21 Alfriston Road, Manurewa, Auckland
View on mapAlfriston Road Kindergarten
Alfriston Road Kindergarten - 13/07/2016
Here is the latest report for the Governing Organisation that this service is part of.
1 Evaluation of Alfriston Road Kindergarten
How well placed is Alfriston Road Kindergarten 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
Alfriston Road Kindergarten is a well-established service that is licensed for 40 children over two years old. The kindergarten offers both three and six hour sessions in order to meet the needs of the community. It is part of the Counties Manukau Kindergarten Association and operates within the policies and management framework of this organisation. A professional practice manager (PPM) visits and provides leadership and curriculum support for teachers.
There have been changes in the teaching team since 2013. The teachers, who are all fully registered, work collaboratively to serve the multicultural community. They celebrate diversity, welcoming several children with special needs and others for whom English is a second language.
In 2013 ERO identified several positive features of the service including the quality of relationships, teachers’ use of te reo Māori and strategies to develop children as confident learners. ERO recommended that teachers further develop practices for programme planning, providing learning challenges and for supporting children who were still learning to speak English. The new team is making good progress in these areas.
This review was part of a cluster of four kindergarten reviews in the Counties Manukau Kindergarten Association.
The Review Findings
Children are enthusiastic learners who show a sense of belonging in this kindergarten. They enjoy positive and respectful relationships with teachers and engage well in conversations with adults and their peers. Children play cooperatively in small groups and some sustain independent play for prolonged periods. The growing number of two-year olds are well settled and benefit from tuakana/teina relationships with older children. While children mix well teachers plan to review practices to ensure the programme is catering appropriately for all children.
Teachers encourage learning effectively. They engage children with meaningful conversations and questions that help to extend their ideas. Teachers expect children to care for each other and work together to solve problems. Teachers support children with special needs very well and have several strategies to help with children’s language acquisition. They continue to build on their bicultural practices and endeavour to respond to the language and cultural interests of children with diverse ethnic backgrounds. As a new team they are excited about opportunities to invigorate the environment and explore ways that they can extend children's learning.
Teachers use children's strengths and interests to identify learning topics. Their focus on individuals is helping teachers to know children well and recognise ways to support them better. Teachers are also beginning to assess learning more deeply and reflect on children's learning dispositions. They could now consider ways to more deliberately integrate early skills and knowledge into the programme in areas such as literacy, numeracy and science. Teachers have shared extensive professional development that is contributing to improvements in programme management.
Parents and whānau are becoming increasingly involved in their children's learning. Teachers actively foster partnerships with parents and families. Parents make good use of an interactive digital portal that enables them to read and comment on their child’s learning stories. Good use of diverse communication strategies has encouraged parents to provide more feedback for teachers. Parents and whānau who spoke to ERO are enthusiastic about the kindergarten as a rich learning environment. They also value the support teachers provide in relation to special needs and their child’s cultural identity.
The kindergarten is well managed. The systems and personnel in place for supporting centre operations, ongoing review and Association monitoring contribute to efficient management of the service. Teachers have become a reflective team who value the different skills and knowledge they bring to their work. They are developing effective internal evaluation processes that include meaningful consultation with families. A new format for the kindergarten’s annual plan is enabling teachers to show more clearly how goals and tasks are being addressed.
The Counties Manukau Kindergarten Association continues to support the kindergartens well. Leaders establish overarching long term goals that enable teachers to align their centre development with the strategic direction of the Association. They are responsive to changing community needs and have prepared teachers well to face the challenges of increased competition, the intake of two year olds and providing variable session hours. Leaders continue to adapt personnel systems to meet legislative changes, including a revised appraisal process to help teachers meet certification expectations.
Key Next Steps
The teachers and the PPM agree that the key next steps for the kindergarten’s development should include:
- ongoing development of planning, assessment and evaluation to increase awareness of children's learning strengths, and using these to extend learning challenges
- continuing the development of internal evaluation to ensure that notable changes and their impact on children's learning is documented effectively
- developing a measurable plan to support ongoing improvement in bicultural practices.
Management Assurance on Legal Requirements
Before the review, the staff and management of Alfriston Road 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:
- 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 Alfriston Road Kindergarten will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
13 July 2016
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 | Manurewa, Auckland | ||
Ministry of Education profile number | 5115 | ||
Licence type | Free Kindergarten | ||
Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 | ||
Number licensed for | 40 children, including up to 0 aged under 2 | ||
Service roll | 54 | ||
Gender composition | Boys 33 Girls 21 | ||
Ethnic composition | Māori Pākehā Samoan Chinese Indian Tongan South East Asian Cook Island Māori others | 15 8 9 6 5 4 3 2 2 | |
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates | 80% + | ||
Reported ratios of staff to children | Over 2 | 1:10 | Meets minimum requirements |
Review team on site | May 2016 | ||
Date of this report | 13 July 2016 | ||
Most recent ERO report(s)
| Education Review | February 2013 | |
Education Review | November 2009 | ||
Education Review | February 2007 |
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.
