32 Nottingham Avenue, Halswell, Christchurch
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
BestStart Nottingham Avenue is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
BestStart Nottingham Avenue (previously ABC Halswell) operates under the BestStart management structure. BestStart is a large national organisation that owns early childhood education services across Aotearoa New Zealand.
Best Start Nottingham Avenue is licensed for 53 children, including a maximum of 15 aged under two years. The centre operates from two separate houses on the same site. One building is the preschool catering for children from three and a half years to school age. The other caters for babies and children up to three and a half years in two separate indoor and outdoor spaces. The baby room is licensed for seven children.
The centre manager has had responsibility for the operation of the centre for over four years. Many of the staff have worked at the centre for a long period of time. BestStart professional and business managers were appointed to the service during 2019. The centre manager and most of the staff are qualified early childhood teachers.
The philosophy emphasises positive relationships and supporting children to be successful, active participants in all aspects of their learning and development. Play is valued as a learning tool. The principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi are expected to be evident within the programme and the operation of the service.
Since the August 2016 ERO review, the service has made progress towards the key next steps identified in the report. However, assessment, planning and evaluation, internal evaluation and the inclusion of bicultural perspectives remain as key next steps in this report.
Children are engaged in meaningful play and take an active role in leading their own learning. Teachers skilfully support children to extend learning and problem-solving skills. Imaginative play is well used by children to build their understanding of the wider world. The large outdoor spaces provide children with many opportunities to develop their physical skills and confidence.
Strong, positive relationships are clearly evident between teachers, and in children's interactions with each other. Some teachers use a range of effective strategies to help children work cooperatively, share ideas and include others in their play and learning.
Children with diverse needs are well supported within the programme. Teachers make effective use of outside agencies to support the learning and inclusion of children with diverse needs. Teaching plans are used appropriately to guide the way teachers work with these children, arrange the environment, involve the families and record progress.
Some progress has been made to increase the use of te reo and tikanga Māori in the programme. This progress is not yet sufficient to meet the Te Tiriti o Waitangi goals in the centre's philosophy or to support Māori children to succeed as Māori.
Assessment, planning and evaluation processes are variable across the centre. The processes have recently been reviewed and a new system put in place. The usefulness of the new process is most evident in the nursery where parent aspirations are sought, children's interests planned for and their learning identified. The managers and teachers now need to make more consistent use of parent aspirations in planning and evaluation, identify the role of the teacher in learning, and evaluate the effectiveness of the programme in improving outcomes for children.
Managers and teachers have a useful process for internal evaluation, but it is not resulting in clear, useful improvements. The managers and teachers need to develop a deeper understanding of the evaluation process. They need to place more emphasis on the quality of the evaluations so that the impact of changes on children's learning is identified.
The centre's strategic goals are clearly linked to the philosophy. Implementation of the plan is regularly monitored. Managers and teachers now need to ensure they evaluate the impact and the outcomes from the implementation of the plan over time.
BestStart has a well-established management structure. Policies and procedures provide clear guidance to centre managers for the operation of the centre, and maintenance, health and safety for children, staff and parents. The recently-appointed professional and service managers have begun working with the centre manager and staff to build leadership capacity and capability. This work needs to continue to identify priorities for building capability and raising the quality of teaching and learning.
BestStart managers and ERO agree that the key next steps for BestStart Nottingham Avenue include:
improving and making visible bicultural perspectives and practices across all aspects of centre operations and documentation
further developing assessment, planning and evaluation processes to improve the quality of teaching and learning outcomes for children
providing additional support for staff to understand and use internal evaluation effectively to improve outcomes for children's learning and teaching practice
continuing to support and build leadership capacity and capability across the centre.
Before the review, the staff and management of BestStart Nottingham Avenue 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:
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.
ERO identified an area of non-compliance.
The service provider must ensure:
sleeping children are checked for warmth, breathing and general well-being at least every 5-10 minutes or more frequently as needed.
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services 2008; HS9
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region - Te Tai Tini
17 June 2020
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 |
Christchurch |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
70549 |
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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 |
53 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
50 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 29; Boys 21 |
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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 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
December 2019 |
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Date of this report |
17 June 2020 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
August 2016 |
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Education Review |
April 2013 |
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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:
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.
