North Clyde Kindergarten

1 Evaluation of Ngā Tamariki o Ngā Hau E Whā Kindergarten

How well placed is Ngā Tamariki o Ngā Hau E Whā Kindergarten to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Ngā Tamariki o Ngā Hau e Whā kindergarten is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

Ngā Tamariki o Ngā Hau e Whā kindergarten in Wairoa is licensed for 45 children aged over two and operates daily from 8.30am until 2.30pm. At the time of this ERO external evaluation there are 31 children enrolled including 22 who identify as Māori. A high number of children enrolled are two years old.

The kindergarten opened in 2014 and a new head teacher was appointed in 2018. All teachers are qualified and registered.

The teaching team reviewed the philosophy recently. The philosophy 'Tumanako kia mau tonu te mana o te tamaiti mo ake tonu atu - desire to uphold the mana of the child forever after', emphasises the belief that 'developing children's confidence, aroha, resilience, creativity and identity will uphold their mana forever'.

The kindergarten is a member of the Enviroschools project.

Ngā Tamariki o Ngā Hau e Whā Kindergarten is one of 16 kindergartens operating under the governance and management of the Napier Kindergarten Association (the association). The governing board is responsible for setting the overall strategic direction for the organisation. The day-to-day operation of the association is the role of the general manager. Two education managers provide teaching and learning support for teachers. The board employs a Pou Whakarewa Mātauranga (Professional Practice Advisor Māori) to work alongside all association personnel to continue to strengthen cultural responsiveness.

The kindergarten is an active member of the Mata Nui o Kahungunu Kāhui Ako.

The key next steps identified in the previous ERO evaluation continue to be areas for the kindergarten to strengthen.

This review was part of a cluster of 16 kindergarten reviews in the Napier Kindergarten Association.

The Review Findings

Children's sense of self, belonging and connectedness is supported by teachers who value whakapapa. The recently revised philosophy promotes the desire to uphold the mana of the child. Teachers ensure that kaupapa Māori concepts are integral to curriculum decisions. They actively maintain children's connections to their cultural identity. Teachers continue to adapt their practice to authentically implement and reflect the philosophy.

A strong place-based curriculum connects children to their community and supports a sense of belonging. They regularly engage in a wide range of experiences in their community and are developing kaitiakitanga responsibility for the environment through meaningful contexts.

Children confidently lead their learning. Teachers foster children's self help and independence skills. A high number of children are two years old and many have older siblings attending. Tuakana teina is actively promoted. Children's interests and strengths inform planning and they are supported to be imaginative and creative in their play.

Teachers value the knowledge that parents and whānau bring to their children's learning. They work in partnership to identify learning goals and share strategies that support consistency between home and the kindergarten.

Children with additional learning needs are well supported to achieve success. Teachers work closely alongside parents and whānau and external agencies to identify and progress children's learning goals. Teachers continue to develop their own skills to further promote effective, inclusive practices.

Assessment, planning and evaluation are currently under review. Recently revised individual planning clearly aligns to the kindergarten philosophy and reflects parent aspirations. This information is used to plan the curriculum. Determining what good assessment looks like is an area for teachers to continue to strengthen. Current internal evaluation is focused on the quality of the learning stories.

Internal evaluation for improvement is developing. The recent evaluation of the philosophy involved parents, whānau and the wider community to determine what is important for children's learning. Teachers should continue to strengthen evaluation to drive improvement and innovation. Education managers should continue to grow their own knowledge and practice of internal evaluation to better support this process.

The governing board is future-focused and has developed a clear strategic direction to meet the diverse needs of its communities. Board members value diversity of viewpoints and gather community and staff voice to inform decision-making. Regular reporting by education managers is useful in identifying how strategic teaching and learning goals are being addressed.

The board places importance on developing teachers' capabilities. Targeted and deliberate building of cultural responsiveness supports Māori children and their whānau to experience success. An association-wide appraisal process is in place to support teacher practice in promoting positive learning outcomes for children. Further strengthening of the appraisal process, including targeted observations, should support teachers to determine how well they are progressing and actively encourage them to improve their effectiveness.

Key Next Steps

Teachers should continue to strengthen:

• internal evaluation for improvement to determine what is working well and what further actions are needed to improve outcomes for children

• assessment, planning and evaluation through determining what good assessment looks like and how this practice can inform children's ongoing learning.

Education managers should continue to promote sustained improvement and innovation through strengthening:

• evaluation, inquiry and professional guidance

• the appraisal process.

Recommendation

Education managers should strengthen their understanding and use of internal evaluation to systematically evaluate their practices and the impact of these on outcomes for children.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Ngā Tamariki o Ngā Hau E Whā 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

Director Review and Improvement Services

Central Region

29 November 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

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

The overall judgement that ERO makes will depend on how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:

• Very well placed

• Well placed

• Requires further development

• Not well placed

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.