Westmere Kindergarten

1 Evaluation of Westmere Kindergarten

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

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

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

Background

Westmere Kindergarten in Auckland is a well-established service that provides an all-day programme for up to 40 children over the age of two years.

The experienced head teacher leads a team of four qualified, experienced teachers, some of whom are new to this kindergarten. An administrator, a teacher aide and a teaching assistant complete the team. The kindergarten's philosophy emphasises learning through play in a well-resourced and respectful environment.

The 2016 ERO report noted that children had access to well defined areas of play that promoted imagination, physical challenges and developed their confidence to explore and extend their learning. These remain as features of the programme. The report recommended strengthening bicultural practices, assessment, planning and evaluation. While good progress has been made with bicultural practices, teachers continue to make progress in other areas.

The kindergarten is part of the Auckland Kindergarten Association (AKA), which provides leadership, a framework of policies and operational guidelines, support personnel and programmes of professional learning and development for staff. A new AKA structure and new leadership roles have been established, and new personnel appointed.

This review was part of a cluster of eight reviews in the Auckland Kindergarten Association.

The Review Findings

Children demonstrate a sense of belonging in the kindergarten. They are confident and articulate, engaging in conversations with peers and adults. They freely access purposefully designed indoor and outdoor learning environments. The wide variety of resources and activities allows children to make choices as they play and learn.

Teachers interact with children in a warm, respectful and positive manner. They facilitate children's play and exploration and could now strengthen documentation on the way they extend children's thinking and add greater complexity to their learning. Teachers have built strong relationships with local schools to assist children's transition to school.

Leaders and teachers are committed to developing a bicultural curriculum. They are gaining confidence and understanding of weaving culture and context into the programme. Continuing to strengthen their bicultural curriculum would support children and whānau to gain a deeper understanding of the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Teachers are reviewing how they gather information about individual children's and parents' aspirations. They aim to use this information to improve their response to children's cultures and home languages, and include parental aspirations in their programme planning. Continuing to collaborate with external agencies and whānau is likely to improve outcomes for children with additional learning needs.

Assessment and planning follow an established process. Teachers notice children's interests and identify learning dispositions. Planning is based on the provision of a variety of activities, experiences and planned excursions and events. Teachers could record how they build upon children's prior learning and respond to individual children's interests and dispositions.

Leaders and teachers have accessed relevant professional learning and engaged in collaborative internal evaluation related to their individual and the kindergarten strategic goals. This is having a positive impact on improving teaching practice and outcomes for children. Teachers will use the recently reviewed kindergarten philosophy as a reference to continue to deepen their reflective practice.

The AKA continues to provide support for kindergartens to strengthen bicultural practices. In many instances this has made a significant difference to teachers' confidence and capability. Specialist support impacts positively on teachers’ inclusion of children with additional learning needs. Priority is being given to re-establishing and supporting Parent Whānau Groups in all kindergartens. The strategic direction being established by new AKA leaders is providing a positive framework for kindergartens’ annual planning.

Key Next Steps

A key next step for leaders and teachers is to continue strengthening their understanding and use of Te Whāriki (2017), the early childhood curriculum, in order to:

• have more detailed information to show how they enhance strategies for extending individual children's learning

• respond more purposefully to children's cultural backgrounds and specific learning needs.

It would be useful for AKA managers to:

• clarify new roles and engage teaching teams in the implementation of the new structure across the AKA

• increase the rigour of monitoring and quality assurance, and strengthen internal evaluation at all levels of the AKA

• identify and implement strategies for achieving greater consistency of the practices that are strengths in some kindergartens, across the AKA.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Westmere 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 - Te Tai Raki

13 February 2020

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.