Alphabet Academy Roslyn

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 Alphabet Academy Roslyn are as follows:

2 Context of the Service

Alphabet Academy Roslyn is one of two early learning services governed by the Vision Community Trust. Day-to-day management of the centres is the responsibility of the managing director. An experienced head teacher leads a culturally diverse team of five registered teachers.

3 Summary of findings

Children are successful learners. They are effectively supported by intentional teaching in a child-led, play-based context. Culturally diverse and viewed as confident, capable learners, children experience a curriculum that celebrates their cultures, languages, and identities. Assessment practices show children’s increasing capabilities in relation to the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.

Parents and teachers work collaboratively to implement a responsive curriculum for all learners. Programmes are refined to include the views and aspirations parents have for their children. Their sense of belonging, learning and development is nurtured.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi is incorporated through policies and practices to reflect Māori ways of knowing, doing and being. Tuakana teina (older-younger child) relationships support children to take increasing responsibility for their own and others’ actions. Te reo Māori, waiata, and tikanga are interwoven alongside Pacific language through the curriculum. The mana of children is upheld.

Equity for all children is prioritised. Teachers inquire into their practice and make appropriate changes to foster culturally responsive practices. Leaders purposefully examine the effectiveness and impact of programmes to promote positive and equitable outcomes for children. The service continues to build a shared understanding of evaluation to better identify what matters most for learners.

Sound governance practices and systems guide decision making to uphold the learning and wellbeing of children, families, and teachers.

4 Improvement actions

Alphabet Academy Roslyn will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

• work with whānau Māori and mana whenua to build kaiako understanding of local histories and stories of significance

• strengthen internal evaluation processes to better understand how well individual children and groups of children are progressing against the valued outcomes in Te Whāriki to identify what further changes need to be made.

5. Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Alphabet Academy Roslyn 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.

6 Actions for Compliance

Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:

• adults providing education and care are familiar staff are familiar with lockdown drills and have carried them out with children (HS8).

Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

13 July 2022 

7 About the Early Childhood Service