Little Farm Pre- School and Nursery

Education institution number:
46686
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
104
Telephone:
Address:

62 Ratanui Road, Paraparaumu

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Little Farm Pre- School and Nursery

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 ​Little Farm Pre-School and Nursery​ are as follows: 

Outcome Indicators 

(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) 

​​Whakaū Embedding​ 

Ngā Akatoro Domains 

 

Learning Conditions 
Organisational Conditions 

​​Whakaū Embedding​ 
​​Whakaū Embedding​

2 Context of the Service

Little Farm Pre- School and Nursery is one of four early childhood services under private ownership. A head teacher is responsible for daily operations, supported by a centre manager. There is a diverse roll with around a quarter of the children who identify as Māori. Good progress has been made against the key next steps in the 2020 ERO report in relation to te ao Māori, parent aspirations, and internal evaluation. 

3 Summary of findings 

Tamariki experience a calm, intentionally planned learning environment. There are opportunities to participate in range of experiences, including regular interactions with the farm animals. Kaiako recognise the mana of every tamaiti/child in making choices about their learning.  

Infants and toddlers have a separate room from the older children where they can explore at their own pace. Responsive kaiako support their developing oral language and social skills through reciprocal interactions. 

The local curriculum acknowledges mana whenua and continues to be an area of development across the service. Aspects of te ao Māori are visible in the learning environment and assessment documentation. Through professional learning, leaders, and kaiako continue to build expertise in using te reo Māori in daily interactions with tamariki

An assessment and planning process that uses the learning outcomes of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum is consistent across the service. Kaiako are yet to use these outcomes to guide learning focussed discussions with whānau. There are regular opportunities for whānau to contribute to planning for learning that recognises the cultural identity of their tamaiti/child. A next step is to consider how cultural identity could be more individualised within learning documentation.

Leaders are improvement focussed and a strong professional growth cycle is in place to support teacher practice. They have recognised that the sense making aspect to internal evaluation needed to be strengthened. Leaders have recently introduced a new framework to guide the process. Governance and management systems are well established. A strategic plan directs future development with a clear leadership structure to support practice and operations.

4 Improvement actions 

​​Little Farm Pre- School and Nursery​ will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning: 

  • explore and use the learning outcomes of Te Whāriki with parents and whānau to strengthen learning focussed partnerships for assessment and planning of children’s learning  

  • make the cultural identities of tamariki more visible in their assessment documentation 

  • embed the newly developed internal evaluation framework into practice to build teacher capability to do and use evaluation for improvement.  

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements 

Before the review, the staff and management of ​Little Farm Pre-School and Nursery​ 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.

Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)

​​3 April 2023​   

6 About the Early Childhood Service  

Early Childhood Service Name Little Farm Pre- School and Nursery
Profile Number ​46686
Location Paraparaumu

Service type  

​​Education and care service​ 

Number licensed for  

100 children, including up to 25 aged under 2 

Percentage of qualified teachers  

​​80-99%​ 

Service roll 

120 

Review team on site 

January 2023  

Date of this report 

​​3 April 2023​ 

Most recent ERO report(s) 

​​Education Review​, ​March 2020​; ​Education Review​, ​March 2017​ 

Little Farm Pre- School and Nursery - 20/03/2020

1 Evaluation of Little Farm Pre-School and Nursery

How well placed is Little Farm Pre-School and Nursery to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

Little Farm Pre-School and Nursery is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

Little Farm Pre-School and Nursery, located in semi-rural Paraparaumu, is licensed to provide all-day education and care for up to 100 children, including 25 under two years. At the time of this review, 102 children were enrolled, including 14 who identify as Māori.

The head teacher, supported by two visiting senior leaders, manages the service which operates under the umbrella of Little Voices Limited. Since the March 2017 ERO review, a new head teacher has been appointed. Almost all teachers are fully qualified.

The centre’s philosophy prioritises the provision of a challenging, inclusive, child-led learning environment, and respectful and responsive interactions underpinned by strong links to the community and Te Tiriti ō Waitangi. Interactions with the farm animals provide opportunities for tamariki to learn about the natural world.

The previous 2017 ERO evaluation findings recommended that the teaching team review assessment, planning and evaluation. Good progress has been made in these areas.

The Review Findings

Children are encouraged and well supported to make choices and decisions about their learning. Teachers interact respectfully with children to promote their independence and self-management skills. They know each child well and are responsive to their emerging interests.

Infants and toddlers experience an environment that strongly supports their wellbeing, engagement and learning. They are encouraged to lead their learning in a calm, comfortable and safe setting. Attentive caregiving enables teachers to interpret and respond sensitively to their preferences and interests. Consistent practices highly reflect a shared, well-considered pedagogy of care.

A thoughtfully planned, well-resourced indoor and outdoor environment invites children to explore nature and imaginatively create and experience challenge. Domestic animals are an integral part of the centre, and provide a meaningful context for tamariki to demonstrate kindness, and develop empathy and understanding about caring for the natural world.

Te reo Māori is consistently and authentically used by teachers and understood by children. Making more intentional links to te ao Māori, local kaupapa and stories in group and individual planning and learning programmes are priorities. This should further strengthen Māori children's sense of identity and partnerships with whānau.

