Teviot Valley Educare Centre Inc

Education institution number:
80034
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
37
Telephone:
Address:

2 Hawick Street, Roxburgh

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Teviot Valley Educare Centre Inc

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 are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Judgements are made in relation to the Outcomes Indicators, Learning and Organisational Conditions. The Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.

ERO’s judgements for Teviot Valley Educare Centre Inc are as follows:

Outcome Indicators

(What the service knows about outcomes for learners)

Whakatō Emerging

 Ngā Akatoro Domains 
 
Learning Conditions
Organisational Conditions

Whāngai Establishing

Whāngai Establishing

2 Context of the Service

Teviot Valley Educare Centre Inc is a community-based centre in Roxburgh. It provides a mixed age setting, with a designated area for infants and toddlers. Almost a third of the roll is Māori and a small number of Pacific children attend the service. A parent committee governs the centre. A head teacher runs the day-to-day operations along with the support of an assistant head teacher. Since the 2019 ERO report, progress has been made against the key next steps.

3 Summary of findings

Children benefit from a child-initiated curriculum and teachers who are responsive to their interests, strengths and needs. Teachers promote oral language development and are skilled in supporting children’s social and emotional competence. Children make choices about their learning in an environment where they can decide what to do, where to be, and who to be with. Children under two years of age experience calm, unhurried, language-rich, caring relationships with their teachers.

Learning priorities, including Manaakitanga and Kaitiakitanga have been decided with the community and are visible in the enacted curriculum. Te reo Māori and tikanga Māori are visible in the learning environment and is heard during routine and group times. There is some use of kupu Māori in the assessment for learning documentation.

The learning outcomes in Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, are beginning to be used by teachers in assessment. However, teachers are yet to show how children are progressing in relation to these outcomes. Parents and whānau have multiple opportunities to share aspirations for their children. They share information about their cultures and languages, which could be more consistently visible in documentation.

Leaders and teachers are improvement focused and have regular opportunities for professional learning and development that emphasises increasing their capability. They work collaboratively to build their professional knowledge and are establishing conditions to have robust, courageous discussions about professional practice.

An effective internal evaluation framework is in place which teachers have used to strengthen their knowledge and practice in supporting children’s oral language development. There is effective collaboration between the governance committee and centre leaders. There is a process for reviewing policies and procedures which needs to be strengthened to pay better attention to the requirements of the Licencing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services 2008.

4 Improvement actions

Teviot Valley Educare Centre Inc will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

  • make visible in individual assessment documents children’s progress in learning in relation to the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki

  • more consistently reflect the cultures and languages of the children who attend in the documentation of their learning.  

  • review policies, procedures, and practice to ensure that the requirements of the Licencing Criteria are being met.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Teviot Valley Educare 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.

6 Actions for Compliance

ERO identified the following areas of non-compliance:

  • a record of the written authority from parents for the administration of medicine in accordance with the requirement for category (ii) medicine.

[Licensing criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services 2008, HS28].

Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:

  • a written procedure for monitoring children's sleep that ensures that children are checked for warmth, breathing, and general well-being at least every 5-10 minutes, or more frequently according to individual needs.

[Licensing criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services 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.

Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

21 September 2022 

8 About the Early Childhood Service

Early Childhood Service Name

Teviot Valley Educare Centre Inc

Profile Number

80034

Location

Central Otago

Service type Education and care service

Number licensed for

30 children, including up to 6 aged under 2

Percentage of qualified teachers

100%

Review team on site

June 2022

Date of this report

21 September 2022

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, November 2019; Education Review, April 2016

Teviot Valley Educare Centre Inc - 05/11/2019

1 Evaluation of Teviot Valley Educare Centre Inc

How well placed is Teviot Valley Educare Centre Inc to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

Teviot Valley Educare Centre Inc is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

Teviot Valley Educare Centre Inc is in the rural town of Roxburgh and licensed for 30 children including up to six aged under two. It provides all-day education and care for children from the surrounding area, from Monday to Friday.

Children aged over two play and learn in several interconnecting rooms. The infants and toddlers have a larger room that has been refurbished to meet their needs. Redevelopment of the outside environment is planned.

The service is governed by a community-based committee made up of parents. A centre manager, who is also the head teacher, runs the day-to-day operations along with the support of an assistant head teacher. Together they form an experienced leadership team. There have been some other changes in teaching staff since ERO's 2016 review.

The centre's philosophy and valued learning outcomes for children include:

  • manaakitanga - showing care and respect for others

  • kaitiakitanga - respect for the environment through sustainable practices

  • whanaungatanga - widening relationships with peers, teachers and in the community

  • rangitiratanga - self-help skills which develop independence

  • whakamanawa - self-confidence, curiosity and emotional robustness

  • turangawaewae - a positive sense of self and cultural identity.

