Barnardos Early Learning Home Based Canterbury Two

1 Evaluation of Barnardos Early Learning Home Based Waitaki/Timaru

How well placed is Barnardos Early Learning Home Based Waitaki/Timaru to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Barnardos Early Learning Home Based Waitaki /Timaru is well placed to provide positive learning outcomes for children.

ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.

Background

Barnardos Early Learning Home Based Waitaki /Timaru provides individual care and education for children from birth to school age in the educator's home. This service is part of the Barnardos Early Learning organisation.

Barnardos Early Learning Home Based Waitaki/Timaru is a standard-funded network. The network has two offices and three part-time visiting teachers. One office is based in Oamaru and one office is based in Timaru.

The organisation and the network have undergone significant organisational and management changes since the previous ERO review in 2014. The Barnardos Early Learning organisation has recently rebranded. It was previously known as Barnardos KidStart. A new leadership team has been in place since 2016. This includes a regional manager, practice advisor and three experienced part- time visiting teachers. They work together to support educators and children across a wide geographical area. Leaders have successfully addressed all of the areas identified for improvement in the previous ERO report.

In 2017 the vision and philosophy of the whole organisation was reviewed to create a stronger focus on the service's valued outcomes for children. It aims 'to have an Aotearoa New Zealand where every child shines bright'; 'create strong foundations for the future' and go from being 'credible to incredible'.

 In 2018 the organisation's policies and procedures were updated and aligned to its quality assurance and accountability processes. The visiting teachers reviewed the network philosophy to align it to the organisation's philosophy and valued outcomes for children.

This review was part of a cluster of five Early Learning Home Based Network reviews in the Barnardos Early Learning organisation cluster.

The Review Findings

Children's learning records show that children's sense of security, wellbeing and belonging are well supported and responded to within a small-group setting. The individual interests, strengths and capabilities of all children (Māori, diverse learners, infants and toddlers) are promoted within a culturally responsive curriculum. Children are involved in a wide range of rich experiences within and beyond the home-based setting that enhance their learning and understandings of the local area and natural world.

The service's valued outcomes for children are clearly evident in learning records. These records capture children's confidence as active learners and explorers, who are well understood in the context of their family/whānau and community.

Leaders and visiting teachers foster respectful, inclusive, learner-focused relationships with educators, children and families/whānau. They take collective responsibility for ensuring that valued outcomes for children are actively promoted. Leaders and visiting teachers work effectively together to mentor and inspire educators. They make good use of internal evaluation to inform curriculum priorities and improvements. Purposeful links are made to expertise within and beyond the service to support children with additional needs and families.

The Barnardos Early Learning Home Based organisation has recently introduced and actioned a number of new initiatives. The purpose of these initiatives is to provide assurance of consistent, collaborative and professional approaches to support equity and excellence for all children. This includes:

• clear alignment of key priorities to the vision, philosophy and valued outcomes for children
• strong, collaborative leadership and inclusive, learner-focused relationships within and across the service and with relevant community experts and agencies
• giving prominence to te ao Māori and culturally responsive practices across the organisation
• developing initiatives to respond to the diverse needs of learners and to promote equity and social justice for children and families
• high expectations and purposeful use of evidence-based internal evaluation and quality assurance processes to inform future directions and improvements
• effective systems to identify, monitor and report on health and safety and legislative requirements.

Key Next Steps

Service leaders have identified, and ERO's evaluation has confirmed, that the key next steps for the Waitaki/Timaru network are to:

• embed new initiatives, including annual planning and evaluation, policies, procedures and appraisal processes
• ensure evaluations include the impact of actions on practices and outcomes for children and their whānau 
• strengthen consistency of best practice in assessment, planning and evaluation, and the implementation of Te Whāriki (2017).

National and service leaders have identified, and ERO's evaluation has confirmed, that the key next steps for the organisation are to: 

• embed new initiatives and evaluate the impact of actions on practice and valued learning outcomes for children and their whānau
• progress the monitoring, tracking and evaluation of key priorities
• consolidate and build on reflective and evaluative practices.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Barnardos Early Learning Home Based Waitaki/Timaru 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 Barnardos Early Learning Home Based Waitaki/Timaru will be in three years.

Alan Wynyard
Director Review & Improvement Services
Te Waipounamu - Southern Region

18 February 2019

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 

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.