BestStart Baverstock Oaks

Education institution number:
46118
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
89
Telephone:
Address:

21 S Baverstock Road, Flat Bush, Auckland

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Edukids Baverstock - 22/11/2018

1 Evaluation of Edukids Baverstock

How well placed is Edukids Baverstock 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

Edukids Baverstock, in the grounds of Baverstock Oaks Primary School in East Auckland, is licensed for up to 100 children, including 25 children up to the age of two years. The centre is organised into four age-related rooms. Children transition through the centre based on age and their individual readiness.

Children have diverse cultural backgrounds, with the majority being Asian. Teachers reflect this ethnic diversity, and many are able to communicate with families in their home languages. Most teachers are fully qualified.

The centre's first ERO report in 2015 identified key next steps that included establishing more rigorous self-review and more effective teacher appraisal, promoting bicultural practices and enacting the centre's philosophy.

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.

The Review Findings

Children and whānau experience positive relationships with teachers. They are warmly welcomed upon their arrival to the centre, and teachers show interest in children's stories and parents' information. Children are eager learners and settle easily into activities and play areas of their choice. They make good friendships with other children and know that their teachers are available and supportive. As a result, children have a strong sense of belonging, and are secure and content in their environment.

Babies and toddlers are very well cared for in play areas designed to meet their learning needs. Teachers are affectionate and nurturing with these younger children. They work in partnership with parents to meet their expectations and preferences, and maintain home routines. Learning environments are attractive and well resourced, and children's work is displayed with their learning highlighted.

Teachers work collaboratively to plan and enact a play-based curriculum and design learning programmes that are based on children's varied interests and learning needs. They actively promote children's social competence and support them to have positive relationships with each other and with their local community. Literacy and numeracy are prioritised and integrated into children's play.

Sharing their varied skills, knowledge and understanding, teachers plan effectively for children's diverse cultural backgrounds and provide very good oral language support. They responsively incorporate Pacific, Indian and Asian languages and cultural practices, and use te reo Māori and tikanga throughout the daily programme. It could be useful for teachers to develop a long-term plan for the centre-wide promotion of te ao Māori.

The centre is well led by a capable and competent professional leader. She promotes leadership opportunities within the teaching team and values the varied strengths teachers bring. Internal evaluation is well understood as a tool for improvement and results in ongoing progress. As a part of the improvement process, teachers' appraisals are well managed and enhance their professional skills.

Centre operations are guided by a strategic plan, annual plan and a shared vision. These are linked to BestStart strategic goals, which promote 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.

Key Next Steps

Centre leaders agree that key next steps for the centre include:

  • creating further opportunities for children to experience more complexity in their play

  • strengthening centre-wide assessment, planning and evaluation practices

  • extending culturally responsive practices, particularly in communications with families and in children's individual portfolios

  • using the centre's philosophy to develop indicators of effective practice for the teaching team.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Edukids Baverstock 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 Edukids Baverstock will be in three years.

Violet Tu’uga Stevenson

Director Review and Improvement Services

Te Tai Raki - Northern Region

22 November 2018

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

Botany, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

46118

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

100 children, including up to 25 aged under 2

Service roll

128

Gender composition

Boys 77 Girls 51

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā
Chinese
Indian
European
other Asian
other ethnic groups

6
16
57
17
9
21
2

Percentage of qualified teachers

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:8

Meets minimum requirements

Over 2

1:4

Meets minimum requirements

Review team on site

September 2018

Date of this report

22 November 2018

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

March 2015

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.

Edukids Baverstock - 25/03/2015

1 Evaluation of Edukids Baverstock

How well placed is Edukids Baverstock 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

Edukids Baverstock is owned and managed by the Kidicorp group. The centre is situated on the grounds of Baverstock Oaks Primary School in Botany, Auckland. It provides care and education for children from babies to school age. The centre is licensed for up to 100 children, including 25 children under the age of two years. The centre is based in a new purpose-built complex and has been in operation for two years. This is the centre’s first ERO review.

