BestStart Manukau 2

Education institution number:
25336
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
48
Telephone:
Address:

561 Great South Rd, Manukau City, Auckland

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BestStart Manukau 2 - 08/05/2020

1 Evaluation of BestStart Manukau 2

How well placed is BestStart Manukau 2 to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

BestStart Manukau 2 is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

BestStart Manukau 2 provides both sessional and full-day education and care for up to 50 children over the age of two years. It is one of two licensed centres that operate on the same site. The adjacent centre, Manukau 1, provides full-day education and care for children from three months to five years. Both centres are managed by one centre manager. The same administrative and management systems serve the two centres.

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

The curriculum is underpinned by the principles of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, bicultural practices and partnerships with parents/whānau. The centre philosophy is based on the belief that children learn best through professional, responsive and respectful relationships. Cultural diversity is valued and Te Tiriti o Waitangi is acknowledged.

A new centre manager was appointed in 2017. She is establishing shared understandings about effective teaching and learning practices. Recently, a new head teacher was appointed. She oversees the management of curriculum and mentors staff in the centre.

The 2016 ERO report noted that children benefitted from trusting relationships with adults, and the ethnically diverse teachers reflected the children's backgrounds. Teachers provided support for children who spoke languages other than English. These features remain. The centre manager has strengthened evaluation so that teachers are more critically reflective, and improvement focused.

This review was part of a cluster of 10 reviews in the BestStart Upper North Island region.

The Review Findings

Children respond positively to the warm and welcoming environment. Teachers engage children in respectful and responsive conversations to help them connect to their centre experience. Children enjoy their friendships and play cooperatively with their peers. Teachers encourage parents to be part of their children's play and learning.

Children play in a spacious environment underpinned by literacy and numeracy. The environment offers a variety of learning opportunities that children can use to extend their play. Teachers provide a curriculum that incorporates the children's interests and develops their learning dispositions.

Leaders and teachers are developing learning partnerships with families to enable teachers to know children and families well. Teachers use both digital and paper form portfolios to record children's individual development. They continually strive to strengthen communication with parents/whānau.

Teachers engage in conversations with children as they play to build on language development. They provide opportunities to promote oral language and support their learning.

Children know the routines of the centre. They confidently engage in the day's programme and know what is expected of them. The centre works closely with agencies and parents to best support children with additional needs.

Good links are being established with local schools to ensure a seamless transition to school through regular visits and meetings. Parents are well informed, so children can feel confident transitioning to their new school.

Teachers use waiata, karakia and te reo Māori with children during the programme. Visual displays reflect and enhance the bicultural curriculum. The centre values children's cultures through cultural performances, sharing food and celebrations as important aspects of the centre life. Teachers and centre staff play an important part in these celebrations. Parents/whānau are actively involved in cultural events.

Good systems for internal evaluation guide and inform teaching and learning, which results in improved practices to promote positive outcomes for children. Professional learning and development focused on building teachers' capability. This has impacted positively on teaching practices.

National, regional and centre operations are guided by strategic and annual plans, and a shared vision which monitor quality and promote ongoing improvement. 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. Professional learning and development have a focus for building capabilities and has impacted positively on teaching practices. The service provides opportunities for emergent leadership within the team.

Key Next Steps

Leaders agree that key next steps include continuing to strengthen:

  • teaching practices by using reflective and collaborative evaluation to follow up from curriculum planning and practice

  • the consistency of learning stories and individual assessment and planning

  • bicultural practice in the programme

  • teachers' understanding of early childhood teaching practices.

Agreed next steps for the organisation are to continue to strengthen:

  • bicultural understanding and practice

  • risk analysis management systems, processes and procedures for excursions

  • appraisal processes to support teachers’ continuum of professional knowledge and practice.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of BestStart Manukau 2 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 - Te Tai Raki

8 May 2020

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

Manukau, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

25336

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

50 children over 2 years

Service roll

53

Gender composition

Boys 31 Girls 22

Ethnic composition

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

5
2
19
7
6
4
10

Percentage of qualified teachers

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Over 2

1:10

Meets minimum requirements

Review team on site

January 2020

Date of this report

8 May 2020

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

April 2016

Education Review

December 2012

Education Review

November 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.

