Molyneux Educare Inc

Education institution number:
83004
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
47
Telephone:
Address:

17 Molyneux Avenue, Cromwell

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Molyneux Educare Inc

1 ERO’s Judgements

Akarangi | Quality Evaluation evaluates the extent to which this early childhood service has the learning and organisational conditions to support equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners. Te Ara Poutama Indicators of quality for early childhood education: what matters most are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Judgements are made in relation to the Outcomes Indicators, Learning and Organisational Conditions. The Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.

ERO’s judgements for Molyneux Educare Inc are as follows:

Outcome Indicators

(What the service knows about outcomes for learners)

Whāngai Establishing

Ngā Akatoro Domains

 

Learning Conditions
Organisational Conditions

Whakaū Embedding

Whāngai Establishing

2 Context of the Service

Molyneux Educare Inc is a community-based early learning service. It provides a mixed age setting with a designated area for infants. A parent committee governs the centre. There have recently been a number of staff changes including a newly appointed centre manager who is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the service. Approximately one third of families represent diverse ethnic backgrounds.

3 Summary of findings

Children are well supported by teachers in a curriculum which reflects the centre’s philosophy, Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and learning priorities and values of manaakitanga (caring) and community. Teachers prioritise and actively work to deepen children’s connections with the natural environment and local community.

Children under the age of three benefit from secure trusting relationships with key teachers. They experience a rich broad curriculum with a strong focus on developing their emotional wellbeing, oral language, and physical capabilities.

Older children have their learning extended by bringing their community inquiries back into the centre. They are well supported to:

  • learn about Aotearoa New Zealand’s dual heritage including hearing and using te reo me ngā tikanga Māori

  • learn early mathematical and literacy concepts

  • enjoy rich oral language interactions with their teachers and develop oral language capabilities

  • make choices about their learning in well-resourced and interesting environments.

A new system for assessment of learning and planning for children has recently been introduced to better include parent’s aspirations for their children and to document links to the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki to show children’s progression of learning over time. Children’s languages cultures and identities are not yet strongly evident in the environment or in records of learning.

Leaders and teachers are in the early stages of developing their shared understanding and capability to do and use effective internal evaluation to make improvements and know what is working or not and for whom.  Overall, the centre remains well managed and governed and there are suitable systems for managing the daily operations.

4 Improvement actions

Molyneux Educare Inc will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

  • in assessment documentation make clear links to the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki to show children’s progression of learning over time

  • reflect children’s cultures and languages in the environment and in assessment documentation

  • develop the collective capability of kaiako to do and use internal evaluation to make improvements that are focused on learner outcomes.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Molyneux Educare 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:

  • 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.

Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

24 August 2022 

6 About the Early Childhood Service

Early Childhood Service Name

Molyneux Educare Inc

Profile Number

83004

Location

Cromwell

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

50 children, including up to 15 aged under 2

Percentage of qualified teachers

80-99%

Service roll

52

Ethnic composition

Māori 2, NZ European/Pākehā 37, Indian 4, Other ethnic groups 9

Review team on site

June 2022

Date of this report

24 August 2022

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, September 2016; Education Review, August 2013

Molyneux Educare Inc - 31/10/2016

1 Evaluation of Molyneux Educare Inc

How well placed is Molyneux Educare Inc 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

Molyneux Educare Inc is a community-based service. It provides high quality education and care for up to 50 children from birth-to-school age. The centre provides a mixed-age setting where siblings can be together. There is a separate space for very young children. Children come from diverse family backgrounds.

The centre is governed by a parent committee. A centre manager and centre advisor manage the day-to-day operation of the centre. The teaching team is made up of trained teachers who are supported in their work by experienced teacher aides.

Leaders and teachers have continued to grow the good practices identified in the 2013 ERO report and have made very good progress in addressing the key next steps. They have strengthened:

  • the appraisal process

  • planning and assessment for children

  • how teachers respond to parents' wishes for their children's learning

  • the integration of Māori perspectives in the programme.

