BestStart Dinsdale

Education institution number:
30249
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
76
Telephone:
Address:

8 Railside Place, Frankton-Hamilton, Hamilton

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ABC Dinsdale - 22/08/2018

1 Evaluation of ABC Dinsdale

How well placed is ABC Dinsdale 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

ABC Dinsdale is located in the Frankton suburb of Hamilton. It is a full-day education and care service, licensed for 90 children with a maximum of 34 up to two years of age. The current roll of 126 includes 44 Māori children. The service has three separate learning areas that cater for the different ages and stages of infants, toddlers and young children.

Since the last ERO review in 2015 the governing organisation has changed its name from Kidicorp to BestStart Education and Care and has become a not-for-profit organisation. A professional service manager and business manager provide support for the centre. The centre operates under the Central North Island Waikato regional management team within BestStart.

The centre leadership structure includes a centre manager who oversees the day-to-day operations of the service with support from a team leader and head teacher. The centre philosophy has a focus on providing inclusive practices that celebrate and respect children's diversity and culture. Teachers believe parents and whānau are integral to the success of children's learning and focus on developing and maintaining professional relationships to promote the learning and wellbeing of children.

The centre has a positive ERO reporting history. Since the last ERO review in March 2016 a new centre manager has been internally appointed, along with new team leaders. There has also been changes to teaching staff, including a whole new teaching team in the older age-group room.

Developments since the last ERO review relate to teachers strengthening assessment and planning processes and increased parent and child input into the internal evaluation process. Leaders and teachers have also established community and iwi relationships to support the bicultural programme.

This review was part of a cluster of six reviews in the BestStart organisation.

The Review Findings

Children and their families are warmly welcomed into the centre. They enjoy positive, trusting and respectful relationships with centre leaders and teachers. A culture that promotes whānaungatanga values underpins the centre culture. Children develop strong friendships with one another and are supported to develop their social and communication skills. Transitions into, between rooms and on to school are personalised to meet the emotional wellbeing of children and their families. Children's sense of belonging and wellbeing is successfully nurtured.

Children experience a rich curriculum. A strength is the use of the local community which provides meaningful learning experiences, includes regular visits to Hemi Tapu Marae, the local library and schools and bush walks. Te reo and tikanga Māori are regularly implemented and have been improved through internal evaluation. Teachers have recognised the need to continue developing practices to positively promote Māori children’s language, culture and identity.

Particular strengths of the age group areas are:

  • the natural integration of literacy, mathematics and science into interests and play for young children

  • the opportunities that toddlers have for active physical challenge and sensory exploration

  • respectful care interactions and personalised care rhythms that are responsive to infants individual needs.

Children often revisit prior experiences and engage in sustained and complex learning. Teachers are skilled at noticing, recognising and responding with intentional teaching strategies to extend children's thinking and encourage problem solving. Self help and independence is encouraged. Children receive ongoing positive encouragement and affirmation from teachers for their successes and efforts. They are well supported to view themselves as capable learners and their self confidence is fostered.

Teachers successfully work in partnership with parents. Children’s individual goals are developed in collaboration with parents and inform teachers' planning. Those children who require additional learning support have individual education plans in place. Children from all cultures have their identity acknowledged and valued through cultural celebrations and sharing significant cultural events. Teachers value the first languages of children and families at the centre. They are learning and beginning to use basics words and greetings of Tongan and Samoan cultures.

BestStart's vison is to make a positive difference in the lives of children. Governance and management have developed clear strategic goals with guidelines and expectations for centre practice and curriculum. Regional leadership and management support centre leaders and teachers to enact the vision and goals of the service. There are comprehensive, well-established systems and practices that enable the organisation to monitor, evaluate and plan for improvement across the organisation.

Centre leadership effectively leads internal evaluation practice. Centre goals for improvement align with BestStart's strategic values for its centres. Annual goals are focused on improvements to centre operations, teaching practice and outcomes for children. The centre's goals focus on assessment, and implementing te ao Māori within the programme. Teachers reflect on their practices and inquiries align to BestStart strategic goals and vision.

Key Next Steps

Next steps for the centre are to:

  • continue to develop the bicultural curriculum.

  • strengthen assessment practices to include individual children's language, culture and identity, particularly for Māori children

  • develop a strategic approach to implementing Te Whāriki, early childhood curriculum.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of ABC Dinsdale 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 ABC Dinsdale will be in three years.

Adrienne Fowler

Director Review and Improvement Services

Te Tai Miringa - Waikato / Bay of Plenty Region

22 August 2018

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

Hamilton

Ministry of Education profile number

30249

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

90 children, including up to 24 aged under 2

Service roll

126

Gender composition

Boys 62 Girls 64

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā
Other

44
70
12

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%+

Based on funding rates

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:5

Meets minimum requirements

Over 2

1:10

Meets minimum requirements

Review team on site

June 2018

Date of this report

22 August 2018

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

March 2015

Education Review

May 2012

Education Review

May 2009

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.

ABC Dinsdale - 04/03/2015

1 Evaluation of ABC Dinsdale

How well placed is ABC Dinsdale 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

ABC Dinsdale is located in the Frankton suburb of Hamilton. It caters for 90 children, including a maximum of 34 children up to two years of age. At the time of this ERO review 126 children were enrolled, including 44 children identified as Māori and 4 children identified as Pacific.

