25 Nelson Street, Greymouth South, Greymouth
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Scenicland Central Pre School and Nursery is one of three centres in Greymouth owned by the nationwide Evolve Education Group. The centre caters for children aged from birth to school age. The nursery, toddler and preschool areas each have their own separate indoor and outdoor areas.
The Evolve Education Group bought the centre in 2015. Some changes in staffing have occurred since then. Most staff are qualified early childhood teachers.
The centre is led by a centre manager and head teachers. A new Evolve Group area manager has recently been appointed. She visits the centre to provide management and leadership support.
The centre has made some progress in the areas identified in the 2013 ERO review. However, the change in centre ownership has resulted in ongoing change to some systems and practices. This, and changes in staff, means some of these areas, especially consistency of practices and evaluation, continue to be next steps for the service.
This review was part of a cluster of three reviews in the Evolve Education Group in the Greymouth area.
A clear and well-considered philosophy has been developed in consultation with whānau, children and staff. It provides a useful framework to guide centre practices and the ways teachers support children's learning.
Children experience positive and affirming interactions with their teachers and other children. Teachers actively promote respectful relationships as an important aspect of the centre's culture and children's learning. They encourage children to learn co-operatively with other children. Infants and toddlers have many opportunities to form close relationships with adults. Routines are unhurried and are valued as learning and relationship building opportunities.
Teachers provide a welcoming, calm and inclusive learning environment. They readily include children's cultures. They are sensitive and responsive to children's and families' individual circumstances.
Teachers provide regular opportunities for children to experience aspects of te reo and tikanga Māori within the curriculum. They are developing their awareness of how they can incorporate Māori concepts further into centre practices.
Children's learning is being promoted by effective practices that build learning partnerships between the child, their family and the centre. Assessment practices better reflect these partnerships. Many individual learning plans regularly include parents' aspirations and what teaches know about children's interests.
Successful transitions are supported by effective partnerships between the centre, families and schools. Decisions on transition timeframes are flexible and responsive to the individual needs of each child and their family. Children's sense of belonging is nurtured as they move through the centre and onto school.
Teachers, particularly in the preschool, are making effective use of internal evaluation to inquire into and improve aspects of the programme and practices. They have made good use of internal evaluation to work well collaboratively, use professional reading to improve their teaching practices and consider the impact of practices on learning outcomes for children.
Evolve is introducing a number of new systems and practices that have the potential to further build capability and sustainability of the centre. Evolve introduced a new staff appraisal system in March 2017. Recent improvement to the appraisal process will help to ensure that future endorsements will meet the requirements of the Education Council. Teachers could benefit from ongoing professional development to effectively use this new documentation.
ERO and the centre managers agree that the key next steps to improve positive learning outcomes for children include:
strengthening the consistency and quality of planning and assessment across the centre
raising the consistency and understanding across all teams of using evaluation to determine the effectiveness of teaching practices
continuing to strengthen all teachers' understandings of te Ao Māori perspectives across the curriculum and all centre practices
Evolve management supporting the centre manager and teachers to successfully implement new Evolve policies and practices.
Before the review, the staff and management of Scenicland Central Pre School & Nursery 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 Scenicland Central Pre School & Nursery will be in three years.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern/Te Waipounamu
30 June 2017
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 |
Greymouth |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
65195 |
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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 |
50 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
83 |
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Gender composition |
Boys: 46 Girls: 37 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
16 |
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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 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
April 2017 |
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Date of this report |
30 June 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
August 2013 |
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Education Review |
November 2010 |
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Education Review |
August 2007 |
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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.
Scenicland Limited administers four early childhood centres on the West Coast. Three centres are in Greymouth and the fourth centre is in Hokitika. Scenicland Central Pre School and Nursery is located in Greymouth and caters for children in three separate groups. The nursery, toddler and preschool areas each have their own separate, well-resourced indoor and outdoor areas.
The manager is highly committed to employing qualified early childhood teachers and supporting staff members to gain an early childhood teacher qualification. The centre employs some qualified early childhood teachers. Other staff members are in training and often work part-time so that they can complete their teacher training. A major contributing factor in attracting and keeping qualified staff is the centre’s location on the West Coast.
