Busy Bees Greytown

Education institution number:
60349
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
73
Telephone:
Address:

151 Main Street, Greytown

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Ladybird Early Childhood Centre - 15/09/2015

1 Evaluation of Ladybird Early Childhood Centre

How well placed is Ladybird Early Childhood Centre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.

Background

Ladybird Early Childhood Centre is a well-established privately owned and operated centre. The service provides education and care for children from birth to school age. The space specifically designed for infants, and those for older children are now included under the same licence. A transition liaison teacher is responsible for supporting children and families as they move from one area of the centre to the next. Opening hours are organised to cater for the variety of families’ needs, including Wellington commuters.

Teachers are all either qualified or in training. A new centre principal was appointed early this year to guide and model sound professional practice.

The importance of supporting children’s sense of exploration and discovery is recognised in the centre philosophy.

Leaders and teachers are continuing to make progress in addressing the next steps for development identified in the October 2012 ERO report.

The Review Findings

The centre philosophy and vision are highly evident in practice. Children and families are valued and respected. All demonstrate a strong sense of wellbeing and belonging within an inclusive environment. The atmosphere is calm and peaceful. Warm reciprocal relationships are evident.

Aesthetically pleasing, natural spaces, indoors and out, stimulate children’s motivation, their active exploration and developing resourcefulness. Babies, toddlers and older children enjoy freedom of movement, growing and learning at their own pace. Leaders and teachers have adopted a movement programme as a deliberate strategy to enhance children’s physical and cognitive development.

Attentive teachers are aware of and respond well to infants’ verbal and non-verbal cues, gestures and body language. Management provides staff to child ratios that are better than minimum requirements. This contributes to opportunities to develop responsive caregiving. Leaders and ERO agree that an improved teacher induction programme should ensure a greater consistency in the ways adults relate to young learners. 

Assessment, planning and evaluation strongly reflect children’s holistic, oral language and physical development. Continuity and progression of children’s learning is visible through documentation.

In response to ERO’s previous report teachers have demonstrated a commitment to increasing their confidence in and practice of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori. They have also recognised that they should continue to work on their centre’s bicultural approach to be more integrated and consistent.

Children with identified learning needs receive appropriate support and encouragement to maximise their contribution. Teachers establish a setting where all children are positively included.

Appraisal is used in a well-considered manner to improve the quality of teaching capability and strengthen the centre’s focus on improving outcomes for children. The principal is considering incorporating Tatāiako: Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners into the appraisal to increase teachers’ understanding of appropriate ways to work with Māori learners. The owner intends accessing an external appraiser, to better support her leadership. ERO agrees with these plans for improvement.

Leaders establish a culture in which children are valued, celebrated and affirmed for who they are and what they bring to their learning. The centre principal works well alongside management to contribute to positive outcomes for all children. She has strengthened self review processes, linking personnel management, strategic and annual planning.

A high level of relational trust is becoming evident among all involved in the service that supports negotiation, problem solving and critical reflection. Management provides ongoing professional learning and development for teachers, according to their specific goals and needs.

The self review framework is responsive and focuses on improved outcomes for all children. It is reflective, evidence based and collaborative, involving children, parents, whānau and teachers. Leaders agree with ERO, that they should consolidate the use of this process to assist ongoing improvement.

Centre managers and ERO agree that they should further strengthen:

  • self review
  • teacher induction
  • the reflection of te ao Māori in the curriculum
  • appraisal to include Tatāiako: Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Ladybird Early Childhood 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:

  • 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; 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.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Ladybird Early Childhood Centre will be in three years. 

Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central

15 September 2015 

The Purpose of ERO Reports

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. 

2 Information about the Early Childhood Service 

Location

Greytown

Ministry of Education profile number

60349

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

65 children, including up to 25 aged under 2

Service roll

66

Gender composition

Girls 34, Boys 32

Ethnic composition

Māori
NZ European/Pākehā
Pacific

  8
55
  3

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49%       50-79%       80%+

Based on funding rates

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:3

Better than minimum requirements

Over 2

1:6

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

July 2015

Date of this report

15 September 2015

Most recent ERO report(s)

 

Education Review

October 2012

Education Review

March 2009

Education Review

March 2006

3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

ERO’s Evaluation Framework

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.

