- ERO evaluates and reports on the education and care of children and young people in early childhood services and schools.
A Supplementary Review is undertaken at the discretion of a National Manager, Review Services in the Education Review Office (ERO).
A supplementary review evaluates the extent and effectiveness of actions a centre has taken towards addressing issues specified in a previous education review and/or any additional areas identified since that review.
This supplementary review is based on an evaluation of the performance of the Bright Futures 1 governing body and management in relation to areas identified in the February 2011 ERO report or issues identified since that review. The terms of reference for this review are to investigate:
Bright Futures 1 is one of five home-based care networks run by the Napier Family Centre, a non-profit community-based organisation. A board and chief executive provide governance for the organisation and a manager oversees day-to-day management of the home-based care networks. Two registered teachers share responsibility for the provision of advice and guidance to educarers in relation to meeting service expectations for care and education programmes and the requirements of the Home-Based Care Order 1992. This service is working towards meeting the Ministry of Education’s new requirements for the licensing of home-based care services in 2012.
The February 2011 ERO review found that many of the management systems and procedures in place were not sufficiently developed. Review and recording processes for visiting teachers were not well defined, with the result that management could not be assured that service quality was being maintained and accountability requirements were being met. Further work needed to be done to provide support for educarers in implementing service expectations for education programmes. One of the visiting teachers had not been supported by an appraisal in 2010.
This review found that progress has been made in addressing all concerns. The manager has participated in professional development for leadership and self review. The service’s philosophy and vision have been reviewed and its purpose identified, in consultation with parents, educarers and the visiting teachers.
Induction information for educarers and visiting teachers has been collated to support them in understanding management’s expectations of their roles. A revised process has been developed and implemented for checking educarers’ compliance with legal requirements. Both visiting teachers were supported by a formal appraisal process in 2011 and have had some professional development linked to their identified needs.
Management has endeavoured to develop links with the local Māori community to help with the implementation of a bicultural perspective. However, to date this has not been a successful initiative. ERO recommends that this focus continues as a first step in giving effect to the intent of the Treaty of Waitangi.
While a suitable level of progress has been made, ERO has made suggestions to further strengthen practice and operation particularly in relation to management.
ERO is likely to review the service again in three years.
The February 2011 review identified that significant work needed to be undertaken to strengthen the management of the service. In particular: documentation needed to be developed to guide practice at all levels of the organisation; plans put in place to support shared understanding of high quality home-based care; quality assurance processes implemented in relation to meeting legal requirements; and self review used to evaluate the effectiveness of practices.
Some progress has been made in strengthening the management of the service.
Now that the revised vision and philosophy are in place and the service’s purpose has been formally identified, management needs to ensure that:
Roles and responsibilities within the organisation need further clarification. At present, aspects of the governance, management and teaching roles overlap. A review of role descriptions is planned which should support this recommendation and be used to strengthen the manager’s appraisal process.
The manager needs to formalise quality assurance processes in relation to her role. This should entail regular, planned checks of visiting teachers’ systems and practices.
Further policy guidelines should be developed to strengthen support for visiting teachers’ and educarers’ practice and prepare the service for relicensing in 2012.
The February 2011 ERO review found that systems for checking and supporting educarers’ work required improvement. In particular: those for ensuring they were meeting legal requirements; the keeping of records about educarers’ practice; and provision of constructive feedback to support them meet service expectations for profile documentation and improve the quality of interactions with children.
Visiting teachers’ communication with educarers required strengthening, particularly in relation to the organisation of meetings and documentation to support understanding of children’s learning and health and safety matters.
Management has made some progress in developing systems and procedures that contribute to improved quality and consistency of visiting teachers’ and educarers’ practice.
Visiting teachers need to continue to strengthen educarers’ written work and understanding of curriculum and licensing requirements. The provision of consistently sound models of good practice for them to follow, along with stepped feedback about their profile documentation which includes reference to Te Whāriki, should help teachers achieve this goal.
Strengthening planning and evaluation in relation to the playgroup should support the development of a more focused and coherent programme linked to children’s and educarers’ identified needs.
