How well placed is Raumati Beach Kindergarten to promote positive learning outcomes for children?
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Raumati Beach 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.
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.
The September 2012 ERO report for Raumati Beach Kindergarten identified that self review needed further development. 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.
All teachers at Raumati Beach Kindergarten are qualified. The kindergarten is situated on the boundary of Raumati Beach School and this proximity supports the relationship between school and kindergarten.
This review was part of a cluster of 16 reviews in the He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua kindergartens.
Te Manawa is successfully implemented to promote positive outcomes for children. Children lead their involvement in learning, supported by teachers who respond well to their interests. The notion of ‘playing as a good friend’ effectively underpins interactions and relationships. Children learn to share, negotiate and compromise. They collaborate, make choices and show independence.
The contributions of parents and whānau are valued. Teachers and families enjoy relaxed, supportive relationships. Families have a variety of opportunities to share their aspirations for their children and to find out about, and comment on learning.
Processes to assess and evaluate learning have improved since the previous ERO report and are responsive to the diverse needs of children. Teachers follow a clear process to recognise and record, in children’s profile books, significant learning. Progress with developing skills and dispositions is evident in some books. Continuing to strengthen these processes to capture and extend learning for children is a next step.
The good practice in supporting children to transition to school has been strengthened. Useful information about the child’s strengths and comments from both parents and children are provided to schools.
Self-review practices to support ongoing improvement and evaluate progress are continuing to develop. Using the established review process to more systematically review what is important in this kindergarten’s curriculum is a next step.
The head teacher and team work collaboratively to focus on improvements that impact positively for children. 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.
The previous ERO report identified that the association needed to improve the appraisal process. This continues to require strengthening. A recently revised appraisal model, yet to be implemented, 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.
Children at Raumati Beach Kindergarten have regular opportunities to learn about Aotearoa New Zealand’s dual cultural heritage. Association leaders acknowledge that they need to build teachers’ 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.
The senior teacher, head teacher, staff and ERO agree on the following key next steps for Raumati Beach Kindergarten are to continue to strengthen:
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 senior teachers. These should include:
Before the review, the staff and management of Raumati Beach 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.
When is ERO likely to review the service again?
The next ERO review of Raumati Beach Kindergarten will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
22 June 2015
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Location |
Raumati |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
5379 |
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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 |
76 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 41, Girls 35 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Pacific Indian Other ethnic groups |
12 54 2 4 4 |
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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 |
May 2015 |
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Date of this report |
22 June 2015 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) These are available at www.ero.govt.nz |
Education Review |
September 2012 |
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Education Review |
May 2008 |
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Education Review |
June 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.