129 High Street, Blenheim
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.
ABC Blenheim Central operates under the BestStart Educare Ltd management structure. BestStart is a large national organisation that owns early childhood centres across New Zealand.
The centre provides education and care for children up to school age and is licensed for 52 children, including up to 12 children under two years of age. The programme is organised across two separate buildings for different age groups. Children aged up to approximately three years-old are cared for in one group and children aged from three years to school age are in the other area. The centre provides lunch and snacks with a focus on promoting healthy food. Families from across the Blenheim district attend the centre, and children come from a diverse range of cultures.
A centre manager oversees the day-to-day operation of the centre. A BestStart business manager (BM) and professional services manager (PSM) visit regularly to support the service. Most staff are trained early childhood teachers.
A new centre manager was appointed in May 2018. There has also been a change in the BestStart support structure, PSM and changes in teaching staff since the 2015 ERO review. At the time of this ERO review, a new centre leadership structure was being established.
Teachers have undertaken some effective internal evaluations to respond to children's wellbeing and learning needs. They have worked collaboratively and made good use of a range of evidence to discuss and reflect on their current practices and identify areas for improvement. This has been most evident in improvements to:
supporting infants' and toddlers' settling and sense of belonging
the setup of the environment to better support children's play interests.
Teachers have also undertaken a recent useful and in-depth review of assessment, planning and evaluation practices. This has helped them to:
make more effective use of assessment to notice, recognise and respond to individual children’s learning
be more purposeful and intentional in supporting success for Māori learners
create more meaningful group planning to support and extend children's learning and experiences.
Centre leaders and teachers have appropriately identified that the consistent embedding of these improvements to assessment, planning and evaluation is now required.
Teachers value parent involvement and are providing increasing opportunities for parents to contribute to the assessment, planning and evaluation for their children's learning. Teachers regularly seek parents' aspirations for infants', toddlers' and children's learning. They are being more purposeful in using this information to inform planning.
Teachers participate in a range of professional learning opportunities to help them focus on improving learning outcomes for all children. Teachers' knowledge in promoting children's mathematical learning, success for Māori learners, and an awareness of Pacific cultures and values has increased through recent professional learning opportunities.
There are well-established BestStart systems to support accountability and continuous improvement. These have been well used to identify appropriate next steps for this centre's development.
The centre has recently had significant changes in leadership and is still establishing its leadership structure. There have been some changes in the teaching teams. Assessment, planning and evaluation practices have been reviewed and are currently being redeveloped.
ERO and centre managers agree, that the key next steps to improve positive outcomes for children, include leaders and teachers:
successfully embedding the new centre leadership structure
further developing the curriculum by being clearer about the intended outcomes for children's' learning that guide the centre's curriculum
having greater clarity around the curriculum strategic goal and planning being undertaken to achieve this goal
increasing their awareness of Te Whāriki 2017
having clearer planning for how professional learning and centre developments, such as improvements in assessment, planning and evaluation, will be implemented, monitored and sustained.
Before the review, the staff and management of ABC Blenheim Central 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 ABC Blenheim Central will be in three years.
Alan Wynyard
Director Review & Improvement Services Southern
Te Waipounamu - Southern Region
17 September 2018
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 |
Blenheim |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
65512 |
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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 |
52 children, including up to 12 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
58 |
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Gender composition |
Boys: 32 Girls: 26 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
15 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
July 2018 |
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Date of this report |
17 September 2018 |
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Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review: Education Review: Education Review: |
August 2015 March 2012 March 2010 |
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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.
ABC Blenheim Central operates under the BestStart Educare Ltd management structure. BestStart (previously known as Kidicorp Ltd) is a large national organisation that owns early childhood centres across New Zealand.
The centre provides education and care for children up to school age and is licensed for 52 children, including up to 12 children aged up to two years old. The programme is organised across 2 separate buildings that cater for different age groups of children. Children aged up to approximately 3 years-old are cared for in one group and children aged from 3 years to school age are in the other area. There are separate outdoor play areas for each age group with opportunities throughout the day for all children to play together at times. The centre provides lunch and snacks with a focus on promoting healthy food.
Families from across the Blenheim district attend the centre and children come from a diverse range of cultures.
A centre manager oversees the day to day operation of the centre. BestStart provides advice and support through regular visits and contact from an area manager. There have been a number of changes in teaching staff since the 2012 ERO review. At the time of this ERO review the centre was inducting some new teachers. A high number of the staff are trained early childhood teachers.
The centre's philosophy supports individual children to learn at their own pace through play and to build trusting relationships. The philosophy is well shared by staff and very evident in centre practices.
Babies, toddlers and older children benefit from respectful and caring relationships. Teachers interact with children in positive, sensitive and unhurried ways. They support children to play with and explore the resources available. They encourage children to attempt new challenges and celebrate their successes.
A useful appraisal process confirms good practice, gives relevant feedback and identifies areas for the ongoing support and further development of staff.
The curriculum provides:
Learning environments are attractive and well resourced.
Routines are flexible and child-paced. Babies and toddlers experience a programme based around their individual routines.
Effective processes are in place to ensure that individual children’s learning is noticed and responded to. Regular reviews of assessment and planning systems are helping to keep managers informed of the quality of these practices.
Relationships with parents and whānau are well established. Centre leaders and teachers ask parents to contribute to centre decision making in a range of ways. There is a focus on being flexible in meeting the needs of families and whānau when enrolling children.
The centre manager and teachers undertake useful reflections on aspects of practice that lead to making improvements to centre processes and teachers’ practices. Teachers have strengthened the way they support children and their families as they move on from one age group to the next within the centre. They have made good use of BestStart resources to review how well their programme supports children as they transition to school.
The centre manager clearly articulates expectations of good practice. Teachers work collaboratively to provide the daily programme and share useful information to effectively support children’s learning, routines and wellbeing.
BestStart has many systems to help centres improve learning outcomes for children. These include:
The area manager, centre manager and teachers now need to develop clearer understandings of, and make better use of, BestStart’s strategic planning systems.
The centre has identified, and ERO confirms, the key next steps for development include:
Before the review, the staff and management of ABC Blenheim Central 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 ABC Blenheim Central will be in three years.
Chris Rowe
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Acting)
5 August 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 |
Blenheim |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
65512 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
52 children, including up to 12 aged under two |
||
|
Service roll |
58 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 20; Boys 38 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Pacific Asian Other ethnicities |
15 30 3 4 6 |
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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 |
|
Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
June 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
5 August 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review |
March 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
March 2010 |
||
|
Education Review |
September 2008 |
||
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.