The Review Findings

The centre manager's and advisor's vision for high quality education and care results in practices that promote positive outcomes for children and their families. Children benefit from a programme that is strongly grounded in the principles and strands of Te Whariki, the early childhood curriculum. The centre philosophy and the key values of aroha, whānau, respect and ako guide decision making and are strongly evident in practice.

Leaders and teachers develop effective partnerships with parents to support children's learning. Teachers take the time to:

  • develop respectful, caring and inclusive relationships with children and their families

  • know families' language, culture and identity

  • seek and respond to parents' wishes for their children's learning and other important matters relating to the centre programmes.

Children's learning is well supported by rich and interesting programmes. For example, they have many opportunities to learn early mathematics, science and literacy, and use ICT to research their ideas. Frequent well-planned community outings become contexts for deeper exploration at the centre and enable children to develop a sense of belonging to the local community. Children learn and play in well-resourced spaces.

Teachers have high expectations of children and view them as competent and confident learners. Teachers purposefully arrange the day so that children can spend uninterrupted and unhurried time at activities of their choice. Children's transitions into, within and out of the centre are carefully planned for and well managed. Teachers empower children by giving them a say in organising the environment and allowing them to help with routines. They effectively support children to learn the skills of being a friend and part of the centre whānau. They listen carefully to children's ideas and use these to plan for further learning.

Children from diverse cultural backgrounds, including Māori and Pacific, are well provided for in the programme. Leaders and teachers are learners alongside the children in developing their knowledge and understanding of the cultural heritages of both partners to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. They:

  • model and help children learn te reo Māori and waiata

  • purposefully include Māori perspectives in authentic ways.

Infants and toddlers benefit from the nurturing and responsive relationships they have with their teachers and caregivers. Teachers are in tune with their verbal and non-verbal cues, foster their oral language and provide a very good range of appropriate resources and experiences for this age group. Teachers empower toddlers to explore, investigate, practice real-life and self-help skills and develop early concepts of literacy and numeracy. Toddlers are encouraged to learn about and take care of their environment and younger children.

Leaders and teachers recognise the dynamic nature of assessment and continually refine planning, assessment and evaluation. This enables them to make ongoing improvements to the way they plan for and show children's learning and progress.

Leaders model relational trust in the way they work together and are deliberately building this within the team. They have high expectations of themselves and the teachers and provide strong leadership for teaching and learning.

They are building teacher capability by:

  • embedding a distributed-leadership system where teachers equally share responsibilities

  • providing teachers with useful feedback and guidance to improve their practice and intentionality of teaching and learning

  • implementing an effective appraisal system

  • providing purposeful and targeted professional learning and development.

Leaders implement rigorous and robust internal evaluation to make ongoing improvements. They are creating a culture of critical inquiry and are supporting teachers to develop their evaluation capability.

The centre committee and leaders have developed useful long-term and short-term planning to identify priorities and guide the centre's direction. This includes a focus on the ongoing sustainability of governance. Reporting to the committee could be more evaluative and better aligned to the strategic priorities. There are efficient systems for managing the daily operation of the service.

Key Next Steps

Through effective internal evaluation, leaders and teachers have identified their key next steps for improvement. ERO agrees with these.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Molyneux Educare 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:

  • 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 Molyneux Educare Inc will be in four years.

Lesley Patterson

Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern

31 October 2016

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

Cromwell

Ministry of Education profile number

83004

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

50 children, including up to 15 aged under 2

Service roll

52

Gender composition

Boys: 30

Girls: 22

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

Niuean

Tuvaluan

Japanese

Filipino

Indian

Australian

5

40

1

1

1

2

1

1

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%+

Based on funding rates

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:4

Better than minimum requirements

Over 2

1:7

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

September 2016

Date of this report

31 October 2016

Most recent ERO report(s)

 

Education Review

August 2013

Supplementary Review

June 2010

Supplementary Review

June 2009

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.