810 Oliphant Road, Raureka, Hastings
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 Raureka is an early childhood centre located in Hastings that provides education and care for children from birth to school age, five days a week. Of the 58 children enrolled at the time of this ERO review, 41 identify as Māori. Separate spaces are provided for the different age groups within the centre. Children have opportunities to interact between areas, in the recently upgraded indoor and outdoor environments.
The majority of teachers are fully qualified. Day-to-day centre operation is the responsibility of the centre manager, who supports the teaching team. A professional services manager has oversight of curriculum development and delivery, and a business manager supports the centre with administration, licensing, employment and finances.
ABC Raureka is owned and operated by Best Start Educare Limited. In November 2018, during the ERO review process, it changed its name to BestStart Raureka. BestStart policies and procedures guide operation and provide business management services.
The November 2015 ERO report identified that building internal evaluative capacity and improving the quality of assessment, planning and evaluation required strengthening. Significant progress has been made in relation to these areas.
A clear vision for the service aligns to the centre's philosophy. The focus is on responding to the needs of priority learners and strengthening collaboration with whānau and the community. The service's recently reviewed philosophy is underpinned by the vision and based on the Māori principles of whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, ūkaipotanga and wairuatanga. A collaborative approach to teaching and learning with increased deliberate focus on what this looks like in practice is evident.
Children are confident, settled and enjoy the company of their peers. They independently seek their own learning experiences through the use of a range of open-ended resources and flexible learning spaces that promote investigation, curiosity and imagination.
Children benefit from a curriculum where they contribute to decisions that affect them and take on leadership roles. Very young children through to older children demonstrate confidence to play and learn independently and collaboratively. Respectful, trusting relationships between children, educators and families contribute to a calm, settled environment.
Infants and toddlers are nurtured to become active communicators and explorers. Care routines are unhurried and an enjoyable part of children’s learning opportunities. Programmes for these very young learners focus on fostering their wellbeing through responsive caregiving.
There is a collaborative approach to assessment, planning and evaluation. Ongoing discussions occur to develop and improve teaching and learning practices. Observations of children in everyday activities help to build a picture of what they know and what they are interested in. Documenting continuity of children's learning and extension of their emerging interest has been strengthened as a result of professional learning opportunities. Leaders are aware of the need to further strengthen evaluation of planning to show progress over time and make evident, deliberate teaching strategies.
There has been a deliberate focus on strengthening relationships with parents and whānau. Their aspirations are valued and contribute to the programme. Learning partnerships are emerging as teachers seek and respond to parent aspirations. Teachers show a commitment to supporting Pacific success for these learners and their families.
Leaders and teachers are growing their knowledge and understanding of what success for Māori as Māori learners looks like at this service. Appropriate resources, displays and practices that reflect te ao Māori demonstrates that teachers promote and value children's culture, language and identity. Strengthening the bicultural curriculum in children's assessment continues to be a focus.
Children with additional learning needs are well supported to achieve positive outcomes. Teachers identify and seek relevant support. They work in partnership with families and external agencies to promote consistent strategies and monitor progress for these children.
Leaders work together to improve practice and ensure the everyday operation of the service. The centre manager is committed to developing leadership within the team. The head teacher models positive, respectful relationships and leads a collaborative team. Well-developed systems guide centre operation from the organisation level. Teachers are well supported to grow their practice within a robust appraisal process with professional learning aligned to centre priorities.
A useful internal evaluation framework has been implemented. This contributes to a shared knowledge and understanding of how evaluation contributes to decision making, change and improvement. A next step is to use evaluation to monitor and evaluate the impact of practices on outcomes for children.
Centre leaders and ERO agree that important priorities for ongoing development are to continue to strengthen:
assessment, planning and evaluation
internal evaluation.
Before the review, the staff and management of ABC Raureka 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 Raureka will be in three years.
Alan Wynyard
Director Review and Improvement Services Central
Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region
29 November 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.
|
Location |
Hastings |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
55318 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
49 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
58 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 34, Girls 24 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
41 |
|
|
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 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
September 2018 |
||
|
Date of this report |
29 November 2018 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
November 2015 |
|
|
Education Review |
December 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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
ABC Raureka is located in Hastings. It is licensed for 49 children from birth to 5 years of age. The roll includes 35 children who identify as Māori. Two learning areas cater for infants and toddlers, and for children aged over two years. Most staff are qualified and registered teachers.
ABC Raureka operates under the umbrella of BestStart Educare, formerly known as Kidicorp. A business manager, area manager and professional services manager support the centre. This includes scheduled meetings, centre visits, registration mentoring, appraisal and professional development linked to centre or regional goals. The centre business plans are directly linked to Beststart Educare strategic and operational plans.
This review was part of a cluster of four ABC reviews in Hawke’s Bay.
The newly created philosophy is strongly evident in centre practices. The service vision and philosophy provide a shared direction for the curriculum and teaching practice. It focuses on providing a welcoming, relaxed environment for all, featuring whanaungatanga, wairuatanga, manaakitanga and ūkaipotanga.
Comfortable, quiet areas cater for children not yet mobile. Teachers’ interactions with infants and toddlers are respectful, gentle and nurturing. Developing strong relationships is a significant feature of the centre. Children are valued as confident and competent learners. Exploration, risk taking and discovery are encouraged through teachers providing a well-considered learning environment. The curriculum is responsive to their needs and rhythms.
Cultural diversity is celebrated, and children and their families experience a sense of belonging. Teachers have a sound knowledge of children’s cultural and family backgrounds. This knowledge is reflected in the curriculum that is underpinned by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
Teachers support children's interests and ongoing learning. Children’s portfolios provide a useful record of each child's participation and enjoyment in learning. The use of an online tool for recording and sharing children's learning, participation in centre experiences and friendships with others fosters closer links between home and centre. A key next step is for teachers to continue to refine assessment, planning and evaluation processes by developing:
Teachers show a commitment to building partnerships with families. Teachers work with parents and external agencies, to support children with additional learning needs to be successful learners.
Bicultural practice is integrated throughout the curriculum. Te ao Māori and children’s language, culture and identity are valued. The marakai is used as a platform for bicultural exploration bringing tamariki, whānau and the wider community together.
Aspects of Pacific culture are reflected through centre resources. Teachers remain committed to ongoing learning in this area to build on positive partnership with Pacific families and to promote positive outcomes for Pacific children.
Children’s transitions into and within the centre are well managed and support success. The centre has a positive relationship with a local primary school.
Teachers continue to build their knowledge and understanding of self review. A useful framework is in place and significant progress has been made since the 2012 ERO review. Teachers recognise, and ERO’s evaluation affirms, that strengthening the self-review process to enable them to better evaluate the effectiveness of their practice, is an important next step to support ongoing improvement.
Management supports staff to develop and promote positive learning outcomes for children. Attendance at professional learning and development is encouraged. There is a clear link between the organisation strategic goals, the centre’s goals and teachers’ individual appraisal goals. Regular discussion between individual staff and the head teacher affirms practice and identifies areas to develop.
The approach to leadership is collaborative and supportive. Emergent leadership is encouraged and builds on teachers' strengths and interests.
Teachers, management and ERO agree that the key next steps are to continue:
Before the review, the staff and management of ABC Raureka 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 Raureka will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
25 November 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 |
Hastings |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
55318 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
49 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
58 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 31 Girls 27 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Indian Other ethnic groups |
35 15 4 4 |
|
|
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 |
1:15 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
September 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
25 November 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
December 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.