Remarkable Start Early Learning

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 are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Judgements are made in relation to the Outcomes Indicators, Learning and Organisational Conditions. The Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.

ERO’s judgements for Remarkable Start Early Learning are as follows:

2 Context of the Service

Remarkable Start Early Learning is one of two privately-owned services guided by a Montessori approach where children are viewed as active participants in their own development.  Children are from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds, including a small number who identify as Māori. Two centre owners lead a team of mostly qualified staff.  This is the service’s first Akarangi | Quality Evaluation since opening in 2017.

3 Summary of findings

Children experience a culturally responsive, inclusive and localised curriculum based on Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Learning priorities of kaitiakitanga, whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, tangata whenuatangata are based on Māori values. These are evident in the way leaders and teachers develop learning partnerships with parents and whānau, within the environment and in documentation of children’s learning.

Children experience a broad bicultural curriculum reflective of their local area. Children benefit from language-rich learning interactions with their teachers who support them to be confident to speak and understand some te reo Māori and use New Zealand Sign Language.

Infants and toddlers experience a safe and secure environment. Teachers are responsive and respectful providing unhurried opportunities for younger children to learn.

Children with additional learning and development needs are well supported. Teachers work collaboratively with families and agencies to develop and implement planning to support children’s growing independence and foster their identity as successful learners.

Assessment and planning documentation consistently make visible children’s interests and learning progress. Documentation references Te Whāriki and the service’s curriculum priorities, however the learning outcomes are yet to be used to guide and design curriculum for individuals and groups of children.

Leaders and teachers are improvement focused. Appropriate resourcing is provided to support professional learning opportunities that build teacher capability. These align to the service’s strategic goals and teachers’ professional growth cycle. A collaborative process guides internal evaluation. Service leaders use internal evaluation processes well to take action and make improvements however they are not yet consistently monitoring and evaluating how well, planned actions have improved outcomes for children.    

4 Improvement actions

Remarkable Start Early Learning will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

• unpack the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki with the learning community, to enhance the design of the curriculum for individuals and groups of children

• monitor internal evaluation improvement actions and evaluate the impact of teaching on outcomes for children.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Remarkable Start Early Learning completed an ERO 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; safety checking; teacher registration; ratios)

• relevant evacuation procedures and practices.

All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.

6 Actions for Compliance

Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliance:

• documented risk assessment of safety checking has been undertaken for centre owners.

Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care 2008, GMA7A.  

Dr Lesley Patterson 
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

5 October 2022 

7 About the Early Childhood Service