347 Papanui Road, Papanui, Christchurch
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
St Andrews College Preschool is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
St Andrews College Preschool provides full-day education and is licensed for 42 children over 2 years old. In 2018 the preschool moved into a newly built centre and in 2019 it was relicensed. It is based on the grounds of St Andrew's College and sits adjacent to the Preparatory School.
St Andrews College Preschool's current philosophy is based on a set of priorities for learning. These are intellectual, emotional, social physical, wairua and environmental. The core values that guide how the preschool operates are compassion, connection, inspiration and inquiry. The vision for the preschool is to create a beautiful learning environment where children are guided to direct their own learning alongside professional teachers, family and whānau and the local community. The strategic themes that drive the preschool's direction are: planning for the future, investing and growing leadership capability, expanding curriculum and sustaining excellence in teaching and learning.
The preschool reports to the principal of Preparatory School, who is the licensee. The head of preschool has been recently appointed and leads a long-serving teaching team who are all early childhood qualified. Leaders and teachers have successfully addressed the recommendation from the previous education review in 2015.
St Andrews College preschool is part of the Waimari-iri Kāhui Ako| Community of Learning.
Children benefit from a curriculum that is responsive to their interests, needs and strengths. They are settled and engaged in a programme that provides opportunities for children to show agency, independence and leadership in their learning. Children know and respond to well-established and well-considered routines and practices which include whānau hui, kaitiaki time and celebrations. Strong respectful relationships are fostered with families that support children's sense of belonging.
Teachers work collaboratively to plan and respond to the skills and dispositions of children. This is done through intentional planning for individuals and groups for children. Teachers purposefully use self review to drive improvement to the programme and their teaching practices. They provide a rich learning environment where children benefit from a range of opportunities and learning experiences, including learning alongside current college students and the use of school/college resources and facilities.
Children learn in an environment where a strong commitment to integrating bicultural practices is valued and fostered. A whānau hui starts each day, kaitiaki (Māori Gods) line the preschool's walls and are often referred to in pukapuka (books) that the tamariki (children) have illustrated. When a child graduates, a korowai ceremony has become part of the preschool's tikanga. Children are able to integrate te ao Māori into their environment in their korero (conversations) with their peers, teachers and their whānāu (family). The preschool prioritises building teacher/leader capability and confidence in using te reo Māori in the day-to-day programme.
All children are well supported including children with a need for additional help. Centre leaders and teachers have developed strong links and work with external agencies. Children and their families who are transitioning into, within and beyond the preschool are well supported by careful planning and effective communication. The preschool has strong relationships with the adjacent Preparatory School and other schools.
The preschool has useful systems and processes to support outcomes for children that are improvement focussed. A recent evaluation of assessment and planning practices has led to a more responsive programme that better includes parents' aspirations and better meets the needs, strengths and interests of each child. Deliberate succession planning has been undertaken to ensure consistency and continuity of improved practice and approaches. Leaders and teachers have built constructive learning partnerships with parents and whānau that are fostered through strong communication strategies.
The key next steps to promote positive outcomes for all children are for the head of preschool and kaiako (teachers) to:
Before the review, the staff and management of St Andrews College 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:
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 (Southern)
Southern Region - Te Tai Tini
9 March 2020
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 |
Papanui, Christchurch |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
65068 |
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Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
42 children |
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Service roll |
52 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 27 Girls 25 |
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Ethnic composition |
NZ European/Pākehā |
38 |
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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 |
N/A |
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Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
December 2019 |
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Date of this report |
9 March 2020 |
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Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review |
February 2015 |
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|
Education Review |
December 2011 |
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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 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.
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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
St Andrews College Preschool is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
St Andrews College Preschool caters for 42 children aged over two. The learning environment is attractively presented and well maintained with good support from the wider college community. The children and families come from the local area. The teaching staff are well qualified early childhood teachers who have worked together as a team for many years. They continue to provide a stable, friendly learning environment for children. Better than minimum teacher-to-child ratios are providing good opportunities for sustained interactions between teachers and children.
Children experience strong, positive relationships with their teachers and peers. Teachers know children well and plan a range of learning experiences across a broad curriculum to meet their interests and needs. The best features of the programme include opportunities for children to:
The learning environment is structured and activities are used as the catalyst for children’s learning. Children have some opportunities to pose questions and independently find answers to satisfy their curiosities. This could be further developed in order to continue to build on children’s skills in becoming confident, competent learners.
The centre has good access to the college’s preparatory school. Children in the centre have many opportunities to interact with the older children and to experience the school environment. The centre staff have developed an area to support children’s transition to school. This area needs to be reviewed in terms of its links to Te Whāriki, the New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum.
Teachers effectively work together as a team. They recognise and use each other’s strengths and skills to develop a programme that provides interest, variety and challenges for children. They are very well led by the head teacher.
Parents are warmly welcomed. Partnerships with parents and whānau are a key focus of the centre’s philosophy and practice. The regular sharing of information, as an informal chat or an assessment story, about children’s experiences and learning helps to strengthen these connections. Teachers regularly seek parent contributions and ideas and respond well to children’s ideas as observed throughout the programme.
The centre programme is well supported by the licensee. Programmes are regularly reviewed to ensure children have access to good-quality learning opportunities. The centre’s self-review process focuses on ongoing improvement. The process can be further strengthened by making sure recommendations continue to be systematically responded to and reported on.
The centre’s expectations for mathematics and literacy are not clearly stated in writing. Such documentation is likely to ensure the sustainability of the good practices observed by ERO.
Centre Leaders need to review the effectiveness of the transition room in meeting the needs of children transitioning to school.
The leaders have identified, and ERO agrees, that staff should continue to work closely with Māori whānau to make the bicultural aspects of the programme more visible in key documents such as the philosophy, programme planning and assessment and in the environment.
Before the review, the staff and management of St Andrews College 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:
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.
The next ERO review of St Andrews College Preschool will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer- Southern
12 February 2015
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.
|
Location |
Papanui, Christchurch |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
65068 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education and Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
42 children aged two years and over |
||
|
Service roll |
35 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 18 Girls 17 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Asian Other European |
1 28 3 3 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates |
80% |
||
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:7 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
October 2014 |
||
|
Date of this report |
12 February 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review |
December 2011 |
|
|
Education Review |
January 2008 |
||
|
Education Review |
June 2005 |
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.