100 Tory Street, Te Aro, Wellington
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Barnardos Early Learning Home Based Wellington Toru requires further development to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Barnardos Early Learning Home Based Wellington Toru, previously known as Barnardos KidStart Childcare- Hutt Valley Home Based Service, is a home-based education and care network operating under Barnardos New Zealand Incorporated. Since the November 2016 ERO report, the organisation has rebranded to Barnardos Early Learning (the organisation). Wellington Toru is a quality funded network that is licensed for 60 children. Of the 37 children currently enrolled, 5 identify as Māori.
A visiting teacher provides support and professional advice, guidance and mentoring to educators. Visiting teachers are supported by a Service Delivery Manager (SDM). Senior advisors work alongside the SDM and visiting teachers in supporting professional practice. Most of the educators have the New Zealand Certificate in Early Childhood and Care, level four.
The Barnardos Early Learning vision is 'An Aotearoa New Zealand where every child shines bright'. The service philosophy emphasises the values of embracing the wonder of every child, connecting with whānau, inspiring a love for Aotearoa, valuing early learning and engaging children through play.
The November 2016 ERO report identified that improvement was required in relation to: internal evaluation; learning partnerships; promoting educational success for Māori and Pacific children; and improving assessment, planning and evaluation of children's learning. Progress has been made in addressing some of these areas.
This review was one of four in Barnardos Home-based networks, in the Wellington region.
Children are well supported by educators to participate and be successful in their learning. Local excursions and playgroups extend the home-based curriculum and provide opportunities for social interactions. Children have opportunities to learn about literacy, mathematics, science, music, movement and physical challenge.
Infants and toddlers experience respectful and nurturing interactions within a small group setting. They learn and play alongside older children.
Educators build positive relationships with families and their children and know them well. They provide learning activities and experiences that are responsive to children’s interests and abilities. Educators access the Barnardos toy library for resources to further support learning.
Learning stories currently focus on children’s participation in activities. Continuing to support educators to shift their assessment and planning focus onto strategies that promote children's learning over time is a key next step. Parent aspirations should be more purposefully used to inform goals for learning. This will better enable educators to evaluate the impact of their practice on outcomes for children.
Visiting teachers foster positive and affirming relationships to build educator confidence. Regular home visits provide opportunities for discussion about children’s learning. These are focused on observations of children. Links to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum are evident in educators' documentation
Service leaders have identified that strengthening learning partnerships with parents and continuing to build culturally responsive practices are priorities that should further support children’s learning. These needs to be made more visible in documentation.
The organisation provides sound systems and processes to effectively guide visiting teacher and educator practice. A recently appointed service delivery manager has established a system of support to build leadership capability within the teaching team. A useful appraisal process and professional learning and development opportunities support visiting teachers to grow their practice. The visiting teacher team fosters collaboration and collegiality. Educators are well supported to engage in professional learning.
Leaders should establish more effective systems for the monitoring of aspects of health and safety in this network to ensure governance processes and practices are followed and maintained.
A well-considered annual plan links to the organisation’s strategic plan and guides the early learning service operation and curriculum.
A useful internal evaluation framework is in place to consider effectiveness of practices for improvement. Ongoing internal evaluation is used to evaluate all aspects of practice across the organisation and is responsive to identified priorities.
ERO and leaders agree that the key next steps are to:
To improve practice:
Before the review, the staff and management of Barnardos Early Learning Home Based Wellington Toru completed an ERO Home-based Education and Care 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 areas of non-compliance relating to police vetting. To meet requirements the service needs to improve its performance in the following area:
Licensing Criteria for Home-based Education and Care Services 2008 GMA6A
Since the onsite stage of the review, the service has provided evidence that it has addressed the non-compliance.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region - Te Tai Tini
5 March 2021
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 |
Wellington |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
60162 |
||
|
Institution type |
Homebased Network |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
60 children, including up to 60 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
38 |
||
|
Standard or Quality Funded |
Quality |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
5 |
|
|
Number of qualified coordinators in the network |
One |
||
|
Required ratios of educators to children |
Under 2 |
1:2 |
|
|
Over 2 |
1:4 |
||
|
Review team on site |
October 2020 |
||
|
Date of this report |
5 March 2021 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
November 2016 |
|
|
Education Review |
February 2013 |
||
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 the draft methodology for ERO reviews in Home-based Education and Care Services: July 2008
The overall judgement that ERO makes will depend on how well the service promotes 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.
