29 Albert Street, Lansdowne-Masterton, Masterton
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Active Explorers is a purpose-built education and care service in Masterton, operated by Evolve Education Group. The centre is licensed for 80 children, including 28 up to the age of two years. Full time education and care is provided across three specifically designed teaching spaces.
Evolve Education Group’s governance guidelines, systems and processes provide a framework for centre operation. An area manager provides professional support and guidance to teachers and leaders. The centre manager has overall responsibility for day-to-day operation. Three team leaders support teachers in their roles and have oversight of the curriculum.
The October 2015 ERO report identified areas requiring further improvement. Good progress has been made in revising the centre’s philosophy, strengthening assessment, planning and evaluation practices, targeting teacher professional development (PLD) and defining success for Māori and Pacific learners.
The centre is a member of the Masterton (Whakaoriori) Kāhui Ako.
Children play cooperatively and creatively with their peers. Opportunities to initiate, choose and extend activities enable them to sustain and add complexity to their learning. Empowering children to lead their learning, develop social competencies and friendship skills is a focus of centre planning and practice. Teachers are responsive to individual children’s interests and discoveries. Intentionally weaving these throughout the curriculum engages children and gives an authentic context to learning.
Infants and toddlers experience a quiet and calm environment that supports their wellbeing. Teachers are responsive, nurturing and respectful of their preferences. They recognise routines as learning opportunities and communicate meaningfully during care moments.
Teachers encourage families to contribute to their child’s learning journey by seeking their aspirations and perspectives. Useful information about cultural and home contexts is gathered. This contributes to strengthening a child's sense of belonging and building positive relationships.
Children with additional needs are well supported and external agencies and support are accessed as appropriate, in consultation with parents.
Assessment documentation is thoughtfully written and captures children’s interests, discoveries and progress. Prior knowledge is linked strongly to new understandings and opportunities are suggested to extend learning further. A key next step for teachers is to clearly show, through assessment documentation, how they have been intentional with their planning and how this has improved learning outcomes for children.
Te ao Māori experiences are offered within the curriculum. There is a considered approach to building teachers' bicultural knowledge. Purposeful improvements in this area have been well supported by iwi. Continuing to build partnerships with whānau to promote the learning success of Māori and Pacific children should continue be a priority.
Transitions into, through and onto school are thoughtfully planned. Teachers have already developed useful relationships with some local schools. Membership of the Whakaoriori Kāhui Ako is supporting transitions well.
A comprehensive review of the philosophy is well underway, supported by ongoing consultation with whānau, kaiako, tamariki and iwi. Key aspects to capture are the centre's special, unique features and its valued learning outcomes, underpinned by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
Leaders and teachers are improvement focused and regularly reflect on aspects of practice. A next step is to build teachers' understanding of evaluation and how it should be used to judge the effectiveness of practice and outcomes for children.
A well-considered appraisal process is in place. Teachers challenge themselves to continually improve their practice through strategic goal-setting, inquiry and professional learning.
The teaching team is well supported by Evolve Group Managers to grow their teaching and leadership practices.
Leaders and teachers agree next steps for ongoing improvement should include:
continuing to shape a philosophy that includes the centre’s valued outcomes
building teachers' knowledge of internal evaluation
strengthening partnerships with whānau to promote the learning success of Māori and Pacific children.
Before the review, the staff and management of Active Explorers Masterton 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 Active Explorers Masterton will be in three years.
Alan Wynyard
Director Review and Improvement Services
Southern Region
11 January 2019
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 |
Masterton |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
60105 |
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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 |
80 children, including up to 28 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
102 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 64, Girls 38 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
12 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:5 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
November 2018 |
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Date of this report |
11 January 2019 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
October 2015 |
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Education Review |
August 2012 |
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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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Masterton Early Learning Centre is part of the Evolve Education Group, a privately owned company providing an education and care service. In December 2014 Evolve purchased the purpose built centre. The owner’s organisation provides a framework for the centre operations. The centre is licensed for 80 children, including 28 children aged under two.
A centre manager was appointed in April 2015 to oversee leadership and day-to-day management. The previous manager took up the role of area manager. The transition from one service provider to another is being managed by the centre and area managers.
There are four age-defined learning and care spaces, each the responsibility of a team leader. These areas provide for both inside and outside learning opportunities. Children choose play activities guided by teaching staff.
Findings from the August 2012 ERO report have been considered by the managers. There has been review and development in the use of te reo Māori throughout the centre. The programme for the older children has been addressed. There is now child-initiated sustained play. Teaching and assessment practices of a consistently high standard continue to be a centre challenge. Internal evaluation to guide change and improvement is developing.
The service’s philosophy and the visions for each learning space are clearly documented and shared. It is timely, under the new ownership structure, to review these. Priorities for each room should focus on and reflect high quality early childhood education and care for all children.
Children experience positive and warm, reciprocal relationships with teachers. Literacy and numeracy are valued in the older children’s spaces. Children are provided with feedback that acknowledges their effort and success. They enjoy a range of experiences that direct their learning through exploring, creating and risk taking as they make sense of the world.
Provision for children up to two years of age requires review and further development. Teachers at the centre must recognise and establish a more secure foundation for young children’s care and education. Enriching the programme to maximise routine times as a time to deepen relationships is necessary.
All children engage in a range of purposeful experiences to build their bicultural knowledge. Te ao Māori is valued.
To provide improved direction, teachers should analyse the information gathered from whānau of children who identify as Māori. All staff should reflect on and promote strategies that best support Māori children to be successful learners.
Teachers notice, recognise and respond to children’s needs. Staff planning meetings are a forum for them to discuss children and how they can be supported. Children’s interests inform the planned curriculum for groups of children. Staff should now use assessment processes more effectively to deliberately focus on and plan for children’s learning.
Children’s oral language development is included in the centre’s curriculum. Teachers follow children’s development through observation and discussions with families. Teachers should focus on the effective practices that contribute to improved outcomes for children. Professional development which supports teacher’s understanding of bilingual and multilingual language learning should support this.
A flexible and well-considered approach supports children's transition within the centre and to school. These are well managed. Teachers provide information about local schools to support families as children transition.
Staff continue to seek ways to work with families so that the centre and home work together to support the child’s growth and development. Teachers appreciate families’ responses to the profile books and to the digital communication system. Families are encouraged to interact with teachers at drop off and pick up times.
Teachers participate in review of the service’s operations, especially those that impact on teaching and learning. This is at an emerging stage of development. Strengthening the inquiry, review and evaluation process should support ongoing positive outcomes for children’s development.
Leaders across the centre should critically reflect on and develop their practice. Management should support and foster leaders understanding of their roles and responsibilities.
A next step is for senior managers to improve and better align aspects of governance and leadership such as strategic plans, performance management and evaluation. This should provide clarity about priorities for centre management and what is expected of teachers as they provide positive learning and care experiences for children.
Evolve Education Group with the centre and area managers should:
Before the review, the staff and management of Masterton Early Learning Centre 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.
The next ERO review of Masterton Early Learning Centre will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
13 October 2015
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 |
Masterton |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
60105 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
80 children, including up to 28 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
99 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 54 Girls 45 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Other ethnic groups |
25 72 2 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:5 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
August 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
13 October 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
August 2012 |
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.