Lollipops North Harbour Kakapos

1 Evaluation of Lollipops North Harbour Kakapos

How well placed is Lollipops North Harbour Kakapos to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Lollipops North Harbour Kakapos is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

Lollipops North Harbour Kakapos provides full-day education and care for 45 children over the age of two years. The centre operates in a converted house. Children are from diverse cultural backgrounds.

The centre was previously known as Kids Inn Preschool. It has been purchased by Evolve Education Group (EEG). Visiting personnel from EEG work with the centre manager and team leaders to support day-to-day operations, long-term planning and development projects.

The centre's philosophy promotes respectful, reciprocal and responsive relationships with children, their families and the wider community. Aspects of the Reggio Emilia approach are incorporated into the daily programme. Natural settings are maintained.

Key next steps identified in the 2016 report included increasing the integration of te reo and te ao Māori throughout the programme. There has been significant improvement in this area.

This review was part of a cluster of 10 reviews in the Evolve Education Group.

The Review Findings

Children and their families are warmly welcomed, experience positive relationships with their peers and adults, and develop a strong sense of belonging in the centre. Teachers recognise children's interests, strengths and abilities, and provide opportunities for them to develop self-help skills and to be independent.

Children are active learners and have opportunities for uninterrupted play in small or large groups. A project approach for children's learning enables them to explore and investigate areas of interest. Children are supported in their oral language skills and learn to negotiate, problem solve and work together. Science is a key feature of the curriculum.

Children's languages, cultures and identities are well supported. They are celebrated and affirmed for who they are and what they bring to their learning. Children's learning about aspects of the Treaty of Waitangi, te reo and te ao Māori, is thoughtfully woven throughout the programme. Teachers help children and families to celebrate differences. They are aware of individual needs and use appropriate strategies to support inclusion.

The learning environment is well resourced and organised to promote children's curiosity, playfulness and imagination. Children have opportunities to be creative and engage in meaningful learning that is recognised by responsive teachers. Teachers model respect for the environment. This helps children understand the importance of being guardians and carers of their natural surroundings.

Teachers are intentional in the way they recognise and respond to opportunities to engage in and extend children's learning. They plan programmes based on their observations of children. Individual planning supports children's identified learning dispositions and shows how well teachers know children as learners. Links to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, are noted in children's learning stories. Teachers could make learning more visible and strengthen curriculum evaluation by making explicit links to learning outcomes, current research and knowledge of relevant theories and practice in early childhood education.

Parents/whānau contributions and aspirations for their children are gathered in a variety of ways. Teachers are beginning to use this information to identify what parents/whānau value as important learning. Making it clear how parents' aspirations contribute to curriculum decisions would help to strengthen teachers' partnerships with parents.

An EEG framework of policies and procedures guides centre practices. This framework continues to be reviewed. Leaders have used EEG systems and templates effectively. An effective process for staff appraisal is well implemented and supported by targeted professional development.

EEG has established an effective process for centres to implement internal evaluation. A shared understanding of internal evaluation has contributed to ongoing improvements. Leaders could strengthen this process by using clear evaluative questions and indicators of best practice. Strategic and annual plans are aligned with the overall vision for EEG.

Key Next Steps

Key next steps include:

• continuing to strengthen curriculum evaluation making explicit links to learning outcomes for children

• continuing to strengthen partnerships with parents/whānau

• using clear evaluative questions and indicators to strengthen internal evaluation.

Evolve Education Group Senior Managers have agreed that key next steps include:

• ensuring the company's vision and values, goals and principles reflect the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi

• addressing staffing issues in some centres to ensure quality teaching practices are evident, promoting positive outcomes for all children and ensuring sustainability of quality practice

• reviewing how effectively the levels and quality of learning resources in centres promote collaboration amongst children and promote more complex thinking

• providing professional learning and development for leaders and teachers to ensure a deeper engagement with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Lollipops North Harbour Kakapos 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.

To improve current practice, Evolve Education Group Senior Managers must take steps to ensure that health and safety policies and procedures are implemented rigorously across all services.

Steve Tanner

Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)

Northern Region - Te Tai Raki

19 December 2019

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

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.