Haven ELC

ERO’s judgement

At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.

Background

Haven ELC purchased an existing service and this was relicensed in June 2018. A business manager and centre manager lead the team of teachers and support staff. The centre serves a diverse community. This is the service’s first ERO review under the new ownership.

Summary of review findings

The curriculum responds to the learning, interests and strengths of children. Teachers engage in nurturing relationships with children. The manager and teachers collaborate with parents about their child’s learning. The design and layout of the service includes quiet spaces, areas for physically active play and space for a range of individual and group learning experiences.

The service has an annual plan, policies and procedures to guide the operation of the service. Systems are in place to monitor health and safety. Internal evaluation helps the service to maintain and improve the quality of education and care.

Next ERO Review

The next ERO review is likely to be an Education Review.

Alan Wynyard

Director Review and Improvement Services Southern

Southern Region

1 May 2019

Information about the service

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

• the Licensing Criteria for Home-based Education and Care Services 2008

• the Licensing Criteria for Hospital-based 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 Assurance Review process in any 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 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 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 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.

1 Evaluation of Lindisfarne Nursery School

How well placed is Lindisfarne Nursery School to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

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

Background

Lindisfarne Nursery School is a full-day, privately-owned early childhood service. It caters for 51 children, including up to 14 children under two years in two separate areas.

One of the owners is the service provider, and responsible for governance, aspects of management and the administration of the centre. The centre manager is responsible for the daily operation of the centre. She is supported by a head teacher. Most of the staff are certified teachers and have worked at the centre for a number of years.

The philosophy states that children will be well cared for and receive an appropriate education in a learning environment that is home-like; Te Whāriki, the Early Childhood curriculum, will be implemented and Māori values, language and culture will be well integrated into the programme; and parent participation will be encouraged and home cultures will be recognised and valued.

Lindisfarne Nursery School has a history of generally poor ERO reporting and making little sustained progress. It had a supplementary review in 2006, and in 2015 the ERO review recommended a two- year return time. After the 2015 ERO review an action plan, based on the recommendation in the report, was developed by the service leaders in consultation with the Ministry of Education (MoE). The MoE and advisory support services provided significant support to the centre leaders and teachers to improve the quality of the service during 2015-2017.

This ERO review has identified significant issues of concern, particularly in governance and management.

The Review Findings

Systems and practices for the effective governance and management of the centre that were developed alongside the MoE have not been well understood or fully implemented. However, leaders and teachers have improved:

• the inclusion of te reo and tikanga Māori in the programme and centre documents

• assessment, planning and evaluation processes for individual children

• the presentation and range of resources in the outdoor learning environments, particularly the nursery outdoor area

• the clarification of the governance and management roles and responsibilities

• the visibility of centre priorities for children's learning and wellbeing.

Service leaders must urgently build their capacity as leaders to improve the sustainability of governance and management systems and practices to meet the centre priorities for children. Centre leaders must:

• make more effective use of the strategic planning to identify, plan, monitor and evaluate how well they are meeting the centre priorities

• develop an indepth, collective understanding and a well-defined process for internal evaluation/self review; this process needs well defined ways for gathering and analysing information; action plans need to be regularly monitored and the impact for children's learning and wellbeing evaluated

• develop and implement a robust appraisal process for centre leaders and teachers that meets the requirements of the Education Council

• immediately develop plans and make adequate budget provision to refurbish the indoor environment and increase the range of quality resources for children in the preschool.

Leaders and teachers should review the recently-introduced group planning processes to ensure that this type of planning builds on learning for individual children.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Lindisfarne Nursery School 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 found the service was not able to provide assurance in the Centre Management Assurance Statement that the following areas were being met:

• at least one of the toilets for use by children is designed to provide them with a sense of privacy

• access for persons with disabilities

• water stored in the hot water cylinder is being kept at a temperature of at least 60 degrees C.

ERO identified that the service is non-compliant in:

• the governance and management of the service

• ensuring sufficient floor covering and quality and variety of equipment are provided for children

PF22; HS14; 47(1)(a); GMA7; PF6; PF4 Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008,

Recommendation to Ministry of Education

ERO recommends that the Ministry reassess the licence of Lindisfarne Nursery School. ERO will not undertake a further education review of this service until the Ministry of Education is satisfied that the service meets licensing requirements.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Lindisfarne Nursery School will be in consultation with the Ministry of Education.

Dr Lesley Patterson

Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern Te Waipounamu - Southern Region

23 January 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

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.