93 Russell Road, Manurewa, Auckland
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
BestStart Manurewa Central is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
BestStart Manurewa Central is licensed to provide full-day education and care for up to 67 children, including 15 aged under two years. Children are catered for in three separate buildings. Infants (three months to two years) and toddlers (two to three years) have separate and shared outdoor play spaces. The older children (three to five years) have separate outdoor play spaces. The roll includes children from a range of diverse cultures.
The centre is part of the BestStart charitable trust. The organisation has re-branded all its early learning services. BestStart provides an overarching governance and management framework to support operations and curriculum delivery in individual centres. Business Managers (BM) and Professional Services Managers (PSM) facilitate staff professional development and provide strategic guidance.
The curriculum is underpinned by the principles of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, bicultural practices and partnerships with parents/whānau. The centre philosophy focuses on providing a safe and nurturing learning environment where children feel a strong sense of belonging. It promotes the development of respectful relationships, encourages children to be confident independent learners and celebrates the diversity of their cultures.
ERO’s 2016 report acknowledged teachers' positive and respectful interactions with children. Other notable aspects included, children's confidence and strong sense of belonging in the centre and the representation of children's own culture in the environment. These positive features are still evident. During this period there has been a new centre manager and professional services manager appointed.
Areas for development included improving learning spaces, building leadership capability, developing teacher capability and utilising parent aspirations in planning and assessment. The centre has made good progress in these areas.
This review was part of a cluster of 10 reviews in BestStart Upper North Island region.
Children are acknowledged as confident and capable learners. They are settled in their environment and demonstrate a strong sense of belonging in the centre. Children’s wellbeing is supported through positive relationships with teachers and peers. Their culture, language, and identity are celebrated and encouraged.
Children can make decisions about their play from a variety of activities and resources. They are empowered by teachers to self-manage, take responsibility for others and develop their independence.
Infants and toddlers experience a calm environment where they are free to explore and learn. Teachers are responsive to children's communication cues, and unhurried caregiving supports their need for strong and secure attachments. Children's individual needs are well catered for.
Teachers and leaders work collaboratively. They know children and their families well. Leaders and teachers value and acknowledge parents' and whānau aspirations for their children. They have worked collaboratively to align these to play-based learning. Staff actively seek ways to maintain children’s cultural connections and they value the knowledge, skills and expertise families bring to the service.
The centre’s philosophy is enacted well through a culturally rich curriculum. Teachers and leaders integrate te reo and tikanga Māori. They provide space and time for whānau Māori to share culture and input into the centre. Children are encouraged to develop social and emotional competence through tuakana/teina relationships. Interactions with children and families of Pacific heritage are culturally responsive. Teachers often converse with parents in their home language. Songs, greetings and visual displays are used to support children with the development of their home language.
Systems for internal evaluation guide and inform teaching practice which results in improved practices to promote positive outcomes for children. Professional learning and development is focused on building staff capabilities and has impacted positively on teaching practices.
National, regional and centre operations are guided by strategic and annual plans, and a shared vision which monitor quality and promote ongoing improvement. These are linked to BestStart strategic goals, which promote a sense of belonging to a wider learning community and support widespread collaboration among teaching teams. Professional learning and development is focused on building capabilities and has impacted positively on teaching practices. The service provides opportunities for leadership within the team.
Centre leaders agree that key next steps for the centre's development include continuing to strengthen:
the provision for older children in order to provide greater challenge and increase the complexity of play
internal evaluation by gathering perspectives from a greater range of sources to help impact change
bicultural community connections to further inform the local curriculum.
Agreed next steps for the organisation are to continue to strengthen:
bicultural understanding and practice
risk analysis management systems, processes and procedures for excursions
appraisal processes to support teachers’ continuum of professional knowledge and practice.
Before the review, the staff and management of BestStart Manurewa Central 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:
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.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region - Te Tai Raki
8 May 2020
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.
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Location |
Manurewa, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
25298 |
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Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
67 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 years |
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Service roll |
76 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 41 Boys 35 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
17 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
January 2020 |
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Date of this report |
8 May 2020 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
June 2016 |
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Education Review |
April 2013 |
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Supplementary Review |
March 2010 |
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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 will depend on how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
Very well placed
Well placed
Requires further development
Not well placed
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.
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
ABC Manurewa Central is licensed to provide education and care for up 67 children, including 15 up to the age of two. Most of the children are Samoan or Māori. The centre's philosophy has a focus on building respectful relationships with families, and on recognising the dual cultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand. It aims to empower children to become competent, confident learners and communicators.
The centre operates from two modified houses on adjacent properties. Children up to three years of age are catered for in two groups in one house, while the children who are over three years are in the property next door.
The centre operates under the umbrella of the BestStart Education and Care Centres organisation. Professional and administrative direction is provided by a professional services manager and a business manager. The organisation also provides frameworks, policies, support and guidance to develop and monitor the quality and consistency of practice.
The recently appointed centre manager and head teachers provide leadership within the centre. Several of the teachers have been at the centre for many years.
The 2013 ERO report noted several areas of good practice including children choosing their own play and positive relationships between teachers and children. Self review, programmes that promoted children’s emerging interests and more complex learning were identified as areas for development. Changes recently implemented by the new management team are designed to promote progress in these areas.
Children have a strong sense of ownership in the centre and are eager to learn. Children develop friendships and play cooperatively. They engage enthusiastically in their play. Children confidently initiate conversations and share their ideas with adults and with other children. They choose their own play and have welcomed the recent addition of new resources.
Infants are well cared for in their designated area. Relationships between teachers and infants are warm and trusting. Teachers use children's development milestones as guides for their care and programme planning. They work well together to promote exploration and language development for the infants.
Relationships between teachers and children are positive. Teachers work alongside children and encourage them to be independent in their play. Te reo Māori is used incidentally during the day and more particularly during waiata and karakia. Children's cultures are prominently represented in the learning environment. Several teachers are able to support children to settle and to learn through their home languages.
Teachers plan opportunities for children to participate within the current topic. They support children to identify what they want to find out and learn about by developing questions together. Teachers gather children's ideas as a way of assessing their understanding. Increasingly managers expect teachers to respond to individual children's interests.
The centre manager, professional services manager and business manager are aware of the need for the centre to improve. They have established priorities in the strategic plan and are working towards achieving these.
Teachers are being supported to strengthen their practice in line with managers' expectations. Shared understanding of the teacher's role in supporting learning is being developed through the appraisal process, more robust professional conversations and internal professional development. Teachers are beginning to reflect on their own practice and the impact it has on outcomes for children.
Centre managers agree the key next steps include:
improving indoor and outdoor areas so that these learning environments are more inviting places for children to play and explore
broadening leadership capability to support ongoing improvement in the centre
establishing clear expectations for teaching practices that further promote positive outcomes for children
strengthening teacher interactions with children so they build on children's prior knowledge and experience, and extend their thinking and language
using information shared by parents and individual children's interests as the foundation for planning and assessment.
ERO recommends that BestStart managers continue to provide close support for the centre manager to ensure improvements are embedded. The planned upgrades should be prioritised by the organisation to provide good quality learning environments.
Before the review, the staff and management of ABC Manurewa Central 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:
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.
The next ERO review of ABC Manurewa Central will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
28 June 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 |
Manurewa, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
25298 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
67 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
76 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 41 Girls 35 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Samoan Indian Tongan Cook Island Māori other |
21 10 21 10 7 3 4 |
|
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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 |
April 2016 |
||
|
Date of this report |
28 June 2016 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
April 2013 |
|
|
Supplementary Review |
March 2010 |
||
|
Education Review |
March 2009 |
||
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.