The centre has made good progress in addressing the key next steps identified in the 2016 ERO report, particularly in the areas of internal evaluation and governance capability.

Teviot Valley Educare is now a member of the Dunstan Kāhui Ako|Community of Learning.

The Review Findings

Children are very well engaged in their play and learning. They are settled and responsive to their teachers. The curriculum is varied and aligned to their interests. The programme supports identified valued outcomes including opportunities for:

  • literacy and early mathematics learning

  • art and dramatic play

  • learning in the natural world including gardening and caring for the environment

  • development of physical skills.

The community is used well to support the centre's curriculum with local events and excursions regularly included in the programme. The teaching and learning of science concepts and skills is carefully 'woven' into the programme by teachers. Teachers have a range of ways to keep parents informed about the many ongoing programmes and events.

Leaders and teachers have clearly identified the centre's priorities for children's learning and linked these to Māori perspectives. It is now timely for leaders and teachers to review the weekly four-year-old programme, from the perspective of the valued learning priorities.

Infants and toddlers are well provided for. Their environment is thoughtfully designed and provides calm, stress-free learning and care. Children can explore and develop their physical skills, play and learn with others and make choices. Teachers have warm and respectful relationships with them. They are attuned to their verbal and non-verbal cues and understand their needs well. They are responsive to their daily care routines. Teachers deliberately use conversations to promote children's language development.

There is a useful system for planning for the learning of all children. Teachers use a framework for assessment that is monitored and analysed centre-wide. Planning for groups of children is responsive. Useful reflective questions support evaluation of programmes and children's learning. Teachers should continue to deepen their responses to these questions. They could more consistently collect and use parent voice in planning for their children's learning. This would better promote parents as partners in planning their child's learning.

Leaders have a strong focus on developing and supporting teachers' professional practice. They are empowering all teachers. They actively seek and prioritise professional learning and development for them. Leadership is deliberately promoted. Other key features of leadership at this centre include:

  • the focus on improvement through reflective practice

  • willingness to learn and be adaptive

  • networking with other organisations to support positive outcomes for children.

Internal evaluation is used effectively to guide centre improvement and outcomes for children. It is relevant to the centre's context and carried out by all teachers. Policy and spontaneous reviews, as well as planned reviews, are thoughtfully completed. Going forward, the team need to reactivate a system for longer term review planning, beyond policy reviews.

The governance committee is well-informed about centre operations. It has developed a very useful strategic plan which members are beginning to monitor more frequently. An appropriate focus is placed on financial sustainability, staff development and the resourcing of the centre. Useful systems and processes are in place to help guide the work of the committee. It is continuing to foster strong community engagement and plan for the succession of its members. The committee could know more about the centre's valued outcomes for its children.

Key Next Steps

Leaders and teachers need to strengthen ways parents can have opportunities to:

  • have input into the centre's strategic plan and policy review

  • share aspirations for their children's learning and have input into planning for their learning.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Teviot Valley Educare 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.

Action for compliance

ERO identified an area of non-compliance.

The service provider must ensure that emergency procedures are reviewed annually.

[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS7]

Dr Lesley Patterson

Director Review and Improvement Services Southern

Southern Region

5 November 2019

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

Roxburgh

Ministry of Education profile number

80034

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

30 children, including up to 6 aged under 2

Service roll

39

Gender composition

Girls 26, Boys 13

Ethnic composition

Māori
NZ European/Pākehā
Other ethnic groups

4
34
1

Percentage of qualified teachers

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:3

Better than minimum requirements

Over 2

1:6

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

August 2019

Date of this report

5 November 2019

Most recent ERO reports

 

Education Review

April 2016

Education Review

November 2012

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

The overall judgement that ERO makes will depend on how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:

  • Very well placed

  • Well placed

  • Requires further development

  • Not well placed

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.

Teviot Valley Educare Centre Inc - 18/04/2016

1 Evaluation of Teviot Valley Educare Centre Inc

How well placed is Teviot Valley Educare Centre Inc 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

Teviot Valley Educare helps children know they belong in the Teviot Valley Community. The centre is the only full-day early childhood service in Roxburgh and serves the wider rural community. Children play and learn in well-resourced indoor and outdoor areas. About a fifth of the families identify as Māori. Some families travel long distances for their children to attend.

The experienced teachers provide care and education for up to 30 children from six months to school age. The centre is governed by an elected voluntary parent committee. The head teacher and office manager oversee the day-to-day operations of the centre.

