21 Te Anaua Street, Putiki, Whanganui
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Pūtiki Kindergarten is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Pūtiki Kindergarten is situated alongside Pūtiki Marae, Pūtiki Wharenui Kohanga Reo and Te Kura Kaupapa Māori O Te Atihaunui-a-Pāpārangi in Whanganui.
The kindergarten is open Monday-Friday, offering six-hour sessions for up to 40 children over two years old. At the time of this ERO evaluation there were 18 children enrolled, with six identifying as Māori. Children attending come from the wider Whanganui region including city, rural and local communities.
The priorities for children's learning are: dual cultural heritage; belonging and inclusion; quality learning experiences and social competence. These are identified as the four aspirations that encapsulate the curriculum.
Pūtiki Kindergarten is one of 15 kindergartens governed and managed by Whanganui Kindergarten Association Incorporated (the association). The governing board is responsible for setting the overall strategic direction for the organisation. The day-to-day running of the association is the role of the general manager, who is responsible to the board.
Since April 2018, the association's programme of professional learning and development and curriculum implementation has been managed by He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua Free Kindergarten Association Incorporated. An association senior teacher and two senior teachers from Whānau Manaaki provide regular support for teachers.
This review was part of a cluster of 15 in the Whanganui Kindergarten Association Incorporated.
The priorities for children's learning are clearly evident in the curriculum. The kindergarten is inviting and engaging for children and their whānau. A strong sense of whanaungatanga guides children to engage enthusiastically with all aspects of the curriculum. The strong connections and partnerships with the community, particularly Pūtiki Marae, kohanga reo and kura allows children to develop as competent, confident learners and communicators. They are participants in the dual cultural heritage of Aotearoa/New Zealand and within their own cultural contexts.
The curriculum is inclusive. Children are empowered to learn with and alongside others. Place-based learning supports children's sense of identity. Effective positive guidance by teachers supports children to manage themselves in a positive way and fosters increasing social competence. Children and teachers have developed a group contract around te ao Māori concepts that reinforce positive ways of being.
Teachers are professional and collaboratively share their strengths to support children, whānau and each other. They work confidently alongside children and their whānau to provide experiences that extend children's learning within a broad curriculum.
Transitions in to and out of the kindergarten are well managed and children and whānau have a clear understanding that what they bring to the kindergarten is valued. Children are known in the context of their families. Their parents and whānau are partners in children's learning.
Children are exposed to te ao Māori in authentic contexts. They benefit from the close connections with the kura. The junior students from the kura make weekly visits to the kindergarten. Every Monday the kindergarten children, teachers and whānau join the kura and kohanga at the marae for karakia. They are included in community events and pōwhiri at Pūtiki Marae. Teaching, daily routines and practices demonstrate respect for te ao Māori and te reo me ona tīkanga. Whānau are supportive of the kindergarten in its bicultural journey. Children are respectful of kawa.
Through assessment and planning teachers build a rich picture of children's strengths, interests and dispositions. Teachers are increasingly planning for individual children. Teachers should continue to make intentional teaching more evident to show children's learning progressions over time. The current evaluation of the strategic teaching and learning plan should help to strengthen this.
Internal evaluation is leading to positive change. There is a good framework in place which includes gathering whānau voice. Teachers should continue to strengthen the rigour of internal evaluation by ensuring that changes made align with indicators of best practice identified as part of this process.
The senior management team of Whanganui Kindergarten Association Incorporated should continue to strengthen the implementation of teacher appraisal.
Before the review, the staff and management of Pūtiki 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.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services
Central Region
13 June 2019
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 |
Whanganui |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
5246 |
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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 |
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Service roll |
18 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 9, Boys 9 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
6 |
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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 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
April 2019 |
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Date of this report |
13 June 2019 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
December 2015 |
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Education Review |
September 2012 |
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|
Education Review |
May 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:
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.
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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.
Putiki Kindergarten is situated in Whanganui. It is one of 14 kindergartens administered by the Whanganui Kindergarten Association (the association). Of the 32 children currently enrolled, 14 identify as Māori. The kindergarten is licensed for 27 children aged over two years and offers six-hour sessions, five days per week. Three of the teachers are new since the September 2012 ERO report. All teachers are qualified and registered.
