48 A Russell Street, Westport
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 are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Judgements are made in relation to the Outcomes Indicators, Learning and Organisational Conditions. The Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Westport Kindergarten are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) | Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains | |
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions | Whāngai Establishing Whāngai Establishing |
Westport Kindergarten transitioned to the New Zealand Kindergarten network in May 2023. A recently established leadership team supports a mix of long-serving and new staff. The kindergarten is becoming increasingly culturally diverse. A quarter of children whakapapa Māori, with a small number of children from Pacific heritages.
Children experience a responsive curriculum, within settled learning environments, that positively supports their developing agency, independence and provides a sense of security and belonging. Teachers know whānau and children well. They engage in meaningful, positive interactions that enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. Oral language is intentionally prioritised to support children to express themselves and to learn and play well with, and alongside each other.
Teachers are well attuned to infants’ and toddlers’ emotional and social needs and development. Intentional strategies affirm and support these children to express themselves and interact, and provide opportunities that foster their learning and wellbeing.
Recently implemented assessment, planning and evaluation, and curriculum design guide teachers’ practice. Planning is responsive to children’s interests, needs and abilities. Children’s individual journals show whānau aspirations are gathered, and learning and progress are evident. Greater intentionality is required in using Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, learning outcomes, and integrating all children’s cultures, languages and identity through assessment documentation and the enacted curriculum.
Improvement-focused governance and leadership support the development of systems and initiatives, and allocate resources to foster relational trust and build teacher capability. A key focus has been growing service-wide understanding in te ao Māori and engaging in a wide range of relevant professional learning aligned to the kindergarten priorities. Leaders have been building the service’s relationship with mana whenua and whānau Māori, and this now requires further embedding within this context.
Building leadership capability to enable a shift from regular and ongoing self-review to understanding internal evaluation is essential. In time, supporting teachers to develop their understanding and use of internal evaluation is required. Evaluation would help to better identify the extent to which new learning has a positive impact on outcomes for children, particularly priority learners.
Westport Kindergarten will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Westport Kindergarten completed an ERO 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.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
10 January 2024
| Early Childhood Service Name | Westport Kindergarten |
| Profile Number | 5408 |
| Location | Westport |
| Service type | Free Kindergarten |
| Number licensed for | 96 children, including up to 12 aged under 2 |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 100% |
| Service roll | 85 |
| Review team on site | October 2023 |
| Date of this report | 10 January 2024 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review, June 2016; Education Review, May 2012. |
Not well placed | Requires further development | Well placed | Very well placed |
Westport Kindergarten is Well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Westport Kindergarten is governed by an annually elected board of trustees made up of parents, community and Māori representation.
The centre receives very strong professional support from the Nelson/Tasman Kindergarten Association (NTKA) to help leaders and teachers improve practice to support positive learning outcomes for children.
The centre has three separate rooms for children between birth to five years of age, including a sessional programme for children aged four to five years. Within the centre’s community there is a wide range of cultures.
There are strong partnerships established with whānau to support children settling and with their ongoing learning. The two key values of whanaungatanga and manaakitanga are well embedded in centre practice.
Since the 2012 ERO review, centre leaders are continuing to strengthen self-review and assessment. They have clarified leadership and management roles and responsibilities.
Caring and respectful relationships between children and with adults is supporting children’s sense of belonging. Teachers know children and their parents well. The diverse cultural backgrounds of the children and their families is recognised by teachers promoting and valuing children's language and culture within the curriculum.
The spacious physical learning environment is well presented offering challenges and interest that invite children to explore and become involved in a wide variety of activities. There is a wide range of good quality learning resources that are easily accessible for children to use in their play. Teachers have increased the availability and the use of technology. This is well integrated into the programme and supports children’s growing curiosity about the wider world.
Infant and toddlers experience a learning environment that is calm and provides unhurried routines. Children receive good quality care and attention. Positive relationships with parents ensures teachers provide good links with the home and centre. Teachers include parent opinions and ideas in the programme to support children's learning.
The child is the central focus of the curriculum. Teachers actively support children to develop self-help skills and confidence. As children progress through the centre there is a greater focus on them developing as life-long learners and greater independence in their learning.
Children benefit from a range of curriculum opportunities offered. These include literacy and numeracy, science, music, art and meaningful bicultural practices.
Teachers are making extensive use of an external on-line system for planning and assessment that has had positive impacts on children’s learning and on improving teaching practice. The most positive impacts have been:
Good relationships are fostering positive communication with parents of Māori children. All children have opportunities to experience and use te reo Māori in meaningful ways. Support from external advisors is helping teachers to build greater understanding and knowledge about te ao Māori. More deliberate questioning about Māori parents aspirations for their children will provide focused direction for centre planning.
