633-635 Te Atatu Road, Te Atatu Peninsula, Auckland
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.
First Steps Te Atatu provides a full-day education and care service. Infants and toddlers are housed on one site and older children in an adjacent property. An experienced manager provides centre-wide leadership for teachers, and coordinates with head teachers who supervise in each of the two buildings. A renovation is underway to enhance the layout of the outdoor environments.
The centre's philosophy focuses on children learning through play, and on partnerships with parents and whānau. The service has a strong bicultural commitment, and values children and families from diverse ethnicities. Centre staff reflect the diversity of the local community.
First Steps Te Atatu has a positive reporting history with ERO. Leaders and teachers are improvement focused and responsive to ERO's feedback.
The centre is part of the BestStart Education and Care organisation, which provides an overarching governance and management framework, as well as personnel to support individual centres.
This review was part of a cluster of seven education and care service reviews in the BestStart organisation.
The centre's philosophy and practices promote a welcoming and inclusive family-focused atmosphere. Teachers prioritise and nurture children's learning and wellbeing. All children are valued for their knowledge, strengths, talents and culture. Adults know the children very well, and their close bonds are evident in their interactions. Children are friendly and caring to each other, and show fondness for their teachers.
Children learn through play. Their interests and activities are enriched by teachers, who support them responsively. There is a relaxed yet purposeful atmosphere, where children are well supported to develop independence and leadership according to their readiness. Teachers successfully foster a happy, settled, child-led programme and centre culture.
Māori children are provided with many opportunities to connect with te ao Māori, and to share their knowledge. Teachers' confidence in using te reo Māori continues to grow. The centre manager and a Māori team member lead the development of tikanga Māori practices. Children learn and perform waiata, and regularly participate in pōwhiri to welcome visitors to their centre.
Infants and toddlers participate in an unhurried programme that is responsive to their individual interests, strengths and development. Consistency in staffing supports strong relationships, and promotes the security and belonging of these young children. Teachers are calm and nurturing. A new area for the youngest infants is being trialled, where they can explore and enjoy a peaceful, dedicated space. Transition practices through the centre and for graduating children are well considered, and strongly support children's learning and wellbeing.
Teachers value their partnerships with whānau in mutual support of children's learning and wellbeing. Key documents, programmes and strategies are shared to help families understand the curriculum, routines and practices. The team recognises the worth of its community, and is collaborative and respectful in its approach, working together to promote children's success.
Internal evaluation is well informed, prioritised, and understood clearly by managers. As a result of recent evaluation, internal transition practices have been reviewed and sensitively enhanced. In addition, the review of programme planning was conducted in an open and consultative way. The leaders are dedicated to ongoing improvement.
BestStart and centre managers have high expectations and commitment, and a vision for this service. Managers use a strategic approach to ensure that overarching goals and plans are well aligned with programme and practice. Internal evaluation, teachers' inquiry and professional development are thoughtfully considered so that the team has a shared understanding of established goals and how these will be achieved. Strong appraisal feedback and enhanced team culture, foster teachers' growing knowledge and capability.
BestStart has recently developed a strategic plan to guide the organisation's future direction. Managers are working to increase coherence and alignment between organisational and individual centres' annual and strategic planning. The teacher appraisal process has been redeveloped with a focus on lifting teacher practice through individual inquiry. Managers will continue to provide targeted support to ensure these documents become familiar to teachers, and contribute to improved consistency in the quality of programmes across centres.
To support the provision of a broader curriculum in the outdoors, it would be worthwhile for managers and teachers to review and improve the design and layout of these learning environments.
Managers have identified appropriate next steps, including:
Before the review, the staff and management of First Steps Te Atatu 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 First Steps Te Atatu will be in four years.
Julie Foley
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
12 April 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 |
Te Atatu Peninsula, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
45083 |
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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 |
63 children, including up to 16 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
76 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 38 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
21 |
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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 |
January 2018 |
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Date of this report |
12 April 2018 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
December 2014 |
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Education Review |
October 2011 |
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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.
