White Heron Learning Centre - Manurewa

Education institution number:
20511
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Maori ECE service (excluding TKR)
Total roll:
33
Telephone:
Address:

16 Jellicoe Road, Manurewa, Auckland

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White Heron Learning Centre - Manurewa

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 Akarangi Quality 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 White Heron Learning Centre - Manurewa are as follows:

Outcome Indicators
ERO’s judgement

What the service knows about outcomes for learners

Whāngai Establishing

Ngā Akatoro Domains

Learning Conditions
ERO’s judgement
 

Whakaū Embedding

Organisational Conditions
ERO’s judgement
 

Whakaū Embedding

2 Context of the Service

White Heron Learning Centre - Manurewa is one of three centres under the same ownership. The owner provides governance and has oversight of a team that includes an area manager, centre supervisor, six qualified teachers and two unqualified staff. Most children attending are Māori, and a small number have Pacific heritage.

3 Summary of findings

Children’s mana and identity as successful learners are enhanced by a stimulating, play-based curriculum, and attentive teachers. A strong focus on a culture of care fosters children’s sense of belonging. Relationships among staff and families are well established and supportive.

Children learn through a responsive curriculum that is consistent with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Teachers have worked with families to develop a localised curriculum that is inclusive of tangata whenua. It authentically reflects what is important in this service’s community, enhancing children’s sense of belonging. Te reo me ona tikanga Māori are meaningfully integrated into the learning programme as part of everyday teaching and learning.

Teachers foster children’s wellbeing through their inclusive, affirming practices. Children with additional learning needs are well supported. Teachers who work with children up to three years of age, are highly responsive to their non-verbal cues and signals. The learning environment is settled, unhurried and peaceful, allowing younger children to lead their learning.

Group planning is informed by children’s interests and based on the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki. Assessment records clearly show children’s development. Teachers could now more consistently and explicitly, document their evaluation of each child’s progress in relation to their learning goals.

Leaders have established, and continue to embed, an organisational culture that fosters collaborative ways of working with parents and whānau. Service leaders and teachers have created culturally safe spaces and settings. This welcoming environment is helping teachers to build partnerships with families that support children’s learning.

Leaders are focused on improving the quality of education and care through ongoing and systematic self-review. Teachers are building their capability to undertake internal evaluation that shows the impact of changes made on improving outcomes for children.

4 Improvement actions

White Heron Learning Centre - Manurewa will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

  • Improve the extent to which assessment information shows children’s progress and learning, in relation to the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki.

  • Expand teachers’ understanding and use of internal evaluation to include documentation of their evaluative thinking, and monitoring of the impact of improvements made, on outcomes for learners.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of White Heron Learning Centre - Manurewa 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.

Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

23 March 2022 

6 About the Early Childhood Service

Early Childhood Service Name

White Heron Learning Centre - Manurewa

Profile Number

20511

Location

Manurewa

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

50 children, including up to 15 aged under 2

Percentage of qualified teachers

100%

Service roll

47

Ethnic composition

Māori 40, Samoan 5, other ethnic groups 2

Review team on site

January 2022

Date of this report

23 March 2022

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, June 2018
Education Review, November 2014

White Heron Learning Centre - Manurewa - 22/06/2018

1 Evaluation of White Heron Learning Centre - Manurewa

How well placed is White Heron Learning Centre - Manurewa 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

White Heron Learning Centre - Manurewa is one of four early childhood centres owned and operated by White Heron Learning Centres Ltd. The centre is licensed to provide for 50 children, including up to 15 under two years of age. Most children who attend the centre are Māori.

The centre provides programmes for children in two age groups, in separate buildings. Children under two have their own outdoor play area. They mix with the older children at the beginning of the day for karakia and waiata, and at various other times, particularly at the end of the day.

The centre's philosophy focuses on providing opportunities for children to become confident in their cultural identity, particularly Māori children. It recognises the development of the whole child as important to establishing a positive attitude and approach to learning.