Teachers communicate with parents in a wide range of ways. They regularly seek and value parents' feedback and aspirations. Leaders and teachers agree that, while these are evident in learning portfolios, they should be more consistently and intentionally documented when describing children's engagement and learning. A next step is to ensure that children’s cultures are more evident in these stories.

Teachers are improvement focused, collaborative and value the skills and strengths of each team member. Opportunities to develop leadership skills are provided. Review is used to document teacher practice and children's learning. A next step for leaders and teachers is to evaluate how well their curriculum planning and assessment practices are supporting children to achieve valued learning outcomes. Developing a centre-wide understanding of evidence-based internal evaluation that includes measurable success indicators, should better enable leaders and teachers to review the effectiveness of their own practice, and support positive learning outcomes for children.

Teachers demonstrate inclusive practices. Children with additional learning needs are identified, planned for and supported by the programme. Leaders and teachers work alongside family and whānau to access support from external agencies, when required. A well-considered transition process into and through the service and on to school is focused on individual needs.

The new head teacher, with support from the management team, works collaboratively with staff to lead positive changes that promote increased consistency of centre operations. Regular consultation is leading to ongoing development and improvement.

Appraisal is clearly aligned to the standards for the teaching profession. Teachers inquire into and receive useful feedback about their practice.

Key Next Steps

Leaders and teachers agree that key areas for development are to continue to:

  • strengthen and document links to te ao Māori in programme planning and learning

  • clearly respond to parent aspirations and culture in planning and assessment

  • develop a shared understanding of evidence-based internal evaluation which includes measurable success indicators.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Little Farm Pre-School and Nursery 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.

Dr Lesley Patterson

Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)

Southern Region - Te Tai Tini

20 March 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

Paraparaumu

Ministry of Education profile number

46686

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

100 children, including up to 25 aged under 2

Service roll

102

Gender composition

Boys 52, Girls 50

Ethnic composition

Māori
NZ European Pākehā
Other ethnic groups

14
56
32

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

January 2020

Date of this report

20 March 2020

Most recent ERO report(s)

 

Education Review

March 2017

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.

Little Farm Pre- School and Nursery - 24/03/2017

1 Evaluation of Little Farm Pre-School and Nursery

How well placed is Little Farm Pre-School and Nursery 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

Little Farm Pre-School and Nursery is an all-day education and care service that opened at the beginning of 2015. The centre is located in a semi-rural area of Paraparaumu and caters for children from birth to school age. At the time of this review, 134 children were enrolled, including 20 who identify as Māori.

Little Farm Pre-School and Nursery operates under the umbrella of Little Voices Limited. Two visiting teachers, employed by the company, work with the centre manager to oversee the development and implementation of operational policies and procedures. They have focused on developing the learning environment, enhancing relationships and building the teaching team.

This is the first ERO review for Little Farm Pre-School and Nursery.

The Review Findings

Positive, caring and supportive relationships among children, teachers and parents are evident. Teachers use a range of effective strategies to engage children in purposeful and sustained play. They actively involve themselves in children's learning, through developing meaningful and focused conversations that promote children's thinking, problem solving and exploration.

Ongoing development of the learning environment has strengthened the curriculum. This is responsive to children’s interests and strengths, parental aspirations and encourages sustained group or individual play. Literacy and numeracy are naturally integrated into the programme. Children are encouraged to become capable, active learners.

Portfolios are used well to provide a range of information for parents about children’s interests and participation in centre activities. Many parents contribute to these records of learning. Teachers assist parents to better understand the centre curriculum and encourage them to provide information to support their child's learning programme. 

The visiting teachers and centre manager effectively guide the development of a shared vision, build a collaborative staff working environment, and are committed to the development of high quality teaching practices. A well-structured appraisal system supports teacher growth. Teachers inquire into aspects of their practice and share their findings with other staff. There is recognition of the need to strengthen te reo me ngā tikanga Māori in the curriculum and to develop understanding of te ao Māori in the centre.

The team leader working with infants and toddlers effectively leads the development of an appropriate programme and environment for these youngest learners. Routines are flexible. Children benefit from sensitive and responsive interactions with teachers. Transition into the older children’s area and between rooms is well managed when appropriate for each child.

Daily operations, self-review and professional development are well aligned with the centre's strategic direction. Internal evaluation is well supported by a sound framework to guide practice. There is a clear focus on improvement. Ongoing refinement should include strengthening processes that analyse evidence to inform decision making about next development steps.

Key Next Steps

ERO and centre leaders agree that key areas for development include investigating, as part of a review of assessment, planning and evaluation:

  • the balance between individual and group planning and evaluations, to better respond to the strengths, interests and learning dispositions of individual children

  • how profile books show children's progress in learning over time.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Little Farm Pre-School and Nursery 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 Little Farm Pre-School and Nursery will be in three years.

Joyce Gebbie

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central

24 March 2017 

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

Paraparaumu

Ministry of Education profile number

46686

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

100 children, including up to 25 aged under 2

Service roll

134

Gender composition

Boys 53%, Girls 47%

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

Chinese

African

Other ethnic groups

15%

65%

5%

5%

10%

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

January 2017

Date of this report

24 March 2017

Most recent ERO report(s)

First ERO report for this 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.