At the time of this review the kindergarten had relocated to Whanganui East School while the premises were being repaired in the aftermath to the July 2015 floods. Teachers and the association have demonstrated resilience in response to adversity. The relocated and re-resourced service continues to provide a much needed early childhood facility for its community.
A governing board is responsible for setting the overall strategic direction for the organisation. The day-to-day running of the association is the role of the general manager, who is answerable to the board. Two senior teachers are employed to support the learning and development of teachers. Two recently appointed cultural advisors support teachers to work with Māori and Pacific children.
This review was part of a cluster of seven kindergarten reviews in the Whanganui Kindergarten Association.
The kindergarten’s key priorities for learning are strongly linked to the philosophy and evident in practice. These include: quality learning experiences; building children's social competence; acknowledging the dual cultural heritage of Aotearoa; and fostering children's sense of belonging and inclusion.
The programme is strongly focused on promoting positive learning outcomes for children. They are viewed as competent and capable learners and empowered to be independent. Teachers listen to and value children’s input, and enable them to contribute to decision making.
Cultural diversity is celebrated and a sense of belonging generated. The environment provides opportunities for challenge, risk taking and discovery. Relationships with families are valued. Children enthusiastically participate in the play-based programme and have fun.
Teachers know children well and support their interests. Literacy and numeracy are well resourced and integrated into learning experiences in meaningful ways.
The curriculum is child-led. Teachers support children to plan their own learning. Children are offered a high degree of choice throughout the day.
Relationships between teachers, children and their families are strong. Teachers are responsive and respectful. They engage well with children to support their self-chosen play and learning. They support children in authentic ways. Teachers maintain an unhurried, calm tone. As a result children are happy, confident and independent learners.
Teachers effectively notice, recognise and respond to children’s learning. Weekly planning meetings are used to share information about children’s emerging strengths and interests and plan strategies to add breadth and complexity to their learning. Evaluation of the impact of the planned strategies on children’s learning is a useful next step.
Children’s significant interests are recorded through learning stories. A next step is for teachers to evaluate how effectively they are recording progress in portfolios.
The environment celebrates what is valued here: children and their learning; the dual heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand; families and whānau; and the local community. Te reo me ngā tikanga Māori are incorporated in teacher practice and centre routines. A fresh focus onTātaiako: Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners should further enhance success for Māori learners.
Careful consideration is given to supporting children when they start kindergarten. Teachers continue to develop positive links with local schools to assist children and families in making transitions. Teachers write a final learning story for children to take with them to school. They should continue to seek ways to share information about children’s learning with new entrant teachers.
Review is valued as a tool to promote improvement. Teachers’ reflection and discussion is linked to improving outcomes for children. Leaders and teachers need to clarify their understanding and use of internal evaluation. They have identified the importance of further embedding the self-review framework to strengthen the quality of teaching and promote positive outcomes for all children.
Kindergarten long-term plans strongly align with the association’s strategic priorities. The inclusion of the priorities for children’s learning identified by the kindergarten, should provide a stronger basis for review and development of practices that promote improved outcomes for children.
The senior teacher provides a range of support for teaching teams. She is considering further developing her approach to giving feedback and reporting to better meet kindergarten needs.
A useful appraisal process supports teachers to reflect on their practice in relation to professional teaching requirements. The leadership team is beginning to implement a revised approach across the association. This should include focused observations of teachers’ practice in relation to their professional goals. Once the new approach is fully implemented, evaluation of its impact on teachers’ development is a next step for the association.
The teaching team, with support from the association, should continue to develop its:
Before the review, the staff and management of Putiki 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 Putiki Kindergarten will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
16 December 2015
|
Location |
Whanganui |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
5246 |
||
|
Licence type |
Free Kindergarten |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
40 children aged over 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
32 |
||
|
Gender composition |
18 girls, 14 boys |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Other ethnic groups |
14 16 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers80 |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
October 2015 |
||
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Date of this report |
16 December 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
September 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
May 2008 |
||
|
Education Review |
August 2003 |
||
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.