Leadership roles have increased to include curriculum and educational leaders. The focus is on building whole team culture and developing collaborative and consistent practices in the centre. This is having a positive impact on improving planning and assessment focused on the best learning outcomes for children.
An appraisal process is well used to support and increase teachers expertise. A number of strategies and processes, including critical feedback from external appraisers, is in place to assure leaders and the board of the focus on continuous improvement in teaching and learning.
Transitions are personalised to the individual child’s needs and stages. They are carefully managed with the involvement of parents.
Leaders are focused on improving the quality of education and care through on-going self-review. They are making good use of the guidelines from the NTKA to support their practice. Leaders and teachers benefit from regular, targeted and purposeful professional development.
A committed board, made up of dedicated parents, are highly supportive of children, leaders and teachers. Quality management systems are used by the board to guide the operation of the centre.
The leaders and ERO agree that the next steps to improve consistency across the centre include:
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 Westport Kindergarten will be in three years.
Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern
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 | Westport | ||
| Ministry of Education profile number | 5408 | ||
| Licence type | Free Kindergarten | ||
| Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 | ||
| Number licensed for | 96 children, including up to 12 aged under two | ||
| Service roll | 114 | ||
| Gender composition | Girls 56%; Boys 44% | ||
| Ethnic composition | Māori Pākehā Other ethnicities | 11% 79% 10% | |
| Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+Based on funding rates | 80% + | ||
| Reported ratios of staff to children | Under 2 | 1:4 | Better than minimum requirements |
| Over 2 | 1:10 | Meets minimum requirements | |
| Review team on site | June 2016 | ||
| Date of this report | 30 June 2016 | ||
| Most recent ERO reports | Education Review | May 2012 | |
| Education Review | August 2008 | ||
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.
Westport Kindergarten operates under the constitution of the Westport Kindergarten Association. It is the only kindergarten in the local community. The governing board is responsible for long-term planning to guide the day-to-day management of the kindergarten. Aspects of the kindergarten’s operation are managed by the Nelson District Free Kindergarten Association.
The kindergarten currently operates half day sessions for up to 46 children over the age of two years old. All teachers are qualified and registered early childhood teachers.
Positive features of this kindergarten include:
Since the August 2008 ERO review, teachers have made significant progress in providing increased opportunities for children to hear and use te reo Māori and develop their understandings of aspects of Māori culture.
The teachers work as a reflective team, making good use of opportunities to discuss children’s learning and progress, and aspects of the programme. They have reliably identified that their next steps are to strengthen self review, and aspects of assessment and planning practices.
The kindergarten is well organised and managed. It operates under a useful set of policies and procedures for monitoring health and safety.
The kindergarten board functions well. It is focused on improving children’s access to high-quality early childhood education across the region. As a result, trustees are undertaking several projects to establish new early childhood facilities. The board acknowledges that as it expands its responsibilities, it will be important to ensure that effective board self-review systems are well established.
ERO is confident that the service is being managed in the interest of the children. Therefore ERO is likely to review the service again in three years.
Before the review, the management of Westport Kindergarten was invited to consider its priorities for review using guidelines and resources provided by ERO. ERO also used documentation provided by the centre to contribute to the scope of the review.
The detailed priorities for review were then determined following a discussion between the ERO review team and the management and staff. This discussion focused on existing information held by the centre (including self-review information) and the extent to which potential issues for review contributed to positive outcomes for children atWestport Kindergarten.
All ERO education reviews in early childhood focus on the quality of education. For ERO this includes the quality of:
ERO’s findings in these areas are set out below.
The kindergarten’s philosophy is based on developing meaningful relationships with children, their families and the community. Teachers aim to provide a child-driven programme that emphasises children as active participants in their own learning.
Effective relationships are a key feature of the kindergarten. Teachers place particular emphasis on supporting positive relationships through the curriculum. ERO observed:
Teachers relate to children in effective ways to extend their learning and thinking. They involve themselves regularly in children’s play and encourage them to talk about their ideas. They ask relevant questions to help children extend their thinking and problem-solving skills. Teachers know children well and refer to their families and home lives when they talk with children. This provides ongoing opportunities to develop children’s oral language and communication skills.
Children benefit from an interesting and varied programme that is responsive to their interests.
They have good opportunities to:
ERO observed children who confidently used all areas of the programme and who were well engaged in their play and learning.
Teachers have made significant progress since the 2008 ERO review in providing increased opportunities for children to hear and use te reo Māori and develop their understandings of aspects of Māori culture. Teachers include bicultural practices regularly in the programme and daily routines.
