St Marks Preschool

Education institution number:
60305
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
37
Telephone:
Address:

11 Dufferin Street, Mount Victoria, Wellington

View on map

St Marks Preschool

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 St Marks Preschool are as follows:

Outcome Indicators

(What the service knows about outcomes for learners)

Whāngai Establishing

Ngā Akatoro Domains

 

Learning Conditions
Organisational Conditions

Whāngai Establishing

Whāngai Establishing

2 Context of the Service

St Marks Preschool, located within the grounds of St Marks Church School, is governed by The Board. The Dean of Preschool oversees day-to-day management. The 2018 ERO report identified areas to strengthen included assessment and appraisal. Learning and progress are continuing in these areas. There is a stable teaching team.

3 Summary of findings

Children are settled, engaged, and experience an environment which is intentionally prepared by teachers. The programme reflects the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, Christian values, and Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Literacy is strongly promoted. Teachers know children well and engage in conversations that are responsive to their interests. However, they are not yet consistently using a wide range of strategies to deepen learning and encourage critical thinking through play.

The rich curriculum identified through planning is not yet reflected through children’s individual assessment documentation. Teachers are yet to report children’s learning and progress to parents in relation to the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki in these documents.

Substantial group and individual planning are implemented to extend children’s interests and learning. Parents are well-informed about the programme and have opportunities to contribute. Whānau aspirations are integrated into children’s assessment.

Aspects of te ao Māori are evident in the learning environment. Te reo Māori is spoken by kaiako at times but this is not yet an integrated component of the programme. Cultural days of significance are acknowledged and celebrated; however, children’s cultures and languages are not well reflected in the classroom environment.

Leaders and teachers engage in collaborative review which informs improvements. While a useful internal evaluation framework is used, evaluation as a tool to make judgements about teaching practice, children’s learning or the quality of the curriculum is not well understood.

Teachers are well supported to participate in professional learning opportunities responsive to their identified goals. Policies and practices need to be monitored to ensure that they consistently align to the Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services 2008.

4 Improvement actions

St Marks Preschool will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

  • Make visible in individual assessment documents children’s progress in learning in relation to the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki.

  • Increase the opportunities for children to hear and use te reo me ngā tikanga Māori meaningfully on a day-to-day basis.

  • Build collective capability in internal evaluation to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching practices and monitor the implementation of improvement actions on outcomes for children.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of St Marks Preschool 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.

6 Actions for Compliance

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

  • ensuring the sleep policy states children will be checked for warmth, breathing and general well-being

  • prominently display the complaints procedure, the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations and Licensing Criteria for parents and visitors

  • ensuring that the outcomes of the risk assessment undertaken for all staff as part of the safety checking process is recorded.

[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres, 2008; HS9, GMA1, GMA7a].

Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

13 September 2022 

7 About the Early Childhood Service

Early Childhood Service Name

St Marks Preschool

Profile Number

60305

Location

Wellington

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

50 children over two years

Percentage of qualified teachers

80-99%

Service roll

45

Ethnic composition

NZ European/Pākehā 11, Greek 8, Chinese 7, African 4, Indian 4, other ethnic groups 11

Review team on site

May 2022

Date of this report

13 September 2022

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, June 2018; Education Review, August 2015

St Marks Preschool - 19/06/2018

1 Evaluation of St Marks Preschool

How well placed is St Marks Preschool to 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

St Marks Preschool is located within the grounds of St Mark’s Church School (Mt Victoria), Wellington, and is governed by the St Mark's Church School (Mt Victoria) board. It is licensed for 50 children over the age of two. The preschool's philosophy emphasises children as agents of their own learning. It is respectful of the special character of the St Mark’s community and seeks to uphold Christian values.

Day-to-day management is overseen by the principal and is the responsibility of the dean of the preschool. A new dean was appointed in 2016. She works closely with the principal and other members of the senior management team on all aspects of operation of the preschool and provides regular reports to the school board.

The centre comprises two spaces, the Preschool and Foundation rooms, catering for younger and older children. The programme incorporates Te Whāriki, New Zealand's early childhood curriculum, and follows an inquiry-led model that is part of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme.

