Parsons Avenue Kindergarten

Here is the latest report for the Governing Organisation that this service is part of.

1 Evaluation of Parsons Avenue Kindergarten

How well placed is Parsons Avenue Kindergarten to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Parsons Avenue Kindergarten is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.

Background

Parsons Avenue Kindergarten, located in Levin, provides whānau-based all-day education and care for up to 42 children aged over two years. Daily sessions run from 8.30 am to 2.30 pm. Of the roll of 56 children, 22 are Māori and 8 are of Pacific heritage.

The recently reviewed kindergarten philosophy has aroha at its centre, and is based on bicultural values of whanaungatanga, manaakitanga and whakaute.

Since the June 2015 review there have been some changes in staffing. A new head teacher was appointed in 2016. All teachers are fully qualified.

The kindergarten is a member of the Horowhenua Kāhui Ako|Community of Learning.

Parsons Avenue Kindergarten is governed and managed by He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua Kindergarten Association (the association). A team of senior teachers oversee and support the professional practice of the teaching team. The association governs 102 kindergartens which includes three Pacific kindergartens and a Pacific home-based service with two networks.

ERO’s June 2015 report identified areas requiring further development. These included strengthening and improving self-review and evaluation, assessment for learning, and promoting te ao Māori in a more local place-based context. Good progress has been made in self-review, evaluation and developing a localised te ao Māori curriculum. While some improvements have been made, assessment remains an area for continued focus.

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 four in He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua Kindergarten Association in Levin.

The Review Findings

Children make good use of the thoughtfully planned outdoor environment which provides challenge and helps in the development of their physical skills. Planting seeds and nurturing and harvesting vegetables from the māra teaches children about sustainable practice and promotes respect for papatūānuku and kaitiakitanga.

Tuākana tēina relationships between older and younger children are nurtured. Independence and friendships are promoted. Freely available resources enable children to make decisions and choices. Teachers are responsive to children's emerging interests and support them to confidently lead their learning.

Children benefit from teachers’ commitment to consistently learning and using te reo Māori within everyday interactions. Te ao Māori concepts are regularly discussed with children. They learn about local hapu and iwi, whakapapa and kawa and have made respectful connections with local iwi. Teachers’ whānau-focused relationship-building strategies are a very positive foundation for further development in this area. Targeted strategies that respond to the cultural context of Māori and Pacific children and their whānau are a current area of focus and professional learning for the teaching team.

In consultation with whānau, children with additional learning needs are well supported to participate fully in the curriculum. External agencies are accessed when appropriate.

Children and whānau are warmly welcomed and successfully encouraged to build a sense of belonging within the kindergarten. Teachers know children and families very well. They purposefully build warm and supportive relationships with whānau. Parent aspirations support teachers to focus on learning outcomes that matter most to this community. A sense of belonging has been effectively prioritised and transitions into and through the service are thoughtfully managed. Teachers have established useful relationships with the neighbouring school. Regular, reciprocal visits support children’s confidence and familiarity with the school context.

The association's governing documents guide teacher practice. These are appropriately used by leaders and teachers to plan and analyse practice, support assessment and underpin decision making.

The curriculum emphasises children’s choice, learning through nature, and whanaungatanga, whānau partnerships. Teachers record observations of children’s play and learning, and celebrate their growing friendships, skills and learning dispositions. Useful information about the value of learning through play is shared through assessment documentation. A next step is for teachers to strengthen their assessment, planning and evaluation process for individual children. Improvements should include:

• evidence-based evaluation that shows how targeted teaching has supported children’s progress
• children’s interests and parent aspirations to promote new learning
• strategies and informed assessment insights enriched through a deep understanding of children’s unique cultures, languages and identities.

Teachers share a caring, positive view of children and support them in their emotional regulation. They have recently undertaken a review around promoting children’s social competence. Ongoing monitoring, evaluation and refinement of these strategies should continue, with a focus on children’s outcomes.

Teachers are highly reflective and access a good range of professional learning and research to continually grow their understandings. An effective distributed leadership model is highly evident, and teachers are encouraged to take on a range of responsibilities.

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 wellbeing and learning.

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.

Key Next Steps

The key next steps for teachers are to:

• build on strategies that respond to the cultural context of Māori and Pacific children
• strengthen assessment, planning and evaluation documentation
• continue to monitor and focus on supporting children’s social competencies.

ERO and senior leaders agree that the association's next step are to:

• continue to follow the strategic direction set through Tūmanako, Te Tiriti o Waitangi based Strategic Priority Framework.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Parsons Avenue 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.

Dr Lesley Patterson

Director Review and Improvement Services Te Tai Tini

Southern Region

18 October 2019

The Purpose of ERO Reports

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.

2 Information about the Early Childhood Service

3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

ERO’s Evaluation Framework

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.

ERO’s Overall Judgement

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.

Review Coverage

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.