The teachers are a well led and reflective team. They engage in ongoing professional development. They regularly discuss children’s learning and progress. Teachers make good use of their individual strengths to support each other and extend children’s experiences. Teachers value the significant support from the board that allows them to develop their professional and personal skills, and be actively involved in community work.
Children’s well-being and learning is being supported by the strong links between the kindergarten and local community. Board and staff maintain effective networks and relationships within the community that help to provide extra resources and expertise to support the kindergarten’s ongoing development. This includes well-established relationships with local primary schools.
The board is focused on improving children’s access to high-quality early childhood education in the region. Board members have a well-informed understanding of their governance roles. They are responsive to the changing needs of the community and have undertaken several projects to establish new early childhood facilities in the local district. The board has appropriately focused on:
The board, managers and teachers have reliably identified many of the next steps to improve outcomes for children. These include strengthening self review and assessment practices.
Teachers have identified, and ERO agrees, that they are in the early stages of using a more formal, in-depth self-review process to evaluate aspects of their programme and practices. This should provide clearer documentation of their self-review processes.
The board trustees have also acknowledged that they are in the early stages of trialling new self-review systems to review their effectiveness. The development of these systems will provide clearer documentation of their self review.
Teachers are appropriately focused on improving assessment and programme planning practices.
This includes consistency in how well teachers:
Teachers should more clearly evaluate their planning to determine the effectiveness of the strategies they are using to extend children’s interests. This could also include reviewing how well they use information and communication technologies (ICT) to support children’s learning.
Before the review, the staff of Westport Kindergarten completed an ERO CentreAssurance Statement andSelf-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 documentation, including policies, procedures and records of recent use of procedures. ERO also checked elements of the following areas that have a potentially high impact on outcomes for children:
ERO is confident that the service is being managed in the interest of the children. Therefore ERO is likely to review the service again in three years.
Graham Randell
National Manager Review Services
Southern Region
| Type | All Day Kindergarten |
| Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
| Number licensed for | 46 children, aged over two |
| Roll number | 91 |
| Gender composition | Girls 59 Boys 32 |
| Ethnic composition | New Zealand European/Pākehā 71 Māori 13 Other Ethnicities 7 |
| Review team on site | April 2012 |
| Date of this report | 30 May 2012 |
| Previous three ERO reports | Education Review August 2008 Education Review June 2005 Accountability Review April 1998 |
These are the findings of the Education Review Office’s latest report on Westport Kindergarten.
Westport Kindergarten operates under the constitution of the Westport Kindergarten Association. It is the only kindergarten in the local community. The governing board is responsible for long-term planning to guide the day-to-day management of the kindergarten. Aspects of the kindergarten’s operation are managed by the Nelson District Free Kindergarten Association.
The kindergarten currently operates half day sessions for up to 46 children over the age of two years old. All teachers are qualified and registered early childhood teachers.
Positive features of this kindergarten include:
Since the August 2008 ERO review, teachers have made significant progress in providing increased opportunities for children to hear and use te reo Māori and develop their understandings of aspects of Māori culture.
The teachers work as a reflective team, making good use of opportunities to discuss children’s learning and progress, and aspects of the programme. They have reliably identified that their next steps are to strengthen self review, and aspects of assessment and planning practices.
The kindergarten is well organised and managed. It operates under a useful set of policies and procedures for monitoring health and safety.
The kindergarten board functions well. It is focused on improving children’s access to high-quality early childhood education across the region. As a result, trustees are undertaking several projects to establish new early childhood facilities. The board acknowledges that as it expands its responsibilities, it will be important to ensure that effective board self-review systems are well established.
ERO is confident that the service is being managed in the interest of the children. Therefore ERO is likely to review the service again in three years.
When ERO has reviewed an early childhood centre we encourage management to inform their community of any follow up action they plan to take. You should talk to the management or contact person if you have any questions about this evaluation, the full ERO report or their future intentions.
If you would like a copy of the full report, please contact the centre or see the ERO website, http://www.ero.govt.nz.
Graham Randell
National Manager Review Services
Southern Region
ERO is an independent, external evaluation agency that undertakes reviews of schools and early childhood services throughout New Zealand.
ERO follows a set of standard procedures to conduct reviews. The purpose of each review is to:
Reviews are intended to focus on outcomes for children and build on each centre’s self review.
ERO’s framework for reviewing and reporting is based on four review strands.
ERO reviews do not cover every aspect of centre performance and each ERO report may cover different issues. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to this centre.
Most ERO reports include recommendations for improvement. A recommendation on a particular issue does not necessarily mean that a centre is performing poorly in relation to that issue. There is no direct link between the number of recommendations in this report and the overall performance of this centre.