AUT Centre for Refugee Education Early Childhood Centre

Education institution number:
25150
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
EC Refugee education centre
Telephone:
Address:

251 Massey Road, Mangere East, Auckland

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AUT Centre for Refugee Education Early Childhood Centre

ERO’s Akanuku | Assurance Review reports provide information about whether a service meets and maintains regulatory standards. Further information about Akanuku | Assurance Reviews is included at the end of this report.

ERO’s Judgement

Regulatory standards

ERO’s judgement

CurriculumMeeting
Premises and facilitiesMeeting
Health and safetyMeeting
Governance, management and administrationMeeting

Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed non-compliances and is now taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.

Background

AUT Centre for Refugee Education Early Childhood Centre provides care and education for the children of newly arrived refugee families. It operates under the auspices of Auckland University of Technology (AUT), and is part of a multi-service site. The site includes temporary accommodation, schooling, adult classes, and social, medical, interpreting and immigration support.

Summary of Review Findings

Children’s learning is enhanced by adults engaging in meaningful, positive interactions and nurturing reciprocal relationships with them. 

Teachers acknowledge and reflect the unique place of Māori as tangata whenua. Children have an opportunity to develop an understanding of the cultural heritages of both parties to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. They support the right of each child to be confident in their own culture and encourage children to understand and respect other cultures.

The design and layout of the premises support the provision of different types of experiences and learning opportunities to extend children’s learning. 

Key Next Steps 

Next steps include:

  • Increasing the visibility of how teachers are evaluating the effectiveness of their programme in relation to the learning outcomes from Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.

Actions for Compliance 

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

  • Ensuring heavy furniture, fixtures, and equipment that could fall or topple and cause serious injury or damage are secured.
  • Ensuring adults providing education and care are familiar with relevant emergency drills, and carry out each type of drill with children (as appropriate) on an at least three-monthly basis.
  • Having detailed records of each component of the safety check of children’s workers. These records must be kept by, or available to, the service provider as long as the person is employed or engaged by the service.
  • Having an annual budget that guides financial expenditure.

Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS6, HS8, GMA7A, GMA9.

Next ERO Review 

The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation. 

Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)

30 January 2024 

Information About the Service

Early Childhood Service NameAUT Centre for Refugee Education Early Childhood Centre
Profile Number25150
LocationMangere East, Auckland 
Service typeEducation and care service
Number licensed for40 children, including up to 12 aged under 2
Percentage of qualified teachers 100% 
Service roll25
Review team on siteNovember 2023
Date of this report30 January 2024
Most recent ERO report(s)Education Review, August 2017; Education Review, April 2013.

General Information about Assurance Reviews 

All services are licensed under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008. The legal requirements for early childhood services also include the Licensing Criteria for Education and Care Services 2008.

Services must meet the standards in the regulations and the requirements of the licensing criteria to gain and maintain a licence to operate. 

ERO undertakes an Akanuku | Assurance Review process in any centre-based service:

  • having its first ERO review – including if it is part of a governing organisation
  • previously identified as ‘not well placed’ or ‘requiring further development’
  • that has moved from a provisional to a full licence
  • that have been re-licenced due to a change of ownership
  • where an Akanuku | Assurance Review process is determined to be appropriate.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

All early childhood services are required to promote children’s health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements. Before the review, the staff and management of a service 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.

As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO assesses whether the regulatory standards are being met. In particular, ERO looks at a 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; safety checking; teacher certification; ratios)
  • relevant evacuation procedures and practices.

As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:

  • discussions with those involved in the service
  • consideration of relevant documentation, including the implementation of health and safety systems
  • observations of the environment/premises, curriculum implementation and teaching practice. 

AUT Centre for Refugee Education Early Childhood Centre - 31/08/2017

1 Evaluation of AUT Centre for Refugee Education Early Childhood Centre

How well placed is AUT Centre for Refugee Education Early Childhood Centre 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

AUT Centre for Refugee Education Early Childhood Centre is a well-established service providing care and education for the children of newly arrived refugee families. The centre operates under the auspices of Auckland University of Technology (AUT) who manage the resettlement programme and facility for the Refugee Quota of Aotearoa, New Zealand. Six annual intakes of families live at the facility for six weeks before resettling in communities throughout New Zealand.

The centre is part of a large multi-service site including temporary accommodation, schooling, adult classes, and social, medical, interpreting and immigration support. Families come from highly diverse and often traumatic and challenging backgrounds.

Since the 2013 ERO review a head teacher has been appointed to manage daily centre operations. She is well supported by AUT managers who have overall responsibility for the ECE service and school. An advisory group supports the management team and families' wellbeing and resettlement, and advises the teaching team on community or educational cross-sector issues.

