14 McNaughton Avenue, Mangere, Auckland
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.
McNaughton Kindergarten is located in a diverse multicultural community. It is licensed to cater for 30 children over the age of two years. Kindergarten hours of operation match the school day. Half of the children are Māori and half have Pacific heritage. Children are mainly around two years of age when they start attending the kindergarten.
A new teaching team, consisting of three registered teachers, has recently been established. A teacher aide and an administrator support the team. Teachers are developing into a cohesive team that is focused on enhancing outcomes for children.
The kindergarten's philosophy emphasises teachers' commitment to having responsive relationships with parents and whānau, encouraging tuakana/teina and collaborative approaches, and offering opportunities for exploration in an inclusive environment.
The 2014 ERO report identified many positive features. Teachers have continued to enhance children's oral language and use a variety of strategies to increase complexity in children's play. Good progress has been made in relation to ERO's recommendations to strengthen partnerships with parents and whānau. These partnerships are now a feature of the service.
The kindergarten is part of the Auckland Kindergarten Association (AKA), which provides a governance and management framework. Professional support personnel assist teachers with curriculum, management and property matters.
This review was part of a cluster of nine reviews in the Auckland Kindergarten Association.
Children participate in a programme that is guided by the things they are interested in and the choices they make in play. They play confidently, either independently or in groups, and have many opportunities to collaborate in shared interests. Some children stay engaged in activities for extended periods.
Teachers integrate aspects of te reo me ōna tikanga Māori in programmes. They have reviewed their bicultural practices and are well supported by AKA personnel to continue building their knowledge and confidence and to strengthen these practices.
More than half of the children have English as a second or subsequent language. Teachers value and respect children's home languages and focus on increasing children's English oral language during play. Children's cultures are respected. They have opportunities to take leadership roles in sharing elements of their cultures and languages. The environment reflects the many cultures represented in the kindergarten.
Teachers know the children and their families well. The kindergarten offers many opportunities for parents and whānau to contribute to the programme. Children who need additional learning support are well catered for. Teachers make good use of external agencies to reduce any barriers that may hinder children having a positive learning experience.
Teachers successfully notice and recognise children's interests and their increasing knowledge, skills and dispositions. They use a variety of strategies to deepen the complexity of children's play. Teachers plan well to extend children's interests by identifying further learning possibilities. Teachers could strengthen their planning process by focusing on ways to deepen children's learning and making learning progress over time more explicit in learning stories. Teachers use good strategies to make children's learning visible in displays.
A useful internal evaluation format guides teachers' reviews. Teachers undertake spontaneous and planned reviews that are informed by parent and child perspectives. It could be worthwhile for the team to identify desirable and measurable learning outcomes for children as a result of implementing new initiatives. The team could then evaluate their impact in relation to the desired outcomes.
Kindergarten operations are guided by a comprehensive strategic plan and a shared vision, linked to the AKA’s strategic goals. A Quality Improvement Process (QIP) also aligns with AKA and kindergarten strategic plans. It enables the AKA and teachers to monitor quality and promote ongoing improvement. The AKA continues to review its management and leadership structure. It has begun a process of internal evaluation to establish how effectively the four pillars of its strategic plan are resulting in more positive outcomes for children, their families, and the organisation.
The AKA education specialist and teachers agree that the next steps to continue strengthening programme provision include :
planning and assessment practices explicitly identifying and extending children's learning
using internal evaluation to continually improve teacher practice and outcomes for children
further integration of children's languages and cultures in the programme.
The AKA has useful processes for supporting teachers’ ongoing professional development. This process could be strengthened by ensuring that teachers’ individual goals are measurable and based on the evaluation of teaching practices and their impact children’s learning.
Before the review, the staff and management of McNaughton 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 McNaughton Kindergarten will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
31 October 2017
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 |
Mangere, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
5066 |
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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 over the age of two years |
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Service roll |
35 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 18 Boys 17 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
16 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
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 |
August 2017 |
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Date of this report |
31 October 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
November 2014 |
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Education Review |
August 2011 |
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Education Review |
July 2008 |
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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.
