5 Cellarmans Street, Te Atatu Peninsula, Auckland
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 Te Atatu is licensed for 100 children, including 25 up to two years of age. It provides education and care for children from a culturally diverse community. A high number of children who are of Māori heritage attend the centre. The centre operates in a purpose-built facility. The centre has two separate areas, one for children from birth to three years, and the other for children from three to five years of age. Children are grouped according to age in four interconnected rooms and two playgrounds.
The centre is part of the national BestStart Educare Limited organisation, which provides an overarching governance and management framework as well as personnel to support individual centres. A centre manager, assistant manager and three head teachers provide leadership and are supported by a professional services manager (PSM), a business manager and other BestStart management services.
Currently most of the teachers employed at the centre are qualified. Due to several staff changes a new team culture is still being established in some rooms.
The centre philosophy is based on Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum and promotes learning through play. A primary care giving approach for younger children helps teachers to build relationships with children and their parents.
The 2014 ERO report commented positively on the nurturing, friendly environment provided for children. The centre was well resourced and the environment adapted to reflect the ages of children. Purposeful leadership was focused on building teacher capability.
The report suggested that children's culture, language and identity should be acknowledged in the programme and portfolios, and that teachers should involve children in planning for their own learning. Further improvement is required in teaching and learning practices.
This review was part of a cluster of six reviews in the BestStart Educare Limited organisation.
Children's education and care is well supported by teachers. Children generally settle easily at the start of the day and demonstrate a sense of wellbeing and belonging in the centre. The intention of teachers is to have respectful, reciprocal, responsive relationships with children. This is established in some rooms. The process of getting to know families and children is still developing in other rooms. The primary caregiving approach works well for the infants who are settled and confident with familiar adults.
Children have long periods of uninterrupted time during the day. They are able to make decisions about where they play and when they need to stop for meals. Children are supported by the teachers to successfully interact with others.
Children up to three years old are carefully nurtured. Teachers engage parents in conversations about their children's home routines and follow these as closely as possible. Teachers generally work with children, staying by them as they explore. It would be useful for teachers to review the frequency of meaningful conversations they have with infants and to increase the time they spend encouraging children's play.
Teachers follow flexible routines that allow them to support children's emerging ideas and interests. They should continue with their focus on improving assessment, including parent aspirations and recording these goals in children's portfolios. This could strengthen new teachers' understanding and knowledge about children and their families.
The centre environment is well resourced and thoughtfully arranged to encourage children to follow their interests. Children move freely between the indoor and outdoor areas. Teachers encourage children to challenge themselves physically and to play together. Children enjoy opportunities to share books and conversations with each other and with teachers. They seek teachers' support when investigating science and nature related interests.
Children have opportunities to hear and understand te reo Māori and to experience cultural protocols. Teachers have identified this as an area of the curriculum that they want to strengthen.
The manager plans to improve the quality of teaching and learning throughout the centre. She has identified the need to strengthen team relationships and collaboration, and to support teachers to take leadership roles. The PSM provides good support for teaching development.
Performance management systems are effective. Professional development is relevant and engages staff. New learning is often incorporated into teacher practice. Ongoing mentoring and coaching is used to build teacher capacity. A new appraisal process encourages teachers to inquire into the impact of their teaching practice on children's learning.
Governance systems are effective in guiding centre operations. Good systems are in place to ensure that staff follow routines and health and safety checks. The PSM shares regular reports that identify strengths and any improvements needed.
The BestStart PSM team has focused on improving assessment, planning and evaluation of programmes. PSMs are also working with teachers to strengthen their understanding of inquiry-based learning for children.
ERO identified development priorities that include:
leaders and teachers having a stronger focus on assessment and planning processes that link to parents' aspirations, and teachers' knowledge about the children
leaders supporting teachers to engage children in conversations to encourage more in depth oral language and thinking
teachers deepening their evaluation in order to determine the effectiveness of programmes for children.
Before the review, the staff and management of ABC Te Atatu 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 Te Atatu will be in three years.
Steffan Brough
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
30 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.
|
Location |
Te Atatu Peninsula, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
10060 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
100 children, including up to 25 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
114 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 53% Girls 47% |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
21% |
|
|
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 |
May 2017 |
||
|
Date of this report |
30 June 2017 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
April 2014 |
|
|
Education Review |
March 2011 |
||
|
Education Review |
March 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 |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
ABC Te Atatu, in West Auckland, provides full day care and education for up to 100 children from birth to five years of age, including up to 25 children under two years. The centre operates as four separate rooms catering for different age groups.
During 2012 ABC Te Atatu Tahi and ABC Te Atatu Rua had a change of ownership and were merged under one licence. The centre now operates under the administrative and management systems of Kidicorp Ltd. A professional support manager (PSM) and a business manager from Kidicorp provide ongoing support for the centre’s manager and staff.
The 2011 ERO reports noted that both centres provided good quality care and education for children. The centre manager and staff responded positively to the report’s recommendations for improvement, while continuing to prioritise areas for further development.
Since the 2011 ERO report there has been a focus on building teacher professionalism and centre systems in order to promote improved outcomes for children. Over the past year Kidicorp support has had a positive influence on the centre’s development.
Teachers provide a nurturing, friendly environment where children learn with support from attentive adults. Teaching practices facilitate children’s exploration, language development and engagement in learning. Infants and toddlers benefit from individualised care and responsive attention from staff. Programmes and routines are flexible to cater for children’s interests, developmental stages and parents’ preferences.
The spacious learning environment is well resourced and adapted in response to children’s developmental ages and evolving interests. All children have ready access to outdoor areas that allow for a range of engaging activities.
Well-considered planning and assessment practices guide curriculum programmes. Planning approaches are flexible, allowing teachers to respond to children’s interests and to cater for the different age groups and children’s diverse needs. Planning is well documented and evaluated and visible for children and parents. Teachers are continuing to refine their planning processes to further support them to develop in-depth programmes that emerge from, and are shaped by, children’s ideas.
The centre’s bicultural practices are annually reviewed. The manager and teachers plan to further integrate te reo me ngā tikanga Māori into the programme. This should foster Māori children’s identity as Māori, while enabling all children to experience and learn about New Zealand’s bicultural history and context.
The centre manager demonstrates strong, purposeful leadership focused on building teacher capability and accountability. She promotes reflective staff teamwork and leadership. Together with staff she has successfully managed the transition to new centre ownership. The PSM and centre manager are supporting teachers to develop and document their reflective practice. Collaborative and consultative practices are resulting in considered changes to improve outcomes for children.
The Kidicorp organisation provides an efficient framework of administrative, personnel and support systems to guide centre operations. Personnel provide regular professional development for leaders and staff to grow in their roles. Useful processes for self review are followed to monitor licensing requirements and teacher effectiveness, and to promote the achievement of the centre’s strategic goals. These review processes appropriately include staff and parent perspectives and ideas.
ERO and centre managers agree that key next steps include further:
Before the review, the staff and management of ABC Te Atatu 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 Te Atatu will be in three years.
Dale Bailey
National Manager Review Services Northern Region
2 April 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 |
Te Atatu Peninsula, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
10060 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
100 children, including up to 25 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
133 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 61% Girls 39% |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Asian Indian Pacific Other |
13% 71% 7% 4% 2% 3% |
|
|
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 |
February 2014 |
||
|
Date of this report |
2 April 2014 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Previous reports for: ABC Te Atatu Tahi |
||
|
Education Review |
March 2011 |
||
|
Education Review |
March 2008 |
||
|
Previous reports for: ABC Te Atatu Rua |
|||
|
Education Review |
March 2011 |
||
|
Education Review |
March 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.