97 Third View Avenue, Beachlands, Manukau
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Coastal Kids is in the coastal community of Beachlands and is licensed to provide full-day education and care for up to 62 children, including up to 20 under the age of two years. The centre has separate rooms for infants (Tui), toddlers (Kea Forest), and older children (Pukeko Preschoolers).
The centre is led by a manager and one head Kaiako. These appointments have been made since the 2015 ERO report. The stable team of staff includes seven qualified kaiako and one teacher in training. There is a mix of permanent and casual kaiako.
Leaders and kaiako aim for the centre to be a 'home-away-from-home' environment that sparks children's interests, supports their dispositions and enhances their natural curiosities and abilities. Their philosophy promotes children as competent, confident learners and communicators. It recognises the environment as the third teacher, and promotes the inclusion of te reo me onā tikanga Māori.
The 2015 ERO report noted good opportunities for children to make choices and good levels of adult support for infants and toddlers. Agreed areas for ongoing development included more robust self-review, and making programmes more responsive to children's interests and dispositions. Since the 2015 ERO report the environment has been improved, with a strong focus on natural resources. Kaiako have engaged in professional development to support their goals. They have also strengthened curriculum design and internal evaluation.
The centre is part of the BestStart Education and Care organisation. BestStart provides an overarching governance and management framework as well as personnel to support operations and curriculum in individual centres. A business manager and a professional services manager are highly involved in the staff professional development and strategic guidance.
This review was part of a cluster of seven reviews in the Upper North Island (UNI) BestStart region.
Children are capable, eager learners who lead their own play. They are confident communicators with good opportunities to share ideas and problem solve. Children have fun and experience success as learners. They are creative, imaginative and use literacy, mathematics and technologies as part of their play.
Children learn in a welcoming and exciting learning environment that promotes discovery, curiosity and hands-on learning. Thoughtfully resourced play areas invite and sustain children’s engagement in play. Wall displays and equipment reflect a respect for te ao Māori and children’s learning and family backgrounds. Kaiako foster children’s understanding of science, particularly around respect and care for the natural environment. This is reflected in the way children explore and are physically active in the large landscaped outdoor area.
Kaiako recognise and build on children's strengths. Their respectful and supportive interactions build on children’s ideas, language and interests in play and discussion. Kaiako know children and families well. They affirm and value children's cultural heritage. They are inclusive and foster a strong sense of belonging in all children.
The curriculum arises from children's interests and dispositions, the centre’s philosophy and Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Group planning is well established and is responsive to children, parent aspirations and community connections. The high value placed on children learning through play is evident in teachers' practices and centre documents.
Kaiako provide very good support for oral language development and encourage children to use their own home languages. They have a strong commitment to bicultural practices and have intentionally woven te reo and tikanga Māori into teaching and centre practices.
Kaiako understand and provide well for the special characteristics and interests of infants and toddlers. They maintain a calm nurturing environment in which very young children have space and time to explore and play. Respectful caregiving supports infants’ need for strong and secure attachments. Toddlers' need for independence and reassurance are responded to in ways that maintain the dignity of the child. Sensitive and supportive teaching practices affirm and build on each child's strengths.
Children’s portfolios are highly valued records of learning that are often added to by families. The introduction of online portfolios and communication has increased opportunities for parents and whānau to contribute to their children’s learning. There is good support for children's transition in to the centre and on to school. Kaiako encourage partnerships with parents in ways that contribute positively to outcomes for children.
The manager is an effective pedagogical leader and manager. Ongoing teacher development is valued and supported by an effective appraisal system. Internal evaluation is well established and influences decision making. Leaders are aware that deeper reflection and evaluation would help to lift teaching practice and contribute to more positive outcomes for children's learning and wellbeing.
Centre operations are guided by a strategic plan, annual plan and a shared vision. These are linked to BestStart strategic goals, which promotes a sense of belonging to a wider learning community and supports more widespread collaboration amongst teaching teams. Continued revisiting of the goals of the centre's strategic and annual plans is enabling leaders and teachers to monitor quality and promote ongoing improvement.