McNaughton Kindergarten in Mangere, Auckland, provides education and care for up to 30 children from two to five years of age. The kindergarten, located next to Mary MacKillop School, operates as a kindergarten day model. This enables children to attend sessions that operate on times similar to school hours. The service provides for a largely Pacific community. A small number of children are Māori. More than half of the children have English as an additional language.
McNaughton Kindergarten is part of the Auckland Kindergarten Association (AKA). It operates within the policies and management framework of this organisation. A professional services manager (PSM) provides management and curriculum support for teachers.
The kindergarten’s philosophy is clearly enacted in centre practices. It promotes an inclusive learning environment where learning through play is valued. Children from diverse cultural backgrounds and those with special needs are well supported.
The 2011 ERO report identified some areas for improvement. The kindergarten has responded well to these recommendations. Professional learning and development has helped teacher to make improvements to programme implementation, planning processes and their responsiveness to parents’ wishes. This work is ongoing.
This review was part of a cluster of 10 kindergarten reviews in the Auckland Kindergarten Association.
Children are inquisitive learners and are enthusiastic about their experiences in the kindergarten. They are active and confident, and interact well with their peers and teachers. Children’s social and emotional competence is well promoted.
The attractive, well-resourced learning environment warmly reflects the cultures of the community. Children enjoy making choices and engaging in a wide range of activities. Teachers use questioning skilfully to promote children’s thinking and inquiry skills. They work alongside children to develop their ideas and extend the complexity of their play. As a result, children’s interests are sustained for long periods of time.
Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, underpins the kindergarten’s learning programmes. Teachers have recently reviewed planning and assessment processes to better identify and use children’s interests to plan for their learning. Several learning areas, including literacy, mathematics, science and art, are promoted in the programme.
Teachers work collaboratively to respond to children’s interests and strengths. Observations of children in everyday activities help teachers to foster and support children’s learning. Making this information more available and clearly evident to parents will enable parents to have greater input into their children’s learning.
The teaching team consists of three fully qualified teachers. The head teacher manages the daily operations of the centre. She has a collaborative leadership style. Teachers make good use of each other’s strengths.
Teachers foster reciprocal partnerships with parents and encourage their leadership skills. Cultural events such as Matariki and Language weeks are well celebrated and include parent input. Teachers have a strong network within Mangere and the wider community. They could make better use of this resource to:
The AKA has high expectations that teachers will provide a bicultural programme. Professional learning and development has improved teachers’ commitment to implementing bicultural practices. Teachers use te reo in the programme and promote Māori tikanga and protocols.
The Auckland Kindergarten Association continues to provide strong governance for kindergartens. Positive strategies include effective professional learning and development that is responsive to strengthening teachers’ skills, knowledge and practice. Distributed leadership among kindergarten teaching teams is also promoted and the sharing of knowledge and expertise within the Association is encouraged. Association leaders are currently reviewing the appraisal process and continue to explore appropriate ways to support teachers and support high quality outcomes for children.
The teachers, the PSM and ERO agree that the key next steps for McNaughton Kindergarten could include:
Before the review, the staff and management of McNaughton 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 McNaughton Kindergarten will be in three years.
Dale Bailey
National Manager Review Services Northern Region
26 November 2014
|
Location |
Mangere, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
5066 |
||
|
Licence type |
Free Kindergarten |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 0 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
43 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 22 Girls 21 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Samoan Tongan Cook Island Māori Chinese Niue Southeast Asian Tokelauan |
7 1 14 9 8 1 1 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 |
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Review team on site |
September 2014 |
||
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Date of this report |
26 November 2014 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
August 2011 |
|
|
Education Review |
July 2008 |
||
|
Education Review |
May 2005 |
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.