The Fire Station Early Learning Centre

The Fire Station - 02 Nov 2021

1 ERO’s Judgements

Akarangi | 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 The Fire Station are as follows:

2 Context of the Service

The Fire Station is a well-established, privately owned service. The main building was a fire station and is a historical feature of the Te Atatu Peninsula community. There are four rooms for different age groups of children. One room provides for older children who attend on a sessional basis. Twenty percent of children enrolled are Māori or have Pacific heritages. The service’s community is culturally diverse.

3 Summary of findings

Children demonstrate a strong sense of belonging at the service. They experience an environment where teachers skilfully include te reo and tikanga Māori into the curriculum each day. Children confidently share their languages and cultures with others. Teachers’ culturally responsive practices contribute to children’s growing understanding of, and respect for other cultures.

Teachers intentionally respond to whānau aspirations for their children’s learning. The experiences and knowledge of whānau and children are valued by teachers and leaders. This inclusive practice reinforces mutual respect and impacts positively on teachers’ partnerships with whānau.

Teachers deliberately plan programmes to extend children’s interests and learning dispositions. Assessment of learning clearly shows how teachers support children’s investigation and learning. Some examples of assessment demonstrate how children’s learning progresses because of teachers’ guidance.

Leaders respect the skills and knowledge of teachers. Teachers capably share their diverse cultural experiences and individual strengths. This contributes to the overall capability and effectiveness of the teaching team. Teachers continually reflect on ways to improve their own practice with a focus on what is best for all children. Internal evaluation processes evidence a thorough, robust approach to continuous improvement that has been sustained over time.

Leaders and teachers have a shared understanding of the service’s philosophy, vision, goals, and priorities for children’s learning. Teachers and leaders demonstrate a strong commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and enact this commitment by promoting te reo and tikanga Māori.

Those responsible for governance and management provide an environment where the health and safety of children, families and teachers is prioritised and well-monitored. The centre’s positive working environment creates a sense of stability and a learning community that contributes to the emotional wellbeing of children and staff.

4 Improvement actions

The Fire Station will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

• Build on current good practices in recording children’s learning and progress.
• Continue to build professional networks with early learning services and schools with a focus on innovation and continuous improvement.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of The Fire Station completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they select ‘have’ or ‘have not’ 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
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

2 November 2021 

6 About the Early Childhood Service