411 St Aubyn Street, New Plymouth
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Devon Kindergarten is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Devon Kindergarten provides early childhood education and care for up to 34 children aged over two years. The current roll is 46, including 10 Māori children. All teachers are fully qualified.
The philosophy emphasises children at the heart of everything that happens at the kindergarten. This is underpinned by whanaungatanga, the environment and cultural values.
Devon Kindergarten is one of 24 kindergartens operating under the governance and management of Kindergarten Taranaki (the association). The association's vision is 'enriching learning'. The governing board is responsible for setting the overall direction for the organisation. Oversight of the association is the role of the current acting chief executive. The acting chief executive is supported by a team of managers and leaders. There have been a number of changes in leadership and management personnel in the past three years.
Key next steps for the association, identified in the January 2017 ERO evaluation, continue to be priorities. Devon Kindergarten's key next steps were to: strengthen internal evaluation; enhance educational success for Māori and children of Pacific heritage; and develop assessment, planning and evaluation. These continue to be progressed.
This review was part of a cluster of seven kindergarten reviews in Kindergarten Taranaki.
The philosophy is well embedded in kindergarten practices. It reflects teacher, child, parent and community aspirations and their priorities for learning. Respectful, trusting and reciprocal relationships foster children's sense of belonging. A calm settled environment fosters their sense of belonging.
Children are confident, curious and capable, able to make choices about their play and lead their own learning. Intentional teaching builds on children's skills and knowledge. They engage in a curriculum that promotes meaningful learning experiences. The learning environment is thoughtfully resourced to invite exploration and engagement, challenge and discovery.
Since the previous ERO review, teachers have strengthened the way they plan for each child and extend their learning. Assessment, planning and evaluation is informed by current theories of teaching and learning. Teachers use this knowledge to design the curriculum. Parent aspirations for their children are sought and valued. Teachers continue to incorporate these into the learning narratives to inform planning. Next steps to enhance these practices are to:
Teachers are learning about Māori theories and philosophies to assist them in designing a more culturally responsive curriculum. They work positively to ensure their practice incorporates Treaty of Waitangi principles. Māori concepts, knowledge, skills, te reo Māori, practices and values are increasingly integrated into the programme.
Children with additional learning needs are well supported to participate in the inclusive environment. They participate fully in all aspects of the curriculum alongside their peers. Teachers, parents and external agencies work together to ensure there is a deliberate, planned approach to implementing specific strategies for these children to experience success.
The association has identified that a priority is to strengthen educationally powerful partnerships with whānau. A range of information and reporting is shared with whānau and surveys are undertaken to gather their views. Evaluating the effectiveness of current communication and consultation strategies should contribute to the association progressing this priority.
Teacher appraisal and professional development are growing practice and effectively promoting positive outcomes for children. The association board has sustained a deliberate focus on strengthening Kindergarten Taranaki capacity and capability to support educational success for Māori learners. Māori expertise is valued and promoted.
Teachers are well supported to build their understanding and use of evaluation for teaching improvement. Targeted support to enhance understanding of aspects of evaluation should continue to drive improvements for children’s learning. Having a clear focus for each evaluation is a key next step, so that actions needed are identified and given priority.
Systems for recording and monitoring health and safety requirements were implemented in 2018. Further rigour and monitoring is required to ensure oversight of ongoing compliance accountability is maintained. Priority should also be given to the consistent implementation of a policy review schedule.
Board members show a good understanding of their governance roles and responsibilities. Strategic direction and annual planning align and guide the organisation. Reporting to the board by association leaders has recently strengthened. Evaluating progress and outcomes of the strategic plan and further refining reporting to the board should continue to enhance decision making.
Key next steps for the kindergarten are to:
continue to strengthen assessment of children's learning
use effective internal evaluation to measure the impact of teaching and learning on outcomes for children.
Kindergarten Taranaki should:
consistently implement a policy review schedule and strengthen effective monitoring of accountability systems and processes
enhance reporting to the board to include assurance of accountability, the quality of teaching and learning and outcomes for children’s learning
systematise and strengthen processes used to evaluate outcomes of the strategic plan.
Priority should be given to sustaining a systematic process that assures governance and management of ongoing compliance accountability.
Before the review, the staff and management of Devon 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.
To improve compliance practice, Kindergarten Taranaki should:
finalise the development of lockdown procedures to further guide kindergarten practice statements
strengthen the review of accident, illnesses and incident records and implementation of practices as required.
[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS7, HS27]
Darcy Te Hau
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region - Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
2 June 2020
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 |
New Plymouth |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
5218 |
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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 |
34 children aged over 2 |
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Service roll |
46 |
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Gender composition |
Females 25, Males 21 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
10 |
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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 |
March 2020 |
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Date of this report |
2 June 2020 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
January 2017 |
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|
Education Review |
October 2013 |
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|
Education Review |
August 2010 |
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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:
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 will depend on how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
Very well placed
Well placed
Requires further development
Not well placed
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.
