8 Killarney Avenue, Halswell, Christchurch
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 Seedlings Early Learning Centre Knights Stream Park are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
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What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
ERO’s judgement |
|
He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
|
Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
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Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement |
Whakaū Embedding |
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Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
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Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
Seedlings Early Learning Centre Knights Stream Park is a privately-owned early childhood education and care service. The owners, who are qualified early childhood teachers, manage the day-to-day operations of the service. The curriculum is influenced by the Reggio Emilia and RIE (Resources for Infant Educarers) philosophies.
Teachers effectively implement a curriculum that enhances children’s mana as learners. Children’s wellbeing and belonging is nurtured through warm and respectful relationships with teachers. Infants and toddlers are well supported through a primary caregiving model. The learning environment is purposefully designed to promote interest, participation, and sustained engagement. Daily rituals create predictable routines.
Leaders and teachers work collaboratively to design a meaningful and relevant curriculum for all children. They value children’s perspectives, providing ongoing opportunities for them to express their ideas, inquire, and research. Learning partnerships with parents are highly valued and teachers regularly collaborate with them about their children’s learning. The learning outcomes in Te Whariki, the early childhood curriculum, have been explored and valued learning, for this community has been identified. Teachers are not yet evaluating how individual children and groups of children are progressing in terms of the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki.
Children are increasingly experiencing a curriculum that provides them with opportunities to develop understandings of the cultural heritages of both parties to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Teachers are building their capability to speak te reo Māori and understand and implement tikanga Māori. Whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, and ako are valued to support a culture of collaboration and care for children, families, whānau, and teachers.
Leadership provides effective support for teachers in all aspects of their professional practice. A culture of learning and continuous improvement is in place. Leaders and teachers regularly review and scrutinise aspects of their practice to inform ongoing improvements. Resulting improvement actions are implemented and well monitored. A stronger evaluative focus that considers the impact of teaching practice on children’s outcomes is required.
Seedlings Early Learning Centre Knights Stream Park will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning. This includes:
Before the review, the staff and management of Seedlings Early Learning Centre Knights Stream Park 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.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
3 March 2022
| Early Childhood Service Name | Seedlings Early Learning Centre Knights Stream Park |
| Profile Number | 47132 |
| Location | Christchurch |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
75 children, including up to 25 aged under 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
96 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 8, NZ European/Pākehā 61, Chinese 11, Asian 5, other ethnic groups 11 |
|
Review team on site |
November 2021 |
|
Date of this report |
3 March 2022 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, December 2018 |
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Seedlings Early Learning Centre is a privately-owned and operated, purpose-built centre in the newly developed community of Knights Stream Park in Christchurch. It is open five days a week, providing education and care for infants three months of age to two years in the nursery, and children up to age six in the preschool room.
The centre is governed and managed by two directors, both experienced, qualified, fully registered early childhood teachers. A team of teachers, led by a team leader in each room, is guided by the centre philosophy that states the beliefs underpinning centre practices. These include a strong emphasis on respectful practice, within a loving and nurturing environment.
The centre is one of two in the area owned by the directors. Each director takes key responsibility for one of the services. This is Seedlings Early Learning Centre's first education review. It has been operating for two years.
The centre directors have very effectively established and are operating a well-organised education and care service focused on positive outcomes for children. A comprehensive strategic plan has guided significant progress during the two years of its development. The service is very well managed, with useful systems in place to support ongoing development.
The director responsible for the Seedlings Centre has high expectations for teaching and learning. The work done to build respectful, caring relationships with the centre staff and with children and their families has helped establish a very positive and purposeful environment that supports children's learning and wellbeing.
Children at the centre play and learn with confidence. They lead their learning and have a major role in the design of the learning programme. Teachers are very responsive to children's ideas. They value the child’s voice and go the extra mile to provide resources and equipment to empower children to investigate their interests and preferences. The environment is calm, well-presented and stimulating. This creates a positive place to learn and ensures children have lots of opportunities to explore.
The children engage meaningfully in their play for sustained periods of time. They are supported to be respectful and inclusive and to be caring of others. Strong friendships have developed between children of all ages and abilities.
The children in the nursery are well cared for and educated by a primary caregiver. The teachers are attuned to children's non-verbal cues and respond well to their needs and interests through a responsive learning environment. The teachers seek regular communication with parents so that they can effectively nurture, care for and educate children, and provide continuity between the centre and home. The philosophy is evident through the routines and rituals which are unhurried.
Teachers seek information and guidance from parents of children from different cultural backgrounds. This helps teachers show children their culture is valued. This could be more evident in children's profile books. Learning programmes also include aspects of Māori culture. This was particularly evident in group activities. Group programmes effectively contribute to building children’s awareness of New Zealand's bicultural heritage. They now need to make the ethnicity/culture of children more visible in profile books.
Teachers are focused on ensuring inclusive and equitable outcomes for all children and providing a high level of support for children with special needs. Any child needing extra support is individually planned for and external support is sought and provided as necessary.
The centre director has high expectations and is committed to teachers succeeding as professionals and as leaders. This is evident through a comprehensive induction and mentoring programme with well-developed guidelines and expectations to inform practice. A robust appraisal process is in place which is focused on upskilling teachers to improve outcomes for children. Internal and external professional development is offered which links to the centre's strategic plan and teachers' individual professional inquiries. Teachers are accountable and expected to take responsibility for their professional growth. There is a focus on quality and consistency and this is closely monitored by the director.
Leaders and teachers have made good use of internal evaluation to establish a solid base for centre practices. Reviews to date have led to a range of improvements in practice, and positive outcomes for children. ERO and the centre director agree that as the centre moves in to its third year, it is timely to consolidate, align and refine some processes and practices. This includes a review of the philosophy and identifying the key learning priorities that more accurately reflect what the service values for children’s learning. Strategic development, programme planning and internal evaluation can then be aligned with these. The strengthening of evaluation processes should also support further assessment and evaluation of programmes and teaching practices, and improve the usefulness of learning stories for ongoing planning.
The service has identified, and ERO agrees that the next steps for the service are to continue to develop, implement and evaluate:
Before the review, the staff and management of Seedlings Early Learning Centre Knights Stream Park 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 Seedlings Early Learning Centre Knights Stream Park will be in three years.
Alan Wynyard
Director Review & Improvement Services Southern
Te Waipounamu - Southern Region
5 December 2018
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.
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Location |
Christchurch |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
47132 |
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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 |
75 children, including up to 25 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
111 |
||
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Gender composition |
Boys: 61 Girls: 50 |
||
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
9 |
|
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
||
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:9 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
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Review team on site |
October 2018 |
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Date of this report |
5 December 2018 |
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Most recent ERO reports |
No previous ERO reports |
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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.