Havelock North Family Centre

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 Havelock North Family Centre are as follows:

2 Context of the Service

Havelock North Family Centre is one of three services under shared ownership in Hawkes Bay. The philosophy is based on the principles of whakamana, whanaungatanga and manaakitanga. Of the children enrolled one third identify as Māori.

3 Summary of findings

Children’s sense of security is effectively fostered through implementation of well-considered practices. Intentional transition processes into the service enable parents to stay and play alongside their infants. Children’s developing social competence is fostered by positive and respectful relationships with kaiako. Culturally responsive care practices are provided through predictable routines. The philosophy and priorities for learning are clearly evident in practice.

Te reo Māori is increasingly heard in meaningful ways. Leaders recognise the need to strengthen the bicultural curriculum. They are committed to work alongside whānau Māori to deepen their understanding of what success looks like for tamariki Māori.

Children’s learning is enhanced through leaders and kaiako engagement in professional learning opportunities that contribute to sustained improvement. A range of useful tools promotes kaiako to build their knowledge and understanding of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. The learning outcomes from Te Whāriki are beginning to provide the basis for assessing children’s learning. These are yet to be used to evaluate how well the curriculum is helping the service to achieve the priorities for learning.

Effective and cohesive systems and processes positively progress the strategic intent. Organisational leaders work effectively across the services to maintain consistency of practice. Relational trust is evident at all levels to enact the services vision. The wellbeing of children, whānau and the communities in which they live are the primary focus for decision making. The service supports initiatives that contribute to positive social and community outcomes.

4 Improvement actions

Havelock North Family Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

• Further engage whānau Māori in the design and development of the curriculum to reflect their ways of knowing, being and doing to further support tamariki Māori success as Māori.

• Continue to build a shared understanding of evaluation processes to identify how well the curriculum is supporting children to progress in terms of the learning priorities and valued outcomes from Te Whāriki.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Havelock North Family Centre 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.

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

31 January 2023 

6 About the Early Childhood Service