High Five Care and Learning

Education institution number:
55422
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
45
Telephone:
Address:

298 & 300 Evans Bay Parade, Hataitai, Wellington

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High Five Care and Learning

1 ERO’s Judgements

Akarangi | Quality Evaluation evaluates the extent to which this early childhood service has the learning and organisational conditions to support equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners. Te Ara Poutama Indicators of quality for early childhood education: what matters most are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Judgements are made in relation to the Outcomes Indicators, Learning and Organisational Conditions. The Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.

ERO’s judgements for High Five Care and Learning are as follows:

Outcome Indicators

(What the service knows about outcomes for learners)

Whāngai Establishing

Ngā Akatoro Domains

 

Learning Conditions
Organisational Conditions

Whāngai Establishing

Whakatō Emerging

2 Context of the Service

High Five Care and Learning is privately owned and operated. A centre manager oversees a team of mostly certificated teachers. The service has experienced significant changes in staff and management since the 2020 ERO report. There has been minimal progress in addressing the key next steps identified in that report. A small number of Māori, and children of Pacific heritages, attend.

3 Summary of findings

Children experience a play-based curriculum that provides opportunities for them to lead their own learning. Environments are well resourced, and these encourage group play. Responsive teachers foster children’s developing social and emotional competence. A large outdoor area promotes opportunities for investigation and managed risk-taking.

Infants and toddlers benefit from nurturing teachers who are attentive to their needs. Oral language development is promoted. Exploration of the learning environment is encouraged through the range of experiences provided by teachers.

Aspects of te reo Māori are evident. Deeper understanding and implementation of tikanga Māori and daily use of te reo Māori is required.

Assessment, planning, and evaluation was raised as an area for improvement in the 2020 ERO report, and these have not been sufficiently addressed. Assessment documentation is variable. Further work is required to show through assessment how:

  • parent aspirations inform planning

  • how the learning outcomes from Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, are used to identify children’s learning and progress over time.

Those responsible for governance are yet to effectively develop systems that support succession planning and ensure sustainability of processes and practices. Recent changes to curriculum and health and safety electronic platforms require embedding. Relevant professional learning and development is undertaken. However, the service is yet to complete a full professional growth cycle.

An internal evaluation framework is in place, but the process is not yet well understood. There is a strong focus on what has been done rather than considering what the outcomes are for children. Further work is required to understand the purpose of evaluation. Better understanding of the regulatory standards and monitoring is also necessary.

4 Improvement actions

High Five Care and Learning will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

  • Build a shared understanding of assessment for learning, which meaningfully includes parents’ aspirations and the use of Te Whāriki learning outcomes to identify children’s learning progress over time.

  • Review and implement a robust professional growth cycle that builds leader and teacher capability.

  • Build governance capability to ensure systems effectively support succession planning and sustainability of practices over time.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of High Five Care and Learning completed an ERO 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; safety checking; teacher registration; ratios)

  • relevant evacuation procedures and practices.

All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.

6 Compliance

Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:

  • Heavy furniture, fixtures and equipment that can fall or topple are secured (HS6).

  • Consistent recording the time each child attending the service sleeps, and checks made by adults during that time (HS9).

  • Ensuring placement of mattresses for children sleeping allow adults to have clear access to at least one side (meaning the length, not the width) (HS10).

  • Ensuring bedding is stored hygienically when not in use (HS11).

  • Ensuring excursion records clearly show the time children leave the service (HS17).

  • Ensuring rooms used by children are kept at a comfortable temperature no lower than 18 degrees (at 500mm above the floor) (HS24).

Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)

20 June 2023 

7 About the Early Childhood Service

Early Childhood Service Name

High Five Care and Learning

Profile Number 

55422

Location

Wellington

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

45 children, including up to 15 aged under 2

Percentage of qualified teachers

80-99%

Service roll

56

Review team on site

April 2023

Date of this report

20 June 2023

Most recent ERO report(s)

Akanuku | Assurance Review, November 2020
Education Review, June 2018

High Five Care and Learning - 09/11/2020

ERO’s Akanuku | Assurance Review reports provide information about whether a service meets and maintains regulatory standards. Further information about Akanuku | Assurance Reviews is included at the end of this report.

