1 Grey Street, Shannon
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Regulatory standards |
ERO’s judgement |
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Curriculum |
Meeting |
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Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
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Health and safety |
Meeting |
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Governance, management and administration |
Meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO identified non-compliance with regulatory standards that must be addressed.
Shannon Kindergarten, previously known as Shannon Preschool, was relicensed in November 2018. It is now part of He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua Free Kindergarten Association (the association) which takes responsibility for its governance and management. Senior teachers employed by the association oversee and support the professional practice of the teaching team.
The kindergarten provides education and care for up to 30 children aged from two to five years. All teachers are qualified. This is the first review of this service as Shannon Kindergarten.
Parents and whānau are provided with opportunities to contribute to the development of the kindergarten’s operational documents. The curriculum offers a language-rich environment that enhances children’s learning. Quiet spaces and areas for physically active play are available to children. There are well established systems for the monitoring of health and safety.
Next steps include:
Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
The next ERO review is likely to be an Education Review.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services Te Tai Tini
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
23 September 2019
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Shannon Kindergarten |
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Profile Number |
50065 |
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Location |
Shannon |
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Service type |
Free Kindergarten |
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Number licensed for |
30 children |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
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Reported ratio of staff |
1:10 - Meets regulatory standards. |
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Service roll |
31 |
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Gender composition |
Male 16, Female 15 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 17 |
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Review team on site |
August 2019 |
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Date of this report |
23 September 2019 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
First ERO review of the service. |
All services are licensed under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008. The legal requirements for early childhood services also include the Licensing Criteria for Education and Care Services 2008.
Services must meet the standards in the regulations and the requirements of the licensing criteria to gain and maintain a licence to operate.
All early childhood services are required to promote children’s health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements. Before the review, the staff and management of a service 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:
As part of an Assurance Review ERO assesses whether the regulated standards are being met. In particular, ERO looks at a service’s systems for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children's wellbeing:
As part of an Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:
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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.
Shannon Preschool is a community-based education and care service located in Shannon, in Horowhenua. It is situated within the grounds of the local primary school and operates five days a week. A community-based committee is responsible for governance. The service is licensed for 25 children over the age of two. At the time of this review 16 identified as Māori.
The service has a variable reporting history with ERO. The July 2015 ERO report recommended the service, in consultation with the Ministry of Education (the Ministry), develop a plan to address the significant number of issues raised. A programme of professional learning and development was implemented, supported through a Ministry funded Strengthening Early Learning Opportunities (SELO) programme. This programme started in early 2016 and is planned to continue through to July 2017.
The preschool has a significant role in providing early childhood education in this rural area. The committee and teachers are committed to improving outcomes for children and their families. They have actively participated in the professional learning provided and continue to build their capabilities. However, this evaluation finds that progress has not been sufficient.
ERO's previous report found six areas of non-compliance. These were in the areas of: health and safety; curriculum provision and teaching practice; and human resource management. Many of these have been addressed.
Further to these, identified key next steps outlined significant further development was needed in relation to:
responsiveness to Māori children's culture, language and identity
consistency of teaching practice and assessment, planning and evaluation of children's learning
appraisal for teacher development
centre self review
centre leadership
strategic planning and understanding of governance roles and responsibilities.
Teachers continue to build their knowledge of effective practices for Māori learners. Te ao Māori is developing as an integral part of the service's curriculum. Te reo Māori is modelled by adults and used meaningfully by them and children on a daily basis. Māori learners' culture, language and identities are affirmed and celebrated.
A programme of professional learning for teachers began in March 2016. The focus of this was to support them to effectively assess children's learning and progress, use this information to determine next steps teaching and improve the quality of learning experiences. This evaluation found that variability in teacher practice continues.
The service remains in the early stages of establishing an organisational culture that promotes ongoing improvement. Centre leaders and governors continue to develop awareness of their roles and responsibilities. However, strategic direction is lacking and the planning framework in place to prioritise and guide the service's progress, is not sufficiently developed to ensure the centre is governed and managed well. Centre leadership continues to require support for leading improvements to curriculum and teaching and learning.
Insufficient progress has been made in building and supporting leaders' and teachers' professional practice. Their appraisal lacked rigour in 2015. Staff continue to build their knowledge of effective evaluation practice and are currently trialling a model.
Before the review, the staff and management of Shannon 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
ERO found significant areas of non-compliance in the service related to:
adults' understanding of children's learning and development
appraisal of teachers, including renewal of their practising certificates
ERO recommends that the Ministry reassess the licence of Shannon Preschool. ERO will not undertake a further education review of this service until the Ministry of Education is satisfied that the service meets licensing requirements.
The next ERO review of Shannon Preschool will be in consultation with the Ministry of Education.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
17 February 2017
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 |
Shannon |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
50065 |
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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 |
25 children, aged over 2 |
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Service roll |
25 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 14, Girls 11 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Other ethnic groups |
16 7 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
50-79% |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
November 2016 |
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Date of this report |
17 February 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
July 2015 |
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|
Education Review |
November 2012 |
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Supplementary Review |
August 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:
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.