Most of the teachers are registered and are either bilingual or multilingual. Staff reflect the diverse cultures of the children and many have a personal understanding of families' situations.

The 2013 ERO report identified a strong sense of community, and this promoted children's wellbeing and belonging. Teachers were responsive to children's individual needs, interests and preferences. These positive aspects have been further embedded by the head teacher and staff. Managers and teachers have responded very well to the 2013 ERO recommendations to promote high quality education and care for children. Some progress has been made towards the management and governance recommendations. 

The Review Findings

A holistic approach to the programme, leadership and teaching is resulting in very positive outcomes for children. Teachers have high expectations for children and their families. Children are well engaged in learning activities. They know routines well and take on leadership roles during these times. Clear boundaries and skilful teaching strategies support children to develop independence, confidence and competence as learners who have a strong sense of belonging.

Children benefit from mixed-age group settings that promote meaningful relationships and also support siblings to settle. Infants and toddlers are well supported by primary caregivers. There are comfortable, safe spaces to cater for children who are not yet mobile and for those who are crawling and learning to walk. Children up to the age of two benefit from a relaxed pace and peaceful environment that allows them freedom and time to explore. They are respected, and confident that teachers will tend to their needs.

Teachers are skilled in building strong relationships with the parents, promoting a sense of authentic partnership. Each week parents meet with teachers to share information about their children's wellbeing and education. Staff work with a range of services to provide individualised support for children. Teachers work well as a team, are respectful of children and parents and make good use of interpreters to minimise disruption for children and to communicate with parents. The parents who spoke with ERO appreciate these positive relationships. Teachers manage these processes well to prioritise children's wellbeing and support their learning and sense of belonging.

The curriculum is highly responsive to children's cultures, languages and identities. Children are well supported to achieve success through culturally relevant experiences. Teachers plan using children's interests and strengths. The physical environment and wall displays support learning with a range of good quality resources for children to explore. Well defined areas of play encourage children to participate in the activities teachers provide.

Internal evaluation is focused on improving the programme and environment for children. Teachers complete an evaluation at the end of each six-week programme when the children and families leave the service. The head teacher agrees that a next step is to strengthen the team's documentation of evidence-based evaluative practice.

Programmes clearly reflect the bicultural nature of Aotearoa New Zealand. Māori values underpin teachers' practice. The teaching team have developed a shared understanding of these values and their impact on teachers' daily work with families, staff and external support agencies. Teachers foster tuakana/teina relationships that encourage older and younger children to learn from each other and help adults to support each other. Ako teaching and learning concepts are also valued as children interact with each other and adults. It is timely for the team to review the centre's philosophy, so it reflects these good practices.

Highly effective leadership supports a shared vision, focused on high quality early childhood education. The head teacher is growing teachers' capabilities and shared leadership through internal evaluation that is resulting in continued improvements. A new teacher appraisal process meets Education Council requirements. Teachers agree that critical reflection on their practice is helping them to strengthen their ongoing internal evaluation.

Managers are focused on continual improvement to enhance outcomes for children and their families. They support staff in providing high quality programmes. They work collaboratively with the head teacher and staff to develop and implement strategic planning, systems, policies and procedures. Managers agree that governance and management planning, monitoring and internal evaluation could be further aligned.

Key Next Steps

Managers and centre leaders agree that they should continue to support sustainable improvements through:

  • evidence-based internal evaluation

  • adapting aspects of AUT policies and procedures, and strategic, annual and operations planning, to more specifically reflect the early childhood education context.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of AUT Centre for Refugee Education Early Childhood Centre 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 AUT Centre for Refugee Education Early Childhood Centre will be in four years. 

Violet Tu’uga Stevenson

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)

31 August 2017 

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

Mangere, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

25150

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

33 children, including up to 15 aged under 2

Service roll

19

Gender composition

Girls 12 Boys 7

Ethnic composition

Myanmar
Syrian
Pakistan
Iran
others

6
6
2
2
3

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

1:7

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

July 2017

Date of this report

31 August 2017

Most recent ERO report(s)

 

Education Review

April 2013

Education Review

March 2010

Education Review

February 2007

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.

AUT Centre for Refugee Education Early Childhood Centre - 17/04/2013

1 Evaluation of the Service

How well placed is the service to promote positive outcomes for children?

AUT Centre for Refugee Education Early Childhood Centre is well placed to continue promoting positive outcomes for the children of refugee families.

Context

The centre is part of the AUT Centre for Refugee Education (CRE) in Mangere. It is situated on property owned by the Ministry of Education. Practices for creating a value-centred educational environment for refugees are clearly expressed in CRE documentation and are expected to be threaded throughout the early childhood, primary, secondary and adult education facilities on site.