Barnardos KidStart Childcare-Hutt Valley Home Based Service is located in Wellington. It is licensed for a maximum of 60 children, including 60 aged up to two years. There are currently 50 children enrolled. Two visiting teachers oversee the service.
Barnardos is a national organisation offering a combination of early childhood education and child and family services. The early childhood education services operate under the brand of Barnardos KidStart Childcare, which includes Barnardos KidStart Childcare Home-based services. A number of significant organisational and leadership changes at Barnardos national level have taken place recently.
Visiting teachers are the persons responsible for the home-based services. They are overseen by a team leader. The visiting teachers and team leaders are supported with their teaching and learning practice by a regional practice leader and manager. A business team provides administrative services. Barnardos New Zealand has developed a range of resources and documents to assist staff and educators in their work.
Education and care for children is provided in the educators' homes. The visiting teachers support educators to provide suitable learning programmes for children and monitor their health and safety practices. All educators are required to have a current Barnardos Practising certificate.
The philosophy for this service was recently reviewed. This forms a framework to underpin the programme, learning environment and day-to-day practice. It includes links to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, Tātaiako: Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners and Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
This review was part of a cluster of five in the Barnardos KidStart Childcare Home Based Service.
Children engage in a curriculum that is based on their observed interests. In the home environment educators work positively to extend children's learning through the many experiences provided. There are regular opportunities to go out in the community and play with other children. Educators are well supported by the visiting teachers.
The curriculum supports infants' and toddlers' engagement and learning. Educators are sensitive and responsive to their needs and preferences. These young children play and learn alongside older children.
Purposeful conversations occur between educators and the visiting teachers during the regular home visits. These are focused on recording children's learning and making links to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Photographs are used well to show what children do when they are with the educator. The integration of literacy and mathematics is promoted in authentic ways through everyday experiences.
The visiting teachers support educators to develop positive, trusting, responsive and reciprocal relationships with children. In turn, children's social competencies are effectively promoted.
Children's learning is recorded in a variety of ways. Visiting teachers provide constructive feedback to educators about how they can extend their practice. They should continue to work with educators to strengthen assessment, planning and evaluation.
Strengthening learning partnerships with parents and whānau has been identified by Barnardos as a next step. Some parents provide educators with their aspirations for their children. These can guide educators in their responsiveness to children's learning needs. Enabling further opportunities for parents and whānau to share their aspirations for their children should better inform decisions about the curriculum.
The visiting teachers provide good guidance to develop educators' confidence in promoting success for Māori and Pacific children. Te reo me ngā tikanga Māori practices are well supported through KidStart processes. The visiting teachers are currently participating in professional development to support their understanding of te ao Māori. Barnardos should continue to build visiting teachers' and educators' capabilities to actively promote success for Māori and Pacific children.
There is a clear improvement focus across the network. Quality assurance audits, undertaken by managers and leaders, provide useful information about how well the service implements processes, systems and practices. The audits also inform the organisation about ongoing compliance with regulatory requirements. Barnardos KidStart has recently developed an internal evaluation framework. This should be useful to measure the effectiveness of practices and their impact on outcomes for children.
The key next steps for the Hutt Valley network are to:
continue to strengthen learning partnerships with parents and whānau
build educator capability to further develop assessment, planning and evaluation of children's learning
continue to support visiting teachers' and educators' confidence to promote success for Māori and Pacific children
support understanding and use of internal evaluation at educator and visiting teacher levels.
Before the review, the staff and management of Barnardos KidStart Childcare - Hutt Valley Home Based Service completed an ERO Home-based Education and Care 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 Barnardos KidStart Childcare - Hutt Valley Home Based Service will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
29 November 2016
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 |
Lower Hutt |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
60162 |
||
|
Institution type |
Homebased Network |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
60 children, including up to 60 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
50 |
||
|
Standard or Quality Funded |
Quality |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 23, Boys 27 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Pacific Asian Other ethnic groups |
5 34 4 4 3 |
|
|
Number of qualified coordinators in the network |
Two |
||
|
Required ratios of staff educators to children |
Under 2 |
1:2 |
|
|
Over 2 |
1:4 |
||
|
Review team on site |
September 2016 |
||
|
Date of this report |
29 November 2016 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
February 2013 |
|
|
Education Review |
April 2009 |
||
|
Education Review |
May 2006 |
||
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 the draft methodology for ERO reviews in Home-based Education and Care Services: July 2014
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.