Rhona Day Free Kindergarten

Education institution number:
5478
Service type:
Free Kindergarten
Total roll:
33
Telephone:
Address:

2 Hamilton Street, Temuka

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Rhona Day Free Kindergarten

1 ERO’s Judgements

Akarangi | Quality Evaluation evaluates the extent to which this early childhood service has the learning and organisational conditions to support equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners. Te Ara Poutama Indicators of quality for early childhood education: what matters most are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Judgements are made in relation to the Outcomes Indicators, Learning and Organisational Conditions. The Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.

ERO’s judgements for Rhona Day Free Kindergarten are as follows:

Outcome Indicators

(What the service knows about outcomes for learners)

Whāngai Establishing

Ngā Akatoro Domains

 

Learning Conditions
Organisational Conditions

Whakaū Embedding

Whakaū Embedding

2 Context of the Service

Rhona Day Free Kindergarten is one of 13 kindergartens governed by South Canterbury Kindergarten Association. Children who attend are from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, including some Māori children and a small number of children of Pacific heritages.

3 Summary of findings

Children benefit from a localised curriculum that is based on the kindergarten’s revised learning priorities. They learn about the local legends and places of significance. There is an emphasis on learning about kaitiakitanga as part of sustainability practices. There are multiple opportunities to hear and speak te reo Māori through daily conversations.

Teachers implement unhurried routines and support children in making decisions and problem solving. Children’s oral language acquisition is fostered by teachers. Children with additional needs are well supported in their learning.

Assessment documentation generally shows children's learning and progress overtime, aligned with learning outcomes from Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Teachers are working towards increasing the meaningful integration of the learning priorities in children’s assessment documentation. They are beginning to involve children in setting their own learning goals.

Leaders and those responsible for governance have established and implemented sound systems, processes and practices to drive improvement within the association. This includes relevant opportunities for professional learning and engagement in professional growth and reflection. Senior teachers support improved practice by regularly visiting and mentoring kindergarten staff.

Improved guidelines for internal evaluation are in place. However, at association level and within individual kindergartens, evaluation practices require further embedding to be fully effective. This includes developing collective capability to effectively monitor and evaluate improvement actions to better determine whether these improvements are having the desired impact.

Leaders and teachers work alongside parents, the community, and mana whenua to implement the association’s strategic vision and goals. This is enabling them to develop practices committed to implementing practices related to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

4 Improvement actions

Rhona Day Free Kindergarten will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

  • Increase the use of children’s voice by consistently including their perspectives when developing individual planning goals.

  • Embed the revised learning priorities and show in assessment documentation children’s progress over time in relation to these priorities.  

  • Those responsible for governance and management to continue to build their own and teachers’ capability to effectively use evaluation to scrutinise all aspects of operation and more clearly show the impact of planned actions on outcomes for identified individuals and groups of learners.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Rhona Day Free Kindergarten completed an ERO 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; safety checking; teacher registration; ratios)

  • relevant evacuation procedures and practices.

All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.

6 Actions for Compliance

During the review, the service provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliance:

  • Maintaining a detailed record of safety checking, including risk assessment required to be completed after all relevant information is obtained (GMA7A).  

Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)

13 November 2023 

7 About the Early Childhood Service

Early Childhood Service Name

Rhona Day Free Kindergarten

Profile Number

5478

Location

Temuka

Service type

Free Kindergarten

Number licensed for

30 children over 2 years

Percentage of qualified teachers

100%

Service roll

34

Review team on site

July 2023

Date of this report

13 November 2023

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, October 2014; Education Review, June 2011

Rhona Day Free Kindergarten - 01/10/2014

1. Evaluation of Rhona Day Free Kindergarten

Rhona Day Free Kindergarten How well placed isto promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

 

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

Background

Rhona Day Free Kindergarten is licensed for 30 children. Children attend the school-day model, with the oldest 20 staying on for the afternoon sessions. The children who attend are from Temuka and the surrounding rural district. They come from a diverse range of backgrounds. The head teacher oversees the day-to-day management of the centre and is supported by two teachers.

