189 William Jones Drive, Otangarei, Whangarei
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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.
Te Timatatanga o te Matauranga operates in Whangarei, under the governance of the Northland Kindergarten Association. It is a well-established service that provides teaching and learning from a bicultural perspective. It is licensed for 30 tamariki over two years old and offers six-hour sessions to respond to community needs. All the tamariki currently enrolled are Māori.
The kindergarten team comprises a kaiwhakahaere (head teacher) and two other registered mahita (teachers), an administrator and a cook. The kaiwhakahaere and some other staff are new to the kindergarten since the 2014 ERO review. This team has developed its own philosophy that is influenced by the model of Te Whare Tapa Whā, based on Taha Tinana, Taha Wairua, Taha Whānau and Taha Hinengaro.
ERO's 2014 report noted positive relationships and children's strong sense of belonging, and bicultural practices as strengths. These features have been maintained. Mahita have shown a commitment to continuing to improve in the areas for development identified in ERO's 2014 report.
The Association provides a framework of policies, procedures and expectations that guides kindergarten management and curriculum practices. Teachers are supported in their practice by Association personnel. A Pou Whakarewa Tikanga Māori Advisor supports teachers to strengthen their bicultural understanding and practices. An Association Speech Language Therapist and Social Worker also provide valuable support to children, whanau and teachers. A Professional Practice Manager (PPM) visits regularly and provides leadership and curriculum guidance for teachers through professional discussion and written reports.
This review was part of a cluster of three kindergarten reviews in the Northland Kindergarten Association.
Tamariki and whānau arrive each day to a calm, settled environment. Mahita and parents have a strong bond that supports the comfort and care of tamariki in the kindergarten. Whānau who spoke to ERO value the care and nurturing ways mahita build children's confidence and potential to achieve ongoing success as Māori children.
Respectful relationships create the strong sense of trust between adults and tamariki. Inclusive approaches ensure that all children, including those with diverse learning needs, are welcomed and appropriately catered for. Strengthened relationships with local schools have resulted in positive transitions for tamariki to school.
Tamariki have a strong sense of belonging and wellbeing. They play cooperatively and are able to make choices about how and where they play. Tamariki are valued and affirmed by mahita for what they bring to their learning, and are very well supported to develop social competencies.
Tamariki benefit from a spacious, creatively presented indoor learning environment that provides a good range of activities and learning areas. They have easy access to the outside learning environment. Mahita are keen to further develop this area to ensure that learning challenges and opportunities for exploration are available for tamariki.
The Association has a strong commitment to bicultural practices and working in partnership with Māori whānau to achieve educational success for Māori children. Teachers' integration of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori is highly evident in the child-focused programme.
Mahita work alongside tamariki, observing and responding to individual interests. Whānau are encouraged to contribute to the learning of their tamaiti through sharing their knowledge and skills. Individual learning stories show the way tamariki participate in the learning programme. Teachers skilfully link stories to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
The kaiwhakahaere models enthusiasm, leadership and openness. Mahita are highly motivated and reflective practitioners. They work collaboratively and use each other's strengths and passions. Internal evaluations are regular and their purpose is well understood. Recording evaluative questions that are more clearly focused on the children's learning would help mahita to plan ways to support more complex child-led learning.
Very good Association support and effective management practices help to sustain quality practices. Leaders continue to adapt personnel systems, including teachers' appraisal, in response to changes in legal requirements. The Association is responsive to the changing needs of the community. Effective use of Government equity funding contributes to good provision for children with additional learning needs.
The Association has a strong commitment to continuous improvement in educational outcomes for children. Teachers are able to access regular professional development through the Association, and are also supported to attend learning opportunities provided by external providers. This support fosters the Association's expectations of high quality, evidence-based teaching.
Kindergarten leaders have recognised that in order to sustain and enhance current practices, next steps are to:
continue to explore ways to make teaching strategies more visible in planning and assessment, and to show the role of mahita in extending children's learning overtime
strengthen the documentation of evaluation to show how internal evaluations and changes to teaching practice impact positively on learning outcomes for tamariki.
Association leaders agree that the next steps are to:
simplify and align long term and annual plans
continue to build evaluation capability among the teaching teams.
Before the review, the staff and management of Te Timatatanga o te Matauranga 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 Te Timatatanga o te Matauranga will be in three years.
Julie Foley
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
8 June 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.
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Location |
Whangarei |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
10402 |
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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 |
30 children, over 2 years of age |
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Service roll |
30 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 17 Girls 13 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
30 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
April 2018 |
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Date of this report |
8 June 2018 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
September 2014 |
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|
Education Review |
April 2011 |
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Education Review |
October 2007 |
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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:
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.
Te Timatatanga o te Matauranga is situated next to Otangarei Primary School, in Whangarei. It offers school-day sessions and caters for up to 30 children from two years to school age.
The kindergarten provides learning and teaching from a bicultural perspective for its predominantly Māori community, recognising the gifts, talents and strengths of children’s family and whānau. Equity funding received by the centre is used to provide hot lunches and healthy food snacks for tamariki throughout the day.
Te Timatatanga o te Matauranga operates as part of the Northland Kindergarten Association which provides policy, procedural and operating guidelines. The association also provides teachers with regular, topical professional development and on-going support from a professional practice manager (PPM).
Since the centre’s 2011 ERO report, teachers have continued to refine their planning processes and have worked to ensure te reo Māori is used more consistently within the teaching and learning programme provided for children.
Children enjoy their time at the centre. They show a strong sense of belonging and form strong friendships with other tamariki. Positive child-teacher relationships create a foundation for nurturing children’s learning and social skills. Children have many opportunities to explore their environment and play with other children.
Connections to children’s culture and home and family life are used to guide teachers’ planning and make children’s learning meaningful. Partnerships with whānau are important and valued by teachers. Parents are regularly consulted about their tamariki’s welfare and learning, and about planning for various centre projects.
The head teacher models quality teaching. She continues to build a collaborative teaching team through trusting relationships. Teachers have multiple opportunities to lead, share ownership of the programme and work together as a team. Teachers integrate literacy and mathematics meaningfully into the kindergarten’s programme. They include tikanga and te reo Māori in the programme, using support from external advisers to develop their knowledge and skills in these areas. The use of child-led activity based storytelling is also used very effectively to link language, identity and meaning back to Māori culture.
Assessment portfolios are used to maintain records of children’s time in the centre. Children enjoy reading their portfolios and sharing these records of their progress and achievements with others. Parents are encouraged to contribute to their child’s learning by adding their comments to their portfolio.
The kindergarten’s philosophy is developed in consultation with the parent community, and guides its daily operations and programme directions. Teachers frequently refer to this philosophy when evaluating teaching and learning programmes.
The centre’s PPM is highly focussed on ensuring there is good professional support and development for staff at Te Timatatanga o Te Matauranga. Teachers are given opportunities to grow their leadership and teaching capabilities. The PPM appreciates the uniqueness of the kindergarten and its teaching team.
To improve practice ERO and centre leaders agree that key next steps include:
Before the review, the staff and management of Te Timatatanga o te Matauranga 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 Te Timatatanga o te Matauranga will be in three years.
Dale Bailey
National Manager Review Services
Northern Region
29 September 2014
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 |
Whangarei, Northland |
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|
Ministry of Education profile number |
10402 |
||
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Licence type |
Free Kindergarten |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
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Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 0 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
26 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 15 Boys 11 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Tokelauan |
24 1 1 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates |
80% |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
July 2014 |
||
|
Date of this report |
29 September 2014 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
April 2011 |
|
|
Education Review |
October 2007 |
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.