36 Astrolabe Street, Cannons Creek, Porirua
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Maraeroa Kindergarten is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Maraeroa Kindergarten is situated in Porirua, Wellington. It provides all-day education and care for up to 42 children aged over two years. Many of the children who attend are from Māori and Pacific cultures.
The kindergarten philosophy emphasises the importance of a respectful environment where whānau are welcome, diversity is valued and children are seen as self-motivated learners who learn through play in a fun environment.
All teachers are fully qualified. Some, including the head teacher, have a long association with the kindergarten.
Maraeroa Kindergarten is governed and managed by He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua Kindergarten Association (the association). The chief executive and a board of trustees are responsible for governance. A team of senior teachers oversee and support the professional practice of the teaching team. The association governs 102 kindergartens which includes three Pasifika kindergartens and a Pasifika home-based service with two networks.
ERO's June 2015 report identified areas requiring further development, these included further developing internal evaluation, and embedding assessment practice. Good progress has been made.
Progress has been made by the association to improve the quality and monitoring of processes to support individual kindergartens and regular implementation of a robust appraisal system.
This review was one of nine kindergartens reviews in the He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua Kindergarten Association.
The kindergarten is a member of the Porirua East Community of Learning | Kāhui Ako.
Children benefit from many authentic learning opportunities to explore, create, investigate and have fun. Their independent and sustained play is encouraged and evident. They are confident and capable learners who show a sense of belonging.
Teachers are purposeful, positive and respectful in their interactions with children. They work alongside them providing challenge and support to extend their interests and learning.
Te ao Māori features in the curriculum. Aspects of kaupapa Māori are evident in the learning environment. Teachers continue to build their knowledge and understanding of mātauranga Māori, including local iwi history. Teachers have identified appropriate external expertise to further support them to deepen their knowledge and understanding.
Children with additional needs are identified and effectively supported. Assistance from external agencies is accessed as required.
Pacific children's culture and language is evident in the learning environment. Teachers should continue to extend their celebration of cultural diversity through assessment, planning and evaluation documentation.
An effective planning for learning framework guides teachers' practice and is based on children’s emerging interests. Children's assessment portfolios demonstrate children's learning and their interests. Teachers value parent aspirations and encourage them to contribute through the learning stories. Teachers and leaders have identified greater consistency to show, in learning records, planned teaching strategies to support learning and evaluate effectiveness. ERO affirms this direction.
Children's transitions to school are well supported through engagement with whānau, well considered regular visits, and the sharing of the information between services.
The teaching team is collaborative and strongly focused on improvement. They have adopted a useful internal evaluation framework to support decision making. Leaders and teachers should continue to build their shared understanding and capability to evaluate the impact of their practice on outcomes for children.
A well-considered appraisal process has recently been enhanced to grow and develop teacher practice. Teachers are expected to inquire into the effectiveness of their teaching. Purposeful appraisal goals focus on improving aspects of leadership and practice to support children’s learning and wellbeing.
The senior teaching team are reflective and highly improvement focused. They successfully foster a collective sense of responsibility to implement the vision, values and mission of the association. Systems and processes have been well developed to guide teacher’s capability and positively impact on children’s learning.
Senior leaders work effectively together, with a shared commitment to meeting strategic goals and objectives for the benefit of children, whānau and community. Well-considered resource allocation supports and enhances children’s learning and wellbeing.
The key next steps for teachers are to continue to:
strengthen learning partnerships with families, particularly whānau Maori
strengthen assessment documentation to clearly reflect association expectations
continue to build shared understanding and capability in internal evaluation to better inform decision making and measure the impact of practice on children's learning.
ERO and senior leaders agree that the association's next steps are to:
continue to follow the strategic direction set through Tūmanako, Te Tiriti o Waitangi Based Strategic Priority Framework.
Before the review, the staff and management of Maraeroa 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.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services Te Tai Tini
Southern Region
17 September 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 |
Wellington |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
5358 |
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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 |
42 children aged over two years |
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Service roll |
54 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 34, Girls 20 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
19 |
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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 |
June 2019 |
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Date of this report |
17 September 2019 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
June 2015 |
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Education Review |
August 2012 |
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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.
Maraeroa Kindergarten is a well-established centre situated in Porirua. The majority of children who attend are from Pacific cultures, with many having English as their second language. Since the August 2012 ERO review, hours of operation have changed and a full-day service now operates for children from two years to school age.