The teachers aim to build strong partnerships with children to support them to develop a sense of self belief, self identity and a curiosity to learn. They want the children to learn in a sustainable environment and one that celebrates New Zealand’s bicultural heritage. They want children to know that it is their kindergarten.

A key feature of the curriculum is developing children’s knowledge, respect and awareness of their environment. Teachers work hard with the children to create and maintain sustainable practices as part of their commitment to being an enviroschool.

Children learn and play in a spacious, well-resourced indoor and outdoor environment.

Parents and whānau feel welcome to be part of the life of the kindergarten.

The kindergarten is part of two educational groups. The first is a cluster of early childhood centres and schools supporting children’s transitions to school. Teachers are also part of a Ministry of Education (MOE) cluster, working with their local marae to support Māori tamariki.

Since the June 2011 ERO report, considerable progress has been made in:

  • managing the change to different session hours and the increased numbers of children and teachers
  • incorporating tikanga and te reo Māori as part of kindergarten programme and practices, and strengthening partnerships with local Māori whānau
  • the centre’s assessment practices to better identify children’s learning.

This review was part of a cluster of 11 kindergarten reviews in the South Canterbury Free Kindergarten Association (SCFKA).

The Review Findings

Children work and play well together in an attractive and carefully set out environment. There are positive relationships amongst the children. Teachers are caring, supportive and nurturing to children. Teachers are collaborative and value each other’s strengths and interests.

Children benefit from respectful and meaningful interactions with adults. Children lead their learning and are well supported by their teachers. The programme and interactions help children to develop social skills. Teachers encourage children to be independent and make decisions for themselves.

Children’s learning and development is greatly assisted by the wide range of experiences provided for them. Many of these are instigated by the children. Children work and play in an unhurried, settled but stimulating environment. They have many authentic opportunities to develop skills and knowledge, including the ‘real work’ teams taking responsibility for the gardens. Teachers are responsive to children’s interests and to children’s backgrounds.

Teachers have been involved in ongoing professional development on assessing, planning and evaluating for children’s learning. They have built a shared understanding within their teaching team about assessment, planning and evaluation. Teachers have increased the amount of information they gather that reflect children’s thoughts and ideas, including what the children think about their progress.

Through play, children explore and are exposed to a range of mathematical concepts, including sorting, counting, measuring, problem solving and geometry. Teachers are familiar with the MOE resource Te Aho Tukutuku. They see the value in exploring this resource more fully to make their mathematical teaching more intentional.

All children learn and play within a bicultural environment. This includes:

  • learning local legends
  • developing a sense of turangawaewae/belonging to this place.

Key Next Steps

Since the June 2011 ERO report teachers have made improvements in planning processes and systems for running the kindergarten. To build on these improvements, teachers should continue to strengthen the planning processes for individual children and groups of children. In particular they need to ensure:

  • more clarity when indentifying the learning outcomes
  • that they show how they response to parents’ wishes about their child’s learning
  • teaching is planned to meet the set learning outcomes
  • the learning that has occurred and the effectiveness of their teaching is evaluated.

The teaching team, with the support of the senior teacher, needs to make better use of self review to monitor the effectiveness of their curriculum, programmes and practices, including the mathematics learning area.

Governance

The SCFKA is governed by a board and managed by a newly appointed general manager. The board:

  • has a strong commitment to teaching and learning
  • seeks parents’ views about important matters in the association
  • has made changes to the roll size and opening hours of the kindergartens to be more responsive to community needs and maintain the financial viability of the association
  • is very responsive to important government initiatives such as ensuring educational success for all children.

Next steps for the board are to:

  • know more about its roles and responsibilities as the governing body
  • develop strategic planning
  • ensure that reports review how well the association's goals are met, are more evaluative and are better used for future planning
  • refine appraisal systems to ensure that staff and teachers more formally receive critical feedback about their work.

