24 Mungavin Avenue, Porirua East, Porirua
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Barnardos Early Learning Centre Porirua is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Barnardos Early Learning Centre Porirua, formerly called Barnardos KidStart Childcare - Porirua Early Learning Centre, is licensed for 25 children aged over two years. Most children enrolled are of Pacific heritage.
The service philosophy emphasises child-led practice, connections with whānau, bicultural practice and alignment with the early childhood curriculum Te Whāriki.
The centre manager was appointed in 2018. She is supported by a team of long-serving registered teachers and part-time untrained teachers. Several staff are speakers of Pacific languages.
The service is owned and operated by Barnardos New Zealand (the organisation), a national non-profit provider of community services for children and families. A regional operations manager, and a pedagogy and quality assurance advisor work together to support curriculum and operations with a range of strategies including regular visits to the service.
The March 2016 ERO report identified a number of areas requiring improvement, including the bicultural curriculum, leadership support, teacher development, assessment practices, internal evaluation, quality assurance processes and centre alignment with the organisations strategic planning. In general, good progress is evident.
This review is one of a cluster of four reviews of Barnardos Early Learning Centres, Wellington region.
Children confidently lead their learning in a calm, home-like environment. Teaching interactions are peaceful and respectful. Children's oral language development is skilfully promoted with thoughtful questions and conversations. A range of family events, cultural celebrations and community excursions extend the curriculum. Children have opportunities to engage with te reo me ngā tikanga Māori.
A shared focus on social competence has had a positive impact. Good friendship skills are evident, and children are kind and inclusive to newer, younger and diverse children. They work well in peer groups, demonstrating problem-solving and negotiation skills.
Pacific languages, cultures and identities are strongly affirmed throughout the daily programme. Children and families with Pacific heritage benefit from warm interactions with multilingual staff, as well as plentiful Pacific resources, music and experiences. Their cultural contexts are valued as key to their learning and wellbeing.
The introduction of a new, systematic individual planning process is supporting teachers to collectively discuss children's interests and plan engaging experiences in response. Supporting the team to continue to develop their approach to assessment, planning and evaluation is required. This should include:
focusing assessments on clear evidence of children's progress, rather than observations of their engagement in activities
documenting how teachers plan and implement targeted strategies that positively impact children's learning outcomes
showing how parent aspirations are used to guide planning processes.
The centre manager has a good understanding of the organisation's expectations and takes a proactive approach to supporting improvements and consistency of practice within the teaching team. A number of well-considered systems and strategies have been put in place. ERO and leaders agree that the focus on growing shared understandings should continue.
Children with diverse learning needs are well supported with positive and attentive teaching interactions. Teachers celebrate their unique skills and interests. Individual education plans are put in place, in liaison with families and external agencies. The organisation supports teacher practice with appropriate professional development and resourcing. Improving assessment practices should also further enhance good practice for diverse learners.
Collaborative internal evaluations support team discussion, reflection and improvements in a range of areas. To strengthen the process, the team should use measurable success indicators to evaluate the impact of their practices on children's outcomes.
The service benefits from regular guidance, support and monitoring from regional management. Recent well-considered improvements to the organisation's systems and policies are resulting in increased professional understanding and engagement for teaching staff. Key strengths are:
opportunities to network with other services
clear expectations within guiding documents
strategically aligned annual planning frameworks
differentiated support based on centre needs.
A useful appraisal framework is being embedded. Teachers are encouraged to research and reflect on key areas of practice. ERO and regional management agree that a next step is to more strongly focus appraisal goals on improving outcomes for children.
Staff, management and organisation governance share a focus on the wellbeing of children and families.
ERO, managers and teachers agree that priority next steps are to:
continue developing assessment, planning and evaluation
use measurable success indicators in internal evaluation
build consistency of practices across the teaching team.
Before the review, the staff and management of Barnardos Early Learning Centre Porirua 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.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region - Te Tai Tini
26 March 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 |
Porirua |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
60170 |
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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 |
25 children aged over 2 |
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Service roll |
33 |
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Gender composition |
Female 19, Male 14 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
January 2020 |
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Date of this report |
26 March 2020 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
March 2016 |
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Education Review |
July 2013 |
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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 |
With significant support from Barnardos KidStart Childcare management, this service should be well placed to sustain and improve practice.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Barnardos KidStart Childcare-Porirua Early Learning Centre is one of 23 childcare centres owned and operated by Barnardos New Zealand, a national provider of community services for children and families. It is licensed for 25 children aged over two years. Of the 36 children enrolled, eight are Māori and 23 are from Pacific ethnic groups. There is a long-established team of three registered teachers, who are supported by two part-time untrained staff. Three staff are speakers of Samoan language. Just prior to this ERO review, the head teacher resigned from her role.
