BestStart Tironui Road

Education institution number:
10105
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
50
Telephone:
Address:

42 Tironui Road, Takanini, Auckland

View on map

BestStart Tironui Road - 27/09/2019

1 Evaluation of BestStart Tironui Road 

How well placed is BestStart Tironui Road to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

BestStart Tironui Road is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

BestStart Tironui Road is licensed for up to 50 children. It provides for older children in the Papatūānuku room, and for up to 12 infants and toddlers in the Rūaumoko room. The centre caters for the neighbouring community and parents who work in the area.

The centre is part of the BestStart charitable trust. The organisation has re-branded all its early learning services. It provides an overarching governance and management framework to support operations and curriculum delivery in individual centres. Business managers (BM) and professional services managers (PSM) lead the staff professional development and provide strategic guidance.

The majority of staff are long-;-o8userving in the centre. A centre manager has been appointed since the 2016 ERO review. A team leader and some of the staff have been employed recently. Areas for development that were identified in ERO's 2016 report have been addressed.

This review was part of a cluster of nine reviews in BestStart's Upper North Island region.

The Review Findings

Teachers welcome parents and children on arrival. Children engage positively in the warm and responsive environment and play cooperatively. They help one another and develop tuakana/teina relationships where older children support younger ones. Teachers' conversations with children help them connect their home life with centre experiences. They encourage parents/whānau to be part of their children's learning.

The spacious environment offers challenge, opportunities for risk-taking, and a wide variety of rich learning materials that children use to extend their play. Teachers provide a responsive and varied curriculum that incorporates the interests of children and includes a strong literacy, mathematics and science focus.

Parents share their 'hopes and dreams' for their children informally and in formal interviews. Teachers use this information to build development plans for each child. Leaders and teachers are developing learning partnerships with families. These relationships enable teachers to know children and families, and their context and aspirations very well.

Teachers record children's progress and learning in individual assessment portfolios. Clear continuity of learning, including social and creative development, can be seen in the learning journeys of individual children.

Infants and toddlers explore their environment independently. Teachers use care routines, such as nappy changing, to have focused interactions with individual children. They use music and movement effectively to stimulate children's play. Teachers' intentional interactions with infants and toddlers support oral language development. Teachers actively promote children's understanding of te reo Māori, through their use of waiata, karakia and greetings.

The teaching team builds shared knowledge and the service's capacity by displaying information about planning and learning. Leaders seek professional knowledge to guide their practice. They share leadership and value the strengths and interests of individual teachers. Internal evaluation helps teachers to improve and extend their practice.

Centre operations are guided by strategic and annual plans, and a shared vision. These are linked to BestStart strategic goals, which promote a sense of belonging to a wider learning community and support more widespread collaboration amongst teaching teams. Leaders and teachers regularly revisit the centre's strategic goals and annual action plans to monitor quality and promote ongoing improvement.

Key Next Steps

Key next steps for centre development include teachers continuing to:

  • strengthen the sense-making aspect of internal evaluation to refine centre practices

  • strengthen curriculum planning, using evaluation findings to improve programmes.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of BestStart Tironui Road 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.

Steve Tanner

Director Review and Improvement Services Northern

Northern Region

27 September 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

Location

Takanini, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

10105

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

50 children, including up to 12 aged under 2

Service roll

52

Gender composition

Girls 30 Boys 22

Ethnic composition

Māori
NZ European/Pākehā
Indian
Samoan
Southeast Asian
other Pacific
other ethnic groups

16
8
7
6
6
5
4

Percentage of qualified teachers

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:4

Better than minimum requirements

Over 2

1:10

Meets minimum requirements

Review team on site

July 2019

Date of this report

27 September 2019

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

February 2016

Education Review

August 2012

Education Review

September 2009

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

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.

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.

First Steps Tironui Road - 17/02/2016

1 Evaluation of First Steps Tironui Road

How well placed is First Steps Tironui Road 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

First Steps Tironui in Takanini is licensed to provide all day education and care for up to 50 children, including 12 under two years of age. Most children live in the area and the centre's roll reflects the diverse demographic make-up of the local community. The head teacher provides leadership and guidance for teaching and also for things Māori. The centre is at full occupancy.