The centre is managed by an experienced leader who is improvement focused. She is supported by Kidicorp professional managers who work collaboratively with the centre to promote positive outcomes for children. The majority of teachers are qualified and registered.

There are four rooms in the centre and each caters for a different age range of children. Transition through the centre is monitored closely by teachers, and is based around children’s readiness.

The centre’s philosophy is evident in the programme and strongly emphasises partnerships with parents/whānau and the wider community. The programme is reflective of the dual cultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Te Whariki, the early childhood curriculum, guides the teaching and learning programme. This programme is based on children’s individual and group interests.

The Review Findings

Children participate well in the programme and are busy making choices about their play. They are involved in activities provided and have good access to resources to support their play. Children are confident and can express their ideas clearly to adults and their peers. They enjoy uninterrupted play for prolonged periods of time. Children play well on their own and with each other in small groups. They engage in interesting and imaginative conversations with each other and adults.

Infants and toddlers are supported in their learning and development through programmes that are planned to suit their individual needs. Teachers use a primary caregiver approach to support children who are new to the centre. It could now be helpful to discuss and review teaching practices for infants and toddlers to ensure teachers have shared understandings of practices that are most effective in supporting their work with these younger children.

Teachers follow children’s interest in the daily programme and provide resources to support children’s play. They develop and plan programmes based on information they know about children and make regular informal observations of them. Children's emerging interests are recorded in portfolios. This information contributes to parents’ understanding of their child’s learning and development.

Teachers acknowledge the diverse cultures of children. This diversity is reflected in the programme and is evident in wall displays and the environment. Some teachers are able to speak children’s first language, supporting children to settle quickly in to the centre and helping families to gain good understandings of what happens in the centre. Parents’ contribution to the programme is highly valued and encouraged.

Teachers are continuing to build on their bicultural practices. There is a deliberate promotion of te reo Māori and tikanga in the daily programme. Children learn about their whakapapa/genealogy, waiata/Māori songs and aspects of their cultural identity.

The environment is attractive and inviting. Areas of play are well defined and support children’s independent play. Teachers work collaboratively to facilitate smooth transitions for children into the centre as well as to school. Literacy, numeracy and science concepts are evident and deliberately interwoven into the programme and teaching approaches.

The managers work to maintain a culturally inclusive learning environment that is reflective of the community it serves. Administrative and operational systems guide teaching practices and the strategic vision of the centre. Some spontaneous self review is evident and has lead to centre-wide improvements.

Key Next Steps

The centre manager actively reflects on how the centre can better achieve positive outcomes for children and, together with Kidicorp professional support managers, has identified areas that need improvement. ERO agrees that key next steps for the centre should include:

  • establishing a clearer, more rigorous process for self review that is well understood by staff to better facilitate ongoing centre improvement
  • using the teacher appraisal processes more effectively to identify best practice, guide teachers’ professional goal setting, and inform decisions about staff professional development priorities
  • the development and use of key indicators to help centre leaders and teachers build shared understandings of how best to enact the centre’s philosophy in the daily programme and teaching practice
  • continued work to promote bicultural practices within the centre’s programme.

It would also be useful to further strengthen centre assessment, planning and evaluation practices. Centre managers and teachers should work together to review children’s portfolios so that they become a more useful record of the individual child’s learning journey and teachers’ partnerships with whānau.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Edukids Baverstock 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 Edukids Baverstock will be in three years.

Dale Bailey

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

25 March 2015

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

Botany, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

46118

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

100 children, including up to 25 aged under 2

Service roll

151

Gender composition

Girls 55% Boys 45%

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

Chinese

Indian

Samoan

Tongan

other Asian

other

3%

23%

28%

22%

3%

1%

11%

9%

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

1:8

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

January 2015

Date of this report

25 March 2015

Most recent ERO report(s)

No previous ERO reports

 

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.