11 Surrey Street, Masterton
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Kahurangi All Day Kindergarten is situated in Masterton. 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. This is the first review for this kindergarten since the merger.
The kindergarten operates for a full day to meet the needs of its community. It caters for children from birth to five years, providing opportunities for siblings to attend, play and learn together. Infants and toddlers have their own designated space, alongside the over two year old learning area. At times the infants and toddlers are integrated to support relationships and learning at the kindergarten. Just under half of the roll are Māori learners.
The kindergarten’s teaching philosophy is underpinned by the principles of the early childhood curriculum, Te Whāriki and the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It emphasises the importance of whanaungatanga, relationships, manaakitanga, supporting and caring for each other, and upholding the mana of children, their spiritual and emotional wellbeing.
Since the August 2013 ERO report, there have been some changes to the teaching team and the association's senior teacher. All teachers are qualified and certificated.
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.
In 2012, the Wellington 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. Its introduction within the exRimutaka Kindergartens occurred during 2015, with kindergartens adapting it to respond to their community. Kahurangi teachers are making good use of this document to guide practice in this area.
The 2013 ERO report for Kahurangi Kindergarten identified that building understanding of strategic review, and further developing assessment and planning was needed. Considerable progress and good gains in responding to these areas has occurred.
This review was part of a cluster of 10 reviews in the He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua kindergartens.
The child-led, play-based curriculum successfully responds to children's interests and learning. There is a strong focus on supporting social and self-help skills. Children have many opportunities to make choices, lead their learning and sustain their play for extended periods. They positively respond to teachers' view of them as capable learners.
Developing and nurturing relationships with children, families, whānau and fanau is a core priority for teachers. Teachers continue to seek ways to invite and include families in the programme. Many parents contribute to current and future curriculum focuses. Teachers share useful information about children's learning and ideas to further encourage these experiences at home.
Opportunities for teachers to share their strengths and lead improvements to the programme are encouraged and effectively supported by the senior head teacher. This approach has strengthened greater levels of shared understanding, reflection and inquiry into teaching practices that promote improved outcomes for children.
There has been significant progress in using self review and internal evaluation for improvement to teaching and learning. Teachers have made good use of self review and internal evaluation to extend and deepen meaningful literacy learning and experiences for infants, toddlers and young children. Outcomes of this review and evaluation include enhanced levels of oral language and foundational literacy skills.
Infants and toddlers demonstrate high levels of trust and confidence. Effective teaching practices continue to be highly evident. These include:
providing time and space to discover and explore the inviting learning areas
unhurried and respectful interactions
empowering children to make genuine choices
responding and listening to the child to model language development.
Transition into the kindergarten is flexible and responsive to children and their family's needs. Teachers participate in a local network of schools and early learning services to share ideas about successful transition to school.
Fanau Pasifika are made to feel welcome. Their cultural expertise and contributions to the programme are fostered and valued by teachers.
A useful ongoing focus for teachers has been to examine how well the bicultural curriculum is woven through processes and interactions with children, parents and whānau. An acknowledged next step is for leaders and teachers to further consider, then respond to, what success for Māori children as Māori means at Kahurangi All Day Kindergarten.
The senior teacher provides termly written feedback that outlines agreed development priorities and progress in relation to the quality of teaching and learning. She completes an annual internal evaluation that supports strengthening of these termly reports. There is a deliberate focus on outcomes for children and teacher/leader performance.
Managers undertook an internal review of the appraisal system. The revised model is being implemented across the kindergartens. The process includes focused goals that build teacher and leader capability and clearer links with the Practising Teacher Criteria.
The senior teacher, senior head teacher, staff and ERO agree on the following key next steps for Kahurangi Kindergarten, to:
continue to embed internal evaluation practices
extend practices that promote Māori children's success as Māori learners.
The association should continue to support the development of formal critique of teaching practice and strengthening responsiveness to Māori children.
Before the review, the staff and management of Kahurangi All Day 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.
