175 Palmerston Road, Gisborne
View on mapERO’s Akanuku | Assurance Review reports provide information about whether a service meets and maintains regulatory standards. Further information about Akanuku | Assurance Reviews is included at the end of this report.
Regulatory standards |
ERO’s judgement |
|
Curriculum |
Meeting |
|
Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
|
Health and safety |
Meeting |
|
Governance, management and administration |
Meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Gisborne Community Early Education Centre Te Whare Tiaki Tamariki Inc is a community-based service located in central Gisborne. It is governed by an executive committee of staff, parents, whānau and community members. The tumuaki provides curriculum support and is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the service. She is supported by team leaders across two age-based areas.
Children access a range of experiences and opportunities in a variety of play and learning spaces, both indoors and outdoors. A language rich environment enhances and extends children’s learning and development.
Adults providing education and care engage in meaningful interactions to enrich children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. Children’s preferences are respected, and they are involved in decisions about their learning experiences. They are viewed as confident and competent learners.
The curriculum is informed by assessment, planning and evaluation that demonstrates an understanding of children’s learning, their interests, whānau and life contexts. The unique place of Māori as tangata whenua is acknowledged.
Next steps include:
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Shelley Booysen
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
17 August 2021
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Gisborne Community Early Education Centre Te Whare Tiaki Tamariki Inc |
|
Profile Number |
55004 |
|
Location |
Gisborne |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
55 children, including up to 25 aged under 2. |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
100% |
|
Service roll |
79 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 22, NZ European/Pākehā 41, Other European 7, Other ethnic groups 9. |
|
Review team on site |
July 2021 |
|
Date of this report |
17 August 2021 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, July 2020; Education Review, February 2015. |
All services are licensed under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008. The legal requirements for early childhood services also include the Licensing Criteria for Education and Care Services 2008.
Services must meet the standards in the regulations and the requirements of the licensing criteria to gain and maintain a licence to operate.
All early childhood services are required to promote children’s health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements. Before the review, the staff and management of a service 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:
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO assesses whether the regulated standards are being met. In particular, ERO looks at a service’s systems for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children's wellbeing:
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Gisborne Community Early Education Centre Te Whare Tiaki requires further development to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
Gisborne Community Early Education Centre requires further development in sustainable systems for teacher development, review for accountability purposes and health and safety practices.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Gisborne Community Early Education Centre/Te Whare Tiaki Tamariki is, a community-based service located in central Gisborne. It is licensed for a maximum of 55 children aged over two years and for 25 up to two years old. At the time of this review there were 85 children enrolled and 23 identify as Māori.
The service is governed by an executive committee that includes parents, staff and members of the local community. Since the February 2015 ERO evaluation, there have been significant changes. These changes include relocation of the service to a nearby purpose-built centre and the retirement of the manager (Tumuaki) who led the service for many years. A newly appointed manager (Tumuaki)has been in the role for six weeks. She is responsible for daily operation and leading teaching and learning. Executive roles and trustee changes have also occurred over a five year period.
The centre philosophy prioritises the valuing and celebrating of relationships that convey respect and building authentic and meaningful connections with children, their whānau and the community. It is currently being revised.
The February 2015 ERO evaluation identified that teachers and leaders should continue to review how well teaching, learning and curriculum practices enhance learning outcomes for children and their whānau. Good progress has been made with review practices related to curriculum provision.
Some key practices and procedures need attention to meet the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008. Governance and management practices require further development for the service operation to meet requirements and further promote quality outcomes for children.
Children are explorers, experimenters and problem solvers who engage in meaningful learning contexts. They are actively connected to their community through a range of excursions and activities. Teaching approaches are responsive to children's strengths and interests. The well-resourced environment supports learning opportunities. The philosophy is embedded in the programme and centre practices.
Infants and toddlers are well cared for by attentive teachers who understand and respond to the subtle cues of these learners. Respect for children's choices around care is prioritised. Trusting, reciprocal learning relationships between children, teachers and whānau contribute to their growing confidence and independence.
Te ao Māori ways of knowing, doing and being are interwoven across the curriculum. Children enthusiastically express these values and beliefs in kapa haka and in play. Māori place-based narratives are visually included in the building design and in centre resources. Māori success as Māori is guided by whānau Māori input into the programme.
Transitions between rooms are well supported through teacher collaboration with children, parents and whānau.
Learning journeys reflect child-led learning, extended thinking and progress over time. Recent reviews of programme planning and practice have led to improved processes. Increasing parent aspirations and celebration of children's cultures in documentation should further guide and strengthen assessment and planning processes.
Teachers are making use of internal evaluation to support decisions and actions taken to improve outcomes for children.
Review for accountability purposes needs strengthening. Extending the service's annual plan to sufficiently guide centre operation and the review of policies is needed.
Fully implementing centre appraisal processes is needed, to support teacher development. This includes: alignment to Teaching Council requirements; goal setting discussions; observations; reflections; and a means of recording progress annually.
Management and staff need to improve and develop their understanding of and practices in:
review for accountability purposes
governance and management systems, including oversight and monitoring to meet the licensing requirements and regulatory standards.
Before the review, the staff and management of Gisborne Community Early Education Centre Te Whare Tiaki Tamariki Inc 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.
ERO identified areas of non-compliance relating to:
a regular cycle of policy review
earthquake, tsunami and lockdown drills completed separately and regularly
hazards eliminated, isolated or minimised, such as access to hazardous materials and equipment that could cause harm, securing of the microwave and children's access to the laundry cupboard
records of accidents that acknowledge parents have been informed of any accident or incident.
[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS31, HS8, HS12, HS27]
Since the onsite stage of the evaluation the service has provided evidence to ERO in relation to: securing the microwave and the laundry cupboard; a system for recording tsunami drills; and parental acknowledgement of accidents. They have sought advice from the New Zealand Police regarding lockdown drills and provided the current Child Protection Policy.
[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, GMA6; GMA7A; HS8; HS27; HS31]
To meet requirements the service needs to improve its performance in:
effective governance and management in accordance with good management practices, including review practices.
[Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008, 47 (1a)]
ERO recommends that the service, in consultation with the Ministry of Education, develops a plan to address the key next steps and actions outlined in this report.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region - Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
15 July 2020
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.
|
Location |
Gisborne |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
55004 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
55 children, including up to 25 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
85 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Males 47, Females 38 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
23 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:5 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:7 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
March 2020 |
||
|
Date of this report |
15 July 2020 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
February 2015 |
|
|
Education Review |
September 2011 |
||
|
Education Review |
January 2008 |
||
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:
Pou Whakahaere – how the service determines its vision, philosophy and direction to ensure positive outcomes for children
Pou Ārahi – how leadership is enacted to enhance positive outcomes for children
Mātauranga – whose knowledge is valued and how the curriculum is designed to achieve positive outcomes for children
Tikanga whakaako – how approaches to teaching and learning respond to diversity and support positive outcomes for children.
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 will depend on how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
Very well placed
Well placed
Requires further development
Not well placed
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.