84 Pharazyn Street, Melling, Lower Hutt
View on mapAkarangi | 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 Little Footprints Care and Education Centre are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
|
What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
ERO’s judgement |
|
He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning |
Whāngai Establishing |
|
Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability |
Whakaū Embedding |
|
Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement |
Whakaū Embedding |
|
Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement |
Whāngai Establishing |
|
Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management |
Whāngai Establishing |
Little Footprints Care and Education Centre is a privately owned, Christian service. The owner/ manager is supported by a head teacher, and team leaders from four age-based rooms. Most leaders are relatively new to their roles. Teachers taking leave and later returning has resulted in ongoing changes in staffing. Children from diverse cultures attend.
Children experience a broad curriculum in a well-resourced environment. Established routines contribute to their sense of belonging. Teachers are responsive to children’s interests and ensure time for uninterrupted play and choice. There is some celebration of different cultures and languages. Meaningful inclusion of te reo and te ao Māori, and recognition of other cultures, are areas for improvement.
Trusting, affirming and caring relationships are evident between teachers, children and families. Partnerships with parents do not have sufficient focus on children’s learning.
Leaders and teachers are mindful of children who need extra support. They work closely with parents and external experts to help these children access the curriculum. Infants and toddlers learn in calm, settled areas, where free movement and sensory-rich experiences are fostered. Children experience caring transitions into and through the service. The curriculum for older children, emphasises readiness-for-school dispositions, skills and learning.
The teaching team is in the early stages of planning and evaluating children’s learning and progress in relation to the learning outcomes in Te Whariki, the early childhood curriculum. Assessment records describe moments in children’s participation, note relevant interests, skills and dispositions and explain the value of the learning within play.
Leaders encourage collaboration and distributed leadership. Staff strengths, including cultural and language, are valued. Leaders and teachers share their professional learning and support each other to assist children’s learning and wellbeing. They use a sound internal evaluation process to review aspects of their practice. Some reviews need a greater focus on what makes the greatest difference for children’s learning.
A useful strategic plan is in place. Further work is needed to achieve some of its goals, including past ERO recommendations. More deliberate action planning and aligning of practices, such as professional learning and internal evaluation, to strategic goals, are needed. Monitoring of some health and safety practices require strengthening.
Little Footprints Care and Education Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning. These are to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Little Footprints Care and Education Centre 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.
Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliance:
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
28 October 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Little Footprints Care and Education Centre |
| Profile Number | 45802 |
| Location | Lower Hutt |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
80 children, including up to 26 aged under 2. |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
94 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 12, NZ European/Pākehā 46, Pacific 12, Other ethnicities 24 |
|
Review team on site |
August 2021 |
|
Date of this report |
28 October 2021 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, January 2016; Education Review, December 2013. |
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Little Footprints Care and Education Centre is a privately-owned early childhood service in Melling, Lower Hutt. Its philosophy is based on Christian values.
The centre is licensed for 80 children, including 26 aged up to two years. It comprises three separate learning groups: infants; toddlers and two year-olds; and children three to four years of age.
One of the owners manages the centre’s programmes and operations. A new leadership structure was introduced at the beginning of 2015, so that each learning area has a team leader. Four new staff were appointed in 2015. Over 80% of teachers are qualified.
The December 2013 ERO report found that significant development was needed in relation to the quality of teaching, programme planning, assessment of learning, reflection of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori, and self review. Key next steps were identified, including strengthening the quality of the programme for children aged up to two years.
Since that time, centre staff have received targeted support through a Ministry of Education funded programme, Strengthening Early Learning Opportunities (SELO). In addition to this, owners have provided externally-sourced professional development to promote improved teaching and learning.
Good progress has been made with provision for infants and integration of te ao Māori. Other responses to ERO’s previous report are at an early stage of development and implementation.
Children play and learn in a suitable, purpose-built environment. They are provided with ageappropriate resources, materials and equipment to meet their changing needs, strengths and interests. Teachers respect them as individual learners and foster their wellbeing.
Carefully considered approaches to supporting children’s transition into and within the centre are being trialled. Evaluation of the effectiveness of these procedures in the light of current research and best practice is a recommended next step.
Children in the infants’ room are well cared for in a calm, peaceful environment. Spaces are suitably resourced and invitingly organised. Teachers engage thoughtfully with children to support their play, learning and care needs.
In all rooms, children have key teachers who know them well, monitor their learning and development and establish close relationships with parents and whānau. Teachers continue to improve the ways they assess children’s learning and development. They are developing a shared understanding of how to recognise and report progress over time. Team meetings focus on sharing effective practice and building capability.
Teachers focus deliberately on having sustained learning conversations with children. Consistent and regular enactment of this practice should further stimulate, extend and challenge children’s thinking.
Teachers provide increased opportunities for child-led learning. They plan individual and group activities based on their observations of children’s interests and preferences. Programmes are underpinned by the centre philosophy, including a focus on awareness of the local community. An important next step is to systematically evaluate the impact of planned activities on children’s learning and make direct, explicit links to subsequent planning.
Te ao Māori is highly evident visually across the three rooms. Teachers demonstrate a commitment to building their understanding, knowledge and use of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori. They recognise that continued development of culturally responsive teaching practices is likely to enhance the engagement and learning of all children.
Profiles provide an attractive record of children’s participation in centre activities. Many highlight the significance of learning for the individual child’s development, make links to strands of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and outline what teachers can do to take the learning further. Leaders acknowledge that assessment and recognition of progress over time are at an early stage of development.
Teachers continue to reflect on ways of developing outdoor spaces to enhance opportunities for children’s learning, challenge and exploration.
The revised leadership structure has brought benefits to children and teachers. Communication has improved, collegiality has increased, and leadership responsibilities are more widely distributed.
Appraisal remains a priority for further development. Processes for appraising staff need to be documented and monitored with greater rigour and depth. More robust processes are likely to contribute to increased reliability of judgements made in relation to professional teaching requirements, and more effective identification of practices that need improvement.
Owners work collaboratively with teachers and parents to manage the service and plan to meet future needs. The strategic plan provides a robust framework for implementing actions that move centre development forward. A useful next step is to identify measurable outcomes for each goal. These will assist decision-makers to evaluate the extent to which the actions are effective in bringing about the desired improvement. Owners and leaders recognise that strengthened self review and evaluation are necessary to inform subsequent planning and goal-setting at all levels of the centre.
For continued development and improvement in outcomes for children, leaders acknowledge the need for a clear focus on:
Before the review, the staff and management of Little Footprints Care and Education Centre 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.
ERO identified an area of non-compliance. The centre manager had not been appraised as leader or teacher in the previous 12 months.[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, GMA7] This requirement has now been met.
The next ERO review of Little Footprints Care and Education Centre will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
15 January 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 |
Lower Hutt |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
45802 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
80 children, including up to 26 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
95 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 52, Girls 43 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Chinese Other ethnic groups |
3 81 6 5 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates |
80% |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:7 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
September 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
15 January 2016 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
December 2013 |
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.