First Steps Te Atatu continues to provide good quality education and care in a home-like environment for children from three months to school age. Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, forms the foundation of this centre’s education and care.
Since ERO’s 2011 review, First Steps Te Atatu has combined the preschool and infants’ centre under one licence. While the two age groups are catered for in separate buildings, the teaching teams work well together to provide the children with continuity of care. Structural plans are being developed to combine the two buildings and provide a larger teaching and learning space.
The centre operates under the umbrella of Kidicorp Ltd. Professional and administrative direction is provided by a Kidicorp professional services manager and a business manager. The organisation provides frameworks, policies, support and guidance to develop and monitor consistency of practice.
Over the past three years, there have been considerable staffing changes. The recent appointments of the head teacher for the under twos, and an acting centre manager, have been instrumental in building a team that works collaboratively and is committed to good quality educational and care outcomes for children.
The positive features of First Steps Te Atatu acknowledged in ERO’s 2011 report continue to be evident. The centre has responded well to ERO’s recommendations to further develop the teaching and learning programme for older children and to improve self review.
Ongoing professional learning and development over the past three years has included building a shared knowledge of self review, improving processes to support children’s transition to school, and further developing learning and programme planning. Professional learning has been in response to the needs of the whole staff and of individual teachers. The centre is also preparing to use communication technologies to increase information sharing with parents about their children’s learning.
The centre is welcoming to children and their parents and whānau. Teachers take the time to settle children and speak with their parents/caregivers as part of the settling process.
Responsive caregivers support infants’ and toddlers’ need for caring relationships. Children under the age of two benefit from one-to-one interactions with teachers. They are well nurtured through consistent, continuous care that reinforces their sense of security and belonging. The calm, unhurried tone enables infants and toddlers to communicate their preferences. Children’s transitions across the two age groups are well managed.
Children learn through play. They show enjoyment in each others’ company. Children are valued as capable and competent communicators and learners. Teachers genuinely listen to children and engage them in meaningful conversations to foster their language and early mathematical skills. Leaders are keen to extend the complexity of children’s mathematical knowledge and vocabulary. Teachers are becoming more consistent in using challenging and open-ended questioning strategies to engage children in learning and develop their problem-solving skills.
There is joint involvement in child and teacher-initiated activities. Leaders agree that they could consider further ways to extend opportunities for children to make sense of the natural, physical and material worlds. Teachers appropriately develop children’s awareness of, and respect for, each other and their environment.
Teachers are growing in their understanding of each child as a unique learner. They have reviewed their assessment and planning practices to focus more clearly on, and respond to, the learning dispositions of each child. Children’s portfolios show the increasing complexity of children’s learning.
Teachers are becoming more confident in using te reo Māori. Leaders have identified the need to work collaboratively and responsively with Māori parents and whānau to support their aspirations for their children. They acknowledge that they also need to evaluate the extent to which assessment practices value and respond to Pacific cultures, knowledge and ways of learning.
The centre is well managed and well led. Leadership is based on respect and trust. Teacher input into decision making is valued. Leader and teacher capacity in self review is continually being developed. There is a clear focus on continual improvement. The centre philosophy is used well to guide and evaluate the quality of care and education provided for children. Teachers’ performance appraisal is well managed. Leaders are currently looking for further ways to use the Registered Teacher Criteria in ways specific to this centre and learning context.
ERO affirms the centre’s self-identified next steps for ongoing improvement. These are to:
Before the review, the staff and management of First Steps Te Atatu 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.
When is ERO likely to review the service again?
The next ERO review of First Steps Te Atatu will be in three years.
Dale Bailey
National Manager Review Services Northern Region
3 December 2014
|
Location |
Te Atatu Peninsula, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
45083 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
63 children, including up to 16 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
73 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 41 Girls 32 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Samoan Chinese Niue Cook Island Māori Indian Fijian Latin American South East Asian other European other Asian other |
19 30 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 1 4 2 1 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates |
80% |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:7 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
October 2014 |
||
|
Date of this report |
3 December 2014 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
October 2011 |
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.