113 Harbourside Drive, Karaka, Auckland
View on mapAkarangi | 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 Karaka Learning Centre 4 are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) |
Whakaū Embedding |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
|
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions |
Whakaū Embedding |
Karaka Learning Centre 4 is one of two licensed centres which operate within the Karaka Learning Service complex. The service provides age-appropriate environments in three separate spaces for children over the age of two years. The centre manager oversees the daily operation of the services. A very small number of children from Māori and Pacific cultures attend.
Children are supported to be confident, articulate, and comfortable in the centre’s spacious and well-resourced environment. They freely access resources to support their play.
Successful partnerships between parents, whānau and teachers acknowledge aspirations for children’s learning and foster successful transitions into and within the service.
Teachers use assessment information effectively to inform planning and the curriculum. Leaders and teachers have been involved in extensive professional learning, which has enabled them to build a shared understanding of how assessment drives curriculum planning. They regularly reflect on and evaluate children’s learning and development.
Children learn within an inclusive curriculum where leaders and teachers:
are responsive to the individual needs of children and their families
actively work to identify and remove barriers to children’s full participation in learning
develop extensive individual learning and care plans for children with additional learning needs, which are shared and discussed with parents and external agencies.
Continuing to develop the bicultural curriculum is a service priority. It is currently evident in documentation and ongoing monitoring through teachers’ practice reflections and staff appraisals. However, teachers’ and children’s use of te reo and tikanga Māori is not yet as visible in practice.
Leaders and teachers engage in frequent professional discussions and critical reflection that support ongoing development. A culture of high relational trust supports collaboration in making changes to the curriculum and teaching practices.
Leaders have a focus on continual improvement and show a commitment to the service’s philosophy, vision, and goals. Reviews and internal evaluation are intentional, and their purpose well understood. To sustain quality improvements for children, leaders could collect a wider range of data to analyse. This would help to improve monitoring and evaluating of the annual planning and strategic goals. This evaluation would include identifying the impact of actions taken, and progress towards meeting these goals.
Karaka Learning Centre 4 will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Leaders and teachers to increase opportunities for children to experience a bicultural curriculum.
Continue to grow teachers’ evaluative thinking and reasoning capability for doing and using internal evaluation to monitor and improve outcomes for children.
Before the review, the staff and management of Karaka Learning Centre 4 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.
Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
4 October 2022
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Karaka Learning Centre 4 |
|
Profile Number |
25003 |
|
Location |
Papakura |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
140 children aged over 2 years |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
82 |
|
Review team on site |
July 2022 |
|
Date of this report |
4 October 2022 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, November 2018 |
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Karaka Learning 4 is one of two privately owned licensed centres which operate from within the Karaka Learning Service complex. The service provides full-day care and education for up to 140 children over two years of age. Children are generally grouped according to age.
Centres 4, 5 and 6 operate under the Karaka Learning Centre 4 licence. Centres 4 and 6 each cater for 50 children from three to five years of age. Children aged from two to three years attend Centre 5. Each centre has a separate outdoor play area and access to an on-site heated swimming pool in the summer months.
The vision for the centre is expressed as 'Learn to Love to Learn'. The philosophy is under review at present. Parents are able to contribute to this process online.
The centre is managed and led by a team of teachers and staff. Supervisors lead their individual teams, and a manager and safety officer take overall responsibility for day-to-day operations. Curriculum development is a shared responsibility.
The 2016 ERO review noted the beginnings of bicultural practice, improvements in recording children's learning, and effective transitions through the centres. Relationships with children and families were positive and friendly, and management was efficient. These aspects have been maintained.
The 2016 ERO report highlighted the need for learning programmes to be more closely aligned with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, for teacher appraisal processes to include cultural competency expectations, and for the annual plan to detail how the goals from the strategic plan could be achieved. These aspects continue to require further development.
This review was part of a cluster of two reviews in the Karaka Learning Centre service.
Children and whānau are warmly welcomed at the start of the day. Children settle well in the early morning session, with positive encouragement from teachers. They select from the resources and pre-set activities provided, and engage quickly in play. Generous numbers of staff enable teachers to have friendly and informative conversations with whānau about their children.
Transitions through the centres are planned and unhurried. Children with diverse needs are carefully included in programmes and well supported by additional staff, specifically employed for this purpose.
During set times, children engage in play outdoors, demonstrating friendships and collaboration with others. They are carefully supervised and chat freely with teachers. Teachers should consider ways of engaging children in more direct conversations about their play at such times, using open-ended questioning and problem-solving prompts to encourage deep and extended play.
The first part of the day features teacher-led group and individual learning times. These focus on learning skills in reading, writing and mathematics but do not clearly reflect the principles of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and its focus on learning through play.
Teachers keep parents well informed about children's participation and progress over time using an on-line platform. Some parents also use this portal to share photographs and brief accounts of children's home life. These entries add to teachers' information about the children in their care. Parents speak well of the support teachers provide, and of the warmth and welcome they receive from staff.
Teachers collaboratively plan programmes each month. Plans focus on activities linked to an interest or theme. Teachers should make better use of children's individual interests and strengths to inform planning decisions. They should also evaluate the effectiveness of their teaching strategies in extending individual children's learning through play.
