Noah's Ark Early Learning Centre

Education institution number:
46132
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
60
Telephone:
Address:

19 Tawa Street, Gonville, Whanganui

View on map

Noah’s Ark Early Learning Centre

1 ERO’s Judgements

Akarangi | 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 3.01MB) 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 Noah’s Ark Early Learning Centre are as follows:

Outcome Indicators

ERO’s judgement

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

Whakaū Embedding

Ngā Aronga Whai Hua

Evaluation for improvement

Whāngai Establishing

Kaihautū

Leaders foster collaboration and improvement

Whāngai Establishing

Te Whakaruruhau

Stewardship through effective governance and management

Whakaū Embedding

2 Context of the Service

Noah’s Ark Early Learning Centre is a privately owned centre adjacent to Whanganui Hospital. The philosophy emphasises the importance of building relationships that result in partnerships based on trust and respect. A centre manager and two head teachers work alongside the teaching team, taking shared responsibility for the day-to-day operation.

3 Summary of findings

Children and families benefit from responsive, reciprocal and respectful partnerships with leaders and teachers. Staff have a strong focus on supporting children’s social and emotional progress. Confident children initiate interactions and conversations with their peers and adults. They enjoy building friendships through regular engagement with others. Parent contribution is valued and supports teachers to build children’s sense of belonging.

Children actively engage in a range of child-led experiences for most of their time at the centre. They often revisit previous activities and learning captured in their portfolios. Parents, whānau and teachers have collaboratively defined desired learning outcomes for children. Teachers are to evaluate how effective practices are in achieving positive outcomes for children.

Infants and toddlers are encouraged to become active communicators and explorers. The programme for this younger group focuses on nurturing their wellbeing through responsive caregiving. Teachers are attuned to infants non-verbal cues. They play and work alongside these younger learners, actively supporting their developing skills.

Māori leaners benefit from the increasing inclusion of te ao Māori in learning experiences, activities and daily rituals. Children hear and respond to te reo Māori. Staff continue to build culturally responsive practices with the support of a kaumatua and external facilitators. They are extending their knowledge of all children's culture, language and identity. Children’s sense of belonging is strengthened by using local contexts to enrich the curriculum.

Leadership promotes initiatives that contribute to positive outcomes for children. Teachers are encouraged to take responsibility for their own professional learning and are developing and refining processes to enhance their capabilities. Leaders are working to embed processes and systems that enable collaboration for improvement and support effective decision making.

4 Improvement actions

Noah’s Ark Early Learning Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

  • systematically build collective capability and understanding of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment practices to consistently and meaningfully respond to children’s learning
  • strengthen internal evaluation processes to ensure leaders and teachers determine the value added for individuals and groups of children in terms of the valued outcomes in Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Noah’s Ark 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:

  • 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.

6 Action for Compliance

ERO found an area of non-compliance in the service relating to:

  • a procedure for monitoring all children’s sleep, including those outside the designated sleeping areas.

[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS9]

7 Recommendation to Ministry of Education

ERO recommends the Ministry follows up with the service provider to ensure non-compliances identified in this report are addressed.

Shelley Booysen
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

21 January 2022 

8 About the Early Childhood Service

Early Childhood Service Name

Noah’s Ark Early Learning Centre

Profile Number

46132

Location

Whanganui

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

50 children, including up to 18 aged under 2.

Percentage of qualified teachers

80-99%

Service roll

68

Ethnic composition

Māori 24, NZ European/Pākehā 34, Other ethnic groups 10

Review team on site

November 2021

Date of this report

21 January 2022

Most recent ERO report(s)

 

Education Review, August 2017; Education Review, May 2014.

Noah's Ark Early Learning Centre - 24/08/2017

1 Evaluation of Noah's Ark Early Learning Centre

How well placed is Noah's Ark Early Learning Centre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.

Background

Noah's Ark Early Learning Centre is a privately owned, purpose-built early learning service in Whanganui. It is licensed for 50 children, including 18 aged up to two. There are 16 Māori children enrolled. Two separate areas cater for children up to two years old and those aged over two.

