Te whare Manaaki

1 Evaluation of Te whare Manaaki

How well placed is Te whare Manaaki to contribute to children’s learning and promote their wellbeing?

Te whare Manaaki is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

Te whare Manaaki is situated in the children’s ward of Nelson Hospital and opened in November 2016. It provides a service for children admitted to the ward, and for their whānau and siblings. The service aims to promote a whānau-centred, supportive learning environment that celebrates every child’s uniqueness as a learner.

The service was established through a partnership between the Nelson Tasman Kindergarten Association (the association) and Nelson Marlborough Health. The playroom used by the service is provided by the hospital, and the association provides staffing and the infrastructure for the management of the service.

The service is governed and managed by the association. The Chief Executive Officer and a board of trustees are responsible for the service meeting its legal obligations. A team of senior education advisers (SEA) oversees and supports the professional practice of the teaching team.

Day-to-day management of the service is undertaken by the early childhood qualified head teacher who, in this context, is known as a hospital play specialist (HPS). A play assistant completes the team. They work in conjunction with the multidisciplinary teams responsible for working with children and their families.

The playroom is licensed for 12 children, including six up to two years of age. The number of children in hospital who might use the service fluctuates daily. Some play and learning opportunities with children are undertaken at their bedside and in other parts of the hospital. This support is aimed at increasing children’s awareness and resilience in dealing with the complex medical procedures occurring.

This is the first ERO review for this service.

The Review Findings

The service is welcoming to every child and their whānau. The HPS team works thoughtfully to meet the needs of the diverse learners who participate in this service. They maximise the opportunity to further their knowledge of special learning needs and ethnically diverse communities. Positive and sensitive relationships are developed between the HPS team, children and their whānau.

Children have the opportunity to engage in a well-resourced, play-based programme. These experiences encourage exploration that is meaningful, challenging and enjoyable. Children's art work is valued and often revisited over time. This helps to foster a sense of belonging. The HPS makes links between the child’s home centre and the visit to Te whare Manaaki, and this is enhanced further through the sharing of assessment documentation.

Wellbeing of children and whānau is a priority for the HPS team members, who are highly responsive in their approach to supporting children to develop their knowledge and understanding of the medical procedures they are undergoing. This includes supporting children to understand the medical language used with them. Through play, this approach builds children’s confidence and ability to self-regulate. Medical staff are aware that the work and planning of the hospital play specialist team has a positive impact on children’s confidence and sense of wellbeing.

A range of information, including from multidisciplinary healthcare teams, is used to provide a comprehensive view about each child the HPS will visit. This information informs how the HPS will work with and support each child. Assessment acknowledges the meaning children are making of their healthcare and hospital experiences. Parents' feedback indicates that the support provided for both themselves and their child is appreciated.

The bicultural curriculum is evident and valued. Resources reflect the service's commitment to the provision of aspects of te ao Māori. Staff show a strong commitment to furthering their knowledge and confidence in the use of te reo Māori.

Leaders have identified that it is now timely for the service’s philosophy to be reviewed in consultation with parents and whānau. Consideration should be given to integrating the centre's identified learning outcomes in this revised document.

The team is improvement focused and uses internal evaluation to inform next steps for ongoing improvement. The team should undertake a deeper analysis of the information gathered and use this to make judgements about the effectiveness of the curriculum and teaching practice in regard to children’s learning.

The HPS team works collaboratively with hospital teams and acts as a strong advocate for the children and whānau.

The association should update the performance management policy and appraisal procedure. They must also ensure that all staff are regularly and meaningfully appraised.

Key Next Steps

The key next steps for the service are for leaders and teachers to:

• review the philosophy in consultation with parents and whānau, and ensure that valued learning outcomes are clearly identified in it
• strengthen internal evaluation.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Te whare Manaaki completed an ERO Hospital-based Education and Care 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.

Actions for compliance

ERO found an area of non-compliance related to governance, management and administration. In order to address this:

1. Nelson Tasman Kindergarten Association should ensure that all staff are appraised each year. [Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, GMA7.]

Alan Wynyard

Director Review and Improvement Services Southern

Southern Region

4 June 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

3 General Information about Hospital-based Service Reviews

ERO’s Evaluation Framework

ERO’s overarching question for a hospital-based service education review is ‘How well placed is this service to contribute to children’s learning and promote their wellbeing?’

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 contribute to children’s learning and promote their wellbeing

Pou Ārahi– how leadership is enacted to contribute to children’s learning and promote their wellbeing

Mātauranga– whose knowledge is valued and how the curriculum is designed to contribute to children’s learning and promote their wellbeing

Tikanga whakaako– how approaches to teaching and learning respond to diversity, contribute to children’s learning and promote their wellbeing

Within these areas ERO considers the effectiveness ofarotake– self review and ofwhanaungatanga– 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 have an opportunity to benefit from quality early childhood education. ERO will report on how well each service responds to children who are Māori, Pacific, have diverse needs, and are up to two years of age.

For more information about the framework and Ngā Pou Here refer to the methodology for ERO reviews in Hospital-based Education and Care 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:

1. Very well placed

2. Well placed

3. Requires further development

4. 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 contribute to children’s learning and wellbeing and are useful to the service.