ERO’s Judgement

Regulatory standards
ERO’s judgement

Curriculum

Meeting

Premises and facilities

Meeting

Health and safety

Meeting

Governance, management and administration

Meeting

Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed non-compliances and is now taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.

Background

This privately owned service was previously known as High Five Education and Care Centre Wellington. The director manages the centre, with support from the centre manager and teachers in the three age-based rooms. The previous ERO evaluation identified that health and safety and governance and management required improvement. Sufficient progress has been made.

Summary of Review Findings

The service curriculum is inclusive. Infants, toddlers and older children experience positive, respectful interactions with adults. They have opportunities to develop an understanding of the dual cultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand. Children’s cultures are respected and supported through the use of their home language and cultural events. A policy framework and annual planning guides centre operation. Teacher appraisal and internal evaluation processes are established. Strategies are in place to involve parents and whānau in their child’s learning. Health and safety procedures are monitored, and changes made when required.

Key Next Steps

Next steps are to:

  • identify teaching strategies to extend the complexity of older children’s play
  • increase the visibility of how teachers are responding to children’s interests and dispositions, and to parent aspirations, in assessment, planning and evaluation.

Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:

  • safety film applied to mirrors.

Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood and Care Services 2008, PF7

Next ERO Review

The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.

Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
9 November 2020  

Information About the Service

Early Childhood Service Name

High Five Care and Learning

Profile Number

55422

Location

Wellington

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

45 children, including up to 15 aged under 2

Percentage of qualified teachers

80%+

Service roll

47

Gender composition

Male 25, Female 22

Ethnic composition

Māori 8, NZ European/Pākehā 11, Pacific 5, Other ethnic groups 23

Review team on site

13 October 2020

Date of this report

9 November 2020

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, June 2018; Education Review, September 2015

General Information about Assurance Reviews

All services are licensed under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008. The legal requirements for early childhood services also include the Licensing Criteria for Education and Care Services 2008. 

Services must meet the standards in the regulations and the requirements of the licensing criteria to gain and maintain a licence to operate.

ERO undertakes an Akanuku | Assurance Review process in any centre-based service:

  • having its first ERO review – including if it is part of a governing organisation
  • previously identified as ‘not well placed’ or ‘requiring further development’
  • that has moved from a provisional to a full licence
  • that have been re-licenced due to a change of ownership
  • where an Akanuku | Assurance Review process is determined to be appropriate.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

All early childhood services are required to promote children’s health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements. Before the review, the staff and management of a service 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. 

As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO assesses whether the regulated standards are being met. In particular, ERO looks at a 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 certification; ratios)
  • evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake. 

As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:

  • discussions with those involved in the service
  • consideration of relevant documentation, including the implementation of health and safety systems
  • observations of the environment/premises, curriculum implementation and teaching practice.

High Five Early Education Centre - 28/06/2018

1 Evaluation of High Five Early Education Centre

How well placed is High Five Early Education Centre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

Robust systems and processes are not yet in place to support sustained and ongoing improvements needed in the curriculum, leadership, teaching practices and compliance with all legislative requirements

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

Background

High Five Early Education Centre is a privately owned service providing education and care for up to 55 children, including 20 aged up to two years. The centre comprises three learning areas: one for infants (aged under 20 months); one for toddlers aged up to three years (junior school); and one for children over three years old (senior school). The groups combine occasionally according to numbers, staffing, and shared activities.

The philosophy and vision highlight the importance of children being children within an environment that has a family atmosphere.

A managing director/owner oversees the business operation. A centre manager is the pedagogical leader, responsible for the day-to-day organisation, teaching and learning. She is supported by room/team leaders.

The September 2015 ERO report of the service identified significant areas of non-compliance relating to teaching practices, governance and management, and human resources. Ongoing support from the Ministry of Education was provided to support the centre to meet licensing requirements.

Although some progress is evident, the service has not sufficiently addressed the areas requiring improvement. Further development is required for the service to be well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

The Review Findings

Further work is required to improve curriculum design, teaching and assessment practices and internal evaluation. Systems to monitor health and safety procedures and the review of centre policies need to be sufficiently robust to ensure that legislative requirements are consistently met.