The philosophy emphasises the importance of respectful relationships, parents’ contribution, valuing cultural identity, and recognition of Maori as tangata whenua in supporting children’s learning.
The July 2013 ERO report identified the need for teachers to: gain a better understanding of children’s cultures; enrich the environment to reflect the diverse ethnicities of children attending; strengthen the approach to supporting Māori children’s learning; strengthen appraisal, assessment processes and staff understanding and implementation of self review. Some targeted action to support teacher development was put in place through the practice leader. However, over time progress has not been sustained and teachers continue to identify most of these aspects of practice as needing further development.
Day-to-day responsibility for the management of the centre is the role of the head teacher. The regionally-based practice leader supports curriculum. An early learning manager, yet to be appointed, will have oversight of the operation of a cluster of Wellington centres, including this one. Responsibility for centre-based services is delegated to a national operations manager who reports to a general manager and the Barnardos board through the Chief Executive Officer.
Since the 2012 - 2013 ERO reviews of Barnardos early learning centres, significant restructuring of the national organisation has been undertaken.
This review is one of a cluster of five reviews of Barnardos KidStart Childcare Learning Centres.
Teachers are caring and respectful in their interactions with children. They support children’s choices and at times extend their interests and ideas though initiating learning conversations. Teachers should work on strengthening the quality and their use of intentional teaching strategies. More opportunities for purposeful, well-timed engagement with individuals should also be planned for.
The programme promotes high levels of child engagement and purposeful play. Opportunities are many for creativity, exploration and collaboration with peers. The tone of sessions is characterised by children’s joy, curiosity and eager participation. Literacy, mathematics, science, art, music and te reo Māori are well integrated in the context of everyday happenings. Opportunities for children to return to previously chosen play experience should be better facilitated.
The centre is suitably resourced for a range of learning activities. The outdoor area includes physically challenging equipment and is used well for creative art and tactile, open-ended activities.
Planning for learning, although carefully considered, continues to be at an early stage. Barnardos should support the team to further develop their approach and sustain any improvements they make. Next steps should include:
Inclusive practice is evident. Families’ cultures are valued and positive relationships developed between staff and parents. Teachers’ efforts to communicate with parents in their home languages should support them to develop a more active role in their children’s learning. A strong connection with the Samoan community is valued and sustained. Children with identified learning needs receive appropriate support. Teachers should continue to work on strengthening the integration of a bicultural perspective in the programme and practices.
A flexible approach based on the needs of children and their families, supports transitions into the service. Next development steps for supporting children’s transition to primary school should include continuing to develop ways of sharing information about their learning and early childhood practice with new-entrant teachers.
The appraisal process is not yet providing adequate support for teacher development and endorsement of satisfactory performance in meeting professional teaching requirements. Barnardos ‘Goals and Growth’ system should be fully implemented. Improved appraisal and focused professional development for the head teacher and practice leader are required.
Understanding and use of internal evaluation continues to need development at centre and management level. Previous good practice has not been sustained.
Barnardos provides a range of carefully-considered operational and administrative support for the centre. This includes constructive visits and reports from the practice leader and quality assurance through the annual audit. Work is underway to strengthen the use of these tools for promoting improvements to teaching and learning.
Strategic initiatives at management level have recently been identified to support improved outcomes under the new operational framework. Identification of strategic goals and development plans at local and centre level should be a focus for management once the learning centre manager role is confirmed. Further work needs to be done to support understanding and embedding of Barnardos operational changes. Guidelines and policies, although comprehensive, continue to need updating to reflect new ways of working. In this centre, teachers’ shared understanding about practice, roles and responsibilities needs strengthening. A planned approach should support the induction of the new head teacher into the team.
Barnardos KidStart Childcare management should provide focused professional support for teachers and leaders to:
Barnardos KidStart Childcare management will develop an action plan for ERO that shows how it will address the key next steps to improve teaching and learning practices across this cluster of services, and include:
ERO will monitor progress made in relation to the action plan.
Before the review, the staff and management of Barnardos KidStart Childcare - Porirua Early Learning Centre 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 Barnardos KidStart Childcare - Porirua Early Learning Centre will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
23 March 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 |
Porirua |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
60170 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
25 children aged over 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
36 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 18, Boys 18 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Pacific Other ethnic groups |
8 4 23 1 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
February 2016 |
||
|
Date of this report |
23 March 2016 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
July 2013 |
|
|
Education Review |
April 2010 |
||
|
Education Review |
March 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:
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.