The senior teachers provide useful ongoing professional development and maintain a strong focus on teaching and learning to the kindergartens within the association. They have shared with the teachers at Rhona Day Kindergarten the expectations they have for teaching and learning and how well they think the team is meeting those expectations.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Rhona Day Free Kindergarten completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they  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 Rhona Day Free Kindergarten will be in  .

Graham Randell

National Manager Review Services

Southern Region

1 October 2014 

2. Information about the Early Childhood Service

 

Location

Temuka

Ministry of Education profile number

5478

Licence type

Free Kindergarten

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

30 children over two years of age

Service roll

43

Gender composition

Boys: 23

Girls: 20

Ethnic composition

Māori 10 

NZ European/Pākehā 30 

Other 3

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%+

Based on funding rates

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

Not applicable

Over 2

1:10

Review team on site

July 2014

Date of this report

1 October 2014

Most recent ERO report(s)

These are available at www.ero.govt.nz

Education Review June 2011

Education Review February 2008

Education Review September 2005

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.

 

Rhona Day Free Kindergarten - 10/06/2011

1. The Education Review Office (ERO) Evaluation

Rhona Day Free Kindergarten is located in the rural community of Temuka, South Canterbury. It is one of the ten kindergartens administered and governed by the South Canterbury Free Kindergarten Association. It operates five mornings and three afternoons per week.

Since the 2008 ERO review, there have been significant changes to the association management, and to the teaching team. The kindergarten benefits from the effective governance and management systems now in place at the association level. The teachers have had extensive professional development to assist them with assessment, planning, evaluation and self review.

The kindergarten philosophy focuses on providing an environment that empowers children to develop their sense of being competent, confident and capable learners. Teachers have positive, warm and responsive relationships with children. Children benefit from opportunities for sustained interactions with and alongside others.

Regular opportunities to connect with local schools and the wider community are an integral aspect of the programme.

Other positive features of this kindergarten include:

  • a spacious well-planned environment
  • children’s learning made highly visible and valued
  • teachers’ interactions support, and affirm children’s developing social competence
  • teachers and children having fun together.

The teachers foster opportunities for children to understand the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa, New Zealand in ways that are meaningful and respectful of the Māori culture.

The teachers and ERO agree that the next steps for the kindergarten relate mainly to consolidating and building on assessment, planning and evaluation practices, and improving self review.

Future Action

ERO is confident that the kindergarten is being managed in the interests of the children. Therefore ERO will review the kindergarten again as part of the regular review cycle.

2. Review Priorities

The Focus of the Review

Before the review, the management of Rhona Day Free Kindergarten was invited to consider its priorities for review using guidelines and resources provided by ERO. ERO also used documentation provided by the kindergarten to contribute to the scope of the review.

The detailed priorities for review were then determined following a discussion between the ERO review team and the management and staff. This discussion focused on existing information held by the kindergarten (including self-review information) and the extent to which potential issues for review contributed to positive outcomes for children at Rhona Day Free Kindergarten.

All ERO education reviews in early childhood focus on the quality of education. For ERO this includes the quality of:

  • the programme provided for children;
  • the learning environment; and
  • the interactions between children and adults.

ERO’s findings in these areas are set out below.

The Quality of Education

Background

Rhona Day Free Kindergarten aims to provide an environment which empowers children to develop their sense of being competent, confident and capable learners. Children are encouraged to contribute and participate in a child-centred programme learning at their own pace. Teachers aim to use rich language that encourages children’s verbal communication skills. There is an expectation of care and respect for one another.

Areas of strength
Connecting parents and community

Teachers foster respectful, reciprocal relationships with children, families and the community. They demonstrate inclusive practices that are responsive to the needs and preferences of children and families. Children and their families are warmly welcomed. Teachers know children and their families well and make meaningful connections between home and kindergarten. They share information with families to support children’s well-being and learning. Teachers make purposeful links to the community to provide experiences for children and their families. This includes excursions into the community, visitors to the kindergarten and positive links to support children’s transition to school.