A more planned approach to self review, covering all aspects of practice over time and including regular input from management, educarers and parents, is likely to enhance decision making.
The previous review found little evidence of a Māori perspective across the organisation. ERO recommended that the philosophy underpinning practices and programmes be reviewed and plans to develop shared understanding and the integration of agreed practices put in place, in consultation with parents and whānau.
A commitment to including a Māori perspective in practice and operation has been expressed in the reviewed philosophy statement for the service. Management is considering next steps in relation to its implementation.
Visiting teachers use some te reo Māori at playgroup and support educarers in their understanding of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori. Māori language week was recognised through planned activities for educarers and children.
Some educarers are able to use short phrases in te reo Māori as part of their practice. Bicultural resources are being provided for use by children in some homes.
Management has endeavoured to develop links with the local Māori community to help with the implementation of a bicultural perspective. However, to date this has not been a successful initiative. ERO recommends that this focus continue as a first step in giving effect to the intent of the Treaty of Waitangi.
At the time of the last ERO review, one of the visiting teachers had not been appraised in her role.
Both visiting teachers were supported by a formal appraisal process in 2011. They have had some professional development linked to their identified needs. The organisation is supportive and willing to pay for professional support for staff.
The appraisal process would be improved by being linked to more up-to-date role descriptions and through the inclusion of regular, focused, constructive feedback from management and evidence identifying progress in relation to goals.
Strengthening links to visiting teachers’ personal and professional goals and to the service’s strategic intent should enhance professional development planning.
Plans to incorporate The Registered Teacher Criteria in the appraisal need to be actioned and supported by evidence showing how requirements are being met.
Management needs to ensure:
hazards in educarers’ homes are all identified and managed appropriately.
ERO is likely to review the service again in three years.
Kathleen Atkins
National Manager Review Services
Central Region
13 March 2012
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Licence type |
Home-Based Care |
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Chartered under |
Education (Home-based Care) Order 1992 |
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Roll number |
104 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 58, Boys 46 |
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Ethnic composition |
NZ European/Pākehā 72, Māori 19, Other ethnic groups 13 |
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Review team on site |
January 2012 |
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Date of this report |
13 March 2012 |
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Previous ERO reports |
Education Review February 2011 Education Review February 2006 Accountability Review December 2002 |
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This supplementary review evaluates the quality of education and care received by the children and the performance of the centre’s management in relation to specific terms of reference.
The Education Review Office [ERO] evaluation of Bright Futures 1 follows.
Bright Futures 1 is one of five home-based care networks run by the Napier Family Centre, a non-profit community-based organisation. A board and chief executive provide governance for the organisation and a manager oversees day-to-day management of the home-based care networks. Two registered teachers share responsibility for the provision of advice and guidance to educarers in relation to meeting service expectations for care and education programmes and the requirements of the Home-Based Care Order 1992. This service is working towards meeting the Ministry of Education’s new requirements for the licensing of home-based care services in 2012.
The February 2011 ERO review found that many of the management systems and procedures in place were not sufficiently developed. Review and recording processes for visiting teachers were not well defined, with the result that management could not be assured that service quality was being maintained and accountability requirements were being met. Further work needed to be done to provide support for educarers in implementing service expectations for education programmes. One of the visiting teachers had not been supported by an appraisal in 2010.
This review found that progress has been made in addressing all concerns. The manager has participated in professional development for leadership and self review. The service’s philosophy and vision have been reviewed and its purpose identified, in consultation with parents, educarers and the visiting teachers.
Induction information for educarers and visiting teachers has been collated to support them in understanding management’s expectations of their roles. A revised process has been developed and implemented for checking educarers’ compliance with legal requirements. Both visiting teachers were supported by a formal appraisal process in 2011 and have had some professional development linked to their identified needs.
Management has endeavoured to develop links with the local Māori community to help with the implementation of a bicultural perspective. However, to date this has not been a successful initiative. ERO recommends that this focus continues as a first step in giving effect to the intent of the Treaty of Waitangi.
While a suitable level of progress has been made, ERO has made suggestions to further strengthen practice and operation particularly in relation to management.
