Rosebank Kindergarten

1 Evaluation of Rosebank Kindergarten

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

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

Background

Rosebank Kindergarten is one of four kindergartens operated by the South Otago Kindergarten Association (SOKA). The service provides education and care for up to 40 children over the age of two from 8.45am to 2.45pm daily.

Two head teachers share the leadership of the kindergarten and are responsible for the overall programme. The head teachers and the team of early childhood qualified teachers have the support of a senior teacher appointed by the association.

The kindergarten has joined the Big River Community of Learning | Kāhui Ako (CoL) which includes the high school, primary schools and other early education organisations in the region. The association senior teacher has effectively advocated strongly for the inclusion and involvement of early childhood services within the CoL.

The service made good progress with the recommendations from the 2013 ERO report. Improvements include assessment and planning, bicultural development and internal evaluation practice.

This review was part of a cluster of four kindergarten reviews in the South Otago Kindergarten Association.

The Review Findings

Children, their families and teachers work together in a respectful, welcoming environment, focused on promoting learning. Relationships are positive and inclusive and built around a shared purpose. The philosophy guides practices and clearly summarises what teachers' value as important for children’s learning. This, along with other key documents, provides a clear steer for teachers as to how they will maximise learning.

Children at the kindergarten are supported to be confident and focused on learning. Teachers seek and value children's views. Teachers empower children to succeed in their efforts and to know themselves and how they learn. This helps children to grow in independence and the ability to self-regulate. Children are supported to problem-solve and to take increased responsibility for themselves and others.

Teachers' interactions with children effectively encourage their language development and learning around literacy, mathematics and science concepts. Children have opportunities to participate in long-term projects and special programmes focused on particular aspects of learning. Teachers identify specific learning goals for each child. They provide a wide range of relevant, purposeful activities and experiences that provide an effective pathway to strengthening learning. They also provide strong support for children preparing to transition into school.

Teachers seek, value and act upon parent's wishes for their children. Parents’ views are included in goal setting and when teachers evaluate children’s learning progress. Teachers work closely with parents of children with special needs to improve and enhance their learning.

Teachers learn alongside children about Māori culture and language. Children are enthusiastic and teachers are focused on building the kindergarten as an authentic bicultural learning context. Children are learning what it is to be a bicultural New Zealander, beginning with a sense of belonging and place as they work and learn alongside others. The aim of teachers is that the inclusion of things Māori becomes part of everyday practice.

Teachers are reflective and critique their own practices. They work well together and support one another to share their strengths and build their skills. They reflect on practices together and help one another keep up-to-date with current theories. Internal evaluation practices have led to improvements and positive outcomes for children. Teachers have identified the need to further strengthen evaluation practice and are working to include effective evaluation into their planning and assessment as a way to ensure continuous improvement.

Teachers need to develop and use a schedule of internal evaluation to ensure things that have the most impact for children are regularly evaluated. Improvements need to include the use of evaluative questions and appropriate indicators to guide the review process.

The kindergarten is effectively governed by South Otago Kindergarten Association. The association has developed clear strategies to guide the services' futures. The senior teacher is providing very effective leadership, support and guidance to the kindergarten. She shows a strong commitment to ensuring positive outcomes for children. The association implements useful systems to be assured that the kindergarten meets all requirements. The board funds regular appropriate professional development, which contributes to improved teaching practices, leadership skills and bicultural inclusion.

Key Next Steps

Next steps as above, and for the association are to:

• strengthen the processes of internal evaluation to ensure focused investigations within the association and across services

• continue bicultural development within the board and across documentation.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

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

Dr Lesley Patterson

Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Te Waipounamu)

8 August 2017

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 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.