The centre manager leads a team that includes eight qualified teachers and two unqualified staff. She is responsible for the day-to-day operation of two centres in the organisation. A White Heron area manager has oversight of all four centres. She and the centre managers support teachers' professional development and improvements in outcomes for children.

The positive features identified in the 2014 ERO report continue to be evident. In response to ERO's recommendations, very good progress has been made in fostering children's individual interests and promoting more child-led, creative, complex and sustained learning.

The Review Findings

Children are happy and confident in the centre, where their home languages and cultures are affirmed. They have positive relationships with teachers and engage in play that interests them. Children enthusiastically explore the outdoor environment. They often play in small groups, communicating respectfully with each other and respond well to adult support. Indoor spaces are uncluttered and there is a good variety of resources. Teachers foster children's social competence and promote their independence through many opportunities to make choices and develop self-help skills.

Teachers know children well. They respond to individual interests and are sensitive and responsive to children with additional learning needs. Adults' conversations with children encourage them to share their ideas and sustain their play for long periods. Teachers integrate te reo Māori and foster the use of children's first languages. They support children to develop early literacy and mathematics concepts in meaningful ways.

Infants are nurtured very well. Appropriate teaching philosophies and high adult-to-child ratios enable infants to quickly develop a sense of belonging in the centre. Capable teachers respect the competence of these very young children. They enable them to explore independently, undertake physical challenges and develop relationships with others. Infants confidently interact with adults and make choices about their play.

Teachers play with the children, engaging them in conversation to support their ideas. They prompt children's problem solving, and encourage inclusive games and shared explorations. The older children are highly independent and competent. The outdoor environment provides physical challenge and opportunities for imaginative play.

Teachers have made good progress in strengthening their programme planning and including child and whānau voice in the process. They engage in professional learning and reflection about the curriculum and current best practices in early childhood education. They are now integrating aspects of their new learning into their planning and assessment processes. The positive impacts of these initiatives are very apparent in child-directed play sessions that clearly promote creative, complex and sustained play. These positive aspects are not so apparent in the teacher-led group sessions that also form part of the daily programme.

Parents are interested partners in their children's learning. Teachers actively foster family involvement through regular informal discussions and surveys. These enable parents to share their aspirations for their children. Parents who spoke to ERO were enthusiastic about children's learning opportunities at the centre and the relationships they have with teachers. They appreciate how well teachers know their children and support them to be independent learners.

Leaders have a good understanding of the strengths and next steps for the centre. They encourage and support teachers' ongoing professional development. Internal workshops, mentoring, and external learning opportunities are linked to whole-centre goals. Leaders are keen to increase teachers' leadership capabilities and their knowledge about extending children's learning.

The centre is well managed. Leaders have developed a sound policy framework, appropriate health and safety practices, and effective systems for the efficient management of the White Heron Learning Centres. The strategic plan provides broad guidelines for future directions. The annual plan helps leaders to ensure that legal requirements are met. Evaluating for effectiveness has become the standard practice. The organisation is well placed to integrate new Education Council requirements into its teacher appraisal processes.

Key Next Steps

Centre leaders agree that key next steps that will support centre progress and sustainability include:

  • continuing to plan and implement ways to develop learning partnerships with whānau

  • ensuring that all aspects of the programme reflect the intent and underpinnings of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum

  • including goals related to implementing Te Whāriki as part of the teacher appraisal process.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of White Heron Learning Centre - Manurewa 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 White Heron Learning Centre - Manurewa will be in three years.

Julie Foley

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)

Te Tai Raki - Northern Region

22 June 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

Manurewa, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

20511

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

50 children, including up to 15 aged under 2

Service roll

52

Gender composition

Boys 31 Girls 21

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā
Samoan
Tongan
other Pacific peoples

36
1
9
3
3

Percentage of qualified teachers

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 2018

Date of this report

22 June 2018

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

November 2014

Education Review

September 2011

Education Review

August 2008

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.