64 Lincoln Park, Massey, 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 (PDF 3.01 MB) 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 (PDF 91.30KB) 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 Feathers Early Learning Centre are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
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What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
ERO’s judgement |
|
He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning |
Whāngai Establishing |
|
Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability |
Whāngai Establishing |
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Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement |
Whakaū Embedding |
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Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement |
Whakatō Emerging |
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Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management |
Whakatō Emerging |
Feathers Early Learning Centre is a privately owned service that provides full-day and sessional education and care. The owner, who is a qualified teacher, leads a team of six other qualified kaiako, and three unqualified staff. Children and staff are from diverse cultural backgrounds. A small number of children are Māori or have Pacific heritages. This is the first ERO review of the service under new ownership.
Children up to two years of age, experience consistent caregiving that is responsive to their changing needs and preferences. Older children demonstrate a strong sense of belonging. Children have developed secure attachment relationships with kaiako and explore their environment independently. A calm environment gives younger children the space to lead their own learning.
Kaiako provide individualised support for children as they transition into the centre and between rooms. They use effective teaching strategies to encourage children’s language development. Leaders and kaiako seek support from external agencies to ensure they are responsive and inclusive of children’s identified needs.
Kaiako are intentional in responding to the languages and cultures of some of the children. Employment of key personnel is contributing to improved culturally responsive teaching practices. Kaiako have identified they could respond more effectively when working with Māori and Pacific children.
Parents who spoke with ERO emphasised the positive and respectful relationships they have with kaiako. Leaders acknowledge the need to ensure parents’ perspectives and contributions influence the service’s operations at all levels.
A system for internal evaluation helps leaders and kaiako to identify priorities for ongoing improvement. Service leaders are working to achieve consistent levels of depth and reflection in internal evaluation across all aspects of service operations.
A distributed leadership model has resulted in collective professional responsibility among kaiako. A positive working environment facilitates the continuity of staffing, which is beneficial to the effective delivery of the curriculum. The owner is well supported by an external advisor to ensure professional and regulatory requirements are met.
Feathers Early Learning Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Feathers 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.
ERO found areas of non-compliance in the service relating to:
Licensing Criteria for Education and Care Services 2008, HS9, HS28, GMA11.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
8 April 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Feathers Early Learning Centre |
| Profile Number | 10205 |
| Location | Massey, Auckland |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
49 children, including up to 20 aged under 2. |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
|
Service roll |
45 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 6 |
|
Review team on site |
March 2021 |
|
Date of this report |
8 April 2021 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review, October 2016 |
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Feathers Early Learning Centre provides full day education and care in a purpose-built centre. It caters for up to 49 children, including 20 infants up to two years old. Children are organised in two age related groups that have their own indoor and outdoor learning environments.
The centre's philosophy promotes responsiveness to children's cultural identity and recognises that children are independent and self-managing learners. Staff value the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and affirm children's diverse ethnic backgrounds in the programme. Reggio Emilia approaches influence teaching and learning practices in the centre.
Teachers' valuing of children, whānau and people from their local learning community is expressed in a whakataukī that they have adopted to guide their practice, 'He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata!'
The managing director, supported by the supervisor, ensures that the day-to-day programme and centre operations run smoothly. Centre systems and procedures are developed and monitored by the managing director, who accesses professional advice and training as needed. In addition she makes all governance, management, finance and personnel decisions and keeps the owner updated on business matters.
The centre has six fully registered teachers, including the managing director, and one untrained teacher. A regular reliever is employed to maintain consistent relationships with children and maintain teacher:child ratios.
The 2013 ERO report suggested that managers should review the policies and procedures, align performance appraisal systems to Tātaiako: Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners, use high quality practice indicators as a part of the centre's internal review, and consistently use strategies to extend children's learning. Some good progress has recently been made in each of these areas.
The programme in this centre reflects teachers' shared philosophy, and the belief that children learn through play. Teachers use their professional skills to help children become capable and competent learners. Learning opportunities support and develop all aspects of children's development. Children are encouraged to lead their own learning at their own pace.
Children have a strong sense of belonging and are relaxed and settled. Many are vocally expressive, active learners. Curiosity and exploration are evident in their play, and they are able to make choices freely in the well organised and resourced learning environments. Children enjoy their learning spaces and make good use of natural resources and everyday utensils in their play. Teachers are continuing to develop the learning spaces with the view of further promoting Reggio Emilia learning approaches, and to strengthening learning outcomes for all children.
The children are socially competent and engage in friendly interactions with each other. Teachers engage children in conversations to extend their play, language and thinking. They provide both individual and group learning experiences.
Children's learning is recorded in portfolios and in project books using the 'notice, recognise and respond' assessment process. Children's progress is evaluated against the strands of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Older children are helped to prepare for their transition into school. Some whānau contribute their ideas and skills to the programme and to planning for their children's learning.
Governance and management systems and self-review practices continue to be reviewed and refined. Teachers' involvement in professional development is helping to improve the quality of outcomes for children and the operation of the centre.
Strategic planning is aligned well with the centre's vision and philosophy. Responsibility for implementing strategic plans is allocated to the centre director and teachers in the annual plan. Performance management systems are under review and have recently been redesigned to include the cultural competencies identified in Tātaiako. These competencies are yet to be monitored through the appraisal process.
The managing director and supervisor agree that they should continue building the quality of the curriculum and centre operations, including appraisal, using external professional development providers.
Before the review, the staff and management of Feathers 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:
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 Feathers Early Learning Centre will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
25 October 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 |
Massey, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
10205 |
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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 |
49 children, including up to 20 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
50 |
||
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Gender composition |
Girls 29 Boys 21 |
||
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Cook Island Māori Chinese Indian Niue South East Asian Tongan other |
9 18 4 3 3 3 3 3 4 |
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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 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:7 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
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Review team on site |
August 2016 |
||
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Date of this report |
25 October 2016 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
September 2013 |
|
|
Education Review |
September 2010 |
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|
Education Review |
June 2009 |
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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.