17 O'Neill Street, Claudelands, Hamilton
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.
Claudelands Early Education Centre is located in central Hamilton. It provides full-day education and care for up to 58 children from three months to school age, in three separate age-based settings. The roll of 62 includes 20 Māori children as well as children from a diverse range of other ethnicities.
The centre philosophy, Te Ao Claudelands, promotes tikanga, te reo Māori, whakapapa, aroha, mana, mauri and wairua. These concepts underpin the centre’s aim for every child to reach their full potential through valuing respect, play-based learning, relationships and empowerment.
The centre, previously called Lintotts, came under the umbrella of the Waikato Kindergarten Association in 2015. It is one of six education and care centres which are part of the Early Education Waikato Trust. Early Education Waikato has undertaken significant redevelopment of the building and outdoor play areas and provided focussed professional development for the teaching team.
Children benefit from a well-designed curriculum that effectively promotes positive learning outcomes. Recently introduced individual planning for each child in the centre has strengthened assessment for learning. There is now a need to strengthen the consistency of this approach. Teachers analyse assessment information, understand children’s learning pathways and intentionally plan to strengthen these. Features of the curriculum include opportunities for risk and challenge, developing social and emotional competence and supporting oral language development. Children are given the time and space for complex play, exploration and deeper learning. Teachers' learning about Māori theories and philosophies is evident in practice.
Children and whānau benefit from warm, responsive relationships with teachers. Teachers have developed a culture of listening to children, parents and whānau which enables them to respond appropriately to children's learning priorities. Respectful practice is well understood, articulated and enacted by teachers. Children have a voice in decisions that affect them and care routines are used as opportunities to strengthen relationships. Teachers promote the importance of free movement to develop physical, emotional and cognitive skills. Leaders and teachers respectfully validate te ao Māori and create genuine opportunities for whānau Māori to share their views.
Secure and nurturing relationships between children, teachers and whānau promote a positive sense of self for infants and toddlers. There is a flexible approach to primary care and the key teacher role. The key teachers develop a strong relationship with children and act as advocates for them and their whānau. Babies benefit from the well-embedded use of baby sign which enables them to communicate their needs and ideas. It is spontaneously used across the curriculum and is supporting a positive transition into the toddler area. A calm, well-paced, low-stress environment helps children to lead their own learning. A ratio of one staff member to three children most of the time promotes high-quality play and learning. Early Education Waikato (EEW), the umbrella organisation that governs the centre, generously support children with special needs to access the curriculum.
Leaders effectively build teacher capability to promote positive learning outcomes for all children. A rich and deep philosophy developed collaboratively by leaders, teachers and whānau underpins protocols and practices. Centre leadership has developed trust, respect and credibility with the teaching team. Leaders have established a culture in which children are valued and affirmed. Collaborative ways of working are fostered with everyone involved in the service. The centre philosophy acknowledges Māori as tangata whenua and expresses a commitment to Tiriti-based partnerships. Leaders and teachers have undertaken significant professional learning and development to strengthen Tiriti-based practice and a bicultural curriculum.
Since the last ERO review there have been significant changes in centre governance and leadership which are still being embedded. EEW has a strong focus on continual improvement. EEW has set a clear strategic direction to achieve its vision of every child reaching their full potential. There is close alignment between EEW's strategic plan and centre plans and priorities. There is significant resourcing for professional learning and development of staff. Performance management and appraisal is well aligned with strategic priorities. Strong, effective professional and administrative support for the centre is provided by EEW. This includes ongoing coaching, mentoring and guidance from the designated education managers.
In order to more closely align centre practices to the Tainui Education Strategy leaders and teachers should now:
further develop the centre’s distinctive curriculum to more specifically include cultural perspectives related to local whakapapa and history
develop and define shared aspirations and goals for te reo Māori as a living language.
Before the review, the staff and management of Claudelands Early Education 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:
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 Claudelands Early Education Centre will be in four years.
