179 Newton Road, Maungatapere
View on mapAkarangi | 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 Back 2 Basics are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) |
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Ngā Akatoro Domains |
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Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions |
Whāngai Establishing |
Back 2 Basics is a family-owned early childhood centre, which has been operating in Maungatapere since 2013. The service caters for children from a range of ethnicities in three age-based learning spaces. The service is in a rural area and has an integral role within its local community. There have been a number of staff changes since the April 2018 ERO report.
Leaders and teachers develop responsive relationships with children and families, which helps build a sense of belonging, familiarity and ownership of the place. Children seek out interactions with teachers, knowing they will respond to their needs and ideas. Continuing to build learning partnerships and collaborating with parents for curriculum development are planned as part of the service’s priorities for learning review.
The learning environments successfully support children to make their own learning choices, and encourage them to:
experiment and explore
challenge themselves physically and take risks
develop independence and be creative
build their capability, competence, and confidence.
Children’s learning successes are recognised and celebrated in assessment for learning practices that document their experiences. The outcomes from Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, are visible, and these provide a basis for teachers to analyse learning. Reflecting children’s languages, cultures and identities in assessment is required to further enhance learner identities.
Teachers have begun to explore ways in which children’s languages and cultures can contribute to the curriculum, and leaders recognise this is still in the beginning stages. Developing an understanding of te ao Māori is a focus, and systems are being established with the guidance of a local kaumātua and tangata whenua.
The service has systems and tools for undertaking self review. Practice is improvement focused. A new system for internal evaluation is currently being developed. This is not yet at the implementation stage.
Leaders and kaiako take personal responsibility for their own professional learning. They have a range of opportunities that support them to grow in self-identified areas of interests. Processes for teachers’ professional growth cycles with links to the service’s strategic direction are not yet embedded.
Staff changes have impacted on the leaders’ focus on developing relational trust among the team. Now a stable team is in place, leaders recognise the need to review the service philosophy and identify priorities for children’s learning.
Back 2 Basics will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
review the service’s philosophy and priorities for learning, in partnership with parents. This would guide the development of indicators of practice to enable the team to evaluate how well the service learning priorities and philosophy are embedded in practice
establish evaluation practices that support the monitoring of equitable outcomes for all children
establish and embed processes that ensure the service is responsive to sector changes, such as the professional growth cycle and the National Education and Learning Priorities (NELP).5
Before the review, the staff and management of Back 2 Basics 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.
During the review, the service provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following
non-compliances:
a written emergency plan which details the roles and responsibilities that will apply during an emergency (HS7)
equipment, premises, and facilities are checked on every day of operation for hazards to children, which include hazards present in the kitchen and laundry facilities (HS12).
Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
30 August 2022
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Back 2 Basics |
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Profile Number |
46109 |
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Location |
Maungatapere, Whangarei |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
75 children, including up to 12 aged under 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
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Service roll |
106 |
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Review team on site |
June 2022 |
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Date of this report |
30 August 2022 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, April 2018 |
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Back 2 Basics is a privately owned, purpose-built early childhood centre in Maungatapere, Northland. It opened in 2013 and provides full day and sessional education and care. The centre licence has increased to cater for a maximum of 50 children up to five years of age, including a maximum of 10 children under two. Māori children make up 17 percent of the current roll of 77.
Infants and toddlers, and children over two, learn and play in separate, but adjacent areas. The teaching team of qualified and trainee teachers is led by two team leaders and the centre manager.
The centre's philosophy indicates a commitment to children learning through fun and exploration in a natural learning environment. The philosophy also focuses on respectful and caring relationships in a family/whānau setting.
Over the past three years, the owners have made significant improvements to the outdoor area. Teachers have focused on improving internal evaluation, programme planning and assessment, as suggested in ERO's 2014 report.
Children and teachers have fun as part of the learning process. Children show respect for each other. They confidently explore their learning environments and make decisions about how and where they play. Teachers respect children's opinions and respond to their interests.
Children initiate activities that develop their leadership skills in meaningful ways. Some effective teacher questioning techniques encourage children to engage in sustained conversations and engagement in activities.
Nurturing caregiving supports infants' and toddlers' need for strong and secure attachments. Teachers respond to these children's cues and respect their preferences. Infants and toddlers benefit from the calm pace, in which they have space and time to lead their own learning. Through internal evaluation, teachers have identified the need for a greater variety of equipment to encourage climbing and more complicated physical movement.
The spacious environment offers numerous challenges and invites children to explore and become fully involved in a wide variety of activities. It is well planned and enables ongoing interactions between children of all ages. Children are frequently engaged in activities that promote an interest in science and mathematics.
Partnerships with children and whānau are based on genuine attitudes of inclusion, respect and willingness to listen and adapt. Children know that teachers listen to their point of view and involve them in decisions that affect them. Parents appreciate the warm and welcoming tone of the centre, which helps children to develop a strong sense of belonging. Staff want to grow parents' knowledge of how the early childhood curriculum forms a sound foundation for children's future learning.
Teachers are committed to integrating te ao Māori into the curriculum. Teachers now need to ensure that bicultural awareness and recognition is evident in all children's portfolios. Some teachers use te reo Māori confidently when talking with children. They continue to look for ways to strengthen relationships with local Māori and the marae.
Teachers are improving their knowledge of good quality planning and assessment. They observe children in their everyday activities to build a picture of each child. Teachers are increasingly using information from group and individual assessment to plan the curriculum. They appreciate families' knowledge of their own children, and see them as an integral part of the centre's learning community. They are working on including parents' aspirations for their children in planning responsive programmes for individual children.
Teachers agree that they now need to extend and evaluate child-led learning, and to show continuity of learning in assessment documentation. They are well placed to ensure that internal evaluation that is based on outcomes for children becomes a consistent practice throughout the centre.
Well established relationships with external facilitators and specialists provide extra support for children with additional learning needs. Transitions into and through the centre and on to school are responsive to each child's readiness and very well managed. Leaders are keen to become involved in the local Community of Learning|Kāhui Ako to build meaningful pathways of learning for their children as they progress to school.
Leaders and teachers have a focus on accountability and improvement. The recently reviewed appraisal process provides clear expectations and processes to support ongoing improvements in teacher practice. A comprehensive policy framework guides centre operations and policies are regularly reviewed. Strengthening strategic planning and internal evaluation should further promote continuous improvement.
Leaders and teachers agree that to enhance provision for children, priority should be given to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Back 2 Basics 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.
ERO identified an area of non-compliance. Centre managers and staff must:
The next ERO review of Back 2 Basics will be in three years.
Julie Foley
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
17 April 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 |
Maungataperei |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
46109 |
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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 |
50 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
77 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 43 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
13 |
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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 |
1:5 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
February 2018 |
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Date of this report |
17 April 2018 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
December 2014 |
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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.