The service has experienced changes to management and teaching staff since the 2012 ERO review. The learning environments have been reviewed. The preschool and ‘kinders’ rooms have been amalgamated, resulting in increased interactions and communication between three and four-year-old children and their teachers. There is also greater contact between babies and toddlers, while a quiet area is available for infants. A specialised indoor area is being used to support children’s art and enable them to work on projects over time. The spacious outdoor environments have been redeveloped to give children more experience of the natural world.

The centre continues to operate under the umbrella of Kidicorp Ltd which provides strong and effective governance, leadership and management support. This includes well-developed and rigorous self-review and quality assurance processes, and professional, administrative and business support by well-qualified and experienced personnel.

The service has made positive progress in further developing aspects of practice identified for improvement in the 2012 review.

Teachers have had regular access to professional learning and development opportunities as individuals as well as group occasions. The centre manager has undertaken a leadership course, teachers have attended a regional conference, and teachers of children up to two have reviewed their care practices to reflect up-to-date research.

The Review Findings

Children in each of the groups are trusting, and settled in their age-appropriate environments. They are highly engaged in learning. Children have many choices of meaningful activities that provoke curiosity, creativity, and exploration. Toddlers and young children play cooperatively, developing friendships and social skills. They are encouraged to make decisions, solve problems and be independent. They enjoy imaginative play, and often include teachers as participants.

The playgrounds encourage active physical play involving climbing, riding bikes, digging and playing with water. Children are learning to appreciate the natural world, and take responsibility for watering gardens and caring for pets. Groups of children are highly involved in expressive dancing as a form of self-expression. Children up to two years of age play and learn in a peaceful, calm, child-led environment where relationships with adults are caring and respectful.

Teachers have very good relationships with children, and know each child and their families well. Teachers spend time sharing information with parents, and respond to the aspirations they have for their children’s learning and development.

Teachers listen to children, and often hold extended conversations that explore and extend their learning. They are skilled at supporting and advocating for children with diverse learning needs, including children with special needs. Transitions between learning areas are well-managed according to the individual needs of children and their parents. Regular walks to visit nearby schools enable children to be familiar with school routines and environments.

Teachers plan their learning programmes in response to children’s interests and parents’ aspirations. They include a focus on strands and goals from Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and also include an emphasis on:

  • multicultural and bicultural values and knowledge
  • appropriate physical, intellectual and social skills and knowledge.

Literacy, numeracy and science are naturally integrated throughout the daily learning experiences. Teachers provide parents with information about how they can support children’s learning and their transition to school. Children’s stories and art work are prominently displayed in the centre. Teachers prepare the environments to provoke children’s interest.

Teachers have reviewed their assessment practices. They have a good understanding of the purpose of assessment to identify and deepen the complexity of children’s learning. Individual assessments provide valuable information about learning, and are included in portfolio books. These are available to children and their parents to share. Online portfolios encourage parents and families to celebrate children’s learning, and share their home learning experience. Teachers are able to respond appropriately to this timely information about current interests and the ideas they may bring to the centre. Six-monthly summary reports and parent interviews provide a platform for parents and teachers to share and discuss this information and develop goals for ongoing development.

Teachers and leaders use a well-developed process of self review to focus on improvements to the centre programme and operation. There is a strong commitment to including Māori perspectives along with tikanga and te reo Māori in authentic and meaningful ways. Professional development with an external provider is assisting the centre to review and develop its literacy programme to reflect current best practice.

Effective centre leaders promote the vision and values of the Kidicorp umbrella organisation. They have established a cooperative working environment where teachers are able to use their strengths and take on leadership roles. Staff have benefited from Kidicorp’s emphasis on developing capable, well-informed leaders. The appraisal system is focused on improving practice and outcomes for children. Monthly meetings between the senior centre leader and individual teachers contribute to the effectiveness of appraisal in improving teaching practice.

Well-planned, self-review initiatives continue to focus teachers’ attention on planning and assessment, intentional teaching practice, and the development of parent partnerships. Te reo Māori is more evident in the programmes, and there is a commitment to increasing the bicultural curriculum.

Key Next Steps

ERO and centre leaders agree that the following next steps for development should be to continue to:

  • strengthen the use of assessment for programme planning and to identify intentional teaching strategies
  • include the perspectives of parents, whānau and children in self review
  • develop the integration of bicultural practice, in consultation with local iwi.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of ABC Dinsdale 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 ABC Dinsdale will be in three years.

Dale Bailey

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

4 March 2015

2 Information about the Early Childhood Service

Location

Frankton, Hamilton

Ministry of Education profile number

30249

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

90 children, including up to 34 aged under 2

Service roll

126

Gender composition

Girls 64 Boys 62

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

Southeast Asian

Chinese

Tongan

Fijian

Indian

Samoan 

Other

44

71

3

2

2

1

1

1

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

Meets minimum requirements

 

Over 2

1:9

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

January 2015

Date of this report

4 March 2015

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

May 2012

 

Education Review

April 2009

 

Education Review

June 2006

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.