Hurupaki Kindergarten earns highest recommendation with ERO report

Hurupaki Kindergarten students Riley Jones, 3, Grace Fitchett, 4 and 5-year-old Puhirere Crawford. PHOTO/MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM

Strong community relationships, an engaging curriculum and a commitment to te reo and tikanga Maori has meant Hurupaki Kindergarten won't be seeing the Education Review Office for another four years.

A four year review recognises early childhood education centres the Education Review Office (ERO) is completely confident in and is the highest recommendation that a centre can receive.

ERO visited the school on November 30 last year and head teacher Dene Cheeseman , said they received the report on February 23.

"My team have been together for three years and it's obviously been something we've worked really hard on, creating an environment which meets our community and their needs," she said.

Hurupaki Kindergarten is one of 21 early childhood education centres in Northland on a four year review.

The review said many parents stayed in close contact with the kindergarten once their children moved on. These reciprocal relationships enabled teachers to know children and families and their context well.

"That's a big thing we focus on here. That's a major part of our job. If you have good relationships with the children and their families it's half your job done. We have children that still come in and see us once they've left," she said.

The report also commended the play environment which was underpinned by a strong literacy and mathematics curriculum.

"We set up the environment in the way that it creates interest. They create their own learning as well. Any interests that they bring in, we either add resources or give them other things they can add to their play," she said.

The teachers' commitment to strengthening their understanding of the Treaty of Waitangi and te reo and tikanga Maori was also highlighted in the report. It said the kindergarten promoted children's understanding of te reo Maori through waiata, karakia, greetings and visual displays.

The kindergarten celebrated the top report with a shared morning tea last week.