Ponsy Kids Community Preschool - 28/05/2020

• On this page:

• 1 Evaluation of Ponsy Kids Community Preschool
• 2 Information about the Early Childhood Service
• 3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

How well placed is Ponsy Kids Community Preschool to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Ponsy Kids Community Preschool is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

Ponsy Kids Community Preschool is an established community-based service located in the Ponsonby Community Centre. It provides a variety of sessions for the education and care of mixed-aged children over two years of age. The centre is governed by the Ponsonby Community Centre Board.

Children are mostly Pākehā. Smaller numbers of children come from a range of other ethnicities, including Māori. Most teachers are fully registered, experienced and long serving. Two new teachers have been appointed.

The centre’s philosophy prioritises a commitment to bicultural practices and an inclusive curriculum. It also highlights the importance of respectful relationships between teachers, children and their families. Children are seen as capable, confident, lifelong learners.

Since the 2016 ERO review, the centre has undergone major renovations to the indoor and outdoor environments. Teachers have accessed professional development in planning, assessment and evaluation, and leadership. Very good progress has been made in these areas.

The Review Findings

Children are confident, their sense of belonging is highly evident. They build trusting relationships with their teachers. Children benefit from mixed-aged play opportunities and learn from each other in tuakana/teina roles. These roles provide opportunities for children to develop their social and communication skills.

Children contribute to a curriculum that is responsive to their needs. The programme provides good early literacy, science and maths learning opportunities. Teachers purposefully arrange natural resources and provide easy access to equipment to invite children's play. Learning activities promote children's curiosity and encourage sustained play.

Teachers have good relationships with families which support children to settle confidently into the centre. They welcome children and their families in nurturing ways and engage them in friendly, professional conversations.

Teachers know children well as learners. They are committed to the principles and strands of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Ongoing assessment information is focused on enhancing dispositional learning. Portfolios inform parents about their child's developmental progress over time. Children enjoy revisiting these records of learning with their peers.

The learning environment values and promotes te ao Māori. Displays of te reo Māori phrases support the current te reo Māori programme to further build teachers' confidence and capability. Leaders continue to seek professional learning to strengthen their bicultural practices. Teachers continue to reflect and revisit their professional practice to further inform teaching and learning.

Teachers implement effective, inclusive teaching practices that enable children with additional learning needs to participate in the programme. Children are encouraged to extend their language and ideas and practise their self-managing skills in preparation for transitioning to school.

The board is focused on promoting positive outcomes for children. Centre leaders and the community board are a strong collaborative team. The board supports professional development, resources, property improvement and teacher wellbeing. Clear comprehensive processes and procedures guide an effective appraisal process. Leaders are improving and sustaining the quality of education and care through internal evaluation.

Key Next Steps

The centre leaders agree that the key next steps are to continue to:

• build a deeper understanding around centre-wide bicultural practices

• sustain and strengthen teachers' knowledge of the diverse cultures of families in their community.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Ponsy Kids Community Preschool 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.

Steve Tanner

Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)

Northern Region - Te Tai Raki

28 May 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

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.