The overall judgement that ERO makes will depend on how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
Very well placed
Well placed
Requires further development
Not well placed
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.
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ABC Halswell is Well placed to promote positive outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
ABC Halswell operates under the BestStart Educare Ltd management structure. BestStart (previously known as Kidicorp Ltd) is a large national organisation that owns early childhood education centres across New Zealand.
Since the 2013 ERO review, there have been significant changes in staffing, including leadership positions. A new centre manager and head teachers for each room were appointed in 2015. Due to a steady increase in the roll, three new teachers have also been appointed. Most staff are qualified and registered early childhood teachers.
The professional service manager and business manager have provided consistent high quality support and expertise during this critical period of change. A planned and purposeful response to the recommendations in the previous ERO report has resulted in good progress in all areas including self review, assessment, planning and bicultural practices.
The centre has three separate classrooms, within two neighbouring houses, to cater for the specific care and education needs of infants, toddlers and young children. Staff have created attractive, home-like learning environments for children. A planned re-development of the spacious outside learning areas is scheduled to begin in 2016.
The centre manager and staff are involved in the local learning cluster with other early childhood centres and schools. The focus is on supporting the education of all children in the community.
Managers and teachers have developed a strong shared philosophy that is clearly visible in the learning programme and teaching practices. They foster respectful, positive relationships with children and families. Children benefit from caring and responsive interactions with teachers within calm and predictable learning environments.
Parents and whānau are actively encouraged to be part of the centre and be involved in their child's learning journey. The increasingly diverse cultural backgrounds of families are valued and celebrated. The strengths of some teachers are well used to support others to provide children with opportunities to learn about te ao Māori in ways that are meaningful and respectful of the Māori culture.
Teachers provide good quality child-centred learning programmes that are particularly strong in the preschool and the nursery. Teachers are responsive to children’s interests, strengths and capabilities. They help to foster children's confidence in themselves and sense of belonging at the centre. Children are well supported to transition into and within the centre, and onto school.
Teachers offer learning programmes that reflect children's interests and promote children’s active engagement in creative, exploratory play. The programme and teacher practices are based on Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, the centre philosophy and current research.
Well defined and attractive areas promote children's curiosity and involvement in a wide range of interesting activities. Children are actively involved in spacious outdoor areas that provide ample room for physical play and increasing opportunities for children to learn about nature. Teachers make purposeful links to the wider community, including some local schools, to further enhance the learning programme. Literacy and numeracy are well integrated into the learning programme.
Children are well supported to take responsibility for themselves, to care for others and for the environment. Teachers encourage children's independence, social and cooperative skills. They empower older children to make decisions about their learning and develop skills to listen to and negotiate with others.
The wellbeing of infants and toddlers in the nursery is actively promoted through nurturing relationships with consistent teacher practices. Children benefit from caring and respectful interactions, and child-focused, unhurried routines within a small group setting. The environment and programme are carefully considered and particularly well suited to the needs of very young children.
Parents and whānau are well informed about their children’s interests and participation in the learning through informative wall displays, personalised profile books and digital technologies such as online learning stories and videos.
The centre manager, business manager and professional services manager work in partnership to implement BestStart systems effectively. This includes the alignment of key guiding documents, quality assurance processes and health and safety practices. Managers are focussed on accurately identifying and strengthening areas for further development.
Managers have high expectations and specific strategies to empower and build on teacher capability, reflective practices and leadership skills. Managers and teachers make good use of internal evaluation to inform and address centre priorities to improve outcomes for children. Regular and targeted professional development and mentoring is provided to staff to help them build reflective and evaluative practices.
There is a strong shared focus on continuous improvement and promoting positive outcomes for children and families.
Managers have identified, and ERO evaluation confirmed, that the key next step for leaders is to:
Before the review, the staff and management of ABC Halswell 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.
The next ERO review of ABC Halswell will be in three years.
Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern
9 August 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 |
Christchurch |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
70549 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
53 children, including up to 15 aged under two |
||
|
Service roll |
64 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 35; Boys 29 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
5 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
June 2016 |
||
|
Date of this report |
9 August 2016 |
||
|
Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review |
April 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 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.