Kia ora Koutou
I would like to acknowledge the service owners, leaders, and teachers, particularly in Auckland, Northland and Waikato. Thank you for the amazing support provided to whānau, tamariki and in many cases the wider community during a continued period of Covid related restrictions.
In this newsletter, we will share:
- upcoming changes to the judgements and reports for Akarangi | Quality Evaluations
- an update on the approach to review and evaluation of governing organisations
- an update on ERO’s approach to review and evaluation of those services under shared ownership and not part of the governing organisation approach
- what we are doing in home- based education and care
- ERO’s process for confirming reports
I hope that you find these regular newsletters useful. If you need more information, you can find everything you need is available on our website if you need it.
Take care everyone.
Ngā mihi
Jane Lee
Deputy Chief Executive Review and Improvement
Akarangi | Quality Evaluations
As part of ERO’s internal review of the implementation of Akarangi | Quality Evaluation, and from constructive sector feedback, the following changes will be implemented from the beginning of 2022.
The Akarangi | Quality Evaluation report will comprise three judgements related to:
- Outcomes Indicators
- Learning Conditions
- Organisational Conditions
The Akarangi | Quality Evaluation Judgement Rubric will be a four- point quality improvement continuum - Whakatō | Emerging, Whāngai | Establishing, Whakaū | Embedding, Whakawhanake | Sustaining.
Kia Rangatira Ai Te Tipu | Excelling is likely to be a judgement in Akamatua | Case studies of Excellence and Innovation.
Approach to review and evaluation of governing organisations
As you may be aware, ERO is revising and updating our approach to the review and evaluation of governing organisations. This move reflects the intent of Ngā Ara Whai Hua.
The approach focuses on evaluating what the governing organisation knows about their services, and what it is doing to sustain and improve their service quality and performance.
During the next few months, we will be refining and testing our approach with a small group of organisations. This approach includes new ways of working with governing organisations and their associated services.
We will keep you informed as we progress through the testing phase.
Akarangi | Quality Evaluation – Cluster ‘grouped’ services
We are also revising our approach for those services who are part of a cluster/group. These are services under shared ownership and who are not part of the governing organisation approach.
This revised approach is intended to promote consistency of approach and findings across your group of services and provide more efficient evaluations.
From the start of 2022, we will transition to cluster scheduling. This may mean that next review timings for individual services are adjusted.
Responding to Reports
What happens to your report after the on-site stage of the review?
We will email you the draft report about 20 working days after we finish the evaluation visit at your service.
You have 15 working days from the date we email the report to:
- ask about the evidence we based our findings on and discuss the findings
- tell us in writing about any errors of fact or anything that is missing
- provide additional documentation and/or evidence From there we will:
- consider your response
- amend the report should additional evidence support a change to our findings
- confirm the report
- email you a copy within two weeks.
The evaluation process ends once the report is finalised and confirmed for publication.
We publish the report on our website two weeks after we email you the confirmed report.
Introducing Deena Mayor
Tēnā koutou katoa, he mihi nui ki a koutou
Ko Deena Mayor ahau Ko Mauao te maunga Ko Tauranga te moana Ko Ngāti Pukenga te iwi.
I was raised in the King Country before moving to Tamaki Makaurau in 2000. I was a teacher, head teacher, and manager in early childhood services before beginning at ERO as a review officer in 2010.
During my time at ERO, I have had amazing opportunities to review in a diverse range of early childhood and school contexts across Aotearoa. It is a true privilege to talk with leaders, teachers, whānau and tamariki about their service or school.
Over the past few years, I have contributed to the development of ERO’s early childhood review methodologies, including how we work with both hospital-based and home-based services. I also helped to develop ERO’s Akanuku | Assurance Review approach and ERO’s new indicators framework, Te Ara Poutama.
Working from the Auckland Office, I lead a team of early childhood reviewers. With Pat Davey, I have responsibility for managing the early childhood reviews undertaken in the Te Tai Raki (Northern) region, which includes parts of Pukekohe, up to Cape Reinga in Northland. A favourite part of my role is Helping services understand ERO’s work through pre-review hui and presentations.
I look forward to continuing to work with services in Te Tai Raki in 2022.
No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tena koutou katoa.
Introducing Pat Davey
Tēnā koutou katoa,
Ko Pat (Patricia) Davey toku ingoa
Nō Whanganui-a-Tara ahau Nō Piritene aku tupuna
Kei Te Arotake Matauranga ahau mahi ana.
I immigrated to New Zealand with my family in 1986 from a small market town Horsham, West Sussex to Ōtepoti, Dunedin. I have had a wide range of roles and experiences in early childhood services since arriving in New Zealand and prior to starting with ERO where I have been for 21 years.
I enjoy the complexity and diversity of my role, doing my best work when it’s collaborative, challenging and complex. Social by nature I enjoy working with and supporting others to grow their capacity and capability to do their best work.
Whilst working for ERO I have had many opportunities to be involved in internal and external projects and professional development, including contributing to the to the development of the Ministry of Education publication Ngā Arohaehae Whai Hua: Self Review Guidelines for Early Childhood Services and working on the foundations of EROs new methodology Akanuku | Assurance Reviews and our refreshed indicators Te Ara Poutama amongst other projects.
When I am not working, I enjoy being in the garden, doing jigsaw puzzles, reading books, having a coffee or more with colleagues and friends. I go to the gym reasonably regularly but I would much rather eat chocolate.
Home based Education and Care Services
In January 2021, ERO started implementing Akanuku | Assurance Reviews in home-based services that met the criteria for this approach. These are services:
- having its first ERO review, including if it is part of a governing organisation
- previously identified as ‘not well placed’ or ‘requiring further development’
- that have moved from a provisional to a full licence
- that have been re-licensed due to a change of ownership
- where an Akanuku | Assurance Review process is determined to be appropriate
Currently or during 2021, home-based education and care services have been evaluated using ERO’s Education Review approach, He Pou Tātaki as part of a graduated approach to transitioning different service types into ERO’s: Ngā Ara Whai Hua – the Quality Framework for Evaluation and Improvement in Early Childhood Services.
In 2022, we will start implementing Akarangi | Quality Evaluations in home-based education and care services, as part of Ngā Ara Whai Hua.
Some home-based organisations and their associated services will be part of the revised approach to review and evaluation of governing organisations from 2022. ERO will be testing this in a small group of organisations, who are encompassed in this approach.
During the first half of 2022, we intend to hold a series of online engagement hui to share and update you more about the approach to Akarangi | Quality Evaluations in home-based education and care services. Updated information will also be refreshed on our website www.ero.govt.nz
All home-based services should have received the following suite of resources to help you in your improvement journey
- Ngā Ara Whai Hua: Quality Framework for Evaluation and Improvement in Early Childhood Services
- Te Ara Poutama – Indicators of quality is at the core of the quality framework
- Ngā Rāpupuku Indicators Poster outlines the conditions that support quality early childhood education, along with the valued learning outcomes
- Akarangi Quality Evaluation Judgement Rubric is used in conjunction with the indicators
We have recently published 3 additional resources to further support a your improvement and help parents know what to expect from their child’s service.
Parent and Whānau Resource - A guide to help parents and whānau understand what matters most for their child and their learning in an early childhood service
- Ngā Aronga Whai Hua – A resource to support early childhood services to engage in internal evaluation and ERO’s external evaluation using Te Ara Poutama – Indicators of quality for early childhood education: what matters most
- Piki Ake, Kake Ake – A guide to quality improvement planning for early childhood services
If you have not received a pack with these resources by the end of December, please let us know at info@ero.govt.nz