28 Kohia Terrace, Gate 8, Epsom, 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. The Akarangi Quality Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform the ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Faculty of Education Early Childhood Centre are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
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What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Kia rangatira ai te tipu Excelling |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
ERO’s judgement |
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He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning |
Kia rangatira ai te tipu Excelling |
|
Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
|
Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement |
Kia rangatira ai te tipu Excelling |
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Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement |
Kia rangatira ai te tipu Excelling |
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Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
The centre is one of six services owned by the University of Auckland. Affectionately referred to by staff and whānau as No. 28, the service is licensed for 62 children, including 20 children up to 2 years of age. There are two learning spaces that cater for different age groups. Children attend either
full-time or part-time in accordance with the education and care needs of their family and whānau.
Children’s mana is fostered in an environment that supports them to take increasing responsibility for their own learning and the wellbeing of others. Teachers promote tuakana/teina relationships. They thoughtfully resource the learning environment and encourage children to explore and be involved in a wide variety of learning experiences.
Children’s learning is supported by respectful, reciprocal and responsive relationships with teachers. Kaiako who work with infants and toddlers maintain a calm, slow pace that gives younger children space and time to lead their learning.
Tikanga Māori is integral to the service’s curriculum. Leaders and kaiako promote te reo Māori as a living and relevant language for all children. Kaiako acknowledge, respect and respond to the identities, languages and cultures of children and their whānau. There are opportunities for children to enrich their knowledge and understanding of their own and other cultures and languages.
Leaders advocate for children, parents and whānau to ensure that all children have access to high quality, inclusive education and care. They identify and remove barriers to a child’s full acceptance, participation and learning. Transitions into, within and from the service support each child and whānau. Leaders and kaiako work together with children to design, implement and evaluate the curriculum that is informed by current theories of teaching and learning.
A positive working environment facilitates low turnover of kaiako. Leaders and kaiako take responsibility for their own personal learning. They actively engage in critical reflection, problem solving and collaborative practice. They monitor the implementation of improvement actions and evaluate the impact of these. Internal evaluation is always driven by the motivation for improvement.
Leaders responsible for the centre’s governance and management ensure that children’s learning and wellbeing are the primary considerations in their decision making. They promote appraisal processes that contribute to the service achieving its vision and goals.
Faculty of Education Early Childhood Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Faculty of Education 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.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
26 February 2021
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Faculty of Education Early Childhood Centre |
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Profile Number |
45599 |
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Location |
Epsom, Auckland |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
62 children, including up to 20 children aged under 2. |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
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Service roll |
66 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 2 |
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Review team on site |
December 2020 |
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Date of this report |
26 February 2021 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, May 2016 |
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Faculty of Education Early Childhood Centre provides education and care for children of university staff, students and local community families. Teachers are long-serving and have established trusting relationships with families.
The centre is one of six services owned by the University of Auckland and is affectionately known by staff and whānau as No. 28. Most children are Pākehā, with smaller numbers of children with Māori and Pacific heritage or other ethnicities. The multicultural teaching team reflects the diverse community.
The service is licensed for up to 62 children, including 20 up to 2 years of age. It has two learning spaces that cater for different age groups. Children attend full days or for flexible hours in accordance with the education and care needs of family and whānau.
The centre philosophy, advocating that every child is treated with respect and dignity and that learning opportunities are maximised at all times, is evident in practice. Concepts such as ako and tuakana-tēina relationships are well promoted and fostered.
Many strengths identified in ERO's 2013 report on the centre have been sustained or further developed. The service has responded well to ERO's suggestions for improvement relating to the centre's programme, self review and aspects of centre performance.
Faculty of Education Early Childhood Centre provides high quality education and care for children. The centre is welcoming to children, parents and whānau. Secure child-teacher-family relationships promote the development of children’s positive sense of self. Children’s wellbeing and sense of belonging are nurtured through positive interactions and gentle care routines. Responsive caregiving supports infants’ and toddlers’ need for strong and secure attachments.
Children are competent, confident learners. They enjoy an exciting curriculum that allows them to inquire, explore and experience a wide range of learning opportunities. Children and teachers have fun as part of the learning process. The 'Enquiry Club' allows older children to engage in more complex learning experiences that often contribute to the daily programme.
Teaching approaches for infants and toddlers are strongly influenced by Gerber and Pikler philosophies. Children have long uninterrupted play periods in a relaxed and unhurried environment. Teachers maintain a calm, unhurried pace in which younger children have time to initiate their learning.
Curriculum design and implementation are effectively led. A significant focus since the 2013 ERO report has been on establishing a bicultural curriculum. Initiatives such as teachers and children learning pepeha, developing kawa as part of centre practices, and giving greater visibility of Te Ao Māori in the environment have been implemented. Kaupapa Māori concepts such as manaakitanga and whanaungatanga are integral to curriculum decisions. Teachers actively seek ways to maintain children's connections to their cultural identity. Cultural events are celebrated with families.
Teachers, together with whānau, have developed a set of long-term goals aligned to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. These goals underpin the programme and planning processes, and provide clear guidelines about what is expected for children. Teachers use these goals to provide parents with detailed information about their child's learning. Planning and assessment processes continue to evolve and develop.
Families support the centre in many ways. Communication and consultation processes are reciprocal. Teachers have established effective partnerships with parents and whānau. A parent liaison group works with teachers to organise special events that bring families together at the centre.
Managers and teachers show a strong commitment to the philosophy, vision and goals of the service. The experienced centre manager leads a collaborative teaching team. Staff meet regularly, participate in appropriate professional development and are knowledgeable practitioners. Staff relationships with the Faculty of Education have deepened through participation in various initiatives to improve outcomes for children.
The service is well managed. Highly effective systems are in place to guide centre operations. Self review is used very well to promote sustained and ongoing improvement. Teachers are guided by their teaching and learning statement, and by well documented centre strategic goals and plans. A new appraisal process supports teachers to further develop their leadership capacity and professional experience and expertise.
The managers and ERO agree that key next steps for the centre include:
building on children’s growing competence as learners by helping them to set learning goals and assess their own progress towards achieving them
teachers leading further programme and curriculum review and inquiry that helps adapt teaching practice and promotes positive outcomes for children.
Before the review, the staff and management of Faculty of Education 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:
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.
The next ERO review of Faculty of Education Early Childhood Centre will be in four years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
6 May 2016
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.
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Location |
Epsom, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
45599 |
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Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
62 children, including up to 20 aged under 2 |
||
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Service roll |
72 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 37 Girls 35 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Chinese Pacific Asian South American Australian other |
1 45 9 3 5 3 2 4 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:6 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
February 2016 |
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Date of this report |
6 May 2016 |
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Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
January 2013 |
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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.