55 Wellesley Street East, Auckland CBD, Auckland
View on mapAkarangi | 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 AUT Early Childhood Centre are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) |
Whakaū Embedding |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
|
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions |
Whakaū Embedding Whakaū Embedding |
AUT Early Childhood Centre is located on the city campus grounds of Auckland University of Technology. The service provider is a member of the governance group, which includes faculty members and parent representatives. A centre leader is responsible for daily management and operation. Children of AUT students, employees and the local community attend the service. Children represent diverse cultural heritages. This includes a small number of children of Māori heritage.
Infants and toddlers show a strong sense of belonging in the centre. Teachers intentionally foster children’s independence and decision-making through an uninterrupted play approach. They effectively support relationships between younger and older children through mixed-age play opportunities.
Teachers and leaders deliberately encourage parents to participate in and contribute to their children’s learning. Whānau contributions are used to guide their children’s programme. Children with additional learning needs experience an inclusive curriculum and responsiveness from teachers and leaders. Their individual learning is well supported through teachers’ ongoing engagement with whānau and external agencies.
Learning experiences provided for children incorporate aspects of early literacy, emotional literacy, oral language and sensory play. Teachers provide opportunities for children to learn about the local and wider AUT community. They could also build children’s critical thinking skills and engagement with appropriate challenges through the learning environment and deliberate acts of teaching.
Te reo Māori is promoted through waiata and music. Service leaders acknowledge they could further build team capability and confidence to use te reo Māori on a daily basis. The curriculum acknowledges some diverse cultures through wall prints in the environment and cultural celebrations. Leaders and teachers could make children’s languages, cultures and identity more visible in children’s assessment information and the environment.
Teachers engage in meaningful, systematic review and evaluation processes. They are encouraged by the centre manager to deepen their understanding of the curriculum and pedagogical practices. Leaders are embedding organisational conditions and systems to build the team’s capacity for ongoing improvement. There is evidence that governance improvements have been implemented since last ERO review. Annual and strategic planning supports service leaders’ decision-making.
AUT Early Childhood Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Extend children’s critical thinking and promote appropriate challenge through learning environments and deliberate acts of teaching.
Make children’s languages, cultures and identity further visible in planning and assessment records, and through the environment.
Build teachers’ capability and confidence to use te reo Māori on a daily basis.
Before the review, the staff and management of AUT Early Childhood Centre 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
17 November 2022
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
AUT Early Childhood Centre |
|
Profile Number |
20007 |
|
Location |
Auckland CBD |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
40 children, including up to 12 aged under 2 years |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
28 |
|
Review team on site |
August 2022 |
|
Date of this report |
17 November 2022 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Akanuku | Assurance Review, February 2021; Education Review, December 2015 |
ERO’s Akanuku | Assurance Review reports provide information about whether a service meets and maintains regulatory standards. Further information about Akanuku | Assurance Reviews is included at the end of this report.
Regulatory standards |
ERO’s judgement |
|
Curriculum |
Meeting |
|
Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
|
Health and safety |
Not meeting |
|
Governance, management and administration |
Not meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO identified areas of non-compliance with regulatory standards that are an unacceptable risk to children.
AUT Early Childhood Centre is situated in the grounds of the Auckland University of Technology’s city campus. The governance group includes faculty members and parent representatives. A centre leader has responsibility for daily management of the service. The service provides for children of AUT students and employees. Children, families and teachers have diverse cultural heritages.
Adults providing education and care engage in meaningful, positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. Children’s preferences are respected, and they are involved in decisions about their learning experiences.
The service curriculum is informed by assessment, planning, and evaluation that demonstrates an understanding of children’s learning, their interests, whānau, and life contexts. The unique place of Māori as tangata whenua is acknowledged and reflected in the curriculum.
Ongoing and consistent implementation of health and safety practices is required.
ERO found areas of non-compliance in the service relating to:
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services 2008, HS9, GMA7A.
Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
ERO recommends that the Ministry reassess the licence of AUT Early Childhood Centre. ERO will not undertake a further review of this service until the Ministry of Education is satisfied that the service meets regulatory standards.
The next ERO review will be in consultation with the Ministry of Education.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
26 February 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | AUT Early Childhood Centre |
| Profile Number | 20007 |
| Location | Auckland CBD |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
40 children, including up to 12 aged under 2. |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
|
Service roll |
37 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 2 |
|
Review team on site |
October 2020 |
|
Date of this report |
26 February 2021 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, December 2015 |
All services are licensed under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008. The legal requirements for early childhood services also include the Licensing Criteria for Education and Care Services 2008.
Services must meet the standards in the regulations and the requirements of the licensing criteria to gain and maintain a licence to operate.