Alfriston Road Kindergarten - 25/02/2013
1 Evaluation of the Service
How well placed is the service to promote positive outcomes for children?
Alfriston Kindergarten is well placed to continue to promote positive outcomes for children.
Context
Alfriston Road Kindergarten is part of the Counties Manukau Kindergarten Association (CMKA). The Association’s clear vision sets the direction for the kindergarten. Strategies to achieve this vision include responsiveness to whānau contributions and bicultural practices. The Association has a commitment to high quality care and education.
The kindergarten has children attending from the ethnically and socially diverse communities in the area. To better serve its community it now provides school-day sessions. This change has also provided the opportunity for two additional new teachers to be appointed. The current team of six has worked together for the past two years and includes four fully qualified and registered teachers.
This review was conducted as part of a cluster approach to reviews in six early childhood education services within the Counties Manukau Kindergarten Association (CMKA) umbrella organisation.
The Review Findings
The kindergarten is well governed and managed. Professional support for the well qualified team of registered teachers is ongoing and useful. Specific initiatives and personnel in both the Association and kindergarten promote te reo me onā tikanga Māori and are strengthening children’s understanding about te ao Māori.
The kindergarten’s philosophy is evident in teacher practice. The programme is guided by the principles and goals of Te Whāriki, the New Zealand early childhood curriculum. Teachers focus their programme on children’s interests, strengths and abilities and celebrate significant cultural events of relevance to families.
Teachers have successfully established strong relationships with their community. Parents appreciate the variety of learning opportunities that are provided by the friendly and welcoming teachers and are committed to travelling some distance so their children can attend.
Some teachers consistently use te reo Māori in the incidental interactions they have with children. Teachers acknowledge that they should continue to strengthen their bicultural programme and also provide more opportunities for all children’s cultural identity and language to be acknowledged.
Children have many opportunities to learn in fun ways. Teachers provide a range of interesting activities, making good use of the well resourced environment. As a result of the stimulating programme children develop as confident communicators and independent learners.
The head teacher leads collaborative self review within the kindergarten. Teachers review policies and practices to make improvements to programme planning, assessment and evaluation. Teachers reflect on their teaching practices and identify priorities for personal and whole staff professional development.
The Association’s professional practice manager (PPM) team also leads teachers in ongoing reflection on the quality of the kindergarten practices. Teachers are well positioned to continue to developing self review processes that inform their practices.
ERO, teachers and association personnel agree that priorities for further development include:
- further developing teaching practices that effectively support the learning of children who speak languages other than English
- continuing to strengthen programme planning to respond to children’s emerging and ongoing interests and reflect families’ aspirations for their children
- continuing to extend children by providing more challenging and complex learning opportunities and resources to support these challenges.
2 Legal Requirements
Management Assurance on Legal Requirements
Before the review, the staff and management of Alfriston Road Kindergarten completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they select ‘have’ or ‘have not’ 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.
3 Next Review
When is ERO likely to review the early childhood service again?
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Dale Bailey National Manager Review Services Northern Region
25 February 2013
Information about the Early Childhood Service
Location |
Manurewa, Auckland |
||
Ministry of Education profile number |
5115 |
||
Licence type |
All Day Free Kindergarten |
||
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
Number licensed for |
40 children, including up to 0 aged under 2 years |
||
Service roll |
64 |
||
Gender composition |
Boys 34 Girls 30 |
||
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Indian Samoan other Cook Island Chinese South East Asian Tongan |
26 9 9 6 4 3 3 3 1 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% |
||
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
No children under 2 |
Choose an item. |
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
November 2012 |
||
Date of this report |
25 February 2013 |
||
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review Education Review Education Review |
November 2009 February 2007 February 2003 |
General Information about Early Childhood Reviews
About ERO Reviews
The Education Review Office (ERO) is the New Zealand government department that reviews schools and early childhood services throughout New Zealand.
Review focus
ERO's education reviews in early childhood services focus on the factors that contribute to positive learning outcomes for children. ERO evaluates how well placed the service is to make and sustain improvements for the benefit of all children at the service. To reach these findings ERO considers:
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 self review and partnerships with parents and whānau.
Review Coverage
ERO reviews do not cover every aspect of service 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 the service.