225 Weymouth Road, Manurewa, Auckland
View on mapAkarangi | Quality Evaluation evaluates the extent to which this early childhood service has the learning and organisational conditions to support equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners. Te Ara Poutama- indicators of quality for early childhood education: what matters most are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. The Akarangi Quality Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform the ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Manurewa Early Discoveries Centre are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
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What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
ERO’s judgement |
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He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
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Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability |
Whakaū Embedding |
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Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
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Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
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Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
Manurewa Early Discoveries Centre is a well-established service providing education and care for children up to school age. It is one of three services governed by the Early Discoveries Charitable Trust. The centre’s philosophy has a strong emphasis on Christian values and inclusion.
Children display a strong sense of belonging in the centre. Kaiako thoughtfully resource the learning environment, responding to children’s interests. Their interactions with children are respectful and support the building of responsive, reciprocal relationships.
Te reo and tikanga Māori are integral parts of the service’s curriculum. Whānau Māori contribute to developing a curriculum that strongly reflects te ao Māori. Te reo me ona tikanga Māori is a natural part of the daily programme, and teachers are confident using these kaupapa when interacting with children, whānau and each other.
Leaders and kaiako value and celebrate the different Pacific cultures of children and their families in the learning programme. Children experience a curriculum that recognises their languages and cultures. Centre resources and staff reflect the diversity of its community. Children learn through a culturally responsive curriculum that is inclusive, equitable and consistent with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
Kaiako thoughtfully and intentionally give priority to oral language. They use a range of effective teaching strategies and practices to support children’s learning and developmental needs. Children are provided with opportunities to learn about the wider world and places of importance in their local community. Transitions into, through and beyond the service are responsive to the needs of individual children and their whānau.
Kaiako and leaders value the use of external expertise to support professional practices and guide
in-depth reflection. This has positively impacted on teachers’ professional practice and quality of the curriculum for children.
Trust members and service leaders work closely with the community. They actively pursue ways to ensure equity and social justice for all children and their whānau and to ensure they have access to an inclusive, quality education. Leaders foster whanaungatanga and are sustaining the conditions that promote continuous improvement.
Manurewa Early Discoveries Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Manurewa Early Discoveries 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.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
24 March 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Manurewa Early Discoveries Centre |
| Profile Number | 25062 |
| Location | Auckland |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
50 children, including up to 4 aged under 2. |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
|
Service roll |
52 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 19 |
|
Review team on site |
January 2021 |
|
Date of this report |
24 March 2021 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, May 2016 |
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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.
Early Discoveries is a well-established early childhood centre catering for fifty children. Located in a residential area of Manurewa, the centre offers full day education and care from 9am to 3pm for children from three to six years of age. The centre caters for a diverse community. Many children speak more than one language and several staff are also bilingual, sharing the children’s cultures and languages.
Several staff members are new to the service, which continues to be led by very experienced early childhood teachers. This centre has a sister centre located nearby in Weymouth. The centre managers and teachers across the services work closely together sharing management systems, knowledge and expertise.
Early Discoveries now offers 30 free hours of education to children as part of its strong commitment to supporting families and their children’s education. Parents are welcome to join the management committee, contributing to the centre’s decision making. They are also warmly encouraged to stay in the centre and participate in the programme with their tamariki.
The centre’s philosophy includes a strong emphasis on Christian values and inclusion. This centre has a silver Enviroschools award reflecting their significant commitment over eight years in promoting environmental education and sustainability. They are now working towards a gold award.
Children are happy and confidently engage in the programme. They have established genuine friendships with teachers and their peers. Children’s wellbeing and sense of belonging are nurtured through positive interactions, respectful relationships and good care routines.
There is a purposeful, active atmosphere in the centre. Relationships between teachers, children and families are welcoming, warm and contribute to the centre’s inclusive culture. Teachers are actively involved with children, working alongside them and supporting their play.
Teachers know children well, respond to parents’ aspirations and use this knowledge to promote opportunities for authentic learning activities. Children develop early literacy and mathematics concepts through their play. Transitions into the centre and on to school are well supported.
The programme includes opportunities for children to sustain their learning and use open-ended resources. The well-resourced outdoor areas provide good opportunities for physical and imaginative play. Children have good access to a range of equipment that supports their play choices and decisions about their learning. Continuing to review the impact of routines, including meal and mat times, could offer further opportunities for children to revisit their learning.
Teachers’ awareness and use of te reo and tikanga Māori is evident through use of mihi, karakia and waiata through the programme. They have a strategic plan in place to continue to strengthen the bicultural curriculum. Teachers have goals to continue to implement te reo Māori. They also promote te ao Māori through their environmental kaupapa.
A new curriculum planning approach is being thoughtfully implemented to respond to children's group and individual interests. The aim to extend children’s learning is worthwhile. As the new teaching team work together to evaluate the success and the positive outcomes for children, leaders are well placed to further support teachers to enhance children’s exploration and communication.
Individual children’s assessment is also strengthening through a new ‘kaitiaki’ approach where a teacher takes responsibility for a child, noticing their progress and successes. Children’s learning portfolios are attractive records of their engagement in the programme.
Centre management make very good use of additional Ministry of Education funding to enable families and children to participate together in centre learning experiences. Teachers value and welcome whānau contributions alongside opportunities to learn together in a wide variety of cultural celebrations.
The centre management has recently joined with the Ministry of Education in an initiative to help improve children's oral language. They are taking a very proactive approach and providing leadership in responding to children's learning requirements in their service.
Centre managers have maintained and enhanced the centre’s leadership and management strengths from the 2012 ERO review. Effective management systems are very evident. The centre manager's flexible and responsive approach helps create a positive working environment.
Relevant and well-chosen professional development effectively supports staff development. Performance management has been reviewed and improved to provide teachers with a clear structure with expectations to meet practising teacher requirements.
A thoughtful and well documented strategic plan guides centre improvement. Centre managers are well placed to continue to refine strategic plans using indicators to evaluate how well the service improves outcomes for children. Plans are clearly focussed on improving children’s learning.
To continue to promote positive outcomes for children, it would be worthwhile for centre managers to continue to support new teachers in evaluating and documenting the effectiveness of their teaching practices. This could help the new teaching team develop their shared understanding of effective teaching practices.
Before the review, the staff and management of Early Discoveries Centre Inc. 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:
curriculum
premises and facilities
health and safety practices
Governance, management and administration.
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 Early Discoveries Centre Inc. will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
17 May 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.
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Location |
Manurewa, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
25062 |
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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 |
50 children, including up to 4 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
61 |
||
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Gender composition |
Boys 36 Girls 25 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Samoan Indian South East Asian Cook Island Māori other Pacific other |
28 2 16 6 4 2 2 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 |
Over 2 |
1:6 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
January 2016 |
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Date of this report |
17 May 2016 |
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Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
November 2012 |
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|
Education Review |
October 2009 |
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|
Education Review |
September 2006 |
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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 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.