Devon Kindergarten provides education and care for children from two to five years of age. The kindergarten is open five days a week for six hours and is licenced for up to 34 children. Within these hours, sessional care and education is also provided. Of the roll of 46, nine identify as Māori.
The newly established teaching team is fully qualified and the programme is further assisted by support staff. There have been some staff changes since the October 2013 report.
The kindergarten is one of 24 governed by the newly established Kindergarten Taranaki (the association), formerly North and South Taranaki Kindergarten Associations. A chief executive was appointed to lead the association in 2014. Three professional leaders are employed by the association to provide professional support and guidance to teachers.
The previous ERO report identified areas requiring further development. These included self review, the quality of teacher-child interactions and transition to school. Progress is evident in these areas. In addition, the 2013 and October 2015 ERO reviews identified key next steps for the association. Progress in addressing these is ongoing.
This review was part of a cluster of eight in the Kindergarten Taranaki Association.
Children's independence is promoted through the play-based programme. Children confidently participate in these well-established kindergarten routines. Children play collaboratively in groups of their own choosing and have opportunities to reflect and build on prior learning. Literacy experiences are thoughtfully integrated throughout the curriculum.
Teachers work alongside children and use a range of effective teaching strategies to support, guide and extend their play and learning. Children with additional learning needs are identified, supported and monitored over time. Teachers liaise with external agencies where appropriate.
There are many opportunities for children to hear te reo Māori and participate in aspects of tikanga. The curriculum reflects local context and celebrates places of significance for Māori. Teachers continue to build their capability in this area. These strong foundations and association guidance should support teachers' ongoing understanding and focus on promoting educational success for Māori children.
A strong sense of belonging is evident for all. Children's families are encouraged to share aspects of their culture which assists children in developing an understanding of the multicultural community in which they live. Further investigation of the Pasifika Education Plan 2013-2017 and consideration for what it means for this context is a useful next step.
The kindergarten philosophy emphasises children's learning through play, respectful relationships, rich learning opportunities and bicultural practice. These are clearly evident in practice. Distributed leadership is promoted. A collaborative team shows a strong commitment to this philosophy.
Positive changes to the process of assessment, planning and evaluation recently occurred. Teachers note children's interests, recognise the learning evident and this information is shared with their parents. Teachers then plan for the child's learning. As this process develops further, consideration should be given to clearly:
identify the learning intent for the child
show consultation with parents related to the learning
highlight how the child's learning has progressed over time.
Teachers support children's successful transition to school through the reciprocal relationships they have established with some of their local schools.
Ongoing learning has supported teachers to understand the need to develop a clear and specific process for review and evaluation. This approach should be further strengthened through the use of well-defined and measurable indicators, against which teachers gather a robust range of evidence. Such practice should better assist teachers in forming their evaluative judgements about the quality of the programme and outcomes for children.
A useful appraisal process supports teacher improvement. The association has recently revised the appraisal procedure, this now includes the use of formal observations of teacher practice. Once fully established this should assist leaders to strengthen the process. Professional leaders should then undertake regular monitoring of practice and evaluate how well appraisal is being implemented in each kindergarten.
The board works collaboratively with its community to establish vision, values and strategic priorities. Establishing clearer measures of success should enable the board to measure progress and evaluate how well practices support realisation of goals and vision.
The board's ongoing commitment to biculturalism is reflected through initiatives to support teachers to promote te ao Māori in the curriculum and to develop culturally responsive practices. Senior association leaders are focused on developing initiatives to better determine the impact of curriculum delivery and teaching and learning in each kindergarten.
The association should establish clear expectations of the purpose and use of assessment, planning and evaluation in kindergartens. Professional leaders in partnership with teaching teams should then monitor the effective implementation of:
assessment, planning and evaluation
review and internal evaluation.
In addition, the association should establish a system for the ongoing monitoring of compliance with legislative requirements, including those related to health and safety.
ERO and kindergarten teachers agree that the key next steps are to:
work with the association with a shared focus on enhancing educational success for Māori and Pacific learners
continue to develop the approach to assessment, planning and evaluation
further strengthen review and internal evaluation.
The association should:
strengthen the processes used to evaluate the progress of the strategic plan
provide effective guidance and monitoring of association expectations related to assessment practice, review and internal evaluation and health and safety practices.
Before the review, the staff and management of Devon 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 Devon Kindergarten will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
19 January 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.
|
Location |
New Plymouth |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
5218 |
||
|
Licence type |
Free Kindergarten |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
34 children, aged over 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
46 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 29, Boys 17 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Tongan Other ethnic groups |
9 27 1 9 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
November 2016 |
||
|
Date of this report |
19 January 2017 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
October 2013 |
|
|
Education Review |
August 2010 |
||
|
Education Review |
December 2006 |
||
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.