Pipiwai Road, Kamo, Whangarei
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
ABC Pipiwai Road in Kamo, Whangarei, is licensed for 50 children including up to 15 children up to two years of the age. The centre provides all day education and care in a modified house and grounds.
The centre is part of the national BestStart Education and Care Centres organisation, which provides an overarching governance and management framework as well as personnel to support individual centres. A centre manager, assistant manager and head teacher provide leadership. They are supported by a BestStart area manager and other BestStart management services. More than 80 percent of teachers employed at the centre are qualified. The centre also employs a cook and an administrator.
The centre philosophy is based on Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. The programme is influenced by the Reggio Emilia philosophy that encourages children to lead their own learning. The programme for younger children, follows the RIE approach that promotes respect for infants and a primary caregiver approach.
Groups of children have designated teachers and separate indoor and outdoor areas. They transition to the Adventurers, at approximately two years old. Older children are invited to participate in the Explorers programme in a separate room at approximately four years of age.
The 2014 ERO review commented positively on the relationships and interactions of teachers, children and parents. It identified that the programme was responsive to children's interests. Key next steps included having a greater focus on learning through play and encouraging more parent involvement in planning and assessment. Good progress has been made in these areas.
This review was part of a cluster of six reviews in the BestStart Educare Limited organisation.
Teachers know the children and their families well. They regularly share information about the children with their parents. Parents share their aspirations for their children's learning and teachers are developing ways to include these into programme planning.
Much of the programme is led by children who have significant opportunities for sustained play. Teachers engage children in regular conversations, discussing and supporting their play well. Interactions are respectful and encouraging. Older children decide on their level of participation in the Explorers programme. The teacher who provides the programme also works in the Adventurers area and is known to the children.
Children up to two years of age are very well provided for. The primary caregiving approach ensures that there is good communication with parents, and teachers are aware of, and consider children's home routines. Relationships are very respectful and interactions strongly support children's sense of wellbeing and language learning.
Children's transitions into the centre, and within the centre are well supported. Teachers work well with parents to settle new children. A teacher works with two age groups to help support young children's sense of belonging when they are moving to the Adventurers group. Relationships with local schools are being strengthened through participation in a newly formed Community of Learning|Kāhui Ako (CoL).
Leaders and teachers actively promote bi-cultural perspectives across the centre. They include many aspects of Māori language and culture into the programme. Te reo Māori is used regularly by teachers in their interactions with children. Children's responses show their growing understanding.
Documenting programme planning and assessment continues to be a focus for development. Electronic portfolios were introduced in 2014 and teachers value the increased contributions to these by parents/whanau. There has been a greater focus on planning for individuals based on what the teachers observe.
The centre is well lead. BestStart centre leaders in Northland work closely with each other and with the area manager, reflecting on the quality of the service provided and how it can be improved. The ABC Pipiwai Road centre culture is collaborate with a collective focus on on-going development.
Performance management systems are effective. Professional learning and development is relevant and new learning is incorporated into teacher practice. Ongoing mentoring and coaching is used successfully to build teacher capacity. A new appraisal process encourages teachers to inquire more into the impact of their teaching practice and learning outcomes for children.
Governance systems and policies are effective in guiding centre operations. A sound policy base is implemented through procedures determined by centre staff. Staff follow routines and health and safety checks. Good systems are in place to check that there are followed. The area manager shares regular reports that identify strengths and any improvements needed.
ERO and centre managers agreed that next steps for the centre include:
continuing to strengthen planning and assessment
regular documenting of strategic planning
reviewing the use of teachers' questions to increase the complexity of children's play.
Centre leaders intend to continue to focus on strengthening their leadership skills and those of other staff.
Before the review, the staff and management of ABC Pipiwai Road 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 Pipiwai Road will be in three years.