Families come from highly diverse, often challenging backgrounds. Each group lives on site for five to six weeks before resettling in communities throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. There is a strong focus on supporting transitions for children and their families into the centre and into life in their new communities. Children leave the early childhood centre to eat with their families at lunchtime.

A manager oversees centre operations and a CRE programme leader coordinates professional learning and quality assurance. Prior to a new head teacher being appointed in 2011, a longstanding teacher held this leadership role for about 18 months. These two teachers work with additional part-time and casual teaching staff as required, to provide good adult-to-child ratios for the varied enrolment numbers in each intake. Many of these additional staff also work with families in the wider CRE environment. Permanent teachers have very good opportunities for professional learning and development.

Review Findings

There is a strong sense of community in the centre, although staff and families come together for only a few weeks. Teachers focus on providing an emotionally and physically safe environment and promoting respect and mutual understanding. They foster trusting relationships and hope for the future. Practices that focus on the needs of refugees and children result in a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere. Teachers are family oriented and work to support and empower parents, who also learn as they spend time with their children in the early childhood centre. The principles of Te Whāriki, the New Zealand early childhood curriculum, and the centre’s values and philosophy, are highly evident in practice.

Teachers focus on settling children and developing their sense of wellbeing and belonging. They also provide good support for children to become capable communicators and to develop skills for positive social interaction. The centre provides good opportunities for children to learn about new social norms and expectations. The environment enables children to explore new experiences, equipment and physical challenges.

Teachers learn from families about their languages and cultural practices. Some teachers are multilingual and interpreters are frequently used to settle children and to communicate with them and their parents. Children’s identity, language and culture are valued and celebrated. Diverse cultures are visible and celebrated in both the environment and in individual records of children’s time at the centre. Parents often contribute to their children’s learning records.

Constant change is a feature of the centre. The permanent teachers work effectively to create a new teaching team and adapt approaches and programmes to suit each intake. The team is responsive to individual children’s and family needs, interests and preferences. Changes are introduced gradually.

The head teacher has introduced a number of positive changes, including:

  • improvements in the outdoor learning environment including edible gardens, better defined and resourced indoor play areas, and good provision of space and equipment for infants and toddlers
  • the building of a carved and covered entry gateway (waharoa), and increased acknowledgement of tangata whenua in the environment and in the use of te reo, waiata and karakia
  • increasing professional collegiality and the promotion of reflective teaching practice
  • a focus on good quality assessment, programme, self-review and administrative documentation.

Key Next Steps

The manager and teachers have identified directions for further development in the centre, including:

  • more coherent and robust self-review that is focused on continual improvement
  • better alignment between CRE values and strategic priorities, the early childhood centre’s strategic vision and planning, the annual plan and reports, and identified outcomes for children
  • using an external appraiser with expertise and experience in high quality early childhood education to appraise teachers’ performance and support their individual development plans
  • purposeful strategies for sustaining good practices, and for building capability and consistent understandings and practices amongst the group of part-time teachers.

2 Legal Requirements

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of AUT Centre for Refugee Education Early Childhood Centre 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.

In order to comply with legal requirements, the CRE and centre manager and must:

  • develop a policy and risk analysis and management procedures for outings within the CRE grounds and for the CRE bus trip that occurs for staff and families in each intake [Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS17].

3 Next Review

When is ERO likely to review the early childhood service again?

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.

Dale Bailey

National Manager Review Services

Northern Region

17 April 2013

Information about the Early Childhood Service

Location

Mangere, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

25150

Licence type

All Day Education and Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

25 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 years

Service roll

25

Gender composition

Boys 15

Girls 10

Ethnic composition

Burmese

Nepali

Colombian

other

14

5

4

2

Percentage of qualified teachers

80%

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:2

Exceeds minimum requirements

 

Over 2

1:3

Exceeds minimum requirements

Review team on site

February 2013

Date of this report

17 April 2013

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

Education Review

Supplementary Review

March 2010

February 2007

November 2004

General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

About ERO Reviews

The Education Review Office (ERO) is the New Zealand government department that reviews schools and early childhood services throughout New Zealand.

Review focus

ERO's education reviews in early childhood services focus on the factors that contribute to positive learning outcomes for children. ERO evaluates how well placed the service is to make and sustain improvements for the benefit of all children at the service. To reach these findings ERO considers:

  • 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 self review and partnerships with parents and whānau.

Review Coverage

ERO reviews do not cover every aspect of service performance and each ERO report may cover different issues. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to the service.