Waltham School 130 Waltham Road, Sydenham, Christchurch
View on mapAkarangi | Quality Evaluations evaluate the extent to which early childhood services have 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 and Early Childhood Education (ECE) Improvement Framework (teacher led services) are the basis for making judgements about the quality of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Evaluations for improvement | Ngā Aronga Whai Hua is integrated across all the above domains.
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 (PDF 3.01MB) are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. The Akarangi Quality Evaluation Judgement Rubric (PDF 91.30KB) derived from the indicators, is used to inform the ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Sydenham Community Preschool are as follows:
Outcome Indicators | ERO’s judgement |
| What the service knows about outcomes for learners | Whakawhanake Sustaining |
Ngā Akatoro Domains | ERO’s judgement |
He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning | Whakawhanake Sustaining |
Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability | Whakawhanake Sustaining |
Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement | Whakaū Embedding |
Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement | Whakawhanake Sustaining |
Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management | Whakawhanake Sustaining |
Sydenham Community Preschool is a not-for-profit, parent-governed, early childhood service. Most staff are registered teachers. It provides education and care for children from birth to school age.
The service is situated within the grounds of Waltham Primary School.
Kaiako work effectively in partnership with children and their whānau to support children’s developing social competence, emotional wellbeing and cultural connectedness. Kaiako actively identify and remove barriers to learning to ensure that children who need additional support can participate fully in the curriculum alongside their peers.
The pace in the infant and toddler area is calm and unhurried. This gives younger children the space and time to lead their own learning. Kaiako who work with infants and toddlers engage in respectful cultural practices with Māori and Pacific children. They are responsive to the individual needs of each child.
Kaiako effectively use the learning outcomes from Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum to plan the learning programme and document children’s progress over time. They genuinely engage with whānau and work with them to integrate aspects of their language culture into the curriculum. However, records of learning do not consistently acknowledge children’s diverse cultural backgrounds.
Māori whānau and tamariki have authentic opportunities to contribute to a curriculum that reflects Māori ways of knowing being and doing. Te reo me nga tikanga Māori are valued by kaiako and well-integrated into day-to-day teaching practice. The service has developed strong connections within the Pacific early learning community. This has led to strengthened partnerships with Pacific families.
The service has highly effective community connections, including a strong partnership with the local primary school. Tamariki and their whānau are well supported with an individual approach to transitions with a strong focus on wellbeing as they transition within the service and onto kura or school.
Leaders collaboratively develop and enact the services philosophy, vision and goals. They are embedding a useful internal evaluation system with evidence of improved learning outcomes for children.
Governance and management effectively work together to support children’s learning through responsive networked relationships with relevant agencies to promote broader educational outcomes for children. They advocate for and alongside children and their whānau to ensure that all children have access to high quality, inclusive education and care. There are well established practices implemented to ensure that there is a focus on equity and excellence.
Sydenham Community Preschool will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Sydenham Community 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.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
2 June 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Sydenham Community Preschool |
| Profile Number | 70463 |
| Location | Christchurch |
| Service type | Education and care service |
| Number licensed for | 40 children, including up to 10 aged under 2. |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 80%+ |
| Service roll | 54 |
| Ethnic composition | Māori 15, NZ European/Pākehā 29, Samoan 4, Other ethnicities 6. |
| Review team on site | April 2021 |
| Date of this report | 2 June 2021 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review, September 2016; Education Review, May 2013. |
Not well placed | Requires further development | Well placed | Very well placed |
Sydenham Community Preschool is very well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Sydenham Community Preschool is a not-for-profit, parent-governed, early childhood education and care service. Most staff are registered teachers and have been employed by the preschool for a number of years. They provide education and care for children from birth to school age.
The purpose-built preschool is situated within the grounds of Waltham Primary School. Leaders and teachers are part of a learning cluster of early childhood centres and schools that are focused on supporting the education and wellbeing of all children within their increasingly diverse community.
Leaders and teachers have made good progress with the recommendations from the 2013 ERO report, such as developing management processes and strengthening authentic learning partnerships with parents. This includes a strong focus on developing understandings of the Samoan language and culture. Leaders and teachers have established purposeful professional links with the wider early childhood education sector, including some Pacific centres.
Leaders and teachers are responsive to the needs of the community and have purposeful links to specialist agencies and services to help support families in a range of ways.
The preschool philosophy is strongly reflected in centre practices. Leaders and teachers actively foster positive relationships with children, parents and whānau. They have created a very respectful, well considered, and inclusive learning environment for families and for staff.
Leaders and teachers are open to 'listening to culture', allowing space and time for children and families to tell their stories and to develop a strong sense of belonging as they transition into the centre and between areas.
Teachers have effectively implemented a child-led curriculum that values parent and whānau aspirations for their children's learning and wellbeing. They are sensitive to the diverse needs and cultures of families. Children and families are at the heart of all decision making and responsive teaching practices.
Children benefit from long periods of uninterrupted time so they can follow their interests, explore and investigate their discoveries. They enjoy many opportunities to be involved in a wide range of creative experiences, and physical challenges. Teachers model care and respect for one another and for children. They encourage children to take responsibility for each other and the natural world.
Teachers effectively use Māori and Pacific symbols and natural resources to contribute to the vibrant learning areas and to weave a meaningful curriculum. They are skilled storytellers, capturing children's imagination and involving them in rich oral language experiences, particularly about te ao Māori.
Infants and toddlers are cared for in a warm, homely environment. Secure relationships with familiar teachers promote the development of children's positive sense of self. Teachers are responsive to the individual needs and preferences of children. They involve children in predictable, personalised routines that link closely to home routines. Teachers place a strong focus on respect within all aspects of the curriculum that they provide for young children.
The parent committee, leaders and teachers have a strong team culture and shared vision and philosophy. They are very reflective and improvement focused. They value and make good use of individual strengths, experiences and skills to support the effective operation of the service and to promote positive outcomes for children and families.
Leaders are increasingly aligning management processes such as strategic planning, self review, and appraisal. A key feature of the success of this service is the commitment to extensive, shared and to promote targeted professional development that builds the capability of teachers and leaders. This is helping to promote culturally responsive practices that respond to community needs.
The leaders and teachers have identified, and ERO's evaluation has confirmed, that the key next steps are to refine and embed more useful planning and evaluation to better reflect and maximise the good practices that are occurring.
Before the review, the staff and management of Sydenham Community 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 Sydenham Community Preschool will be in four years.
Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern
21 September 2016
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 | Christchurch | ||
| Ministry of Education profile number | 70493 | ||
| Licence type | Education & Care Service | ||
| Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 | ||
| Number licensed for | 40 children, including up to 10 aged under two | ||
| Service roll | 53 | ||
| Gender composition | Boys 34; Girls 19 | ||
| Ethnic composition | Māori Pākehā Pacific Sri Lankan Afrikaans | 17 28 5 2 1 | |
| Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+Based on funding rates | 80% + | ||
| Reported ratios of staff to children | Under 2 | 1:4 | Better than minimum requirements |
| Over 2 | 1:8 | Better than minimum requirements | |
| Review team on site | August 2016 | ||
| Date of this report | 21 September 2016 | ||
| Most recent ERO reports | Education Review | May 2013 | |
| Education Review | August 2009 | ||
| Education Review | August 2006 | ||
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.