Active Explorers Melville

Education institution number:
46073
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
81
Telephone:
Address:

130 Collins Road, Melville, Hamilton

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Active Explorers Melville

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.

ERO’s Judgement

Regulatory standards

ERO’s judgement

Curriculum

Meeting

Premises and facilities

Meeting

Health and safety

Meeting

Governance, management and administration

Meeting

At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.

Background

Active Explorers Melville, a privately owned and operated early childhood education service has children from birth to school age in four age-based rooms. The centre manager leads a team of 14 teachers. Since the last ERO review the centre was moved to a provisional licence by the Ministry of Education and regained a full licence in August 2020.

Summary of Review Findings

Children experience meaningful, positive interactions with their teachers. The service curriculum is inclusive and responsive to children as confident, competent learners. Children are provided with a range of experiences both indoors and outdoors that enhances their learning and development.

The service curriculum is informed by planning, assessment and evaluation and demonstrates an understanding of children’s learning and strengths. Regular opportunities are provided for parents to participate in their child’s learning. An annual plan guides the service’s daily operation. Regular policy review helps maintain the quality of education and care.

Key Next Steps

Next steps include:

  • strengthening the extent in which information documented about children’s learning reflects their language, culture and identity.
  • further enabling and extending opportunities for children to lead their own learning.

Next ERO Review

The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.

Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

4 March 2021 

Information About the Service

Early Childhood Service Name Active Explorers Melville
Profile Number 46073
Location Hamilton

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

110 children, including up to 30 aged under 2.

Percentage of qualified teachers

80%+

Service roll

98

Ethnic composition

Māori 27, NZ European/Pākehā 35, Indian 14, Filipino 7, Other ethnic groups 15.

Review team on site

December 2020

Date of this report

4 March 2021

Most recent ERO report(s)

  Education Review, September 2019;

  Education Review, June 2016.

General Information about Assurance Reviews

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.

ERO undertakes an Akanuku | Assurance Review process in any centre-based service:

  • having its first ERO review – including if it is part of a governing organisation
  • previously identified as ‘not well placed’ or ‘requiring further development’
  • that has moved from a provisional to a full licence
  • that have been re-licenced due to a change of ownership
  • where an Akanuku | Assurance Review process is determined to be appropriate.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

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 (PDF 1MB). 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.

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:

  • 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 certification; ratios)
  • evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.

As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:

  • discussions with those involved in the service
  • consideration of relevant documentation, including the implementation of health and safety systems
  • observations of the environment/premises, curriculum implementation and teaching practice.

Active Explorers Melville - 24/09/2019

1 Evaluation of Active Explorers Melville

How well placed is Active Explorers Melville to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

Active Explorers Melville is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.

Background

Active Explorers Melville, formally known as Clever Kids Early Learning, is located in the Hamilton suburb of Melville. It is licensed for 110 children, including 30 up to the age of two years. The centre provides all-day education and care for children from birth to school age, in four age-based areas. The centre caters for families from a diverse range of ethnic backgrounds and for many English is an additional language. The current roll of 113 includes 34% of children who identify as Māori and 12% of Indian descent.

The centre is one of six in the Waikato governed by Evolve Education Group (Evolve). A recently appointed teaching, learning and development manager and a new area manager provide support to the centre manager and teaching team. Nine of the 11 teachers in the centre have an early childhood qualification and two have primary school qualifications. Four staff are in training and two are unqualified.

The centre’s philosophy states they provide a safe, holistic environment where children feel empowered and are encouraged to take risks. A place where children’s cultures are acknowledged and valued. Teachers aim to build partnerships with parents and whānau.

Since the last ERO report in 2016, Evolve has restructured, with significant personnel changes at all levels. There have also been significant changes to the teaching team at Active Explorers Melville, however, the centre manager has remained the same. In addition, there has been a reconfiguration of both the indoor and outdoor environments.

The centre has made considerable progress towards addressing the key areas for development identified in the 2016 ERO report.

The Review Findings

Children and their whānau experience a welcoming and inclusive environment. Teachers form responsive and reciprocal relationships with whānau. They understand the child in the context of their family and community, providing a good foundation for learning and development. Responsive relationships support children’s sense of belonging.

The curriculum effectively responds to the interests of children to promote educational success. Māori and Pacific children, and those for whom English is an additional language, are clearly identified. The centre has begun to utilise the skills and knowledge of current staff to grow teachers’ cultural responsiveness. Children’s independence and self-management are actively encouraged through responsive and flexible routines. Children make choices and decisions about their play and are involved in the daily routines of the centre. Teachers plan events and celebrations that acknowledge and value the many languages and cultures of children and their whānau. Learning conversations between teachers and children support oral language development. The reconfiguration of the learning environment has increased opportunities for children to mix with different age groups promoting their social and emotional competence. Transitions into, through and beyond the centre are well-managed, flexible and responsive to individual needs.

Children and their whānau have access to well-presented individual learning portfolios, including an on-line format. Parents’ aspirations and dispositions are integrated into this recently developed assessment process. There is a need to strengthen individual assessment, planning and evaluation informed by specific learning outcomes from Te Whāriki, the Early Childhood Curriculum.

There is a well-considered approach to supporting children with additional needs and individual plans support their learning and development. Teachers liaise with external agencies to support these children and their whānau.

Children up to the age of two years benefit from nurturing teaching interactions in a calm and caring environment. Children benefit from unhurried interactions that follow routines and aspirations of parents and whānau.

The centre manager has a strategic approach to building staff capability to improve outcomes for children. Professional learning and development for teachers is linked to centre priorities and teachers' appraisal. A new shared philosophy and vision reflects the priorities of the centre community.

Internal evaluation is embedded across the centre and is leading to positive changes for children. Policy review is completed in consultation with staff, parents and whānau. Further considerations should be given to strengthening alignment between appraisal goals and the centres strategic direction to better support positive outcomes for children.

Governance needs to be strengthened. Evolve is in a phase of restructuring and rebuilding and the organisation's vision and values are currently under review. Policies, procedures and systems at the governance level require systematic review to ensure they meet legislative requirements.

Key Next Steps

Evolve must ensure that:

  • there are suitable systems in place, that are monitored, to ensure that governance meets the regulatory requirements

  • processes that support teachers to know the expectations of the service and build their practice are put in place.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Active Explorers Melville 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.

Phil Cowie

Director Review and Improvement Services Central

Central Region

24 September 2019

The Purpose of ERO Reports

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

2 Information about the Early Childhood Service

Location

Melville, Hamilton

Ministry of Education profile number

46073

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

110 children, including up to 30 aged under 2

Service roll

113

Gender composition

Female 59% Male 41%

Ethnic composition

Māori
NZ European/Pākehā
Indian
Other

34%
35%
12%
19%

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

July 2019

Date of this report

24 September 2019

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

June 2016

3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

ERO’s Evaluation Framework

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.

ERO’s Overall Judgement

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.

Review Coverage

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.