Centre leaders agree that next steps for ongoing improvement would include embedding and building on new initiatives and good practices, including:
more visible kaiako response to individual children's interests and continuity of learning over time in portfolios, online records and centre documents
culturally responsive teaching practices
internal evaluation that encourages teacher ownership, involves deeper analysis and focuses on the effectiveness and impact of teachers' practice on outcomes for children.
Before the review, the staff and management of Coastal Kids 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.
To improve current practice, the service should develop a specific procedure and use BestStart excursion and risk assurance management systems when children leave the licensed area to use the mobile swimming pool.
The next ERO review of Coastal Kids will be in three years.
Violet Tu’uga Stevenson
Director Review and Improvement Services
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
29 November 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 |
Beachlands, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
10277 |
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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 |
62 children, including up to 20 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
79 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 41 Boys 38 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
5 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:5 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
September 2018 |
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Date of this report |
29 November 2018 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
April 2015 |
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|
Education Review |
April 2012 |
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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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Coastal Kids is located in Beachlands, an outer suburb of East Auckland. The centre provides education and care for 62 children, including up to 20 under two years of age. Coastal Kids operates under the governance and management of Kidicorp Ltd. The centre has separate rooms for the infants, toddlers and children over three years old. The outdoor play area has recently been remodelled providing a spacious, attractive environment for children.
The centre manager and head teacher were new to their leadership roles mid 2013. They are supported by two Kidicorp managers who were appointed in late 2014. Centre managers are committed to employing trained staff. Eight of the ten teachers are qualified, two of whom are receiving support to gain their full registration.
After recent staff turnover, centre leaders have focused on building teachers’ leadership capacity across all three rooms. This is leading to improved stability and greater consistency in programme development and implementation.
The strengths of the centre that were identified in the 2012 ERO report continue and there has been very good progress made under the new leadership team. This is particularly evident in the provision for infant and toddlers.
Infants and young toddlers are cared for in a separate room. Nurturing staff provide them with good levels of adult support and company. A comfortable carpeted area enables older infants to safely explore easily accessible toys and learning resources. A calm and peaceful atmosphere, and a relaxed pace, help settle infants and provide for their emotional wellbeing.
Children benefit from the centre’s interesting indoor and outdoor learning environments. They enjoy the opportunities to choose what they do, and some groups engage in intensive and purposeful play for extended periods of time. Children are supported to understand their world and to experience early literacy, numeracy and science learning. The programme includes some recognition of New Zealand’s Māori bicultural heritage and centre managers are committed to developing this more fully in the future.
Teachers in all three rooms are developing effective assessment, planning and programme evaluation processes. Leaders are beginning to provide more specific support and professional development to improve teaching practices. Further good plans are underway to promote more consistent good practice and to strengthen how responsive the programme is to children’s interests.
Managers have a collegial and collaborative approach. They have made a very good start to redefining the direction of the centre and to enriching learning opportunities for children. An annual centre-specific plan is in place to promote centre development. Positive impacts of initiatives are already apparent.
Kidicorp and centre managers are aware of the centre strengths and special challenges. Centre managers are introducing goal-based improvement plans for individual staff and the centre. The centre manager is extending teachers’ networks with a nearby sister centre and other centres. Teachers are engaging in more professional learning and development within a cluster of early childhood centres. These actions should help to strengthen teachers' shared understanding of best practice in early childhood education.
Centre managers recognise that they are in the early stages of establishing self review and are developing an ongoing cycle of improvement. Appraisals have recently been reviewed. Teachers are beginning to build their capacity to reflect on their practices.
Centre leaders recognise the need to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Coastal Kids 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.
The next ERO review of Coastal Kids will be in three years.
Dale Bailey
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
22 April 2015
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 |
Beachlands, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
10277 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
62 children, including up to 20 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
78 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 41 Boys 37 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Other |
5 58 15 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates |
80% |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:5 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
February 2015 |
||
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Date of this report |
22 April 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
April 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
March 2009 |
||
|
Education Review |
June 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:
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.