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1 Evaluation of ABC Papamoa

How well placed is ABC Papamoa to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.

Background

ABC Papamoa provides all day education and care for children from two years to school age. The centre, located in the coastal town of Papamoa in the Bay of Plenty, is licensed for 40 children. At the time of this ERO review 44 children were enrolled, including 11 children of Māori descent. The centre places priority on building strong relationships with parents and whānau. The diverse cultures and backgrounds of children enrolled in the centre are recognised and valued.

Through its philosophy, the centre aims to foster early independence and responsibility of self in a supportive and nurturing environment. Collaborative and cooperative play is promoted in a learning environment that values and promotes New Zealand's dual cultural heritage. Planning reflects parents' aspirations, the voice of the tamariki, and fosters the emergence and ongoing development of children's dispositions. The strands and principles of Te Whariki, the early childhood curriculum, are at the core of the centre's curriculum.

The centre operates under the umbrella of Best Start Educare, which provides policy guidelines, strategic direction and financial and business management. Professional guidance and development for staff is provided through appraisal which includes teacher inquiry, internal reviews such as the Quality of Education and Care audit (QEC) and relevant professional learning opportunities. The centre is supported by both the Best Start Business Manager (BM) and the Professional Services Manager (PSM), who work collaboratively to enhance centre leadership and grow teacher capability to implement best practice.

Since the 2013 ERO review there have been changes to centre leadership. The current centre manager was appointed to that position at the end of 2014, and a head teacher has been appointed to assist with the day-to-day management of the programme and the environment for learning. Significant development has occurred in relation to the areas identified by ERO for improvement three years ago. These relate specifically to self review, curriculum, environment and relationship building.

The centre employs a team of qualified early childhood teachers. Priority is placed on developing and maintaining respectful and reciprocal relationships with children and their families. The centre environment is welcoming, home-like and attractively resourced.

The Review Findings

The centre is continuing to benefit from the comprehensive governance structures of the Best Start organisation, and knowledgeable leadership from the business and professional service managers. Managers have established high levels of trust and respect in their professional relationships with the centre manager. They work collaboratively, provide feedback which is both challenging and constructive, and that is leading to high levels of accountability in an innovative centre.

The centre leader confidently responds to challenge, reflects and networks with other leaders, and seeks mentoring and coaching opportunities to clarify and extend her thinking about effective leadership and management. She is creating a culture of commitment to continuous improvement amongst staff in the centre by creating the conditions whereby the individual talents and passions of teachers are recognised and valued. Teachers are delegated responsibilities and expected to be accountable. Teachers articulate strong ownership of, and pride in, their work, and appreciate the open and transparent climate where they are encouraged and supported to reflect on and improve their practice.

Self review is well developed and purposeful. An inclusive, purposeful and well-planned process is being embedded. It is well understood by staff and informed by evidence. Teachers make very good use of information from assessments, appraisal and inquiry, and from the quality of education and care reports provided by the professional services manager to evaluate and improve practice. These processes are leading to better outcomes for children.

The centre curriculum closely aligns with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and the agreed priorities of creative expression, cultural identity and literacy and numeracy development. It has a strong bi-cultural focus. The aspirations that parents have for their children are well known by staff and have a strong influence on the emergent curriculum. Monthly reviews of the programme philosophy ensure that the curriculum is reflecting the emerging interests and needs of the children. This practice is leading to a highly responsive curriculum that is inclusive of families from other cultures.

Developing partnerships with parents and whānau is a centre-wide priority. Significant progress has been made in supporting and sustaining parent engagement. Māori parents appreciate the ways in which their cultural identity is recognised and valued. Teachers are using several successful strategies to non-English speaking family members, especially Indian. Face-to-face daily contact to share important information about the child's care and wellbeing is valued. The use of Storypark, a web-based medium, is useful for parents and extended family members who have access to the internet and are confident users. Parents interviewed appreciate the friendly, welcoming atmosphere in the centre and are able to see how the goals they have shared about their child's needs are being included in their learning programme.

Teachers are responsive to the emerging interests and care needs of children. They are very 'in tune' with their moods and feelings, and allow them to express their emotions. High priority is placed on supporting and enabling children to develop their social competence. ERO observed children managing learning, at their pace. Children are able to watch and learn from others, which assists those who do not have English as their first language, to interact more confidently in the environment.

Teachers have access to rich and ongoing professional learning and development. A more recent focus around intentional teaching practice is a current priority. Teachers skilfully revisit prior learning experiences with children, and foster and encourage early literacy and mathematical learning in play. They know children well, show genuine interest, and listen carefully to what they say. This highly responsive and deliberate approach is leading to positive learning outcomes and high levels of enjoyment for children in their play and learning.

Key Next Steps

Centre leaders will continue to build teacher capability in relation to intentional teaching practice, giving particular attention to:

• culturally responsive teaching practice using the Ministry of Education resource Tātaiako to guide this work

• strategies most likely to engage children for whom English is the second language, in meaningful and inclusive care and education.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of ABC Papamoa 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 Papamoa will be in four years.

Lynda Pura-Watson

Deputy Chief Review Officer

24 June 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

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.