50 Link Road, Newlands, Wellington
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Bellevue Kindergarten is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Bellevue Kindergarten is situated in Newlands, Wellington. It provides all-day education and care for up to 30 children, aged over two years. At the time of this review, 7 children enrolled at the service identified as Māori.
The kindergarten philosophy emphasises the importance of respect, quality, trust and fun. These values are underpinned by whanaungatanga, mana and kaitiakitanga.
The head teacher is responsible for managing day-to-day operation of the kindergarten and supports to the teaching team. Most teachers are qualified.
Bellevue 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 the 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 deepening understanding of self review and evaluation, strengthen aspects of assessment and programme planning, extend the bicultural curriculum and promote Māori and Pacific success. Purposeful progress is being 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 in the He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua Kindergarten Association.
Children engage in a calm and unhurried play-based programme that supports their emerging interests. They are encouraged to explore and have fun with their peers. Teachers effectively use a range of intentional teaching strategies to support and extend learning. Positive and respectful interactions are evident. Younger children learn and play alongside their older peers.
Teachers recently reviewed the kindergarten’s philosophy and identified some valued learning outcomes to support programme development. They should also consult with parents, whānau Māori and their pacific community to determine what educational success looks like for them and their children.
Children with additional learning needs are identified and effectively supported. Leaders and teachers work alongside their family and whānau to access external agencies when required.
Te reo me ngā tikanga Māori are promoted in the programme. Teachers use waiata and aspects of te reo Māori in meaningful group activities. Whānau expertise is used well to enrich the programme. Leaders should continue to support teachers to use te reo Māori in meaningful ways with children. The teaching team has identified a need to develop a localised curriculum that celebrates places of significant value to Māori and their wider community. EROs evaluation supports this next step.
Diversity is celebrated. Cultural events extend children’s learning in meaningful ways. Reflecting children’s cultures, languages and identities in assessment documentation is acknowledged by the teaching team as in need of development.
The effective planning for learning framework guides teacher practice and is based on children’s emerging interests. Teachers identify what is important for learning by using Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum to develop specific learning outcomes. They respond by providing purposeful learning experiences. They also work with parents and whānau to establish meaningful aspirations for their child. The teaching team continues to weave whānau and parent aspirations into their child’s assessment documentation.
Leaders and teachers are improvement focused. Continuing to build on the teaching team's knowledge and understanding of the internal evaluation. This should strengthen the decision making about the impact of their practices on children’s learning.
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 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:
ERO and senior leaders agree that the association's next step is to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Bellevue 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
21 August 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 |
5364 |
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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 over two years of age |
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Service roll |
48 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 26, Boys 22 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
7 |
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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 |
June 2019 |
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Date of this report |
21 August 2019 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
June 2015 |
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Education Review |
June 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.
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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.
Bellevue Kindergarten is a community-based centre situated near to Bellevue School in Newlands, Wellington.
It is one of 85 kindergartens and three home-based education and care networks governed and managed by He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua Free 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 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 Bellevue Kindergarten are qualified and registered. Some have many years' experience at the kindergarten including the head teacher.
Since the June 2012 ERO report, the outdoor environment has been further developed.
The philosophy emphasises the importance of providing a warm, welcoming environment for all, recognising children as individuals, and strong relationships with children and their families.
The previous ERO report for Bellevue Kindergarten identified that at a centre level, assessment and use of te reo Māori needed further development. Areas where the Wellington Kindergarten Association needed to strengthen its support for teachers were also identified. 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 kindergarten reviews in He Whānau Manaaki Kindergartens.
Children show a positive sense of belonging. They are confident to approach others and share their ideas. They have opportunities for sustained play. Parents are made to feel welcome. Their involvement in the programme is valued. Children’s independence and self-help skills are promoted. They are encouraged to take care of themselves, others, and the environment.
Relationships are positive and responsive. A sense of fun is evident. Children with additional learning needs are well supported in the programme.
The environment is inviting and purposefully promotes literacy experiences. Other features of the programme include an emphasis on art, music and physical skills.
Reciprocal links with the local school help to support children and their families as they transition to school.
Recent developments to planning are making learning in the programme more visible for children and their families. The head teacher acknowledges that building on this process to more clearly identify what is working, why and who for, is a next step. ERO's evaluation affirms this direction.
Children’s profile books are an attractive record of their participation and involvement in kindergarten experiences and activities. The head teacher has appropriately identified that some aspects of assessment require improvement.
Teachers have made solid progress in developing self review. Next steps in strengthening aspects of review and evaluation to guide improvement and sustain best practice are to:
The 2012 ERO report identified that the association needed to improve the appraisal processes. These continue to require development. 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 the quality of teaching and learning. The association has recently implemented new reports that should more deliberately focus on outcomes for children, teacher and leader performance. ERO's evaluation affirms this development.
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. The curriculum is increasingly responding to and promoting successful outcomes for all learners.
Children have some opportunities to learn about Aotearoa New Zealand’s dual cultural heritage. Teachers should enhance their responsiveness to Māori children's language, culture and identity by strengthening relationships with mana whenua and further accessing professional readings and development.
The senior teacher, head teacher, staff and ERO agree on the following key next steps. Kindergarten personnel will:
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 the senior teacher. This should include:
Before the review, the staff and management of Bellevue 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 Bellevue Kindergarten will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
9 June 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 |
Newlands, Wellington |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
5364 |
||
|
Licence type |
Free Kindergarten |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
40 children over 2 years of age |
||
|
Service roll |
60 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 35, Boys 25 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Indian Fijian Indian |
6 48 3 3 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% |
||
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Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
February 2015 |
||
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Date of this report |
9 June 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
June 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
April 2008 |
||
|
Education Review |
June 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.