A manager oversees the operation of the service. She works alongside two head teachers to support, lead and guide the teaching team to provide education and care for children. The owners support the manager in the operation and administration of the centre.

The May 2014 ERO review found areas requiring further development included: building teacher capability in te reo Māori and implementing a culturally responsive curriculum; and self review to provide a more cohesive approach to teaching and learning. Strengthening the quality of education and care provision for infants, toddlers and young children has been a priority since that time.

The Review Findings

Children engage in a curriculum that is responsive to their interests and highly reflective of the service's identified priorities for learning. These are clearly underpinned by the service's values and beliefs as expressed in the service's philosophy. Children are supported to become confident and competent learners.

Children's individual strengths, interests and abilities are clearly identified by teachers. They know them well. Learning is enriched by outings into the community and, beyond that, is informed by children's interests. Assessment practices acknowledge social and cultural backgrounds. Through assessment, teachers review the extent to which the identified priorities for learning are reflected in the programme. Children are challenged to extend their learning.

Teachers have worked positively to grow Māori and Pacific children's sense of wellbeing and belonging and build their confidence and knowledge of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori. Teachers have made contact with a local Pacific group to help build their understanding and better support Pacific children to experience success. They identify that they need to continue to strengthen their practice.

Infants and toddlers are given the space and time to lead their learning. The well-resourced environment encourages their exploration. Sensitive, caring and responsive teacher interactions to build secure relationships with familiar adults are promoting the wellbeing of these young children.

A commitment to inclusive education and care is evident. Children with diverse needs participate fully in the programme alongside their peers. Teachers work alongside family, whānau and external agencies to ensure their interests and needs are met.

The curriculum contributes to children's growing competence. Teachers are well supported with planned and relevant professional development. They keep up-to-date with current research and developments in early childhood. Appraisal and inquiry into their practice are well developed and promote ongoing improvements across the service. Leadership is being built within the teaching team.

Children's transitions into, within and out of the centre are well managed, timely and focused on children's needs. Teachers have a positive relationship with local primary schools. They work collaboratively with parents to take children on school visits as they approach five years old.

Self review and internal evaluation are ongoing and responsive to the identified priorities for children's learning and linked to the principles and strands of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Strategic goals are clearly aligned with the centre vision and mission. There is a clear focuson strengtheningthe curriculum and teaching practice. Embedding and sustaining high quality internal evaluation practices is a next step.

There is a strong focus on continual improvement. The owners of the service have a sound understanding of and capability to carry out their roles and responsibilities. They effectively support all staff to provide a high level of education and care for children. Management and staff continue to review and implement the goals from the strategic plan to support their ongoing focus on promoting positive outcomes for children.

Key Next Steps

 The next steps to strengthen practice and further improve outcomes for children are continuing to:

  • embed internal evaluation practices across all aspects of the centre's operation
  • grow culturally responsive practices
  • promote educational success for Māori children. 

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Noah's Ark 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:

  • 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.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Noah's Ark Early Learning Centre will be in four years. 

Alan Wynyard
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)

24 August 2017

The Purpose of ERO Reports

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.

2 Information about the Early Childhood Service

Location

Whanganui

 

Ministry of Education profile number

46132

 

Licence type

Education & Care Service

 

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

 

Number licensed for

50 children, including up to 18 aged under 2

 

Service roll

67

 

Gender composition

Boys 37, Girls 30

 

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā
Indian
Other ethnic groups

16
39
  6
  6

 

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

1:8

Better than minimum requirements

 

Review team on site

June 2017

 

Date of this report

24 August 2017

 

Most recent ERO report(s)

 

Education Review

May 2014

 

3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

ERO’s Evaluation Framework

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.

ERO’s Overall Judgement and Next Review

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:

  • Very well placed – The next ERO review in four years
  • Well placed – The next ERO review in three years
  • Requires further development – The next ERO review within two years
  • Not well placed - The next ERO review in consultation with the Ministry of Education

ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.

Review Coverage

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.