching statement, ‘Our children are strong in heart, head and hand’. The WKA has a commitment to providing quality, inclusive services that effectively meet the diverse educational needs of all children attending. Advice, guidance and support is provided to the organisation by a kaumātua from Tainui.
All kindergartens in the WKA are involved in a ‘Cool 4 School’ transition programme and sustainable education, environmental and health programmes such as Enviroschools and Sport Waikato 'Under 5 Energise'. The kindergartens’ education, operational and administrative responsibilities are supported by experienced association personnel.
Miropiko Kindergarten philosophy promotes a friendly, welcoming and nurturing environment that reflects the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand. The philosophy documents the intent to empower children to construct their own learning, be creative, take risks and problem solve. The kindergarten values diversity, rich numeracy and literacy woven throughout the curriculum, working alongside parents to develop strong relationships and a strong sense of belonging.
Since the 2014 ERO review three of the four teachers are new to the kindergarten. An acting head teacher began in March 2018. Hours of operation have been extended to meet the needs of the community during school term holidays. There has been a significant increase in the number of two year olds enrolled in the kindergarten. There has also been ongoing progress to further develop strong links to local schools.
This review was part of a cluster of eight reviews in the Waikato Kindergarten Association.
Children’s choices and decision making are respected. Teachers promote a calm and unhurried pace in which children learn, develop and explore their working theories. The natural world focus guides a range of experiences to support children’s knowing and understanding of kaitiakitanga. Literacy and numeracy are meaningfully interwoven throughout play.
Children experience sustained play and are empowered to take increased responsibility for themselves, others and their environment. The learning environment is well resourced, provides challenge and encourages children’s curiosity and exploration. Teachers nurture and provide support for children with English as a second language that enables their full participation in the programme.
Collaborative relationships between schools and the kindergarten have been enhanced to support children to settle confidently into the school environment. Teachers actively research and use external agencies to support children’s development. Children with additional needs are well supported to fully participate in all aspects of the programme.
An inclusive environment empowers children’s sense of belonging and understanding of the world around them. Teachers use a variety of strategies that support children’s growing social and emotional competency. Open ended questions support children’s oral language development and problem solving skills. The kindergarten is building teachers knowledge and understanding of a high-quality bicultural curriculum through extending cultural connections with whānau and community.
Teachers are respectful and responsive to children. Individual planning is detailed and goal setting for children is evident. Assessment identifies children’s participation in the environment. It is timely for the kindergarten to purposefully deepen teachers' understanding of Te Whāriki 2017. This is necessary to extend teachers' knowledge of implementing a localised curriculum.
The philosophy guides teaching well and is focused on learning outcomes. Collaborative ways of working with teachers, whānau and children are fostered. Relationships are based on trust and respect. Parents are provided with opportunities to contribute to their child’s learning. Strengthening knowledge and understanding of effective internal evaluation should support leaders to:
ensure that outcomes for children guide the process
know and understand priorities for children’s learning
better align assessment practices to children’s goals, continuity of learning and progress overtime
build and embed high quality leadership for improvement.
Education services managers (ESMs) work closely with the head teacher and provide well-informed professional leadership to support kindergarten operation. The association has recently reviewed its teacher appraisal process. Ensuring this new process is fully implemented is now a priority for ESMs.
The WKA provides comprehensive systems, policies and procedures to guide kindergarten practice. Teachers have access to ongoing and targeted professional development to promote improved practice and contribute to positive outcomes for children. Effective governance by the WKA is contributing to high-quality, inclusive and equitable services for children.
The key next steps for leaders and teachers are to:
strengthen effective internal evaluation for ongoing improvement
deepen their understanding of Te Whāriki 2017.
Before the review, the staff and management of Miropiko 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 Miropiko Kindergarten will be in three years.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services
Te Tai Miringa - Waikato / Bay of Plenty Region
20 December 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 |
Hamilton, Waikato |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
5152 |
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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 |
40 children aged over 2 |
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Service roll |
52 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 30 Boys 22 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
9 |
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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 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
October 2018 |
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Date of this report |
20 December 2018 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
November 2014 |
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Education Review |
August 2011 |
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Education Review |
May 2008 |
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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.