Teachers’ interactions

Teachers affirm and respond to children in positive ways. They encourage children to care for themselves, others and the environment. Teachers and children have fun together. Children have many opportunities to make their own decisions and choices in the programme. Teachers offer ideas to encourage children’s imaginative and cooperative play. ERO observed examples of teachers making use of effective questioning to extend children’s thinking. Opportunities for children to hear teachers use complex language help to consolidate and build on children’s vocabulary, and conversation skills. Teachers use some te reo Māori in their interactions with children.

Social competence

Children include others in their play, share ideas and enjoy opportunities to develop friendships. They maintain their play for extended periods. Teachers support and guide children’s developing social competence, and provide good strategies to promote this. Children are familiar with the routines and expectations of the kindergarten. They demonstrate a good sense of belonging. Children make their own choices and settle into the day quickly. ERO observed children playing well independently in sustained dramatic play.

Learning Environment

Teachers place resources purposefully to encourage children’s involvement and participation in a wide range of activities. Children are actively involved in a high quality, calm, spacious environment. There are many possibilities to learn about the natural world and sustainable practices. Teachers support children to take part in a range of creative and imaginative play. There is a good range of natural materials and resources for children to use. Children actively contribute by caring for the environment, making decisions and altering learning areas to extend on their own ideas.

Learning made visible

Children’s learning interests are strongly reflected and valued in displays that are informative and meaningful. Teachers make good use of moveable learning displays to invite and inspire participation in the programme, and to support children’s language skills. There are many opportunities for children to revisit prior learning experiences. Extensive use of photos capture children’s interests and involvement in the programme. Group happenings are celebrated.

Governance, management and leadership

The kindergarten benefits from the effective governance and management systems now in place at association level. The management team’s strategic approach is informed by current research, and is focused on teaching and learning. There is a positive and effective working relationship between the board and management team. High-quality professional leadership is supporting the development of a reflective and collaborative culture. Teachers have good access to relevant and ongoing professional development.

Areas for development and review
Assessment, planning and evaluation

The teaching team has identified that the next step is to build on assessment, planning and evaluation practices to support teaching and learning. This includes:

  • identifying more specific next steps for teaching and learning in individual assessment records
  • building a sense of progress in learning over time
  • developing systems for monitoring the regular assessment of all children
  • making better use of assessment information to plan the programme.
Building on self review

Teachers have identified, and ERO agrees, that the next step for building on self review is to evaluate the effectiveness of the reviews to ensure the focus is on teaching, and learning.

3. National Evaluation Topic

Overview

ERO provides information about the education system as a whole through its national reports. This information will be used as the basis for long-term and systemic educational improvement.

Partnerships with Whānau of Māori Children in Early Childhood services

As part of this review, ERO evaluated the extent to which:

  • this kindergarten understands and values the identity, language and culture of Māori children and their whānau, particularly when the child and whānau transition to the kindergarten
  • managers and educators have built relationships with whānau of Māori children
  • this kindergarten works in partnership with whānau of Māori children.

Background

The kindergarten programme affirms and values the dual heritage of Aotearoa/ New Zealand and seeks to ensure the bicultural practices are integral through the relationships with parents, whānau and the community. Positive relationships have been established that create an environment where whānau can contribute and be involved in the learning community.

Other strengths of this kindergarten are outlined in the body of the report, particularly under the headings, connecting parents and community, and the learning environment.

Areas for development and review

The teachers have identified they are at the early stages of building partnerships with Māori whānau. They have identified and ERO agrees, that the next steps are:

  • consolidating and making wider use of tikanga and te reo Māori
  • strengthening partnerships with local Māori whānau.

4. Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff of Rhona Day Free Kindergarten completed an ERO and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they have taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal obligations related to:

  • administration
  • health, safety and welfare
  • personnel management
  • financial and property management.

During the review, ERO looked at the kindergarten’s documentation, including policies, procedures and records of recent use of procedures. ERO also checked elements of the following areas that have a potentially high impact on outcomes for children:

  • emotional safety (including behaviour management, prevention of bullying and abuse)
  • physical safety (including behaviour management, sleeping and supervision practices; accidents and medication; hygiene and routines; travel and excursion policies and procedures)
  • staff qualifications and organisation
  • evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.

