One Tree Hill Community Kindergarten

1 ERO’s Judgements

Akarangi | 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 (PDF 3.01MB) are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. The Akarangi Quality Evaluation Judgement Rubric (PDF 91.30KB) derived from the indicators, is used to inform the ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.

ERO’s judgements for One Tree Hill Community Kindergarten are as follows:

2 Context of the Service

One Tree Hill Community Kindergarten is governed by a committee of parents and teachers. Two qualified teachers share the head teacher role and support a team of four qualified teachers and two unqualified staff. Children enrolled come from a diverse range of cultures. Many enrolments are from the local community.

3 Summary of findings

Children experience an environment of respect and inclusiveness. Their cultures, languages, and identities are celebrated and promoted.

The play-based curriculum responds to each child’s individual interests and needs. The centre has a wide range of resources and equipment that promotes children’s learning. Service leaders and teachers provide an environment that encourages exploration and nurtures curiosity and creativity. The indoor and outdoor areas are spacious and enable individual, and small or large group activities.

Teachers know their children well. The teaching team role models and engages in positive and nurturing relationships. Families who spoke with ERO shared that they hold the service in high regard, and in particular they value the trusting relationships they have with teachers.

Teachers use te reo Māori regularly when interacting with children. They demonstrate a commitment to the continued development of their knowledge of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. They are well supported to build teaching capabilities and knowledge through professional learning and development.

Service leaders and teachers foster collaboration and a cohesive team culture that enables ongoing improvement. Children’s learning and wellbeing are the primary considerations in the service’s decision making process. The service has well established relationships with the community, and they have a planned focus to strengthen learning-focused partnerships with whānau.

The executive committee and service leaders have created conditions that foster staff retention. The committee supports effective leadership, systems and processes that promote positive and equitable outcomes for children. Opportunities are provided for teachers to take leadership roles and work to their own strengths and interests.

Systems and processes for planning and evaluation could be strengthened through more robust gathering and documenting of evidence. Evaluation should include monitoring the impact of practices on learning outcomes for children over time.

4 Improvement actions

One Tree Hill Community Kindergarten will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

• Strengthen internal evaluation through gathering evidence from a wide range of sources and monitoring the effectiveness of changes made.
• Support teachers to clearly document programme planning and records of children’s learning over time.
• Strengthen learning-focused partnerships with families and the community.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of One Tree Hill Community 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.

Phil Cowie
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

14 October 2021 

6 About the Early Childhood Service