Tikipunga Free Kindergarten

1 Evaluation of Tikipunga Free Kindergarten

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

Tikipunga Free Kindergarten is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

Tikipunga Free Kindergarten provides four and six-hour sessions for up to 40 children over the age of two years. The roll includes 36 percent who identify as Māori, and a small number of Asian and Samoan children.

The kindergarten's philosophy values te reo and tikanga Māori, ako (community of learners), ngā hononga (relationships), and te taiao (environment). The teaching team includes a head teacher, three other registered teachers, an administrator, and a qualified lunch cover staff member.

The kindergarten has had a number of leadership changes. The team has been increased by an additional teacher to recognise the need for lunch cover, and to support younger children attending. Teachers share the kindergarten leadership.

ERO's 2015 report noted next steps for building on existing good practices. Areas for development included philosophy review, internal evaluation and connections with local schools. Progress has been made in these areas.

This review was part of a cluster of nine reviews in the Northland Kindergarten Association.

The Review Findings

Children demonstrate a strong sense of belonging in the kindergarten. They take opportunities to explore the environment and develop friendships with other children. They work collaboratively, following their interests and making decisions about their play. Some children engage independently in sustained periods of focused work.

The positive relationships teachers have formed with whānau enable some sharing about children's cultures and the contexts of their home lives. Teachers are working to increase the sense of ownership and belonging whānau have in the kindergarten.

Teachers are kind, patient and inclusive of children and their needs. They provide a range of good quality resources and experiences to encourage play. They work effectively with children with additional needs, supporting their integration into the kindergarten. Teachers focus on supporting children's wellbeing and social competence.

The kindergarten has been included in a pilot programme of KidsCan in Early Childhood Education supplying essential resources for children's wellbeing. Effective use of Government equity funding contributes to good provision for children with additional learning needs.

Whānau aspirations for their children are becoming more clearly visible in children's portfolios. Some recent portfolio records include information about individual children and their learning. This is a positive step in strengthening assessment, planning and evaluation.

Children's understanding and use of te reo Māori has been improved through the input of an experienced Māori kuia rongonui who has worked extensively with teachers. The evidence of her support is apparent in displays and portfolios, and in teachers' use of kupu Māori in conversations with children. Teachers provide ongoing support for Māori children to be confident in their language, culture and identity.

Teachers have undertaken much work to improve the outdoor area to facilitate children's risk-taking and physical agility. They are considering ways of making the indoor playroom and deck space more inviting for children. The introduction of rituals for morning mat times and snack times are helping to engage children's interest.

Transitions into the kindergarten and to school are well managed. Links with children's siblings and wider whānau are strong and contribute to useful connections with the adjoining primary school. They support children's sense of place and wellbeing.

Professional practice managers (PPM) regularly visit kindergartens to provide leadership and curriculum guidance for teachers. A Pou Whakarewa Tikanga Māori Advisor works closely with teachers to increase their understanding of and focus on authentically threading te ao Māori into learning programmes. There is an organisation-wide emphasis on providing high quality resources and equipment for children. Leaders and teachers value and respect the thoughtful use of natural resources.

The Association provides a comprehensive policy and procedure framework that sets clear expectations and guides teachers’ practice. It has developed relevant appraisal and teacher inquiry processes that reflect the Teaching Council’s guidelines. Each kindergarten’s annual plan aligns to the Association’s strategic vision, values and goals. NKA employs a speech language therapist and seconds a social worker from Family Works to provide targeted support for children, whānau and teachers.

Key Next Steps

The key next steps for teachers are to:

• establish an agreed team culture by developing a shared philosophy, in partnership with whānau

• engage children in more frequent, meaningful conversations that deepen their understandings about teaching and learning, and inspire the exploration of new ideas and thinking

• revise assessment, planning and evaluation processes to focus on recording outcomes for individual children and the effectiveness of teaching practices.

Key next steps for Association-wide development include:

• further developing assessment, planning and evaluation processes

• deepening understanding of evaluative thinking and internal evaluation processes to measure the effectiveness of systems and practices across the Association.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Tikipunga Free 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.

Steve Tanner

Director Review and Improvement Services Northern

Northern Region

19 August 2019

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

The overall judgement that ERO makes will depend on how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:

• Very well placed

• Well placed

• Requires further development

• Not well placed

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.