Teachers have made progress in reflecting the bicultural emphasis of Te Whāriki. A staff member has helped to strengthen teachers' confidence and engagement with both te reo and tikanga Māori within the programme. Teachers are now well poised to continue their bicultural journey with children. This should include a stronger focus on supporting Māori children's success as Māori.
Policies and procedures, and other aspects of management are fully documented, sometimes overly so. The appraisal processes are under review at present, and health and safety requirements are rigorously implemented and well monitored.
Service leaders should streamline policies and procedures to reduce over-documentation and support teachers to continue to:
develop learning programmes that more closely align with the expectations of Te Whāriki regarding play-based, child-led programme planning that responds to children's interests and strengths
engage children in conversations that promote thinking and problem-solving
strengthen staff involvement in internal evaluation that focuses more strongly on outcomes for children
develop bicultural practices in the programme.
It is timely for management to seek professional support to build leadership capability and develop an action plan that supports teachers to implement Te Whāriki expectations. This plan should set service-wide goals that are included in strategic and annual plans and in appraisal processes.
Before the review, the staff and management of Karaka Learning Centre 4 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.
The next ERO review of Karaka Learning Centre 4 will be in three years.
Violet Tu’uga Stevenson
Director Review and Improvement Services
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
9 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.
|
Location |
Karaka, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
25003 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
140 children aged over 2 years |
||
|
Service roll |
135 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 69 Boys 66 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
11 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
August 2018 |
||
|
Date of this report |
9 November 2018 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
March 2016 |
|
|
Education Review |
December 2012 |
||
|
Education Review |
December 2009 |
||
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.
Karaka Learning Centre 4, south of Auckland, is licensed to provide all day care and education for a total of 140 children aged 2 to 5 years. Although three centres (numbered 4, 5, and 6) have been combined onto one licence, each of the centres has retained its own name and separate play space. Numbers 4 and 6 cater for 50 children each, aged 3 to 5 years. Children aged 2 to 3 years attend number 5. The centre is privately owned and well established on a large rural site. The centre has a swimming pool, and its own bus to explore the larger community.
A manager and administrator oversee the day-to-day running of the centre. The programme for each space is led by head teachers. Long-serving, qualified teachers make up a high proportion of the staff.
The centre’s vision and philosophy aim to instil and encourage a love of learning in all children. Relationships with family and the community are seen as important to children’s individual success.
The 2012 ERO report noted that children were very engaged in learning experiences in and beyond the centre. The quality of relationships and interactions between children and teachers were also acknowledged as strengths. These aspects are still strengths of the programme.
Areas for review and development noted in the 2012 report included making greater use of current literature in the review and evaluation of the programme. It recommended more natural inclusion of literacy and numeracy learning experiences, and an increased focus on New Zealand’s bicultural heritage in the programme. Some progress has been made in some of these areas.
Children are happy, settled and well cared for. They choose where they will play and move freely between indoor and outdoor environments. Children play independently and co-operatively. Friendships are evident and children know routines well.
Children have good physical challenges in the outdoor areas. Higher levels of quality resources in indoor spaces would allow children to bring complexity and continuity to their learning. Teachers could also consider how curriculum areas could more directly reflect bicultural perspectives and the cultures of the children attending.
Teachers have positive and caring relationships with children, their parents and whānau. They guide children’s behaviour well and try hard to meet parental expectations. Parents speak highly of the teaching team, and many families have long-term links with the centre. Children make smooth transitions as they move up through the various age-based areas within the centre.
Children’s records of learning outline their participation in the programme. They contain a mixture of individual and group learning stories. Some learning stories identify children’s learning and possible lines of further inquiry. This good practice could now be shared and used more consistently to effectively capture, and respond to, children’s learning.
The teaching team is enrolled in a year-long professional development contract in order to strengthen foundations for children's holistic learning. This should build toward teachers gaining a deeper understanding of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and best practice in early childhood education in relation to responsive programme development. It should also provide a stronger foundation for children's transition to school, and promote better coverage of bicultural and multicultural perspectives.
Regularly reviewed and effective policies and procedures guide centre practices. The different perspectives of the teaching teams are reflected in the vision and philosophy statements. Aspects of the centre philosophy are evident in practice. An effective selfreview process is in place, and long term projects are well documented.
Centre leaders are building leadership and teaching capacity in the centre. They understand the need for continuous development and improvement, and are committed to professional learning that builds teacher competence. A strategic appointment is helping to promote bicultural development.
Centre leaders agree that key next steps for development include:
Before the review, the staff and management of Karaka Learning Centre 4 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:
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 Karaka Learning Centre 4 will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
4 March 2016
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 |
Karaka, Papakura |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
25003 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
140 children, including up to 0 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
117 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 55% Girls 45% |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Indian Chinese Cook Island Māori other European other South East Asian |
6% 73% 5% 5% 2% 6% 3% |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:7 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
January 2016 |
||
|
Date of this report |
4 March 2016 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
December 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
December 2009 |
||
|
Education Review |
November 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.