The areas requiring development identified in the August 2015 ERO report have been addressed.

The Review Findings

Children learn in a calm, ordered environment. Interactions with children are warm and highly responsive. Teachers know the children well and respond effectively to their strengths, interests and capabilities. They are intentional in the way they recognise and respond to opportunities to engage in, and extend, children in self-directed learning.

Leaders and teachers encourage and invite parents and whānau to actively participate in the programme to benefit their children’s learning. Events and local excursions extend the curriculum. All children’s cultures, languages and identities are highly valued and celebrated in a meaningful way.

Teachers use appropriate teaching strategies and resources to support ongoing development. A child-initiated, inquiry-based approach, linked to the school's focus, deepens children’s knowledge and understanding of learning. Teachers respect children’s ideas for learning and skilfully support their growing social and emotional competence and development.

The preschool's physical environment offers an appropriate range of challenges and opportunities for children to explore and become fully involved in a wide range of activities. Children practise environmental sustainability.

Group and individual planning support children’s engagement in the programme. Oral and written language, mathematics and science are promoted. Children actively participate in and share their learning. Assessment records link purposefully with parents' aspirations and the centre’s inquiry focus. Leaders agree that teachers should continue to reflect on and strengthen the documentation of evaluation of teacher strategies to support learning and show how these have supported children’s progress over time.

The bicultural curriculum is an integral part of the programme. Te reo me ngā tikanga Māori are evident in the environment, and children enthusiastically participate in karakia and waiata. They are familiar with te reo Māori and respond to it, at times in te reo.

Children with additional learning needs are well supported in their learning with individual education plans, purposeful teaching strategies and outside agency involvement when appropriate. Sign language is promoted through waiata. Transition processes are sensitively managed and well considered into, through and from the preschool.

A sound, systematic approach to meaningful internal evaluation is in place. This leads to positive learning outcomes for children. Teachers make use of indicators of success to measure the effectiveness of their practice and implement centre-wide improvements. Leaders and teachers are well equipped to identify and address areas for improvement.

A useful appraisal system with clear timelines and expectations supports teacher professional growth and development. The school has agreed to embed the summary page from the Education Council to assist in clarifying teachers' strengths, areas for development and setting goals. Critical feedback and reflections should also be more clearly focused on learning outcomes for children.

Policies and procedures align with school requirements and practices, and appropriately guide high quality practice in the service. The school principal effectively supports the preschool dean in her leadership role.

Key Next Steps

ERO has confidence in the service’s capacity to continue to strengthen and evaluate improvement in:

  • the documentation of teacher strategies to show children's learning and progress over time

  • linking teacher inquiry and appraisal more strongly to learning outcomes for children.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of St Marks Preschool 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 St Marks Preschool will be in three years.

Patricia Davey

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)

Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region

19 June 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

Location

Wellington

Ministry of Education profile number

60305

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

50 children aged over two

Service roll

35

Gender composition

Boys 22, Girls 13

Ethnic composition

Pākehā
Chinese
Tongan
Other ethnic groups

14
10
1
10

Percentage of qualified teachers

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Over 2

1:8

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

April 2018

Date of this report

19 June 2018

Most recent ERO report(s)

 

Education Review

August 2015

Supplementary Review

October 2012

Education Review

May 2011

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.

St Marks Preschool - 12/08/2015

1 Evaluation of St Mark's Preschool

How well placed is St Mark's Preschool to 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

St Mark's Preschool is located in the grounds of St Mark’s Church School, Wellington. It provides early childhood education for children aged from three to five years, with a major focus on preparing them for entry into the primary school. The preschool is governed by the St Mark’s Church School board.

Day-to-day management is overseen by the principal and is the responsibility of the dean of preschool. Since the 2012 ERO review, the dean of preschool has become a member of the school’s senior leadership team. She works closely with the principal and assistant principal on operation of the preschool and reports regularly to the school board.

