Paremata Kindergarten

Education institution number:
5374
Service type:
Free Kindergarten
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
51
Telephone:
Address:

51 Paremata Road, Paremata, Porirua

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Paremata Kindergarten - 18/02/2020

1 Evaluation of Paremata Kindergarten

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

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

Paremata Kindergarten is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

Paremata Kindergarten, located in Porirua City, provides all-day education and care for up to 40 children over the age of two years. Mixed-age sessions run daily through the week from 8.30am to 2.30pm. The current roll is 65 children, of whom 10 are of Māori heritage.

The recently reviewed kindergarten philosophy emphasises the uniqueness of each child, their whānau, language, culture and identity. It acknowledges that they are kaitiaki of their environment as they explore, learn about and care for the natural world together.

Since the June 2015 ERO review there have been significant staff changes including the appointment of a new head teacher. All teachers are qualified and registered.

Paremata Kindergarten is governed and managed by He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua Kindergarten Association (the association). A team of senior teachers oversee and support the professional practice of the teaching team. The association governs 102 kindergartens which includes three Pacific kindergartens and a Pacific home-based service with two networks.

The previous ERO report identified areas requiring further development, including: assessment of children's learning; the bicultural curriculum; and supporting the success of Maori and Pacific children.

The association has made progress in improving the quality and monitoring of support for individual kindergartens, and appraisal.

This review was one of eight in the He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua Kindergarten Association, Wellington region.

The Review Findings

Teachers are responsive to children's emerging interests and effectively support them to explore, problem solve and sustain their play. Children are encouraged to make choices and initiate their own learning. Many are independent and self managing.

Valued outcomes for children have been identified by teachers and whānau and are strongly reflected in practice. Whānau aspirations for their children's learning are used well as a basis for planning for individuals.

An authentic bicultural perspective is developing in the programme. Te reo and waiata Māori are celebrated in purposeful group learning activities. Local stories and legends are highly valued and effectively woven into teaching and learning. Excursions into the local community, including places of significance to local Māori are regular and valued.

The new teaching team are forming a cohesive unit. Teachers are working together well to consolidate consistency of practice and to meet their goals and objectives.

The quality of assessment, planning and evaluation of children's learning is developing well. Teachers tailor their planning to individual children. Portfolios provide a useful record of children's developing friendships, participation and learning. Continuing to strengthen engagement with whānau about aspirations for their child and reflecting and celebrating children's language, culture and identity in these records would strengthen assessment. A recently introduced on-line tool is effectively used by the team to share information and strengthen partnerships with families.

The kindergarten has well established relationships with the local school. Reciprocal visits foster children’s confidence and familiarity. Schools and early learning services in the area are beginning to share their transition processes to support children and their whānau.

Children with additional learning needs are identified and effectively supported. Leaders and teachers work alongside families and whānau to access external agencies when required.

Leaders and teachers use self review to systematically support improvements to the quality of education and care. They agree that continuing to develop understanding and use of internal evaluation should help teachers to better measure the impact of their practice and planned strategies on outcomes for children.

The association's guiding documents effectively support leaders' and teachers' practice. These are appropriately used by leaders and teachers to plan and analyse practice, support assessment and underpin decision making.

A well-considered appraisal process has recently been enhanced to better develop teacher practice. Teachers are expected to inquire into the effectiveness of their teaching. Purposeful appraisal goals focus on improving aspects of leadership and practice to support children’s learning and wellbeing.

Senior teachers are reflective and highly improvement focused. They successfully foster a collective sense of responsibility to implement the vision, values and mission of the association. Systems and processes have been well developed to guide teacher’s capability and positively impact on children’s learning.

Senior leaders work effectively together, with a shared commitment to meeting strategic goals and objectives for the benefit of children, whānau and community. Well-considered resource allocation supports and enhances children’s learning and wellbeing.

Key Next Steps

Priorities for teachers are to continue to:

  • develop and refine assessment practices

  • grow capacity and capability for internal evaluation.

ERO and senior leaders agree that the association's next step is to:

  • continue to follow the strategic direction set through Tūmanako, Te Tiriti o Waitangi based strategic priority framework.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Paremata 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.

Dr Lesley Patterson

Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)

Southern Region - Te Tai Tini

18 February 2020

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

Porirua

Ministry of Education profile number

5374

Licence type

Free Kindergarten

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

40 children, over 2 years of age

Service roll

65

Gender composition

Female 34, Male 31

Ethnic composition

Māori
NZ European/Pākehā
Other ethnic groups

10
45
10

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%+

Based on funding rates

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Over 2

1:10

Meets minimum requirements

Review team on site

November 2019

Date of this report

18 February 2020

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

June 2015

Education Review

July 2012

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.

Paremata Kindergarten - 04/06/2015

1 Evaluation of Paremata Kindergarten

How well placed is Paremata 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

Paremata Kindergarten is a well-established centre situated on the southern side of the Pauatahanui inlet and is licensed for 30 children each day.