5. Future Action

ERO is confident that the kindergarten is being managed in the interest of the children. Therefore ERO is likely to review the kindergarten again in three years.

Graham Randell

National Manager Review Services

Southern Region

About the Kindergarten

Type

All day Kindergarten

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Centres) Regulations 1998

Number licensed for

30 children

Roll number

44

Gender composition

Girls 22;

Boys 22

Ethnic composition

New Zealand European/Pākehā 40;

Māori 2;

European 2

Review team on site

February 2011

Date of this report

10 June 2011

Previous three ERO reports

Education Review February 2008

Education Review September 2005

Discretionary Review March 2002

10 June 2011

To the Parents and Community of Rhona Day Free Kindergarten

These are the findings of the Education Review Office’s latest report on Rhona Day Free Kindergarten.

Rhona Day Free Kindergarten is located in the rural community of Temuka, South Canterbury. It is one of the ten kindergartens administered and governed by the South Canterbury Free Kindergarten Association. It operates five mornings and three afternoons per week.

Since the 2008 ERO review, there have been significant changes to the association management, and to the teaching team. The kindergarten benefits from the effective governance and management systems now in place at the association level. The teachers have had extensive professional development to assist them with assessment, planning, evaluation and self review.

The kindergarten philosophy focuses on providing an environment that empowers children to develop their sense of being competent, confident and capable learners. Teachers have positive, warm and responsive relationships with children. Children benefit from opportunities for sustained interactions with and alongside others.

Regular opportunities to connect with local schools and the wider community are an integral aspect of the programme.

Other positive features of this kindergarten include:

  • a spacious well-planned environment
  • children’s learning made highly visible and valued
  • teachers’ interactions support, and affirm children’s developing social competence
  • teachers and children having fun together.

The teachers foster opportunities for children to understand the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa, New Zealand in ways that are meaningful and respectful of the Māori culture.

The teachers and ERO agree that the next steps for the kindergarten relate mainly to consolidating and building on assessment, planning and evaluation practices, and improving self review.

Future Action

ERO is confident that the kindergarten is being managed in the interests of the children. Therefore ERO will review the kindergarten again as part of the regular review cycle.

When ERO has reviewed an early childhood centre we encourage management to inform their community of any follow up action they plan to take. You should talk to the management or contact person if you have any questions about this evaluation, the full ERO report or their future intentions.

If you would like a copy of the full report, please contact the kindergarten or see the ERO website, http://www.ero.govt.nz.

Graham Randell

National Manager Review Services

Southern Region

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT REVIEWS

About ERO

ERO is an independent, external evaluation agency that undertakes reviews of schools and early childhood services throughout New Zealand.

About ERO Reviews

ERO follows a set of standard procedures to conduct reviews. The purpose of each review is to:

  • improve quality of education for children in early childhood centres; and
  • provide information to parents, communities and the Government.

Reviews are intended to focus on outcomes for children and build on each kindergarten’s self review.

Review Focus

ERO’s framework for reviewing and reporting is based on four review strands.

  • Quality of Education – including the quality of the programme provided for children, the quality of the learning environment and the quality of the interactions between staff and children and how these impact on outcomes for children.
  • Additional Review Priorities – other aspects of the operation of a kindergarten, may be included in the review. ERO will not include this strand in all reviews.
  • National Evaluation Topics – This strand contributes to the development of education policies and their effective implementation. The information from this strand is aggregated by ERO for its national evaluation reports. Topics for investigation are changed regularly to provide up-to-date information.
  • Compliance with Legal Requirements – assurance that this kindergarten has taken all reasonable steps to meet legal requirements.

Review Coverage

ERO reviews do not cover every aspect of kindergarten performance and each ERO report may cover different issues. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to this kindergarten.

Review Recommendations

Most ERO reports include recommendations for improvement. A recommendation on a particular issue does not necessarily mean that a kindergarten is performing poorly in relation to that issue. There is no direct link between the number of recommendations in this report and the overall performance of this kindergarten.