Violet Tu’uga Stevenson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
27 June 2017
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 |
Kamo, Whangarei |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
11565 |
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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 |
50 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
71 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 42 Boys 29 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
24 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:5 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
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Review team on site |
April 2017 |
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Date of this report |
27 June 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
May 2014 |
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|
Education Review |
February 2011 |
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|
Education Review |
September 2007 |
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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:
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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
ABC Pipiwai Road in Kamo, Whangarei, is licensed to provide full day education and care for 50 children, aged from birth to school age. Infants and toddlers up to two years of age are catered for in a separate area. Two other age groups share an outdoor playground but have their own indoor areas. The Adventurers room provides for children between two and three-and-a half years of age. The Explorers room caters for older children, up to five years of age.
Formerly part of the ABC early childhood group, the centre is now part of the Kidicorp organisation. It operates alongside the Kamo Preschool Centre on the same site. This has resulted in new resources, including improvements to the indoor and outdoor environment. Kidicorp personnel work effectively with a newly appointed centre manager and staff to promote good quality education and care.
Kidicorp has recently initiated a van service to transport children who otherwise may not be able to attend an early childhood centre. This service is well used by Māori whānau and has increased the number of Māori children enrolled in the centre. Teachers continue to develop their understanding of te reo and tikanga Māori and to consider ways to foster the language, culture and identity of these children.
The teaching team comprises fully and provisionally registered teachers, with two teachers still in training. The centre manager leads by example and is highly respected by children, teachers and parents. Teachers are well supported to sustain the good practices identified in the 2011 ERO report and to continue lifting the quality of teaching to benefit children.
Children are happy and settled and have a sense of belonging in the centre. They have warm and affectionate relationships with teachers and interact positively with their friends. Most children engage well with a good range of resources and activities and are responsive to teachers’ support for their play. They often share with others and sometimes work independently. Children benefit from the Kidicorp ‘Be School Ready’ programme, which fosters their resilience, independence and ability to be self-managing. As a result, children from a very young age are developing a sense of themselves as capable learners.
Teachers know children very well. Infants and toddlers are well cared for in a warm and nurturing environment. Teachers create an accessible area for babies to explore a selection of suitable resources and materials for play. There is a teacher designated to help these children transition to the over two area.
Teachers work well with children in the Adventurers room. They ask children questions and extend their ideas about their interests. Teachers have expectations that children will take responsibility for themselves and help each other. Children happily make choices about their play in groups or individually during activities, at meal times and mat times.
The Explorers room reflects the Reggio Emilia philosophy where pre-school children guide their own learning, based on their interests. Teachers set up resources in this room to provoke children’s curiosity. ERO and centre managers agree that this learning space needs to be more consistently available for all children to use.
Good professional development is provided by a visiting teacher who is fluent in te reo o Ngapuhi. Children at the centre have the opportunity to sing waiata with actions, say karakia and become familiar with phrases in te reo Māori. Teachers could now make better use of this opportunity to further develop their capability in te reo and tikanga Māori.
Teachers plan programmes that reflect children's emerging interests. They are committed to embracing the principles of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum and making links with the key competencies in The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC). There is now a need for teachers to focus on using better questioning techniques to extend children’s thinking and knowledge. More open-ended use of resources would help to stimulate children’s exploration and creativity.
Parents can see and read about children's learning through some very good quality photo stories and narratives. An annual survey enables parents to provide feedback about their children’s interests and aspirations. Children’s assessment portfolios could be further improved with greater contributions from parents.
The centre manager and teachers are well supported by Kidicorp. Regular support visits, frequent professional development opportunities and systems to monitor standards help staff to improve centre practices. Detailed strategic and annual action plans for each room guide centre development. Teachers also take responsibility for reviewing practices within their own areas. Managers recognise the need for continued development in self review and are particularly focused on their ‘bicultural journey’ in 2014.
ERO and centre managers agree that, in order to further develop the quality of teaching practices and learning outcomes for children, teachers should:
Before the review, the staff and management of ABC Pipiwai Road 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.
The next ERO review of ABC Pipiwai Road will be in three years.
Dale Bailey
National Manager Review Services Northern Region
16 May 2014
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 |
Kamo, Whangarei |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
11565 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
50 children, including up to 12 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
78 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 39 Girls 39 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā other |
28 45 5 |
|
|
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 |
March 2014 |
||
|
Date of this report |
16 May 2014 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
February 2011 |
|
|
Education Review |
September 2007 |
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:
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.