Te Rito, Te Kāinga Reo

Education institution number:
46855
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
25
Telephone:
Address:

23 Walters Way, Cable Bay-Kaitaia

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Te Rito, Te Kainga Reo - 28/05/2018

1 Evaluation of Te Rito, Te Kainga Reo

How well placed is Te Rito, Te Kainga Reo 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

Te Rito, Kāinga Reo is a newly established service in a purpose-built house at the foot of three historical pā sites in Taumarumaru, Doubtless Bay. The centre is privately owned and managed by the kaiwhakahaere and pou ārahi.

The service opened in January 2016 with a licence for 30 tamariki, including up to 10 under two years of age. The centre is organised into four rooms to provide for the different age groups. Infants and toddlers, and pre-schoolers have their own outside areas. Tamariki and all kaimahi are Māori.

Te Rito, Te Kainga Reo acknowledges the urgency of ensuring the survival of te reo Māori for tamariki, mokopuna and whānau. Language regeneration through natural transmission in ngā kāinga, hapū, iwi and the wider community, is highly significant in this service.

The centre’s philosophy sets out the guiding principle of Te Kete Aronui, the basket of pursuit. It emphasises the expression of cultural identity, and sustaining te reo Māori into the future. The service's overarching kaupapa is nurturing the child in their place of belonging, with strong connections to the natural world.

The Review Findings

Tamariki are immersed in te reo me ōna tikanga Māori. Tuakana/teina relationships are apparent as tamariki play. They are especially evident during the practice of tikanga such as pōhiri, karanga, mihi and waiata tautoko, when older tamariki take the lead.

Older tamariki are confident and collaborative in their play. They have abundant natural resources to explore. Tamariki are familiar with centre routines and are able to make choices about their involvement in activities.

Younger tamariki have a spacious room with equipment that invites exploration. They are able to access the generous supply of suitable resources. Kaiako relationships with tamariki are nurturing and caring.

Kaiako use the concept of ako to support tamariki to build their reo and independence. They use restorative practices to support the development of positive interactions and relationships between tamariki. Learning portfolios show tamariki participating in a variety of activities.

Kaiārahi, kaiako, whānau, hapū and iwi are strongly committed to the vision and philosophy, which are enacted in practice and foster success for tamariki as Māori. Together with whānau and tamariki, kaiako are developing learning that enhances connection to the landscape. They are learning to recognise and understand ngā tohu o ngā wāhanga (signs of the seasons) aligned to te māramataka Māori (Māori calendar) and ngā atua (Gods). Programmes are underpinned by the principles of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.

The service is well managed and led. Strong leadership from the kaiwhakahaere and pou ārahi ensures collaborative ways of working are fostered with everyone involved with the service. Leaders encourage the building of leadership around kaiako strengths.

The owner is committed to providing good quality early childhood education. She has established useful strategic and management plans to guide the future direction of the centre. She provides very good professional learning for kaiako and is focused on improving teaching and learning through te reo Māori, throughout the centre.

There is a good policy framework to guide centre operations and ensure health and safety requirements are met. The owner has implemented a useful appraisal system for kaiako and is accessing an external appraiser to challenge and improve her own teaching and leadership practice.

Key Next Steps

Leaders agreed that the next steps for the centre are to:

  • continue to build kaiako capability and capacity to enhance programmes and outcomes for tamariki

  • strengthen assessment processes and records, and record more individual learning stories

  • plan learning programmes around children's dispositions, skills and interests.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Te Rito, Te Kainga Reo 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 Te Rito, Te Kainga Reo will be in three years.

Julie Foley

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)

Te Tai Raki - Northern Region

28 May 2018

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

Cable Bay, Kaitaia

Ministry of Education profile number

46855

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

30 children, including up to 10 aged under 2

Service roll

30

Gender composition

Boys 16 Girls 14

Ethnic composition

Māori

30

Percentage of qualified teachers

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:3

Better than minimum requirements

Over 2

1:7

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

March 2018

Date of this report

28 May 2018

Most recent ERO report(s)

No previous ERO reports

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:

  1. Pou Whakahaere – how the service determines its vision, philosophy and direction to ensure positive outcomes for children
  2. Pou Ārahi – how leadership is enacted to enhance positive outcomes for children
  3. Mātauranga – whose knowledge is valued and how the curriculum is designed to achieve positive outcomes for children
  4. 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.