2/30 Grenville Street, Lower Hutt CBD, Lower Hutt
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Waiwhetu Kindergarten provides all day education and care for up to 43 children, aged over two years. Sessions run daily during the week from 8.30am to 2.30pm. Of the total roll of 57, three children identify as Māori and four are of Pacific heritage. The kindergarten serves a culturally diverse community.
The kindergarten philosophy emphasises inclusive, responsive relationships and learning through play.
At the time of the review a relieving head teacher was supporting the long-serving teaching team. A permanent head teacher has been appointed and will take up the position at the start of Term 4, 2018. All teachers at Waiwhetu Kindergarten are fully qualified.
Waiwhetu Kindergarten is one of 19 in the Lower Hutt region, governed and managed by Hutt City Kindergarten Association (the association). Since the September 2015 ERO report, a new senior leadership team has been appointed. This includes a general manager and two senior teachers, guided by a team leader. The governance board has also undergone significant changes.
The previous ERO report identified the following key next steps: revising and implementing the philosophy; evaluating the effectiveness of the literacy programme; strengthening assessment practice; and learning partnerships with whānau and aiga. Progress has been made in addressing these.
Practices requiring development were identified for the association. These included: strategic planning; cultural responsiveness to Māori and Pacific families; evaluation; and the appraisal process. Good progress has been made in these areas.
This review was one of nine in the Hutt City Kindergarten Association.
Children play freely in the thoughtfully designed environments. The outdoor area invites them to engage closely with nature. Children from a diverse range of backgrounds play together cooperatively and creatively. Opportunities to initiate, choose and extend activities enable them to sustain and add complexity to their learning. Empowering children to develop social competencies is an acknowledged parent and whānau aspiration and a focus for teacher planning. The child-led curriculum is a kindergarten strength.
Teachers are responsive to individual children’s interests, discoveries and needs. Intentionally weaving these throughout the programme engages children and gives an authentic context to learning. Teachers learn and play alongside children and are alert to opportunities to engage in rich conversations, model social strategies and extend thinking.
New children and families from all cultures are welcomed. Teachers know children and families well. Teachers encourage parents and whānau to contribute to their children’s learning journeys through actively seeking their aspirations and perspectives. Useful information about cultural and home contexts is gathered and contributes to building strong, positive relationships.
Well-chosen learning stories are written to highlight children’s interests, discoveries and progress. Their knowledge is linked strongly to new understandings and opportunities are identified to extend learning further. Teachers should now focus on ensuring that their planning consistently makes use of this information to tailor practices and inform next steps.
Teachers support children’s sense of belonging by greeting them in their own language, and through the design of photographic and artwork displays. Plans are in place to further enhance the reflection of children’s cultures, languages and identities in the learning spaces, to align with the vision of the kindergarten. ERO's evaluation confirms this direction.
The regularly reviewed philosophy is aligned with the kindergarten’s valued learning outcomes. These have been have further defined to describe enactment by tamariki, teachers and whānau and how used to inform planning, assessment and internal evaluation. Plans are in place for the newly appointed head teacher to lead a philosophy review involving the children, whānau and teachers. This should include revisiting priority learning outcomes and recapturing the unique aspects and context of the kindergarten.
Aspects of te ao Māori experiences are evident in the curriculum. Teachers seek to improve their te reo Māori as well as their knowledge of local stories, history and practices. The association’s current strategic focus on bicultural practices should support this improvement. In addition, building teachers’ understanding of specific strategies, in partnership with whānau, that promote the educational success of Māori children should also be a focus for association leaders.
Children with additional needs are well supported. External agencies are accessed, as appropriate, in consultation with parents.
Teachers are reflective, collaborative and improvement-focused. They are being supported to grow their evaluation practice through well-developed association systems and tools. Senior teachers should continue to work with teachers to build their capacity to measure the impact of their practice on children’s learning.
A very effective distributed leadership model is in place. Teachers are engaged and enthusiastic practitioners, confident to take on additional responsibilities, according to their strengths and interests. They effectively promote a sense of community and acknowledge parents’ expertise. ERO's evaluation affirms the key next steps self-identified by the team and senior leadership.
A comprehensive, well-considered appraisal process is in place. Teachers challenge themselves to continually improve their practice through strategic goal-setting and professional learning. Plans are in place to further strengthen teacher development by implementing an inquiry-based approach to appraisal. This should support teachers to better measure the success of improved practices in promoting outcomes for specific children and priority groups.
The association's senior teaching team are reflective and highly improvement focused. Robust, linked systems and processes have been skilfully developed to guide and grow teacher capability and positively impact on children’s learning. Leaders successfully foster a collective sense of responsibility for the vision, values and mission of the association.
The governance board includes community representatives with a wide range of useful skills. The board and senior leadership team work together well, with a shared commitment to meeting strategic goals and objectives for the benefit of children, whānau and community. Resource allocation clearly aligns with this focus. Equitable and inclusive ways to eliminate barriers to children’s learning and wellbeing are actively sought.