ERO noted significant progress since the 2012 ERO report in the areas of governance, self review and programme planning.

The Review Findings

The leaders and teachers have a shared vision for children at the centre. The concept of ako (learning together) is central to their approach. Teachers value the knowledge and experiences children and their families bring to the centre. The teachers are intentional in the way they recognise and respond to opportunities to extend children’s learning.

There is a wide range of worthwhile learning experiences for children to choose from. The experiences reflect what is important in children's lives and also expose them to new ideas and opportunities for deeper learning. For example:

  • they visit parents' workplaces in the town, local orchards and farms and recreate these experiences through dramatic play and art

  • an annual beach trip for children and their families allows them to explore a very different environment from where they live.

Children benefit from warm and trusting relationships with their teachers. They play and learn in a settled and calm atmosphere. Teachers help build children's sense of security by ensuring children know what is going to happen next. Routines are flexible and responsive to children's needs.

Teachers have built strong connections with families and the local community. They know about the diverse needs of different families and have made an inclusive place where families are welcome and their cultures are celebrated.

The teachers are committed to creating an environment where whānau Māori know their culture is valued. This is evident in the way they:

  • make efforts to find out what is important for whānau Māori at the centre

  • encourage tuakana/teina relationships (older children helping younger children to learn)

  • have sought professional learning to increase their own knowledge and confidence in te reo and tikanga Māori

  • use some te reo Māori, waiata and karakia with the children

  • share cultural events such as celebrating Mātariki, and preparing hangi with the children.

Infants and toddlers are well provided for. Teachers have thought carefully about what works best for this age group. They focus on building trusting relationships and maintaining a calm and unhurried pace. Four-year olds enjoy a weekly session that helps build their leadership and extends them as they prepare for school. The centre maintains close connections with local schools.

Children's learning is supported by a programme based on all the strands of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. The planned programme includes many opportunities for children to:

  • learn positive attitudes to healthy eating and being physically active

  • be creative and expressive

  • learn early literacy and mathematics concepts

  • engage in real-life activities such as gardening and cooking

  • make decisions and be self managing.

The teachers have significantly strengthened the systems for individual and group planning since the last ERO report. They now better show what they intend children to learn and how children have made progress over time. It is important that they refine and embed these new systems. They should also explore how they can combine parents' knowledge with teachers' expertise to identify next steps for children's learning and the best ways to achieve these.

The leaders and centre administrator have good systems to ensure the smooth running of the centre. The leaders and teachers work well as a team. They are open to new ideas and focused on improvement. All team members are encouraged to contribute to the development of the centre. They have not been limited by the geographic isolation of Roxburgh and have been active in finding relevant professional development and networks to keep them up to date with current ideas.

The appraisal system is becoming a useful tool in strengthening teacher practice. There is scope to build in some common goals to support the centre's strategic direction. Targeted observations would give teachers feedback about what they are doing well to support children in their learning and what they could do better. The committee should have input into leadership aspects of the head teacher's appraisal.

The team members have improved their understanding and use of internal evaluation. This has led to improvements at the centre. Better choice and use of indicators would make the process even more valuable. Outcomes of internal evaluation should be reported to the committee to assure them how well the centre is supporting children's learning and wellbeing.

The committee has written guidelines to help members know their roles and responsibilities. They agree they need to help new members understand the importance of their governing role and should explore ways to do this. They have good oversight of the day-to-day operation of the centre and support the head teacher in her role.

A useful strategic plan sets out important priorities for the centre’s future. The committee should make more use of the strategic plan to drive its decision making. The committee minutes and head teacher's reports could be more clearly aligned to show the centre’s progress in achieving the vision and strategic goals.

Key Next Steps

Centre leaders and ERO agree that the key next steps are for teachers to embed and refine:

  • systems for assessment, planning and evaluation

  • aspects of internal evaluation.

The committee needs to:

  • continue to grow its governance capability

  • more carefully monitor progress and actions towards meeting the centre's vision and strategic goals.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Teviot Valley Educare 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.

To meet the updated licensing criteria, centre management must:

  • document daily safety checks (HS12)

  • review emergency procedures annually (HS7).

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Teviot Valley Educare Centre Inc will be in three years.

Chris Rowe

Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Acting)

18 April 2016

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

Roxburgh

Ministry of Education profile number

80034

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

30 children, including up to 5 aged under 2

Service roll

49

Gender composition

Boys: 26

Girls: 23

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

Others

9

36

4

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%+

Based on funding rates

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:3

Better than minimum requirements

Over 2

1:6

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

March 2016

Date of this report

18 April 2016

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

November 2012

Education Review

May 2009

Education Review

April 2006

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.