Bear Park Henderson

Education institution number:
10384
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
84
Telephone:
Address:

64-68 Summerland Drive, Henderson, Auckland

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Bear Park Henderson

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 Bear Park Henderson are as follows:

Outcome Indicators

(What the service knows about outcomes for learners)

Whakawhanake Sustaining

Ngā Akatoro Domains

 

Learning Conditions
Organisational Conditions

Whakawhanake Sustaining

Whakawhanake Sustaining

2 Context of the Service

Bear Park Henderson is one of eleven services that are part of the Bear Park group. The purpose-built service includes separate play areas for different age groups of children. A centre manager leads a team of 24 staff which includes 11 registered teachers and 13 support staff. Children are from diverse cultural backgrounds with a small number identifying as Māori.

The Bear Park group has services in Auckland and Dunedin. Pedagogical leaders provide professional advice, guidance, and support for Bear Park services.

3 Summary of findings

Children up to two years of age develop secure, trusting relationships with teachers. Warm, supportive, and nurturing interactions are an integral part of teachers’ practice. These younger children are valued as capable learners and experience a calm, respectful environment that responds to their individual needs.

Older children have frequent opportunities to make choices about their play and to actively participate in the curriculum. Their creativity, curiosity and problem-solving skills are nurtured and extended. Children are very well supported by teachers to investigate, lead their learning and to confidently share their ideas and theories. Their social competence and emotional wellbeing are skilfully fostered by teachers, promoting a strong sense of belonging at the centre.

Leaders and teachers have strengthened their capability to effectively implement a bicultural curriculum. Te reo Māori and tikanga Māori are naturally woven into teachers’ practices, the curriculum and physical environment.

The philosophy and curriculum are based on Te Whariki, the early childhood curriculum, and inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, which values children as capable learners working collaboratively with teachers in a stimulating environment. Parents’ aspirations, cultural knowledge and ideas are regularly sought to inform a culturally responsive curriculum. Assessment and planning documentation celebrates children’s cultural diversity and the learning progress of individuals and groups of children.

Relational trust at every level supports effective team collaboration. Teachers are provided with a range of professional development opportunities and mentoring. Leaders share their professional knowledge and expertise within the Bear Park organisation and the wider professional community. A long-term plan informed by Bear Park organisational goals, values and priorities guides ongoing improvement and results in positive outcomes for children.

Leaders and teachers implement policies, procedures and practices that contribute to equitable outcomes for children at this service. There is a well-established system in place for internal evaluation that supports meaningful improvements across the service. Strong professional leadership, communication and innovation contributes to sustained improvements and continuity in the provision of high-quality care and education for children.

4 Improvement actions

Bear Park Henderson will include the following action in its Quality Improvement Planning:

  • Engage further with the Enviroschools programme and continue to use internal evaluation to document how a focus on sustainability has contributed to enhanced and equitable learning outcomes for children.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Bear Park Henderson completed an ERO 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; safety checking; teacher registration; ratios)

  • relevant evacuation procedures and practices.

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

14 February 2023

6 About the Early Childhood Service

Early Childhood Service Name

Bear Park Henderson

Profile Number

10384

Location

Henderson, Auckland

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

95 children, including up to 25 aged under 2

Percentage of qualified teachers

80-99%

Service roll

81

Review team on site

November 2022

Date of this report

14 February 2023

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, 2014

Bear Park Henderson - 06/11/2014

1. Evaluation of Bear Park Henderson

How well placed is Bear Park Henderson 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

Bear Park Henderson continues to provide high quality education and care within a programme that incorporates Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and Reggio Emilia philosophy. Since ERO’s 2011 review, the centre has been merged under one licence. It is now licensed for 95 children and caters for children from three months to school age. Children play and learn together in age-appropriate groupings. Children and teachers reflect the community’s ethnic diversity, and are predominantly NZ European/Pākehā, Chinese, Māori and Samoan.

The centre operates under the umbrella of the Bear Park franchise. The franchise management group provides well developed policies, organisational frameworks and support to ensure consistency of practice. This provision is well implemented and regularly reviewed. The Bear Park pedagogical team works across and within ten centres to support teaching and learning. The centre owner oversees and guides day-to-day operations in collaboration with the supervisor and teachers.

