55 Bankwood Road, Fairfield, Hamilton
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Fairfield Early Education Centre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Fairfield Early Education Centre is located in the grounds of Fairfield College, Hamilton. The centre provides full-day education and care for up to 61 children from three months to school age, in three separate age-based settings. The 52 children in the centre are representative of a culturally diverse community, including 19 who identify as Māori.
The centre operates under the umbrella of Early Education Waikato (EEW); which operates seven Education and Care Centres and two homebased education networks on Hamilton.
Manaakitanga underpins the centre's philosophy. Teachers aim to support and encourage children to become capable, confident and competent life-long learners through respectful and trusting relationships in an environment that is safe, nurturing and fun.
Since the ERO review in 2015, the centre has undergone a complete rebuild and was relicensed to reflect an increase in the centre roll. The centre manager was permanently appointed in February 2018 and there has been a complete change in the teaching team. In July 2018 the purpose-built centre was formally opened, and staff appointments have continued to increase with the growth of the roll. During this time all areas for improvement identified in the last ERO report have been attended to by the centre and EEW.
Children actively participate in a programme that is very responsive to their learning and care. They are able to make choices about learning. Teachers acknowledge children's interests, value parent and whānau aspirations, and use these in planning. Portfolios capture children’s interests, engagement and learning and are easily accessible to all children and their families. An online platform supports wider whānau engagement and contributions. There is a calm and settled environment in a well-resourced and purpose-built learning environment.
Children’s sense of belonging is fostered through strong responsive and reciprocal relationships among teachers and whānau. The key teacher strategy is pivotal to building trusting relationships and secure attachments for children. This is particularly evident for infants and toddlers. Well-considered, responsive and individualised transitions foster children's wellbeing and confidence. Inclusive practices further support children with additional learning and development needs. Teachers work closely with parents and whānau to access outside agencies where necessary.
Teachers actively participate alongside children, encouraging sustained exploration and play. They genuinely listen to children and foster oral language development. Literacy and mathematics are naturally integrated into learning experiences. Science exploration, music and dance are promoted. The centre is in the early stages of developing a localised curriculum that reflects Tainui heritage, Pacific children and other cultures. Leaders strongly promote and model culturally responsive practices. Te reo and tikanga Māori are woven into daily routines and experiences.
Leaders have a strong focus on improving the quality of education and care. The centre manager is providing stability for children, whānau and teachers through a trusting, respectful and collaborative culture. There is clear alignment between strategic and annual plans, internal evaluation, professional learning, and staff appraisal and inquiry. Coaching and mentoring practices are providing leadership opportunities and growing teacher capability.
The centre vision, philosophy and effective day-to-day management promote positive learning outcomes for children. Sound policies, procedures and guidelines underpin centre operations. The recently reviewed strategic direction provides a clear vision for each child to reach their full potential. Governance demonstrates a strong commitment to providing quality education and care. This is evident through consistent resourcing that supports quality ratios for babies and toddlers, and the recent rebuilding of the centre and grounds.
The key next steps for leaders and teachers is to strengthen:
individualised assessment, planning and evaluation informed by specific learning outcomes
visibility of individual children's language, culture and identity within the learning environment.
Before the review, the staff and management of Fairfield Early Education 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:
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.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services Central
Central Region
29 May 2019
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 |
Fairfield, Hamilton |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
34015 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
70 children, including up to 25 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
52 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Male 27 Female 25 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
19 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
April 2019 |
||
|
Date of this report |
29 May 2019 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
May 2015 |
|
|
Education Review |
June 2010 |
||
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 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.
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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Fairfield Early Education Centre is located in the grounds of Fairfield College and provides full day education and care for children from birth to school age. The centre is licensed for 25 children, including eight under two years of age. At the time of this ERO review, 27 children were enrolled, of whom 13 identify as Māori. Children in the centre are representative of a culturally diverse community.
The centre philosophy emphasises the importance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, diversity and partnerships with parents. In addition, the Enviroschools, Under 5 Energise and Healthy Heart programmes influence teachers’ practice and children's learning. Since ERO’s previous review in June 2010 a new centre manager has been appointed and there have been changes to the teaching team.
The centre operates under the umbrella of Early Education Waikato (EEW), which is a charitable trust, and does not operate for profit. EEW shares the same management structure as the Waikato Kindergarten Association. The strategic direction of EEW is guided by the overarching statement, ‘Every child reaching their full potential’. EEW has a commitment to providing high quality, inclusive services that effectively meet the diverse educational needs of all children attending. All centres provide an Enviroschools focus as a key curriculum feature to encourage children to better understand caring for the environment.
Educational Service Managers (ESM) monitor and report to EEW on the centre’s quality of education. A kaumātua from Tainui provides advice, guidance and support about Māori language, culture and identity. The centre’s administrative responsibilities are well supported by EEW resource personnel.
The centre benefits from the EEW clear guidelines and expectations for practice and the availability of good self-review processes for monitoring and evaluating the quality of education and care it provides for children.
The centre manager implements a collaborative leadership style with her team. This collaboration encourages all teachers to contribute their individual strengths and skills to the programme. The manager is an experienced early childhood teacher who effectively supports the development of new teachers through coaching and modelling good teaching practice. EEW’s vision of ‘each child reaching their potential’ is very evident in principles of equity and social justice demonstrated by the centre manager and teaching team.
Key features of the centre curriculum include:
Since ERO’s last review, the centre manager has led development in enhancing teachers’ understanding and implementation of systems and practices for recording assessment of and planning for children's learning.
Children enjoy and benefit from responsive and caring interactions with their teachers. Child-initiated play is enriched through teachers’ engagement alongside children, attuned questioning and listening to children’s ideas. Teachers promote children’s independence, through fostering self management, responsibility and effective social skills and confidence.
Tuakana/teina relationships and interactions, where older children role model and help younger peers and siblings, are highly evident in this small whānau-like setting. Children respond positively to the many opportunities to learn together and develop their interests in aspects of literacy, mathematics and natural science.
With support from the ESM, the centre manager and teachers need to continue to review and modify assessment, planning and evaluation processes and practices to ensure a manageable and sustainable system.
Self review would be strengthened through including a more evaluative focus on teachers' practice.
There would be benefit from management support to enhance the teaching team's work and review about routines and practices associated with mix-aged centres.
Before the review, the staff and management of Fairfield Early Education 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 Fairfield Early Education Centre will be in three years.
Dale Bailey
Deputy Chief Review Officer
Northern
12 May 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 |
Hamilton |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
34015 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
25 children, including up to 8 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
27 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 17 Boys 10 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Samoan Cook Island Somalian Tongan Other European |
13 5 3 3 1 1 1 |
|
|
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 |
February 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
12 May 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
June 2010 |
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.