The 2012 ERO report commented favourably on the centre's supportive environment and also noted how well teachers work alongside children. The report included recommendations about improving the learning programme and physical environment. The outdoor play area and the general condition of the centre have been significantly upgraded. Children under two now have an expansive area with good indoor-outdoor flow. The centre has maintained a stable teaching team and there has been some progress to improve learning programmes. The centre is well positioned to make the further changes necessary to lift the quality of provision.

Best Start management and personnel systems guide the operation of the centre. The centre manager, head teacher and staff are supported by a professional services manager and a business manager who visit frequently. The teaching team is a mixture of full and provisionally registered teachers. Centre leaders and staff are working hard to make the centre reflective of Aotearoa New Zealand.

The Review Findings

Parents are happy to bring their children to the centre so that they can enjoy learning with their friends. Children have a strong sense of belonging and enjoy the variety of activities and challenges teachers plan for them. They experiment and problem solve with teachers taking a caring, monitoring role.

Teachers share good quality learning stories with parents through an on-line portal and through children’s personal portfolios. Parents provide information about their children and take a strong interest in their children's learning outcomes. They value the opportunities that their children have to regularly share aspects of their home culture in the centre and to celebrate other languages and cultures throughout the year.

Children enjoy playing in the upgraded outdoor play area. They engage in challenging activities that develop their physical and social skills. There is a good array of natural play materials and ample space. This provides children with the freedom to choose what and where to play. The recent development of the garden has encouraged children’s curiosity about planting for food. Teachers are well placed to investigate how to incorporate greater bicultural elements in the outdoor play areas. They are also well positioned to provide more opportunities for children to learn through play, in the garden.

Children under two years of age have easy access to age appropriate resources and challenges, in an environment that encourages exploration. Teachers maintain a calm, slow pace in which younger children have the space and time to lead their learning. The importance of play as a vehicle for learning is respected and valued. There are good structures and systems in place to ensure that teachers are available and have time to develop positive relationships with infants and toddlers and their parents and whānau.

Māori children comprise 21 percent and Pacifica 10 percent of the centre's roll. Teachers include waiata Māori and te reo at mat time. Children are familiar with many aspects of the practices of tikanga. Teachers post displays of Māori sentences and phrases that can be used during conversations with children. Some teachers also include Pacifica languages in their conversations with children. Leaders have agreed to continue to build the capability of teachers to lead bicultural practices in the centre.

Good quality assessment practices are in place to monitor children’s learning. Teachers meet regularly to plan collaboratively. Parents are also involved, in programme planning. Teachers use literacy and numeracy strategies in their interactions with children. Teachers take children into the community to experience a wider range of opportunities to learn. Learning stories that are displayed throughout the centre, identify individual and group learning outcomes. Leaders could investigate ways to increase the opportunity for children to revisit their learning.

Teachers participate in targeted and ongoing professional development about using self-review for improvement. A review of the role of the centre in the community and the ways in which it links to the community, has led to the strengthening of local partnerships. Leaders agree that evaluating the effectiveness of initiatives using self review is an area for ongoing improvement.

There is good professional leadership and support by the Best Start organisation for the centre leaders. A well-reviewed policy framework ensures that compliance with regulatory requirements and good teaching practice are well managed. Self review has led to improved practices in programme planning and assessment.

The centre philosophy identifies many of the things that leaders might like to see. Centre leaders agree that a philosophy should clearly state the centre's purpose and direction. Including parents and whānau in a review and evaluation of the centre's philosophy and strategic and annual plan is one way to help strengthen partnership with parents and whānau. The centre is well positioned to review their current philosophy.

Key Next Steps

In order to build on current good practice leaders and teachers agree that their key next steps are to consider ways to:

  • support all teachers to expand their knowledge of teaching strategies that extend children’s thinking
  • grow capability to strengthen leadership of bicultural practice.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of First Steps Tironui Road 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 First Steps Tironui Road will be in three years.

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

17 February 2016 

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

Takanini, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

10105

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

50 children, including up to 12 aged under 2

Service roll

57

Gender composition

Boys 31 Girls 26

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā
Asian
Pacific
Indian
other

12
24
6
6
5
4

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%+

Based on funding rates

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:4

Better than minimum requirements

Over 2

1:10

Meets minimum requirements

Review team on site

October 2015

Date of this report

17 February 2016

Most recent ERO report(s)

 

Education Review

August 2012

Education Review

September 2009

Education Review

June 2008

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.