All early childhood services are required to promote children’s health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements. Before the review, the staff and management of a service 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:
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO assesses whether the regulated standards are being met. In particular, ERO looks at a service’s systems for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children's wellbeing:
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
AUT Early Childhood Centre is a well established centre on the Wellesley campus of Auckland University of Technology (AUT). The centre caters for the children of staff and students at the university. The centre’s philosophy reflects teachers’ commitment to promoting positive outcomes for children.
The centre provides all day education and care for up to 40 children, including up to 12 babies and toddlers under two years. Services are provided in two separate age groupings: young children up to two years of age, and older children between the ages of two and five. Children and teachers have a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, with Asian and Pākehā being the largest groups represented.
Teachers provide children with a stable and caring learning environment. Most teachers are qualified and fully registered, with the teaching team comprising a mix of mainly long-serving teachers and some relieving teachers.
During 2014 a new centre leader was appointed from within the existing teaching team. She is providing strong leadership that is having a positive impact on strengthening the professional thinking and practice of staff.
The governance and management group is comprised of skilled representatives from within the university and the centre. They include AUT human resources and finance managers, AUT studentparents, the centre leader and teacher representatives. Meetings to discuss the operation of the centre are held monthly.
AUT Early Childhood Centre has a history of positive ERO reports. The 2012 ERO report reaffirmed the centre’s good practices and agreed with the teachers that next steps for centre development should include exploring ways to further extend the depth of learning for older children.
Recent self review is resulting in a stronger focus on the individual learner. The use of digital technologies is enabling the development of in-depth learning opportunities, and is also fostering more conversation between parents and teachers about their children’s learning.
Children show a strong sense of belonging and independence. Older children are creative, imaginative and inclusive in their play. They negotiate changes in play scenarios and solve problems together. Younger children are confident to try new experiences independently. The primary care giver model used by teachers encourages trusting relationships between infants and toddlers and their teachers. Frequent interactions help to extend children’s oral language competency.
Meaningful partnerships between teachers and parents/whānau continue to develop, promoting positive outcomes for children. Teachers consult with parents and grandparents. They are responsive to the values and aspirations of children’s families and work in ways that are inclusive of children’s cultural identities. Whānau are invited to help build on and extend children’s learning in a variety of ways.
Te Whāriki, the New Zealand early childhood curriculum, provides a framework for teacher planning. Children’s interests are identified and are extended over time. The centre’s play-based programme fosters curiosity and enjoyment. E-portfolios encourage interactive communication where parents and teachers can share children’s learning in both the home and centre.
Teachers have a strong commitment to supporting and affirming children’s cultural identity. They access professional development from the AUT academic faculty to increase their knowledge about cultures and languages. Teachers ably use children’s home languages to engage more authentically in learning conversations.
A kaiako/teacher has recently begun to lead and support the development of tikanga Māori and the use of appropriate resourcing in learning environments. Teachers attend noho marae to learn more about the significance of Waitangi day and Matariki celebrations. Tamariki Māori are respected as tangata whenua and are given opportunities to show leadership in welcoming visitors to the centre.
A fai’aoga/teacher leads work on promoting of Pacific cultures within the curriculum. There is a focus on enriching the use of Pacific resources within the teaching and learning programme, and on attracting more Pacific families to the centre. Teachers enhance the curriculum by attending events such as Pasifika language week, visiting the museum, and engaging with other early childhood centres with specialist Pacific programmes and knowledge.
A range of processes are used effectively to help children transition smoothly into the centre, between the two age groups, and on to school.
Self-review processes are used systematically to make improvements to the learning environment and to extend teachers’ professional knowledge and practice. Children, parents and teachers contribute their ideas and opinions to discussions. Relevant studies and theories are used to strengthen and build teachers’ early childhood knowledge. As a result of these good practices, there is now a stronger focus on children as independent learners who can capably lead their own learning.
Teachers have many opportunities to develop their leadership skills. Shared professional understandings and knowledge is encouraged through in-depth research and professional training. Individualised mentoring and coaching support is building teacher capability across the teams.
Leaders have strengthened teacher appraisal processes to support the ongoing growth and professional development of staff. Formally documenting the appraisal policy and procedures would more clearly demonstrate the alignment of the centre’s appraisal processes with Education Council requirements. It would also promote consistent understanding and expectations for teaching practice and provide appropriate guidelines for endorsing teacher registration.
The centre has robust self review systems. ERO affirms the centre’s own identification of key next steps, including those for:
Before the review, the staff and management of AUT Early Childhood Centre 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:
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:
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
The next ERO review of AUT Early Childhood Centre will be in four years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
3 December 2015
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.
|
Location |
Central Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
20007 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
40 children, including up to 12 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
45 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 23 Boys 22 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Chinese European South East Asian Middle Eastern Samoan Cook Island Māori Tongan other Asian |
4 10 7 4 4 3 3 2 1 7 |
|
|
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 |
1:7 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
October 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
3 December 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
August 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
June 2009 |
||
|
Education Review |
May 2006 |
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.
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:
ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.
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.