The positive features of Bear Park Henderson acknowledged in ERO’s 2011 report continue to be evident. The centre has responded well to ERO’s recommendations that staff refine documentation related to children’s learning and acknowledge the significance of local bicultural heritage in centre programme planning.

Ongoing professional development over the past three years has focused on refining self review, documenting children’s learning clearly, and further developing teachers’ use of open-ended questions. The most recent professional learning has focused on increasing teachers’ knowledge of, and confidence in using, te reo and tikanga Māori.

The Review Findings

A warm, caring and inviting tone permeates the centre. Children benefit from high quality interactions and positive relationships with teachers and with each other. Children’s settled behaviour reflects their strong sense of belonging in the centre. They engage confidently and positively with teachers and with the richly resourced environment.

Teachers recognise and value the importance of children learning through play. Children’s curiosity and sense of exploration are encouraged by well considered resourcing and the carefully adapted, inviting environment. The level of resourcing supports children to make choices, experience challenges and revisit prior learning.

Children are well nurtured through reciprocal and respectful relationships between teachers and families. Their diverse cultural backgrounds are clearly reflected in the environment. Children’s transitions into and within the service, and when moving onto school, are well managed.

In this service, consistency and continuity provide a sound foundation for children’s education and care. Children under two years of age experience a supportive environment in which teachers respond positively to their preferences and cues. Teachers maintain a calm, unhurried pace, giving younger children space and time to lead their learning. Staff work well with parents around children’s routines and developmental needs.

Children of all ages enjoy a variety of rich learning opportunities and experiences that integrate literacy, mathematics and the sciences. A recent review of the mathematics curriculum has shown how widely mathematical concepts and learning are included in the daily programme. Teachers and leaders are now keen to further explore ways to evaluate the content and quality of mathematics and other learning areas in children’s programmes. They are also building parents’ knowledge of ways in which the Bear Park programme provides foundation learning for children’s future education.

Bicultural appreciation and awareness are evident in this service. Ongoing professional development, specifically in 2014, has increased teachers’ bicultural understanding. Displays, books and many aspects of the programme reflect the value placed on Māori as tangata whenua. A recent review of the service’s strategic plan to include this aspect is further evidence of a commitment to prioritise biculturalism in centre practices.

Through self review, centre leaders have identified a next step is to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching practices in affirming the learning and development of Pacific children within the context of their service.

A strong focus on continual improvement is evident. Teachers are reflective and use staff meetings effectively to discuss teaching strategies and to design the programme. They are developing a set of shared beliefs and fostering collaborative ways of working.

An improved approach to planning and assessment is providing teachers with a clear shared purpose in observing children’s play and participation in the programme. These observations enable teachers to better identify and respond to children’s emerging interests.

Leaders and teachers are committed to further developing learning partnerships with parents and whānau/aiga. They have recently provided digital records of children’s learning that encourage parents to access, comment on, and contribute to their children’s learning programme. There are early indications of the success of this approach.

The governance and management of the centre is efficient and effective. Centre leaders have a good understanding of the dual purposes of self review, accountability and ongoing improvement. The strategic direction outlined for the centre clearly reflects the service’s priorities and associated goals for the provision of high quality care and educational outcomes for all children. The performance management system now supports teachers to reflect more critically on teaching practice. Strong systems, policies and practices to monitor and promote physical and emotional health and safety are well understood by staff.

Key Next Steps

ERO and centre managers discussed the following key next steps in this centre’s ongoing improvement:

  • continuing to strengthen staff capability in the use of evidence-based self review focused on the quality of programmes and practices
  • ensuring that the centre’s commitment to bicultural practices and the value placed on Māori as tangata whenua is explicit and evident in documentation, practices and self-review procedures.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Bear Park Henderson 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 Bear Park Henderson will be in four years.

Dale Bailey

National Manager Review Services

Northern Region

6 November 2014

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

Henderson, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

10384

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

95 children, including up to 25 aged under 2

Service roll

107

Gender composition

Boys 53%

Girls 47%

Ethnic composition

Māori

NZ European/Pākehā

Chinese

Samoan

European

Niue

other

12%

39%

21%

10%

4%

1%

13%

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

October 2014

Date of this report

6 November 2014

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

September 2011

 

Education Review

August 2008

 

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.