Edukids Manukau Centre 2 - 15/04/2016

1 Evaluation of Edukids Manukau Centre 2

How well placed is Edukids Manukau Centre 2 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 Manukau Centre 2 provides both sessional and full day education and care for up to 50 children over the age of two years. It is one of two licensed centres that operate on the same site, under Best Start Educare Limited. The adjacent Centre 1 provides full day education and care for children from three months to five years. The same administrative and managements systems serve the two centres.

The centre philosophy promotes partnerships with family and whānau and the cultural beliefs they bring. It also values play and exploration as children's way to learn through having opportunities to create, imagine and make discoveries. Teachers plan to review their philosophy to ensure it aligns with indicators of best teaching practice.

Since the last ERO review, there have been significant changes in governance and leadership. A new professional services manager, business manager and centre manager have all recently been appointed. The centre has a high level of qualified teachers whose ethnic diversity matches well with the community and family cultures.

In March 2015, the ownership of the centre was transferred to the Wright Family Foundation and renamed Best Start Educare Limited. Edukids Manukau Centre 2 is supported by the policies and procedures of this provider. Active support of Best Start personnel informs and supports ongoing service development.

In 2012 ERO reported on the settled tone in the centre and on children enjoying positive, respectful relationships with adults and each other. ERO also noted the need for teachers to extend children's learning and to monitor the impact of improvements made as a result of review findings. Ongoing leadership and staff changes have meant that these areas continue to be areas for development.

The Review Findings

Children are generally happy and settled in the centre. They have trusting relationships with teachers and are developing friendships with their peers. All children benefit from an environment where first language and cultural values are celebrated through displays, mat times, waiata, karakia and special events.

Teachers encourage children to explore resources and become involved in play. They often join small groups asking questions and supporting their play. Children are developing a sense of belonging as they take turns and work alongside others. Teachers provide support for children who speak other languages from home, providing a sense of security as they learn English. The challenge for some teachers is to avoid directing children too much, focusing more on encouraging their independent thinking and curiosity.

The programme reflects what teachers notice about children's interests and dispositions. Teachers identify activities to support topics of interest. By focusing more on what children's interests mean for their learning and recording this, teachers could deepen and enrich their programme planning and support children's purposeful engagement in extended learning. There could also be more opportunities for children and parents to share their interests and ideas from home and have these reflected in the programme. This practice could help create a more meaningful partnership and increase the contribution of parents and whānau to their children's learning.

Records of children's learning are visible in displays and accessible for children and their whānau through portfolios and e-portfolios (Story Park). Teachers have made good progress in using learning stories to record children's developing social relationships and their participation in activities. As they further develop their assessment strategies, teachers should become more confident in recording continuity in children's learning and be more responsive to parent and whānau voice.

Centre managers and teachers are working towards better documentation of their self review and more in-depth thinking about the effectiveness of their practice in promoting positive outcomes for children. They recognise the need to extend the rigor of their self-review practices.

The management team is very new. Managers recognise the importance of providing more responsive leadership to build the centre's professional practice and to establish a shared leader and teacher understanding of the service’s philosophy, vision and goals.

Key Next Steps

Centre managers agree that key next steps for development include:

  • ongoing curriculum development that will provide more robust guidance for teachers to actively extend children's learning

  • exploring strategies for teachers to challenge children's thinking and add complexity to their play

  • strengthening self-review processes so that teachers become more critically reflective and the outcomes of reviews are better used to guide centre development

  • reviewing the readiness for school programme to ensure it is appropriate for children's stage of development. 

Recommendation

ERO recommends that the new centre manager focuses on helping teachers to engage with children in ways that will foster curiosity and encourage collaborative play and problem solving.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Edukids Manukau Centre 2 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 Manukau Centre 2 will be in three years.

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

15 April 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

Manukau, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

25336

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

50 children, including up to 0 aged under 2

Service roll

60

Gender composition

Girls 36 Boys 24

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

Indian

Tongan

Samoan

Cook Island Māori

Cambodian

Chinese

Vietnamese

Fijian

Sri Lankan

11

8

16

6

4

3

3

3

3

2

1

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%+

Based on funding rates

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Over 2

1:10

Meets minimum requirements

Review team on site

January 2016

Date of this report

15 April 2016

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

December 2012

Education Review

November 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 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.