21 Frederick Street, Wainuiomata, 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.
Pukeatua Kindergarten, located in Wainuiomata provides all day education and care for up to 45 children, aged over two years. Sessions run daily during the week from 8.30am to 2.30pm. Of the total roll, 20 children identify as Māori and three are of Pacific heritage.
At the time of the review a relieving head teacher was supporting the teaching team. All teachers at Pukeatua Kindergarten are fully qualified.
Pukeatua Kindergarten is one of 19 in the Lower Hutt region, governed and managed by Hutt City Kindergarten Association (the association). Since the June 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 ERO report identified key next steps for this kindergarten as strengthening assessment and planning practices so they better respond to children's interests, needs and extend their learning. Some progress is evident.
Practices requiring development were also identified for the association. These included: strategic planning; cultural responsiveness to Māori and Pacific families; evaluation; and the appraisal process. Good progress has been made in these areas.
This review was one of nine in the Hutt City Kindergarten Association.
Hutt City Kindergarten Association is effectively and responsively supporting this kindergarten through: strategic appointments; appropriately reviewed routines; refreshed resources; equipment and the learning environment. Significant recent developments and ongoing plans identified by the team and senior leadership, including extensive feedback, is leading to improved service practice.
Children have opportunities to make choices, take risks, explore their ideas and lead their own learning. Thoughtfully designed indoor and outdoor environments facilitates cooperative and creative play. Empowering social competencies and friendship skills is an acknowledged parent and whānau aspiration and is well supported by teachers. Interactions are warm and responsive to children’s communication and cues.
Children with additional needs are well supported. External agencies are accessed as appropriate, in consultation with parents.
Meaningful displays, resources and celebrations strongly promote a sense of community and belonging for learners and their families. The learning environment is organised to clearly affirm children’s bicultural heritage as citizens of Aotearoa. Children have authentic opportunities to hear, experience and respond to te reo Māori. Teachers seek to improve their knowledge of more meaningful, localised practices and to strengthen the kindergarten's links with the local marae. This is likely to be supported by the association's current strategic focus on bicultural practices. Association leaders should also continue to build teachers’ understanding of specific strategies, in partnership with whānau, that promote the learning success of Māori children.
Assessment information show teachers are attuned to children's interests, ideas and friendships. Links to parents' aspirations are evident. Teachers are exploring a kaupapa Māori assessment model to extend their practice for assessing learning using a Māori contextual framework. Parents are valued as partners in their child’s learning journey. Useful information about cultural and home contexts is gathered by teachers who proactively seek to build strong, positive relationships with families and whānau. Teachers agree that a next step is to ensure that aspirations and cultural context information consistently informs their practice and planning, to promote improved learning outcomes for children.
Teachers have not yet reviewed their curriculum to identify how well current practice aligns with Te Whāriki (2017). A review is planned and as part of this leaders agree that this work should include consulting with whānau and community about:
Children's transitions into the kindergarten are monitored and well supported. A number of useful transition-to-school strategies are now in place. Teachers are actively growing their relationships with neighbouring schools.
Teachers are reflective, collaborative and improvement-focused. They are supported to grow their evaluation practice through using well developed association systems and tools. Senior teachers should continue to work with teachers to build their capacity to measure the impact of their practice on children’s learning.
The appraisal process is comprehensive and well-considered. Teachers challenge themselves to continually improve their practice through strategic goal-setting and professional learning. Plans are in place to further strengthen teacher development by implementing an inquiry-based approach to appraisal. ERO's evaluation affirms this direction. This should support teachers to better measure the success of improved practices in promoting outcomes for specific children and priority groups.
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.
The governance board includes community representatives with a wide range of useful skills. The board and senior leadership team work well together, with a shared commitment to meeting strategic goals and objectives for the benefit of children, whānau and community. Resource allocation clearly aligns with this focus. Equitable and inclusive ways to eliminate barriers to children's learning and wellbeing are actively sought.
