Nayland Kindergarten

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

1 Evaluation of Nayland Kindergarten

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

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

Background

Nayland Kindergarten is part of the Nelson Tasman Kindergarten Association (NTKA). The kindergarten provides for the education and care of up to 44 children, aged from two-to-five years. It is situated beside a primary school, intermediate and high school and has established close links with these educational facilities.

The association offers up to 30 free hours to support children's participation in early childhood education. It also provides a range of external expertise to help all children succeed in their learning. This includes te ao Māori expertise, teacher aides, a speech-language therapist, whānau support and parent education opportunities.

All teachers are fully qualified. A teacher aide provides support for the children and teachers to help meet identified areas of need. An active parent committee leads fundraising initiatives to support ongoing resourcing, special outings and improvements to the kindergarten.

The NTKA, including a Chief Executive Officer and board, is responsible for the governance of the kindergarten. A team of senior education advisors (SEA) oversee and support the professional practice of the teaching team.

The kindergarten has made very good progress to address the recommendations of ERO's 2013 report. This includes, deepening evaluation practice and strengthening records of learning.

This review was part of a cluster of seven kindergarten reviews in the NTKA.

The Review Findings

The kindergarten effectively promotes positive outcomes for children. The kindergarten's philosophy is, 'ka whāngaia, ka tipu ka puāwai - nurture it and it will grow then blossom'. This is supported by the curriculum priorities of Tino Rangatiratanga - agency and leadership, Manaakitanga - respect, belonging and wellbeing and Whakawhanaungatanga - relationships, partnerships and identity. These priorities strongly guide the curriculum and are evident in practice.

Teachers use their knowledge of Te Whāriki (2017) the early childhood curriculum, to plan a rich curriculum for all children. They plan and implement a programme that responds very well to children's learning, wellbeing and belonging requirements. This includes carefully preparing the environment, experiences and routines in ways that support children to be involved in decision making about their learning, and to be confident and capable learners.

Teachers are deliberate in how they plan for and use specific strategies to support children's learning. They engage children in meaningful conversations that challenge and extend children's thinking. Children and their whānau are very well supported as they transition into the kindergarten and later as they move to school.

Teachers seek external advice and support, and participate in relevant professional learning to provide for children who need additional support in their learning. They work closely with whānau and ensure these children are well supported in their learning.

Teachers value and include children's language and culture in the programme. They engage meaningfully with whānau about their child's learning and work together with them in ways that support the whole family. These culturally responsive practices contribute to children's sense of belonging and acceptance in the kindergarten.

The curriculum reflects the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand. This is enabling children, especially Māori children, to understand the significance of Māori as tangata whenua, through the inclusion of te reo Māori and te ao Māori world views. All children are developing understandings of te ao Māori.

There are very strong leadership practices in the kindergarten. The head teacher and teachers work as a cohesive team. They have established a culture of critical reflection and deeply inquire into aspects of their practice to bring about improvements for the benefit of children. They have effectively integrated internal evaluation practices into all aspects of their work and are able to identify what is working well, and what needs further development.

Managers and leaders have proactively addressed ERO’s recommendations for the association, identified in previous reports. There is strong alignment between the NTKA strategic priorities and each kindergarten’s priorities and plans.

The board is well informed about outcomes from association-wide strategic reviews and the progress being made to achieve strategic goals. The board and association managers are taking deliberate action to support Māori and Pacific children, and children with diverse learning needs. NTKA leaders have developed strong networked relationships with community organisations to support children and their whānau.

There are effective systems and processes to ensure that regulatory requirements are met. Relevant professional learning opportunities, improved teacher appraisal processes and effective ongoing coaching and mentoring by the education advisors are building leadership and teacher capability within the kindergartens.

Key Next Steps

A next step for association leaders and managers is to improve their planning to support the achievement of the board’s strategic objectives. This includes ensuring that reporting is evaluative and focuses on outcomes for children.

The key next steps for the board are to:

• explore ways to know more about how well children are achieving in relation to the association’s valued outcomes (vision and philosophy)
• evaluate the extent of improved outcomes for all children and use these findings to inform decision making and the future direction of the association.

Nayland Kindergarten’s teaching team has identified, and ERO's evaluation has confirmed, that the key next steps for this kindergarten are to fully implement the actions and priorities for development identified in the kindergarten's annual plan and internal evaluation action plans. This includes ensuring all whānau actively participate in children's learning plans.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Nayland 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.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Nayland Kindergarten will be in four years.

Alan Wynyard

Director Review & Improvement Services Southern

Te Waipounamu - Southern Region

6 September 2018

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 and Next Review

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:

• Very well placed – The next ERO review in four years
• Well placed – The next ERO review in three years
• Requires further development – The next ERO review within two years
• Not well placed - The next ERO review in consultation with the Ministry of Education

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.