514 Remuera Road, Remuera, Auckland
View on mapAkarangi | Quality Evaluation evaluates the extent to which this early childhood service has the learning and organisational conditions to support equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners. Te Ara Poutama- indicators of quality for early childhood education: what matters most (PDF 3.01MB) are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. The Akarangi Quality Evaluation Judgement Rubric (PDF 91.30KB) derived from the indicators, is used to inform the ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Saint Kentigern Preschool are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
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What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
ERO’s judgement |
|
He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning |
Whakaū Embedding |
|
Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
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Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
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Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
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Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
Saint Kentigern Preschool is operated by the Saint Kentigern Trust. The trust’s philosophy is based on Christian values. The preschool provides a seamless transition into St Kentigern’s Boys’ and Girls’ schools. A principal has responsibility for the daily operation of the preschool. Almost all teachers are qualified.
Children are inquisitive and show persistence in their learning. They confidently explore, investigate and work collaboratively with others. They are skilled in articulating their thoughts and ideas. A wide variety of resources is provided to provoke and sustain children’s interests in a vibrant learning environment.
Kaiako skilfully promote children’s inquiries in a curriculum that strongly reflects the principles and strands of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Documented assessment shows children as capable and competent learners.
Kaiako know about each child in the context of their whānau and the experiences they bring to the service. Children’s cultures and languages are valued and celebrated. Kaiako include aspects of tikanga Māori in the curriculum. They continue to build their knowledge and use of te reo Māori.
Leaders advocate for high-quality learning experiences. The adult-to-child ratio ensures all children have equitable opportunities to participate in the curriculum. Children’s transition into school is well supported.
Leaders and kaiako engage in regular internal evaluation that results in significant improvements to management processes, teaching practices and curriculum implementation. Trust leaders support these initiatives and recognise the contribution these improvements are likely to have on children’s learning outcomes.
Saint Kentigern Preschool will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Saint Kentigern 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:
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.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
31 March 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Saint Kentigern Preschool |
| Profile Number | 45629 |
| Location | Remuera, Auckland |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
56 children over the age of 2 years. |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
|
Service roll |
62 |
|
Ethnic composition |
NZ European/Pākehā 25 |
|
Review team on site |
February 2021 |
|
Date of this report |
31 March 2021 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, June 2016 |
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Saint Kentigern Preschool in Remuera is owned and operated by Saint Kentigern Trust, the umbrella organisation for Saint Kentigern College, Boys' and Girls' schools. The Preschool was established to provide a seamless transition into these schools. It is licenced for 50 children over two years of age.
An emphasis on upholding the 'Saint Kentigern Way' sits at the heart of the Preschool. Core values of love, integrity, respect, excellence and service guide the philosophy. There is a strong emphasis on ensuring that the programme supports children's developing literacy and numeracy as part of preparation for school.
Teachers have responded well to the next steps identified in ERO's 2013 report. They have explored and embedded responsive approaches to children's interests and built teachers' confidence to use te reo Māori.
There is a strong sense of mutual respect and confidence between the Saint Kentigern Trust and the Preschool. The Trust is very well informed about systems and processes that guide operations at the service. They support and value the leadership and direction that informs development in the Preschool.
Children, parents and whānau are warmly welcomed. Relationships between families and teachers are responsive and reciprocal. Parents value the care, nurturing and inclusive practices shown by teachers. They also appreciate the way teachers build children's confidence to participate in all aspects of the programme and the high teacher-to-child ratio.
Children are settled, focused, highly engaged and positive in their learning. They play alongside their peers with sustained engagement and on their own for significant periods of time. Children's relationships with others are respectful and caring. They have many opportunities to be creative and develop their thinking and reasoning skills. They also benefit from swimming and yoga instruction and French and Māori language learning opportunities.
The learning environment challenges and extends children's play. Children make choices and decisions from a wide range of resources. Developing children's appreciation of literacy, numeracy, science and the arts is very well supported. The environment celebrates children's work and their contributions to the learning programme.
Bicultural practice is meaningfully integrated and highly evident in the environment. Teachers acknowledge the place of Māori in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Children initiate the use of te reo Māori with their peers and teachers. Teachers continue to respond to and affirm other cultures within the centre.
Partnerships within the Saint Kentigern family/organisation promote learning for children and secure confident transitions to school. This creates a seamless learning pathway for children as they move on to school. Children's sense of wellbeing and belonging is nurtured through the well planned and effective transition process.
Teachers are committed to ongoing individual and whole-centre professional learning. This contributes to teacher reflection and the team's teaching and learning approaches. Teachers are highly collaborative and their strengths and interests contribute to the learning programme. Work is presently underway embedding a robust teacher appraisal system.
Teachers regularly reflect on their role as facilitators who promote children's independent learning. Changes to programme planning and assessment processes have increased the focus on children's individual learning. Narrative assessment is the predominate approach to assessing and reporting on children's learning in portfolios. Teachers are embedding these significant changes in a considered way.
The director's collaborative and inclusive leadership supports teachers to work as a team and empowers them to use and grow their strengths. This contributes to teachers being open to new ideas and approaches and reflective about their practice. Self-review within The Preschool is comprehensive, cyclical and consultative and is impacting positively on children's opportunities to learn.
The Preschool is thoughtfully governed and managed. The Trust board's strategic framework is skilfully adapted by the Director and staff to be appropriate to the early childhood context.
The Preschool director and Trust board agree that key next steps for the preschool are to:
continue strengthening programme planning and approaches to narrative assessment
further embed the teacher appraisal system in alignment with the requirements of the Education Council of New Zealand.
Before the review, the staff and management of Saint Kentigern 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:
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 Saint Kentigern Preschool will be in four years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
30 June 2016
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.
|
Location |
Remuera, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
45629 |
||
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Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
50 children, including up to 0 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
56 |
||
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Gender composition |
Boys 32 Girls 24 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Chinese British Australian Indian |
3 31 12 5 3 2 |
|
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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 |
1:6 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
May 2016 |
||
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Date of this report |
30 June 2016 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
May 2013 |
|
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.
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.