97 Wainui Street, Riccarton, Christchurch
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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 Riccarton operates under the BestStart Educare Ltd management structure. BestStart is a large national organisation that owns early childhood education centres across New Zealand. The centre provides full-day education and care for children aged from birth to school age from a diverse multicultural community. The centre is licensed for 99 children, including up to 16 children aged under two.
The centre manager is responsible for the day-to-day operations. There is a head teacher with responsibility for each of the four separate learning areas. A BestStart business manager (BM) and professional services manager (PSM) visit regularly to support the service. There is a combination of qualified and untrained staff.
There have been considerable changes in the centre licence, environment and staffing since the 2015 ERO review. The centre licence has increased from 50 to 99 children. Another building has been added to the premises. The centre now operates as four learning areas: a nursery, toddler room, preschool and prep room. The nursery and toddler room have their own outdoor areas. The preschool and prep room share an outdoor space.
A new centre manager and PSM started at the end of 2017. There have been several teaching staff changes. At the time of this review there were vacancies in some teaching positions.
These changes have impacted on centre progress in the areas identified for improvement in the last ERO review. As the centre has extended, the centre manager has focused on supporting appropriate staffing and establishing team culture, routines, environments and the curriculum in each room.
Teachers have undertaken a useful and in-depth review of the centre's philosophy that has supported their teaching practice. This is helping the new team to develop shared understandings of teaching beliefs and how learning is promoted at the centre, and about how the philosophy is enacted in the classrooms.
There are good examples of teachers, particularly in the nursery and toddler areas, taking time to find out about children's language, culture and identity. They use this information well to make links with families and show value for children’s cultures through attractive displays in the environment. Centre practices include the regular use of te reo and some tikanga Māori.
Teachers promote practices that support children and their families to feel welcomed and included in the centre. Children's transitions into the centre and between the rooms are reinforced by well-considered planning, strategies and support.
Children's interests and learning dispositions are regularly planned for by teachers. Appropriate use is made of individual and group planning to notice, recognise and respond to children’s learning. Centre leaders and teachers make good use of the current internal evaluation to reliably identify areas for improvement in assessment, planning, and evaluation practices. They have appropriately identified improvements in these practices as a priority.
The centre manager and teachers value and promote positive relationships with parents and whānau. They provide a range of effective ways for parents to participate in the daily programme, spend time at the centre, and contribute their views to decision making.
Centre leaders are carefully fostering collaboration among the new teaching teams. They provide regular opportunities for teachers to engage in professional discussions, plan together, and interact across the centre. This is helping build whole team approaches to supporting well being and children’s learning.
Centre leadership has recently become more consistent. The new centre manager and PSM along with the BM have placed necessary emphasis on developing the team culture and building shared understandings of good practice. The centre manager is effectively building teachers' reflective practice. Useful systems are in place to encourage teachers to regularly reflect on aspects of their teaching. Teachers receive helpful feedback to focus them more on the philosophy, curriculum and children's learning.
Teachers are beginning to use internal evaluation to support centre improvement. Regular reviews of the physical spaces are supporting environments to become more conducive to infants', toddlers' and young children's well being and learning.
The centre manager, business manager and professional services manager are working in partnership to implement BestStart's systems to ensure accountability and continuous improvement.
After many staff changes, and significant centre growth, the centre managers are focused on developing the curriculum and successfully enacting the philosophy in each room. Centre managers and ERO agree that the key next steps are to:
Before the review, the staff and management of ABC Riccarton 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 Riccarton will be in three years.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer
Te Waipounamu - Southern Region
26 June 2018
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 | Christchurch | ||
| Ministry of Education profile number | 65098 | ||
| Licence type | Education & Care Service | ||
| Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 | ||
| Number licensed for | 99 children, including up to 16 aged under 2 | ||
| Service roll | 119 | ||
| Gender composition | Boys 69 : Girls 50 | ||
| Ethnic composition | Māori Pākehā Pacific Asian Other ethnicities | 24 22 6 48 19 | |
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 | May 2018 | ||
| Date of this report | 26 June 2018 | ||
Most recent ERO report(s)
| Education Review | June 2015 | |
| Education Review | March 2012 | ||
| Education Review | April 2008 | ||
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 |
ABC Riccarton is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
ABC Riccarton operates under the Kidicorp management structure. The centre is licensed for up to 50 children including 16 under the age of two. Children attending the centre are from a range of cultural backgrounds. The centre manager and staff foster positive relationships and active involvement with parents and the wider community.
The centre is purpose-built with two separate large learning spaces for the nursery and preschool. Both rooms have an expansive outdoor area.
Recent staff changes have been well managed by the senior management team. The centre manager has been seconded to lead another centre and an acting centre manager is overseeing the day-to-day management of the service. Seventy percent of the staff are qualified teachers.
The centre has addressed the areas for review and development identified in the 2012 ERO report. Children’s home cultures and language are included in the programmes. Many aspects of the centre’s self review programme are specifically-focused on learning and teaching. Teachers clearly identify strategies that effectively promote positive learning outcomes for children.
The centre’s philosophy focuses on providing a home away from home. Children are sociable, enjoy interacting together and are encouraged to share play materials. They know the centre’s routines well and independently select tasks from the wide range of resources available each day. They confidently lead their own learning.
Teachers are strongly focused on providing a positive, caring and respectful environment for children. This includes:
Teachers plan activities for groups as well as for individual children. They respond well to parents’ views and wishes by including their suggestions in the programme, where appropriate. Teachers share responsibility for planning learning activities. This uses the strengths of staff and helps to build individual capacity to lead.
Teachers effectively use learning stories to identify children’s strengths and interests and to set next learning steps for each child. They regularly evaluate the effectiveness of their teaching and the resources used to determine the best learning outcomes for the children.
Children with additional learning needs are well-included. Centre staff are proactive about seeking external support and professional development to help them to meet these children’s needs.
Tikanga Māori is appropriately followed. Centre staff are well-focused on building relationships and engaging families. A Māori parent provides valued support in the centre’s programmes and with developing staff awareness and knowledge of Māori aspects.
Practices for supporting children at transitions have been strengthened. Contact with families before children enrol assist children’s entry to the centre. Teachers make sure children are familiar with new environments and staff prior to transition within the centre. Useful steps are being taken to strengthen relationships with more of the local schools.
Clear leadership structures and roles support the centre’s operation and the staff. Kidicorp systems include a regular review process through which specific feedback is provided. This identifies effective practice and directions for improvement in an ongoing manner. The centre manager can access practical support from the organisation’s professional service managers and business managers. Strategic planning is well focused on ongoing improvement to centre’s processes and practices. There are robust systems for appraisal of the centre manager and teachers.
Self-review practices are sound, consistently applied and focused on improving outcomes for children.
Centre managers and ERO agree, that the key next steps for the centre are to:
Before the review, the staff and management of ABC Riccarton 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 Riccarton will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern
11 June 2015
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 |
Christchurch |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
65098 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
50 children, including up to 16 aged under two |
||
|
Service roll |
70 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 38; Boys 32 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Samoan Asian Other ethnicities |
10 33 5 11 11 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates |
50-79% |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:8 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
April 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
11 June 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review |
March 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
April 2008 |
||
|
Supplementary Review |
December 2005 |
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.