Leaders and teachers should continue to deepen their understanding of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and strengthen their understanding of best practice linked to teaching and learning.

Creating a co-ordinated approach to assessment, planning and evaluation that is responsive to individual children is a priority. Leaders have developed a useful framework that should provide good support for teachers to strengthen their understanding of planning and assessment. However, deliberate planning for, and evaluation of, individual children's learning to better inform decisions about the curriculum, is not yet in place.

Regular self review that leads to some change is established. Leaders are building their knowledge of internal evaluation. Developing the teaching team's evaluative capacity to measure the quality and value of programmes and operation remains a priority.

Responsive relationships are evident between children, teachers, and parents. Flexible transitions in to the service are sensitively managed to meet the needs of children and their families. Primary caregiving promotes a sense of belonging and security for infants and toddlers. Tuakana teina is valued, and siblings are supported to maintain close connections with each other during the day.

Aspects of the philosophy are evident in practice. Developing children's sense of belonging and establishing close relationships with whānau are priorities. Leaders have identified that further strengthening teaching practice to consistently reflect the philosophy and priorities for children's learning is a next step. ERO's external evaluation confirms this.

Older children's exploration of literacy, mathematics and science concepts is supported by access to a range of suitable resources. Teachers use Pacific music to promote early numeracy development.

Children have opportunities to participate in waiata, karakia, pūrakau and meaningful literacy experiences. Teachers should continue to improve their understanding of te ao Māori concepts and use of te reo Māori. Strengthening learning partnerships with whānau Māori, to better inform individual planning is a key next step.

Connections between home and the service are used well to promote children's sense of belonging. Their cultures are evident within the environment and are beginning to emerge in children's assessment records. Leaders have identified that continuing to strengthen relationships with Pacific families and their communities is a key next step.

The appraisal process has been strengthened to provide better support for teachers to reflect on their practice in relation to professional requirements.

Key Next Steps

Key priorities for improvement are:

  • systems for identification, monitoring and assurance of all legislative requirements
  • leadership to guide professional practice to promote high quality education and care
  • shared understanding and use of internal evaluation for improvement
  • clear indicators of good practice that align to the service's philosophy and identified priorities for learning
  • learning partnerships with Māori and Pacific whānau to inform individual planning
  • planning, assessment and evaluation practices that respond to the learning needs of individual children and align to the principles, strands and outcomes of Te Whāriki.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of High Five Early Education Centre 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.

Actions for compliance

ERO identified areas of non-compliance relating to children's health and wellbeing and governance and management. To meet requirements the service needs to improve its performance in the following areas:

  • when children leave premise on an excursion parents/caregivers have given prior written approval to their child's participation and have sighted the proposed ratio for special excursions prior to the excursion taking place
  • records of all medicine (prescription and non-prescription) given to children attending the service include evidence of parental acknowledgement
  • safe and hygienic animal handling practices are implemented with regards to any animals at the service
  • records of all injuries, illnesses and incidents that occur at the service include evidence that parents have been informed
  • the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008, and Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres, 2008 are prominently displayed at the service for parents and visitors
  • the service is effectively governed and managed in accordance with good management practices and that legislative requirements are consistently met.

[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS17, HS28, HS16, HS27, HS34, GMA1, GMA7 and HS5]

Since the on-site stage of this evaluation the service has:

  • provided evidence for one excursion that demonstrates how the criteria is met
  • developed systems to monitor records for administering medication
  • developed a flowchart setting out expectations for responding to incidents and events
  • developed policies and practices related to animal welfare
  • prominently displayed documents for parents and visitors.

ERO will continue to monitor compliance and evaluate the effectiveness of implementation to promote positive outcomes for children.

Development Plan Recommendation

ERO recommends that the service, in consultation with the Ministry of Education, develops a plan to address the key next steps and actions outlined in this report.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of High Five Early Education Centre will be within two years.

Patricia Davey

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)

Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region

28 June 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

Wellington

Ministry of Education profile number

55422

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

55 children, including up to 20 aged under 2

Service roll

52

Gender composition

Girls 26, Boys 26

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

Pacific

Other ethnic groups

8

25

7

12

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

1:6

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

April 2018

Date of this report

28 June 2018

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

September 2015

Education Review

June 2014

Education Review

April 2011

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.