The manager, head teacher and staff have made considerable progress in improving the quality of education since the 2010 ERO review. They have made significant improvements to the building and grounds, including establishing a separate toddler area. An improved management system and practices are being put in place. Good use is made of professional development to support improvements to management, and teaching and learning. A high level of health and safety is maintained for children, staff and families.
Children are happy and confident in the centre. The environments in the nursery, toddler and preschool are calm and welcoming. Teachers warmly welcome children and parents and spend time with children helping them to settle easily into the programme.
Children in the preschool work well together for long periods of time in small self-selected groups. They willingly share resources and ideas. Teachers use a range of approaches to help children to use the equipment safely and to respect others.
Teachers in the toddler area thoughtfully listen to children and involve them in decisions about their wellbeing. Some teachers use a good range of approaches to involve children in conversations, and to help them extend their thinking and problem-solving skills.
Teachers in the nursery are responsive, caring and successfully promote infants’ wellbeing and belonging. They are respectful to infants and encourage them to be active explorers. They provide a range of additional experiences that delight and amuse these young children.
The head teacher and teachers have made good use of professional development to establish useful planning for individual children. Generally the plans clearly specify a goal for the child, the experiences that teachers will provide and the teaching approaches that they could use to help the children achieve their goals. Children’s individual goals are attractively displayed and regularly referred to by staff when working with each child.
The head teacher and teachers have put in place a well-planned approach to increase the bicultural part of the programme. The teachers make good use of self review, appraisal goals and professional development to increase their knowledge, understanding and confidence in using te reo and tikanga Māori.
Teachers have taken a number of positive steps to find out more about children’s home cultures and include aspects of these in the programme.
The learning environments are welcoming and invite children to explore, use their imagination and develop an appreciation of the natural world. The areas are well resourced and equipment is easy for children to access. Teachers have thoughtfully selected resources and activities for the age of children in each area. A feature of the outdoor areas is the range of equipment that helps children develop their physical skills and confidence.
Self review is becoming better and useful as a result of external professional development. Staff members are developing a good understanding of review and value the process. They are beginning to share responsibility for reviews and make good use of the information gathered to improve outcomes for children.
The manager and head teachers from the four centres, with support of advisors, have put together a strategic plan that provides direction for the future development of the centre and improving teaching and learning. The plan has clear objectives that cover learning and teaching and building capability and capacity within the organisation and staff. The plan makes particular reference to increasing the focus on New Zealand’s bicultural heritage so that all children gain appropriate knowledge and experience success in this area.
The manager is committed to growing the leadership capabilities of her head teachers and staff. She is investing significantly in their ongoing professional development and involving them in major decisions for the organisation. The head teachers from the four centres told ERO that they value the opportunity to share experiences and expertise with each other and the manager on a regular basis.
The managers and ERO agree that the next steps to improve learning outcomes for children include:
extending self review to evaluate how well the goals of the long-term plans for the organisation and individual centres are being met
strengthening child assessment practices to improve the consistency and usefulness of the learning stories in identifying learning and showing progress
evaluating the effectiveness of the new planning processes for improving learning and teaching
reviewing structured, teacher-led groups times in the preschool
continuing to use and review the effectiveness of the newly developed appraisal system
investigating further ways to build partnerships with parents, particularly families of Māori children.
Before the review, the staff and management of Scenicland Central Pre School and Nursery 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.
The next ERO review of Scenicland Central Pre School and Nursery will be in three years.
Graham Randell
National Manager Review Services Southern Region
20 August 2013
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 |
Greymouth |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
65195 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
50 children, including up to 15 aged under two |
||
|
Service roll |
89 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 53; Boys 36 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Other ethnicities |
6 82 1 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates |
50-79% |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
June 2013 |
||
|
Date of this report |
20 August 2013 |
||
|
Most recent ERO reports
|
Education Review |
November 2010 |
|
|
Education Review |
August 2007 |
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.