ERO and kindergarten teachers agree that their next steps are to:
ERO, the governance board and senior leaders agree that they should continue to build their effectiveness by:
measuring the extent to which children's and their families’ outcomes are improved though association initiatives and systems. This should include analysing their impact on specific priority groups
increasing opportunities for whānau to actively contribute to the association’s operation and strategic direction.
Before the review, the staff and management of Waiwhetu 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:
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 Waiwhetu Kindergarten will be in three years.
Alan Wynyard
Director Review and Improvement Services
Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region
14 November 2018
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 |
Lower Hutt |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
5620 |
||
|
Licence type |
Free Kindergarten |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
43 children aged over two |
||
|
Service roll |
57 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 32, Girls 25 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
3 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
September 2018 |
||
|
Date of this report |
14 November 2018 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
September 2015 |
|
|
Education Review |
August 2012 |
||
|
Education Review |
May 2010 |
||
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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Waiwhetu Kindergarten is located in Lower Hutt and provides education and care for children aged from two to five years. Six-hour daily sessions are offered three days a week and two morning sessions are offered on Wednesday and Friday. The kindergarten is licensed for 43 children.
Members of the teaching team are fully qualified and the programme is further assisted by support staff. The kindergarten is part of the Enviroschools programme to promote recycling, reusing and reducing waste in the kindergarten.
The August 2012 ERO report identified areas requiring further development. These included: assessment; planning and evaluation; self review; strengthening te reo me ngā tikanga Māori; cultural diversity in the programme; and teacher practice and building relationships with teachers at local primary schools.
The kindergarten is governed by the Hutt City Kindergarten Association (the association). Two professional practice managers (PPMs) are employed by the association to provide professional support and guidance to teachers. Since the previous review there have been several changes of General Manager.
This review was part of a cluster of nine kindergarten reviews in the Hutt City Kindergarten Association.
Children engage in a child-led, play-based curriculum. Teachers demonstrate positive, warm and respectful relationships. They support children with additional learning needs and work closely with whānau and external agencies. A next step is for teachers to make closer links between individual development plans and children's learning stories to show how they are progressing with their learning.
Teachers use rich descriptive language to support children's oral language development. Families and whānau are encouraged be actively involved in their child’s learning by spending time at the kindergarten and to use their home language.
The kindergarten’s philosophy for guiding the programme is currently under review. Teachers are consulting with the community on this. Developing clear, specific and measurable indicators of success should support the implementation of the philosophy.
Recent participation in professional learning and development assists staff to build bicultural practices. A key next step is to continue to strengthen the curriculum by increasing teachers' use of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori.
Teaching strategies to promote the culture, language and identity of Māori and Pacific children are developing. A next step for teachers is to continue to build learning partnerships whānau and aiga to determine the successful outcomes valued by the kindergarten's Māori and Pacific community. This should help teachers to better reflect and celebrate cultures in the curriculum.
Learning stories highlight children’s developing friendships, interests and engagement in the programme. Teachers should strengthen their evaluation practice through:
The kindergarten has good self-review processes that promote improvement. Teachers recognise that the evaluative aspect of this should be increased. A key next step is for teachers to evaluate the effectiveness of their literacy programme. Teachers should consider a wider range of literacy strategies for children and their integration into the curriculum.
The association is part way through the implementation of a new approach to appraisal. Once fully established this should assist leaders to provide a robust, supportive and developmental process. Professional practice managers should then undertake regular monitoring of how well appraisal is being implemented in each kindergarten.
The board receives a range of useful information. A key next step is for leaders to provide more evaluative reporting to assist in decision making and ongoing resourcing. The strategic plan provides a vision and shared direction to guide development. Establishing clearer measures of success should strengthen evaluation of progress towards goals. In addition, strategies that promote cultural responsiveness to Māori and Pacific families should be highlighted in strategic documents.
The PPMs provide half-yearly written reports. These provide information about how the kindergarten is meeting legislative requirements, and at times, make recommendations. These reports should be strengthened by providing critical feedback on the quality of teaching and the effectiveness of the curriculum in improving outcomes for children.
The association provides guidance and support to teachers for continuous improvement of teaching and learning. This includes:
At the time of this review, the association was involved in a process of a formal review to determine the future direction of Hutt City Kindergartens. ERO identified that, within the current operating model, the capacity of senior staff to provide targeted support that promotes ongoing improvement to teaching and learning is limited.
ERO identified that priorities for improvement should include:
The association should:
Before the review, the staff and management of Waiwhetu 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.
The next ERO review of Waiwhetu Kindergarten will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
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 |
Lower Hutt |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
5620 |
||
|
Licence type |
Free Kindergarten |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
43 children, over two years of age |
||
|
Service roll |
68 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 32, Girls 36 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Pacific Asian Other ethnic groups |
14 34 5 12 3 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
July 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
10 September 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
August 2012 |
|
|
Supplementary Review |
May 2010 |
||
|
Education Review |
March 2009 |
||
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.