Adrienne Fowler
Director Review and Improvement Services
Te Tai Miringa - Waikato / Bay of Plenty Region
6 November 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.
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Location |
Hamilton |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
34023 |
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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 |
58 children, including up to 20 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
62 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 38 Girls 24 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
20 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
August 2018 |
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Date of this report |
6 November 2018 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
November 2014 |
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Education Review |
December 2011 |
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Education Review |
October 2008 |
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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.
Lintott Community Childcare is located in Hamilton and provides full day education and care for children from birth to school age. The centre operates two age group areas, an under two and an over two years centre.
Lintotts operates under the umbrella of the Hamilton Childcare Services Trust, which is a non- profit charitable trust. The Trust provides governance for three home-based care networks and two childcare centres. Trustees are from existing families and the local community. The Trust’s mission statement is to provide a choice of quality childcare and educational service in environments that reflect Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and which are supportive of children, families/whānau and educators.
Lintotts is managed effectively by an experienced director who provides sound professional leadership and regularly reports to the Trust. The centre is well supported by the additional assistance of a knowledgeable administrative manager and other resource personnel within the organisation.
The centre benefits from the trusts well-established guidelines and expectations for practice. Clear self-review processes are in place for monitoring and evaluating the quality of education and care provided for children.
The centre has a positive ERO reporting history and continues to provide high-quality education and care.
Children are welcomed into a homely environment. Babies and young children have established close and trusting relationships with teachers and their peers. These relationships are strongly supported in developing their sense of belonging and wellbeing. In addition the service has a full-time cook who provides nutritious cooked meals for children, which families appreciate.
Young babies receive personalised care routines with continuity of teachers who work in close partnerships with families/whānau. Small group size and high-quality teaching, and quality child ratios fosters babies’ emotional wellbeing. A flexible approach to transition from the under-two age group into the over-two age group is sensitive to children’s feelings, and managed on an individual basis. A key teacher, who works closely with the over-two children, promotes their wellbeing and ensures family aspirations are reflected in their children’s care and education.
Te Whāriki strongly underpins all aspects of the centre programmes. High-quality child portfolios are well integrated into all aspects of teaching and learning. On-line portfolios provide opportunities for learning experiences to be shared between children’s homes and the centre. This also enables extended family members to contribute to portfolios. Children use portfolios to revisit previous learning, and teachers use these to extend and build on children’s learning. This collaborative and multi-perspective assessment process is promoting the centre’s commitment to building a community of learners.
Literacy and mathematics concepts are skilfully integrated during child directed and self-initiated play. Teachers have a strong commitment to Te Ao Māori concepts. Whanaungatanga principles of genuine respect, appreciation and support to others are reflected in daily practices. The over-two age group has sound opportunities and processes for transition to school. This includes a summary of children’s interests, strengths and learning dispositions linked to the key competencies within The New Zealand Curriculum.
Teachers view children as capable learners and use a variety of very effective interactions and strategies to engage them in learning. Children learn in meaningful contexts that engage them in sustained and complex learning experiences. They are confident to actively investigate and explore the spacious indoor and outdoor environments that are well prepared with high-quality resources to extend their learning.
Strong professional leadership is being provided by the long-standing supervisor. There is highly effective, robust and well-developed self-review processes focused on ongoing improvement. Whole centre professional development and research in high-quality literacy practices continues to enhance teaching practice, outcomes for children and improved planning and assessment. Teachers have access to professional development and are up to date with current best practice in early childhood.
ERO supports the centre’s future plans to continue with inquiry, research based self-review in mathematics.
Before the review, the staff and management of Lintott Community Childcare 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 Lintott Community Childcare will be in four years.
Dale Bailey
National Manager Review Services Northern Region
4 November 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 |
Hamilton |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
34023 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
45 children, including up to 12 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
52 |
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|
Gender composition |
Boys 27 Girls 25 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā African Chinese European Other |
16 26 3 3 3 1 |
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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 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:5 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
October 2014 |
||
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Date of this report |
4 November 2014 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
December 2011 |
|
|
Education Review |
October 2008 |
||
|
Education Review |
November 2004 |
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.