ERO’s Overall Judgement and Next Review

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:

  • Very well placed – The next ERO review in four years
  • Well placed – The next ERO review in three years
  • Requires further development – The next ERO review within two years
  • Not well placed - The next ERO review in consultation with the Ministry of Education

ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.

Review Coverage

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.

Ladybird Early Childhood Centre - 05/10/2012

1 Evaluation of the Service

How well placed is the service to promote positive outcomes for children?

Ladybird Early Childhood Centre is well placed to continue to promote positive outcomes for children. The centre is well established, has a number of long-serving teachers and systems in place to sustain its good practices.

Context

The Greytown privately owned and operated centre is open from 7am to 6pm to meet a range of families’ needs, including commuters to Wellington.

The centre caters for children aged between two and five years. There is a separate infant and toddlers' centre on the same site. Transition into the centre, and between the two facilities, is well considered. Two distinct programmes appropriately cater for particular age groups.

The centre has set a vision to provide high quality bilingual education and a caring environment. Its philosophy statement emphasises the provision of a safe, secure and resource rich environment. It promotes positive relationships and values including developing children’s independence. The philosophy incorporates a Reggio Emilia approach to teaching and recognises biculturalism.

This report confirms the strengths identified in ERO's March 2009 review, and also notes that there is a continued need to develop areas identified at that time. 

The Review Findings

Key documentation such as the philosophy statement, strategic plan and policies are available to parents and whānau and are regularly and consultatively reviewed. The policies appropriately consider children’s physical and emotional needs. 

  • The management plan has been developed for three years, ending in 2012. It is timely to consider the next plan and to have a greater focus on outcomes for children. 

ERO’s 2009 review identified self review as an area for development. Since then the centre has contracted external professional learning and development to meet that need. The focus has been on spontaneous reviews and through this process the centre has identified areas for programme development. 

  • There is still a need to make self review more robust, especially related to strategic self review of the annual plan and implementation of the philosophy.

The owner and some teachers recently attended professional learning and development related to performance appraisal, and have identified strategies to help teachers further develop their knowledge and skills.

Teachers place a strong emphasis on literacy and mathematics. Children learn Spanish and some te reo Māori. The parents report that the programme for four-year-olds provides a very sound foundation for transition to school.

The programmes are planned, based on the child’s interests and focus on activities. 

  • The next step is for the assessment, planning and evaluation to have a greater focus on extending children's learning. 
  • Teachers also need to integrate the bicultural practice and philosophy statements more effectively across the curriculum.

Teachers reflect on their practice, and collaboratively discuss ways to support individual children. 

  • It would be useful to document reflections and thinking behind planning decisions in staff meeting notes for future reference. 

Teachers have warm relationships and clear communication with families.  Their interactions with children are positive and contribute the settled tone. 

Teachers are caring, responsive and respectful. They provide good opportunities for these articulate children to extend their language. The children are self motivated, confident in their own ability and stay engaged for sustained periods.

2 Legal Requirements

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the management of Ladybird Early Childhood 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:

  • administration
  • health, safety and welfare
  • personnel management
  • financial and property management. 

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.

3 Next Review

When is ERO likely to review the early childhood service again?

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years. 

Joyce Gebbie
National Manager Review Services
Central Region (Acting)

5 October 2012

Information about the Early Childhood Service

Location

Greytown

Ministry of Education profile number

60349

Licence type

Education and Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Centres) Regulations 1998

Number licensed for

40 children, including up to 16 aged under 2

Service roll

60

Gender composition

Female 31, Male 29

Ethnic composition

NZ European/Pākehā
Māori
Other European

51
  7
  2

Review team on site

August 2012

Date of this report

5 October 2012

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review
Education Review
Supplementary Review

March 2009
March 2006
October 2003

General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

About ERO Reviews

The Education Review Office (ERO) is the New Zealand government department that reviews schools and early childhood services throughout New Zealand.

Review focus

ERO's education reviews in early childhood services focus on the factors that contribute to positive learning outcomes for children. ERO evaluates how well placed the service is to make and sustain improvements for the benefit of all children at the service. To reach these findings ERO considers:

  • 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 self review and partnerships with parents and whānau.

Review Coverage

ERO reviews do not cover every aspect of service performance and each ERO report may cover different issues. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to the service.