The next ERO review of Kahurangi All Day Kindergarten will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
18 January 2017
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 |
Masterton |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
60185 |
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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, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
53 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 28, Boys 25 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Other ethnic groups |
21 28 4 |
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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 |
Under 2 |
1:5 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
October 2016 |
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Date of this report |
18 January 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
August 2013 |
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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 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.
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
With the ongoing support of the Rimutaka Kindergarten Association (the association) and centre leadership, Kahurangi All Day Kindergarten is well placed to promote positive outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Kahurangi All Day Kindergarten is located in southeast Masterton. It caters for a range of families in the local community.
The kindergarten is licensed for forty children and ten can be up to two years of age. There is an infant and toddler, and an older children’s area. It operates from 7.30am – 5.30pm, five days a week. Approximately half of the roll are Māori children. There are two Samoan children.
This is the first review for the kindergarten under the association. The centre was previously Whatman Early Childhood Centre, and moved to its current location on the old Solway Kindergarten site. Its new name was developed collaboratively and reflects its links with local iwi and the community.
The kindergarten’s teaching philosophy emphasises the importance of fostering children’s dispositions as lifelong learners, and is underpinned by the principles of the early childhood curriculum, Te Whāriki.
Most of the staff in the teaching team are qualified. The association effectively governs the kindergarten, and provides senior teacher support for the kindergarten. Recent staff changes include the appointment of a permanent head teacher and assistant head teacher.
Well-developed policy guidelines clearly outline association expectations for developing the programme and managing day to-day operations.
This review was part of a cluster of eleven kindergarten reviews in the Rimutaka Kindergarten Association.
Children have a positive sense of well-being and belonging. Relationships are nurturing, and caring. Older children regularly help younger children in the family-like atmosphere, which provides many opportunities for those with siblings to spend time together. Routines are respectful and familiar for children.
Children make choices and decisions from the wide range of purposeful resources. Spacious outdoor areas encourage children to participate in physical challenges and to explore the natural spaces.
Many children are confident to initiate their own play or to be involved in group activities. They work cooperatively with and alongside others for sustained periods. Play is valued. Teachers know children well and are actively involved in their activities and interests. They use a range of teaching practices to engage children in their play and support their language development.
Teachers work in calm and unhurried ways. They effectively model and encourage social skills. Teachers make good use of consistent care-giving practices to respond sensitively to children’s changing needs and preferences.
Infants and toddlers demonstrate high levels of trust and confidence. Effective teaching aspects include:
Transition to the older children’s area is flexible and well managed to meet the needs and preferences of children and their families. Teachers are skilled at settling children into the setting.
Teachers foster positive working relationships with parents, whānau and aiga. Links to the community help to support children’s needs to be met. Guidance and help, for children with additional needs and their families, are sensitively managed.
The newly developed teaching team philosophy has assisted the development of a positive team culture. Teachers focus on improving and growing their practice. ERO observed the team working well together and supporting each other. A sense of fun was evident.
Leadership is effective. Teachers’ strengths are valued. There have been significant developments to systems to promote clearer and more sustainable kindergarten processes.
Teachers, with the association support, are at the early stages of making good use of self-review to build on and extend their practice in giving significance to Māori learners’ culture, language, and identity. ERO affirms this as an area for development.
Senior teachers provide well-targeted, ongoing support and guidance for teachers. They promote regular professional development opportunities, and useful systems that are focused on positive outcomes for children. A planned development to the performance appraisal processes has the potential to better promote teacher practices.
Teachers are focused on improving the quality of teaching and learning. The next steps to continue strengthening the programme are to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Kahurangi All Day 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.
When is ERO likely to review the service again?
The next ERO review of Kahurangi All Day Kindergarten will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
National Manager Review Services Central Region (Acting)
14 August 2013
|
Location |
Masterton |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
60185 |
||
|
Licence type |
Free Kindergarten |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
40 children, including 10 aged up to 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
45 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 29 Girls 16 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Samoan Indian |
20 22 2 1 |
|
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates |
80% |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:5 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
June 2013 |
||
|
Date of this report |
14 August 2013 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
No previous ERO reports |
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:
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.