219 Main Road, Hope
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 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 Kiwi Explorers are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
|
What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Whakaū Embedding |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
ERO’s judgement |
|
He Whāriki Motuhake |
Whāngai Establishing |
|
Whakangungu Ngaio |
Whakaū Embedding |
|
Ngā Aronga Whai Hua |
Whāngai Establishing |
|
Kaihautū |
Whakaū Embedding |
|
Te Whakaruruhau |
Whakaū Embedding |
Kiwi Explorers is one of two privately-owned early childhood centres. It caters for children aged between two to six-years-old. A separate centre for children under two-years-old (Little Kiwis) is next door. Most teachers are certificated, including the owner who is also the service manager. A supervisor supports day-to-day operations. The service has experienced several changes to the teaching team since the last ERO review.
The learning and development of children in a play-based context is underpinned by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Emphasis is given to the provision of a perceptual motor programme to support physical, intellectual and social competence and literacy development. This focus supports children to be independent, confident, and capable.
Teachers nurture children’s interests with warmth and care, fostering positive relationships. They work closely with whānau, and external expertise, to support children with additional needs succeed in their learning. Transitions into the centre, between areas and onto school are personalised to the needs of each child to feel knowledgeable and reassured in what will come next.
Children benefit from te ao Māori being naturally integrated into the curriculum in ways that are meaningful for them and respectful of Māori culture. The languages, cultures and identities of children are not yet strongly reflected in assessment information.
Leaders ensure and teachers have access to targeted internal and external professional development to build-on knowledge and skills across their professional learning community, including local schools. They work together to assess and plan for the learning of children, considering whānau perspectives and aspirations. Further work is required to establish a consistent quality of assessment, planning and evaluation that identifies and deepens meaningful learning for children.
Self-review is used to reflect on current practice and identify areas for improvement. While a useful internal evaluation framework is in place, the evaluative process is not yet well understood. Further work is required to build the capability of all staff to understand the process and make use of internal evaluation for ongoing improvement.
Established leadership supports relational trust that enables collaboration and a focus on positive outcomes for learners. The learning and wellbeing of children are the primary considerations in decision making. Leaders are yet to formally monitor and evaluate strategic planning.
Kiwi Explorers will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning. These are to:
build teachers understanding in recognising children’s learning and responding with intentionality. This should then be reflected through assessment documentation
highlight the language, culture, and identity of the children clearly in learning records
further develop teacher’s understandings and use of internal evaluation including gathering a wider range of evidence to inform evaluative reasoning and decision making.
Before the review, the staff and management of Kiwi Explorers 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.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
31 March 2022
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Kiwi Explorers |
| Profile Number |
46003 |
| Location |
Nelson |
|
Service type |
Education and Care Service |
|
Number licensed for |
60 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
73 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 12, NZ European/Pākehā 57, Other ethnic groups 4 |
|
Review team on site |
December 2021 |
|
Date of this report |
31 March 2022 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, February 2019; Education Review, October 2015 |
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Kiwi Explorers is very well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Kiwi Explorers is one of two privately-owned early childhood centres in Hope, Nelson. Children from urban and rural backgrounds attend the centre. It is licensed for a maximum of 60 children including up to 10 under two-year-olds. A separate centre for the under two-year-old children (Little Kiwis) has recently been established next to this property.
Children play and learn in two defined areas with a shared spacious outdoor environment. One room has children from two years old up to aged four. The second room has children from about three years old up to aged five. Transitions are made on children's individual readiness for change.
There is a mix of qualified teachers, teachers in training and unqualified staff. Staffing ratios are generous to ensure that the large areas are well supervised and children's needs are quickly attended to.
The centre philosophy states that 'When children's interests are nurtured with warmth and care, both adults and children grow and learn together'.
The leaders and teachers have addressed the recommendations from the ERO's 2015 report.
Children benefit from warm, caring relationships at all levels. Teachers have responsibility for the care of a small group of children to ensure close bonds are established and children feel secure. Teachers model positive, interactive skills for children to learn from. Children have established close friendships with their peers which are actively encouraged and supported by teachers.
Teachers' planning shows they are responding thoughtfully to parents' expectations and children's interests. A strong emphasis is placed on developing children's physical, emotional and intellectual wellbeing. A specific programme is being implemented to support this focus.
A purposeful and deliberate transition programme to help children make smooth transitions within the centre and to school, has been established. Transition is made into a 'ritual of importance'. Teachers and parents work in partnership to ensure that children with additional needs are well supported and included.
Children have a growing awareness of New Zealand's bicultural heritage. Tikanga Māori is authentically integrated throughout the centre. This is clearly evident in the celebration of special events for Māori, the visibility of te ao Māori in the environment and the regular inclusion of te reo and tikanga Māori in the daily life of the centre. Māori children's identity, language and culture are acknowledged by the teachers in the records of learning. These records also show how teachers have responded to parents who want their child's Māori heritage recognised and valued.
Teachers and leaders reflect on their practice and together have built a collaborative and collective culture that supports ongoing improvement. At regular planning meetings, teachers discuss their practice, how they can best support children's learning and support to each other's appraisal focus. They actively contribute to and explore the impact their teaching and programmes are having on children's learning and wellbeing.
The centre is well governed and managed by the owners and centre supervisor. They have created useful systems which are clearly aligned to ensure coherence with the mission and vision statements to teaching practice. The strategic plan, with supporting goals and strategies, shows the focus on and intention for positive outcomes for children. The centre is well resourced and provides children with opportunities to grow their learning through a variety of learning experiences.
The leaders and ERO agree that the following are next steps to strengthen the existing good practice. These are to:
build consistency across the teaching team in assessment and planning, to better show what teachers will do to extend children's learning
ensure an evaluative question is used consistently to guide and focus internal evaluation.
Before the review, the staff and management of Kiwi Explorers 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 Kiwi Explorers will be in three years.
Alan Wynyard Director Review and Improvement Services Southern
Southern Region
1 February 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 |
Hope, Nelson |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
46003 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
60 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
79 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls: 45 Boys: 34 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
6 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
N/A |
|
|
Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
December 2018 |
||
|
Date of this report |
1 February 2019 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report |
Education Review |
October 2015 |
|
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:
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.