Children in the preschool access the resources and facilities of the school, such as media, music and art rooms, the sports field, and library. The programme follows an inquiry-led model which is part of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years’ Programme (PYP) within the school and incorporates Te Whāriki, New Zealand’s early childhood curriculum. Te reo Māori and Spanish are a part of the preschool’s curriculum.

The Review Findings

The preschool’s philosophy is evident in practice and guides developments.

The curriculum has evolved and been strengthened through further development in understanding the links between Te Whāriki and the International Baccalaureate framework. This has resulted in an increased focus on children’s interests and experiences.

Children lead their play with teachers supporting their choices. A sense of fun and purpose are evident in interactions between children and teachers. Routines support the development of children’s independence and transition to school. This process is seamless, with children having regular opportunities to interact with school-age peers.

The preschool curriculum has a strong focus on literacy, numeracy and science. Oral language is fostered. Children are introduced to multiple languages that reflect the diverse cultures of children and teachers. Opportunities for children to develop leadership skills are carefully considered and woven into the programme.

Links to tikanga Māori and Anglican church beliefs are highly evident. Ongoing professional learning and access to external expertise on bicultural practices has led to a better understanding of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori by teachers. This new understanding has informed curriculum decisions and enabled teachers to integrate te reo Māori meaningfully into the programme. Teachers acknowledge they need to continue to strengthen their culturally responsive practices.

Appropriate consideration is given to promoting children's language, culture and identity. Good use is made of cultural celebrations and family expertise to provide rich experiences for children. Language acquisition is supported, especially for those children for whom English is a second language. A next step is to extend how learning stories reflect this oral language development.

Teachers are responsive to specific individual needs. Children with additional educational needs are well supported through collaborative relationships with outside agencies. There is an increased focus on children’s health and wellbeing.

Planning and assessment processes have been strengthened. There is a deliberate approach to planning, which promotes inquiries related to children’s interests and links to aspirations families have for their children. Key areas of the curriculum are focused on and differing age groups are appropriately planned for.

Regular digital sharing with parents increases opportunities for their contribution and participation in their child’s learning. Children value revisiting learning recorded in digital and scrapbook formats. A mixture of snapshots, ‘wow moments,’ and learning stories show children’s engagement in a range of learning experiences over time. Teachers identify, and ERO agrees, that continuing to reflect on and improve planning and assessment practices and to seek ways to extend families involvement in the curriculum are key next steps.

Leadership is collaborative, reflective and improvement focused. Since the 2012 ERO review, all aspects of the preschool have been reviewed and deliberately strengthened. Policies and procedures are aligned with school requirements and practices. Strategic and annual plans for the preschool are a part of the overall school’s planning.

Management of change is well considered. Teachers are reflective and work well together. A suitable framework for review has been developed and guides this process.

Well developed systems promote teacher growth. Clear guidelines and expectations for teachers have been formulated. Robust teacher appraisal processes and mentoring of provisionally registered teachers are in place. This is supported by regular professional learning opportunities, a collaborative approach to planning and assessment and regular discussions of practice with other professionals. A focus on building leadership further enhances teacher’s professional development.

Trustees are well informed about preschool operations through regular reports. They monitor and have input into the strategic direction of the preschool.

Key Next Steps

The trustees, management team and ERO agree on the following key next steps, to continue to:

  • strengthen bicultural practices and their integration into the curriculum
  • seek ways to further incorporate whānau aspirations and involvement into the programme
  • focus on capturing children’s interests within assessment and planning.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of St Mark's Preschool 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 St Mark's Preschool will be in three years.

Joyce Gebbie

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central

12 August 2015

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

Location

Wellington

Ministry of Education profile number

60305

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

50 children aged over 2

Service roll

44

Gender composition

Boys 26

Girls 18

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

Indian

hinese

Samoan

Other ethnic groups

4

17

9

7

3

4

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%

Based on funding rates

80%

Reported ratios of staff to children

Over 2

1:8

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

June 2015

Date of this report

12 August 2015

Most recent ERO report(s)

Supplementary Review

October 2012

 

Education Review

May 2011

 

Supplementary Review

July 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.