1 Artillery Drive, Papakura
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.
Papakura North Kindergarten serves a culturally and socio-economically diverse community. The majority of the children who attend are Māori or Pākehā.
The kindergarten is part of the Counties Manukau Kindergarten Association (CMKA) and operates under its policies and management framework. A CMKA education manager (EM) visits the kindergarten and provides leadership and curriculum support for teachers. The CMKA is in the process of reviewing its structures and operational framework.
The kindergarten's philosophy reflects the 'Enviro-schools' kaupapa'. Its goal is to support children to become independent, resilient, resourceful and reflective learners.
The kindergarten teaching team includes a head teacher (HT), two other registered teachers, an administrator, and a teacher aide. They work as a collaborative team and are committed to ongoing professional development that aligns with personal and kindergarten goals.
The 2015 ERO review identified positive features of the service. A strong sense of belonging, and care for the environment supported children to develop confidence and engage well in activities, including early literacy, maths and science. ERO recommended building teachers' leadership capability, planning more purposefully for individual children's learning and strengthening te reo and tikanga Māori in the programme. Teachers continue to make progress in these areas.
This review was part of a cluster of eight reviews in the CMKA.
Children and their families are warmly welcomed. Teachers have developed trusting relationships with whānau, resulting in children settling easily into the session. Many parents stay to play with their children before leaving them in the care of teachers.
Changes to the length of the kindergarten day mean that a number of children are two years of age when they start attending. Teachers provide well for these younger children.
The tone in the kindergarten is calm and inclusive. Teachers work closely with children, respecting them and encouraging conversations about their thinking and ideas. Children reconnect with friends, including them in their play. They are happy and settled in the kindergarten and eager to share conversations and investigate activities set up for them. They benefit from opportunities to develop leadership and self-help skills, and are confident to play independently and take learning risks.
Children demonstrate the values promoted by teachers. They manage their interactions with others in respectful ways. Tuakana/teina relationships, where older children support and care for younger children, are strong. When needed, teachers make timely interventions to refocus children's interests and guide purposeful play.
Assessment and planning processes are in place. As well as the online portal, teachers keep portfolios for each child. It is timely for teachers to discuss ways of ensuring that records of children's learning are consistent with kindergarten goals.
Teachers have made a positive start to working together effectively as a new team. They are building a collaborative approach to teaching and supporting children's strengths and interests. Evaluating the impact of their teaching practices on outcomes for children is helping teachers to become a cohesive team.
Well established CMKA management systems, policies and processes guide the kindergarten's practices. Embedding the practice of regular documented observations into CMKA appraisal processes would enhance the support provided for teachers' professional growth.
The teaching team has identified appropriate areas for ongoing development, including:
building their leadership capability
using parents' and children's input and aspirations to inform curriculum design
planning to extend individual children's thinking and build on their prior learning
continuing to develop intentional practices for a culturally responsive curriculum.
CMKA leaders agree that their next steps are to continue:
providing consistent ongoing support for leaders and teachers that sustains leadership and improves teaching practice
implementing Te Whāriki, the revised early childhood curriculum, to identify priorities for learning and evaluation
supporting teachers to increase the visibility of children's cultural identity and continuity of learning in their individual portfolios
building capability and depth in internal evaluation across the association.
Before the review, the staff and management of Papakura North 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 Papakura North Kindergarten will be in three years.
Violet Tu’uga Stevenson
Director Review and Improvement Services
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
21 December 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 |
Papakura, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
5127 |
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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 |
40 children aged over 2 years |
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Service roll |
42 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 24 Boys 18 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
17 |
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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 |
November 2018 |
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Date of this report |
21 December 2018 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
May 2015 |
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|
Education Review |
March 2012 |
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|
Education Review |
November 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.
Papakura North Kindergarten is a well established kindergarten that provides education and care for children over two years old. It operates the kindergarten day model (KDM) which enables children to attend sessions that match school hours. The roll reflects the multicultural community and includes 31 children of Māori descent and eight with Pacific heritage.
The kindergarten is part of the Counties Manukau Kindergarten Association (CMKA) and operates within the policies and management framework of this organisation. A professional practice manager (PPM) visits and provides leadership and curriculum support for teachers. The head teacher works with one fulltime and two part time teachers, a teacher aide and a part-time administrator. They host student teachers and a student who volunteers at the centre. Teachers work as a close team and share leadership responsibilities.
The kindergarten’s philosophy places importance on empowering children to learn and grow holistically, with a strong focus on partnership with parents, whānau and aiga. The teachers value and respect the bicultural heritage of New Zealand.
Areas of good practice identified in the 2012 ERO report, such as the high quality learning materials, stimulating environment, and support for children to make independent decisions and choices remain evident. The head teacher, with support from the CMKA, has responded positively to suggestions for ongoing improvement in the 2012 ERO report. These focused on continuing to develop strategies for self review and developing the outdoor environment.
Children are well cared for in the kindergarten. They settle quickly into the programme and enjoy positive relationships with adults. Children freely choose activities from the variety of resources offered. They confidently access or request further resources to support their play. Children demonstrate a sense of belonging to the centre.
The kindergarten kaupapa emphasises learning about looking after the environment, incorporates te Ao Māori and encourages children to respect all things. The environment and furniture reflect this philosophy. The large outdoor area provides children with opportunities for physical challenge and exploration and to help recycle and grow things.
The programme offers many opportunities for children to initiate their own play. There is good provision to extend and develop children's understanding about literacy, science and mathematical concepts. Teachers discuss the current interests of groups of children during team meetings. Teachers and the PPM agree that these discussions could be more valuable if they identify individual children's interests and plan for ways to extend and challenge children's learning through these interests.
Each child's developing dispositions and skills are documented in attractive portfolios of learning. Children, parents and whānau can easily access these reminders of kindergarten experiences. Teachers could also document the ways they could extend children's learning and show children’s progress over time.
Teachers are increasing their use and knowledge of te ao Māori, both independently and through the kindergarten professional development programme. They plan to incorporate te ao Māori more into the daily programme. They also want to continue to explore the cultural identities of all children and weave relevant cultural experiences into the programme. The head teacher acknowledges the need to consider the principles and objectives of the Pasifika Education Plan 2013 – 2017 in the kindergarten’s strategic goals.
Systems that guide centre operation, ongoing scheduled review and association support contribute to efficient management of the service. The PPM is supporting the teachers to build their understanding of the usefulness of self review as a tool for improvement. The association continues to work with the head teacher to improve the effectiveness of the kindergarten’s annual planning systems and to ensure they are aligned to the CMKA strategic goals.
Newly implemented CMKA performance management systems continue to focus on growing teacher capacity and increasing teacher‘s reflection on their practice. These systems could help teachers to increase their knowledge about extending each child's learning.
CMKA personnel and kindergarten staff agree that the key next steps are for them to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Papakura North 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.
The next ERO review of Papakura North Kindergarten will be in three years.
Dale Bailey
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
5 May 2015
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 |
Papakura, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
5127 |
||
|
Licence type |
Free Kindergarten |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
40 children, including up to 0 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
58 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 32 Girls 26 |
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|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Samoan Tongan other Pacific other |
31 16 3 2 3 3 |
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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 |
March 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
5 May 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
March 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
November 2008 |
||
|
Education Review |
August 2005 |
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.