ERO and kindergarten teachers agree that their priority next steps are to:
continue to embed all elements of assessment, planning and evaluation procedures
build internal evaluation practice
consult with whānau and community about priority learning outcomes for their tamariki.
ERO, the governance board and senior leaders agree that they should continue to build their effectiveness by:
measuring the extent to which children's and their families' outcomes are improved through association initiatives and systems. This should include analysing the impact on specific priority groups
increasing opportunities for whānau to actively contribute to the association's operation and strategic direction.
Before the review, the staff and management of Pukeatua 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 Pukeatua Kindergarten will be in three years.
Alan Wynyard
Director Review and Improvement Services
Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region
25 October 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 |
5339 |
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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 |
45 children aged over 2 years |
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Service roll |
43 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 24, Girls 19 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
20 |
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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 |
|
Review team on site |
September 2018 |
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Date of this report |
25 October 2018 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
June 2015 |
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|
Education Review |
August 2012 |
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|
Education Review |
May 2009 |
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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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Pukeatua Kindergarten, previously known as Glendale Kindergarten, is located in Wainuiomata. It provides education and care for children from two to five years of age. Sessions are offered each day from 8.30am to 2.30pm. Attendance hours are flexible so that children are able to attend with family members. The kindergarten is licensed for up to 45 children.
The teaching team is fully qualified and the programme is further assisted by support staff. The kindergarten has a positive reporting history with ERO.
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 review there have been several changes to the General Manager.
This review was part of a cluster of ten kindergarten reviews in the Hutt City Kindergarten Association.
Positive relationships are a significant feature of the kindergarten, reflecting the Māori values of whanaungatanga and manaakitanga. Teachers’ interactions with children are respectful, gentle and nurturing. Purposeful conversations promote their language and learning. Children confidently interact with one another and with adults, including visitors. Older children demonstrate care of younger children. Whānau spoken with during the review appreciate the positive relationships they have with teachers. They feel welcomed, supported and informed about their children’s learning and wellbeing.
Children are supported to lead their learning and make choices about their play. They happily explore and experiment within a secure and interesting environment. There is a wide range of spaces and resources to extend play and learning. Teachers work at the children’s level, responding to their leadership and imagination. Children’s independence is encouraged. They are assisted to take responsibility and care for their own wellbeing, for others, for equipment and the environment.
Resources and activities promote literacy and numeracy learning. Teachers are working with an external professional development provider to develop their approaches to mathematics teaching. They demonstrate a strong commitment to developing their Māori language skills and reflecting te ao Māori throughout the programme. Teachers ensure that their practices and interactions are culturally responsive to Māori children and their families. They are exploring further ways to reflect the family and cultural backgrounds of children from Pacific and other cultures.
Learning stories provide attractive records of children’s learning and experiences. These are easily accessed by children to share and revisit their learning. Teachers have encouraged increased family contribution to assessment records and continue to explore effective ways to involve families in ongoing conversations about children’s learning. Processes for assessment and planning have been reviewed and modified. Teachers have introduced a well-considered, useful system to notice, recognise and respond to group learning needs. The current collaboratively planned focus on teaching children about communication and social interaction is well documented and evaluated by the team. A next step for teachers is to consider how to better respond to individual children’s interests and needs, in ways that extend their learning.
The association is part way through the implementation of a new approach to appraisal. Once fully established it should assist leaders to provide a robust, supportive and developmental process. Kindergarten leaders should then undertake regular monitoring of how well the appraisal process 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 the 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.
Teachers should investigate ways to strengthen assessment and planning practices so that they can better respond to individual interests and needs and extend children’s learning.
The association should:
Before the review, the staff and management of Pukeatua 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 Pukeatua Kindergarten will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
24 June 2015
|
Location |
Lower Hutt |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
5339 |
||
|
Licence type |
Free Kindergarten |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
45 children, over two years of age |
||
|
Service roll |
43 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 25, Boys 18 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Samoan Cook Island Māori Indian |
23 12 3 3 2 |
|
|
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 |
April 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
24 June 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
August 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
March 2009 |
||
|
Education Review |
December 2005 |
||
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.