The kindergarten is one of 85 kindergartens and three home-based education and care networks governed and managed by He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua Free Kindergarten Association Incorporated (the association). This is a new kindergarten association created from joining the Rimutaka and Wellington Kindergarten Associations in 2014. The transition to the new association is expected to be a three-year process.

The board and managers provide governance for the organisation. Senior teachers have delegated kindergartens. Their role is to provide regular support and a range of professional learning and development opportunities for teachers.

All teachers are qualified and registered at Paremata Kindergarten. Some have many years experience at the kindergarten, including the head teacher.

The well-enacted philosophy emphasises the importance of partnerships with parents and whānau to support children’s learning within an environment that promotes discovery, sustainability and respect.

Since the July 2012 ERO report, the centre has made good progress in addressing areas of practice in need of improvement. Other positive developments include enhancements to the physical environment. Areas where the Wellington Kindergarten Association needed to strengthen its support for teachers were also identified at the time. Improvement continues to be needed in some of these areas that the association has plans to address. These feature as key next steps in this report. The alignment of individual kindergarten’s annual plans with the association’s strategic priorities has now been addressed.

This review was part of a cluster of 12 kindergarten reviews in Whānau Manaaki Kindergartens.

The Review Findings

Children and teachers enjoy positive relationships. They confidently work with their peers or by themselves for sustained periods. Children are comfortable to seek challenges in their learning. Many different literacy and numeracy experiences are well integrated within the programme.

Children respond positively to the teachers’ view of them as capable and competent learners. Teachers use practices and have purposeful interactions to effectively build on children’s thinking and problem solving. They encourage children to make decisions about their learning. There is proactive support for developing social competence.

Transition-to-school links are well established that assist children and their families as they move on. There are many ways information is shared with parents about aspects of the programme.

Portfolios are used well to record children’s participation and progress in a range of contexts. Assessment practices provide parents and whānau with a way of contributing to their child’s learning. Information from individuals and groups of children is used to plan the programme. Recent development is supporting teachers to identify and promote continuity in learning. Enhancements to practice are ongoing and include plans to involve children more in setting their own learning goals.

Teachers put significant work into documenting children’s interests and the current kindergarten planning focus. These records show children’s active involvement and learning across many aspects of the programme, and their participation in the local community.

Children with additional needs are positively supported and well catered for, in the inclusive programme.

Self review is a well-established process. Teachers are focused on improvement and they have built a strong culture of reflection. With the purposeful support of the senior teacher, they continue to explore ways to build on these inquiry practices.

The 2012 ERO report identified that the association needed to improve the appraisal processes. This continues to require development. A recently revised appraisal model, yet to be implemented, has the potential to improve processes to better support the development of teachers and leaders. This includes: more focused goals that build teacher and leader capability; more regular and targeted feedback and feed forward about teaching practice; and clearer links with the Registered Teacher Criteria.

The senior teacher provides termly written reports that outline agreed development priorities and progress in relation to the quality of teaching and learning. The association has recently implemented new reports that should more deliberately focus on outcomes for children, teacher and leader performance. ERO's evaluation affirms this development.

In 2012, the association developed a framework to guide the implementation of its curriculum, Te Manawa. This document outlines criteria for curriculum delivery including expectations for assessment and planning for children’s learning. Paremata Kindergarten’s curriculum is increasingly responsive to learners to promote successful outcomes for all.

Children have some opportunities to learn about Aotearoa New Zealand’s dual cultural heritage. Teachers and leaders acknowledge that they need to build their capability to be responsive to Māori children’s culture, language, and identity. This development should include establishing relationships with mana whenua and making use of Ministry of Education resources such as, Ka Hikitia: Accelerating Success 2013 - 2017 and Tātaiako: Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners.

Key Next Steps

The senior teacher, head teacher, staff and ERO agree on the following key next steps. They will:

  • continue to improve aspects of assessment
  • extend the bicultural curriculum for all learners
  • promote ways for Māori to achieve success as Māori, and Pacific learners to achieve success as Pacific.

The senior management team of He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua should continue to further improve processes for growing and developing the practice of teachers, head teachers and the senior teacher. This should include:

  • improvements to the quality and monitoring of processes to support individual kindergartens and regular implementation of a robust appraisal system.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

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

Joyce Gebbie

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central

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

Porirua

Ministry of Education profile number

5374

Licence type

Free Kindergarten

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

30 children, over 2 years of age

Service roll

60

Gender composition

Boys 34, Girls 26

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

Samoan

Asian

Other ethnic groups

4

45

2

3

6

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%+

Based on funding rates

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Over 2

1:10

Meets minimum requirements

Review team on site

March 2015

Date of this report

4 June 2015

Most recent ERO report(s) 

Education Review

July 2012

 

Education Review

May 2008

 

Education Review

July 2005

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.