Maraeroa kindergarten is one of 85 kindergartens and three home-based education and care networks governed and managed by He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua Kindergarten Association Incorporated (the association). This is a new kindergarten association created from joining the Rimutaka and Wellington Kindergarten Associations in 2014. The transition to the new association is expected to be a three-year process.
The board and managers role is to provide governance for the organisation. Senior teachers have delegated kindergartens. Their role is to provide regular support and a range of professional learning and development opportunities for teachers.
All teachers at Maraeroa Kindergarten are qualified and registered. Some, including the head teacher, have many years experience at the kindergarten.
The August 2012 ERO report for Maraeroa Kindergarten identified that knowledge of whānau aspirations, teacher responsiveness to children's learning and integrating te reo Māori into the programme needed further development. Teachers and leaders have positively responded and made good gains in addressing these areas.
Areas where the Wellington Kindergarten Association needed to strengthen its support for teachers were also identified at the time. Improvement continues to be needed in some of these areas that the association has plans to address. These feature as key next steps in this report. The alignment of individual kindergartens' annual plans with the association’s strategic priorities has now been addressed.
This review was part of a cluster of 12 in Whanau Manaaki o Tararua kindergartens.
Teachers establish a culture in which children are valued, celebrated and affirmed for who they are and what they bring to their learning. A welcoming environment fosters a sense of belonging for children and families. The centre philosophy is highly evident in practice.
Children are central to decision making at Maraeroa Kindergarten. Whanaungatanga, manaakitanga and tuakana teina relationships are evident. Children’s mana is acknowledged. There is a sense of ako, where children, teachers and whānau learn from each other through responsive relationships and interactions.
Children are confident and capable learners. They play cooperatively in groups of their own choosing and independence is promoted. Teachers are proactive in supporting children with additional needs in an inclusive environment.
Teachers support children as they move to school. The kindergarten has developed good relationships with local schools, supporting smooth transitions for children. This is an area identified by teachers for further development.
Assessment portfolios provide a record of children’s participation and involvement in kindergarten experiences and activities. Recent changes to these records to better reflect whānau and the community and group planning processes make children’s learning more visible for parents and families.
In 2012, the association developed a framework to guide the implementation of its curriculum, Te Manawa. This document outlines criteria for curriculum delivery including expectations for assessment and planning for children’s learning. Maraeroa Kindergarten’s curriculum, what children experience, continues to develop to meet the association's expectations for high quality learning.
The head teacher and teachers need support to further strengthen their understanding of the self-review process and their knowledge of evaluation. Deeper analysis of information gathered will further enhance the evaluation process.
The previous ERO report identified that the association needed to improve the appraisal processes. This continues to require strengthening. A recently revised appraisal model, yet to be implemented, includes: more focused goals that build teacher and leader capability; more regular and targeted feedback and feed forward about teaching practice; and clearer links with the Registered Teacher Criteria.
The senior teacher provides termly written reports that outline agreed development priorities and progress in relation to the quality of teaching and learning. The association has recently implemented new reports that should more deliberately focus on outcomes for children, teachers and leader performance. ERO's evaluation affirms this development.
Children have opportunities to learn about Aotearoa New Zealand’s dual cultural heritage. Teachers and leaders acknowledge that they are building their capability to be responsive to Māori children’s culture, language and identity. This development should include establishing relationships with mana whenua and making use of Ministry of Education resources such as, Ka Hikitia – Accelerating Success 2013-2017 and Tātaiako: Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners.
The kindergarten and association have yet to fully address all areas for development identified in the previous 2012 ERO report. The senior teacher, head teacher, staff and ERO agree on the following key next steps. They will:
further develop self review and evaluation understanding
embed recent changes to assessment, planning and evaluation.
The senior management team of He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua should continue to further improve processes for growing and developing the practice of teachers, head teachers and senior teachers. This should include:
improvements to the quality and monitoring of individual kindergartens and regular implementation of a robust appraisal system
the building of teachers’ capability to be more responsive to Māori children’s culture, language and identity and enhance culturally responsive teaching practice.
Before the review, the staff and management of Maraeroa 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 Maraeroa Kindergarten will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
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 |
Wellington |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
5358 |
||
|
Licence type |
Free Kindergarten |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
40 children |
||
|
Service roll |
56 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 30, Girls 26 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
18 |
|
|
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 |
March 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
10 June 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
August 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
June 2008 |
||
|
Education Review |
September 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:
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.