34 Long Drive, St Heliers, 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 (PDF 3.01MB) 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 (PDF 91.30KB) 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 St Heliers Little School are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
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What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
ERO’s judgement |
|
He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning |
Whāngai Establishing |
|
Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability |
Whāngai Establishing |
|
Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement |
Whakatō Emerging |
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Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement |
Whakaū Embedding |
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Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management |
Whāngai Establishing |
St Heliers Little School is part of the Little School group of centres. This organisation provides centres with a policy and management framework, and a range of support systems dependent on the needs of each service. A head teacher is responsible for day-to-day operations, supported by a team of two qualified teachers.
Children are viewed as competent, confident learners and communicators. Their learning and development are supported by reciprocal relationships with teachers. Children have a strong sense of belonging and deep connections with their peers. Conversations among children show their developing complexity in thinking and reasoning.
Children are offered opportunities to develop their social competency skills and to negotiate and solve conflicts among themselves. Teachers acknowledge children’s learning at home and incorporate this into the daily routine.
Teachers encourage children to actively contribute to the daily routines. In this structured environment, they are involved in a range of learning experiences that build on numeracy and literacy skills. Service leaders might now consider how centre routines impact on children’s opportunities to engage in sustained and uninterrupted play and learning.
Parents value and acknowledge the structured curriculum the service offers. Teachers provide opportunities for parents and whānau to contribute to the centre programme. Recent changes in staffing have meant a strong focus on maintaining these relationships. Staff acknowledge the need to develop learning-focused partnerships with parents and whānau that promote children’s progress and learning.
Teachers and children have opportunities to visit and contribute to the wider community. Te reo Māori is evident in daily routines and conversations. Teachers plan to continue strengthening te ao Māori in the curriculum.
Leaders are beginning to use inquiry to build their evaluation capacity. They have embedded organisational conditions to guide all aspects of teaching practice. Leaders actively mentor and coach staff as they role model expected practices. They could consider how opportunities for shared leadership might support an openness for change and improvement.
St Heliers Little School will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of St Heliers Little School 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
27 May 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | St Heliers Little School |
| Profile Number | 45847 |
| Location | St Heliers, Auckland |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
30 children over 2 years |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
|
Service roll |
22 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 1 |
|
Review team on site |
December 2020 |
|
Date of this report |
27 May 2021 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, May 2017 |
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
St Heliers Little School provides full day education and care for up to 30 children between two and five years of age. Most children on the roll are Pākehā. There is also a small number of Māori children and a number of children from Asian, Middle Eastern or European heritage.
The preschool is part of the Little School group of centres. This organisation provides the centres with a policy and management framework, and a range of support systems dependent on the needs of each service. Daily operation of the preschool is delegated to the head teacher, with leadership roles distributed amongst the other teachers. On line meetings with other head teachers provide a support network for the head teacher.
The three staff members are registered teachers. They are supported by regular professional development opportunities that reflect their individual goals for development and the needs of the whole preschool. Teachers are committed to ongoing development of bicultural practice in the preschool, and to reflect the cultural and language diversity of the preschool families.
The preschool philosophy highlights the provision of a learning programme incorporating Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, to lay sound foundations for lifelong learning. This underpins teachers' efforts to create a welcoming environment, and build partnerships with parents with a focus on each individual child and their family.
There have been some staffing changes since the last ERO review. The current team has continued to emphasise the development of sensory motor, reading and mathematical skills. Teachers continue to collect information about children's developmental progress, strengths and interests and share these with parents.
Children are happy and confident in the preschool. They have trusting relationships with teachers and work well alongside their peers. Children settle quickly when arriving and know about choosing resources and working independently. They are engaged in activities that interest them and respond positively to adult support for their play. Children are learning to take turns and to work cooperatively with others. In this focused, calm setting children use early literacy skills in their conversations.
Teachers work alongside children, modelling the use of equipment, affirming efforts and asking questions to prompt interests. Teachers know children well and often make links with a child’s family or home experiences. They encourage children to take responsibility for their own learning.
Children and teachers celebrate cultural events throughout the year. Leaders and teachers have strengthened their commitment to raising their own, and children’s, awareness of the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand. Children respond well to basic te reo Māori phrases and sing waiata. Children’s languages and cultures are valued and promoted in this preschool.
Families value the types of programmes offered and the sense of belonging for children from diverse cultures. They appreciate the experiences that their children enjoy. Parents feel included in their children’s learning through their daily conversations with teachers, displays, topic folders and children's assessment portfolios. These stories, available online, enable families to revisit learning with their children, share them with the wider whānau and make connections with home experiences.
The head teacher leads a collaborative teaching team with a shared vision for learning. They communicate effectively and use complementary skills well to develop challenging projects to extend children's skills, knowledge and learning dispositions. Teachers are building their capacity to assess children's learning and progress. Teachers recognise that strengthening the links between children's individual learning stories will help them to track progress better.
The preschool is well managed. The systems in place for preschool operations, ongoing evaluation and support contribute to the efficient management of the service. Teachers are guided by the preschool's teaching and learning philosophy and the strategic goal to promote sustained development. Teachers use the appraisal process well to identify goals, and are encouraged by their leaders to be innovative and reflective in their practice.
Leaders agree that the key next steps should include:
developing specific teaching strategies to challenge children's thinking and deepen the complexity of their play
developing an annual action plan aligned to the strategic goals
continuing to develop bicultural practices.
Before the review, the staff and management of St Heliers Little School 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.
The next ERO review of St Heliers Little School will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
4 May 2017
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 |
St Heliers, Auckland |
||
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Ministry of Education profile number |
45847 |
||
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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 |
30 children, over 2 years of age |
||
|
Service roll |
47 |
||
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Gender composition |
Boys 25 Girls 22 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Chinese other |
3 31 3 10 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
February 2017 |
||
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Date of this report |
4 May 2017 |
||
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Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
August 2013 |
|
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.