Little Sunbeams Mayfair

1 Evaluation of Little Sunbeams Mayfair

How well placed is Little Sunbeams Mayfair to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Little Sunbeams Mayfair requires further development to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

Little Sunbeams Mayfair is one of two private Hastings services governed and managed by the same owners. It is licensed for 35 children, including 15 aged under two years. At the time of this ERO review there were 35 children on the roll and 24 identify as Māori.

The licensee oversees the day-to-day operation of the centre. A services manager was appointed in June 2016. She is responsible for curriculum and teacher development at Little Sunbeams Mayfair and Little Sunbeams Central.

The centre philosophy promotes whanaungatanga and manaakitanga.

The February 2016 ERO report identified a number of key next steps in relation to: assessment, planning and evaluation of children's learning; staff appraisals; and internal evaluation. The centre has made some progress in addressing these, however further development is needed.

The Review Findings

Children's cultural heritage is valued and cherished within an environment that provides familiarity between home and the service. Teachers and whānau work together to support children's individual learning pathways. Warm, responsive and respectful relationships with whānau are evident.

Children's transitions between Little Sunbeams Central and Mayfair are responsive to their individual needs and whānau wishes. The recently developed Kids in Transition to School programme (KITS) is beginning to support children and families as they prepare for their move to school.

Infants and toddlers have opportunities to explore and participate in centre activities. Teachers promote tuakana teina relationships and older children support their younger friends.

Further work is required to improve teaching and assessment practices. Systems to monitor health and safety procedures and the review of centre policies should be fully implemented to ensure that legislative requirements are consistently met.

Creating a co-ordinated approach to assessment, planning and evaluation that is responsive to individual children continues to be a priority. This includes the development of clear expectations to guide teacher practice. This was a finding in the previous ERO report. Children's learning stories record their participation in centre activities. They reflect the aspirations that parents and whānau hold for their children. Leaders are continuing to explore strategies that support teachers to improve assessment, planning and evaluation of children’s learning.

Use of the recently revised appraisal system should be further strengthened and consistently implemented to ensure that it meets the requirements of the Teaching Council. This should include:

• constructive feedforward that supports teachers to develop their practice

• targeted observations of teacher practice that contribute to their appraisal

• assurance that all teachers are appropriately appraised, including the services manager

• evidence to renew teachers' practising certificates that is sufficient and rigorously assessed.

Internal evaluation that leads to some change is established. The services manager is providing leadership and teachers are beginning to inquire into their practice and to identify areas for improvement. Developing the teaching team's evaluative capacity to measure the quality and value of programmes and operation remains a priority. This has been an ongoing area for development in previous ERO reports.

The services manager recognises that teaching practice requires strengthening across the Little Sunbeams services. She has introduced some measures to increase teacher accountability and to improve consistency of practice. These initiatives are yet to be embedded. Clearer guidelines and expectations about practice are required to strengthen governance.

Priorities for the service are to:

• further develop consistent assessment, planning and evaluation practices that respond to the learning needs of individuals

• improve the quality of teaching through effective appraisal

• develop shared understanding and use of internal evaluation

• strengthen knowledge and understanding of mandatory regulatory requirements

• develop clear processes and systems to guide the day-to-day management of the centre and ensure it meets legislative requirements.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Little Sunbeams Mayfair 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 governance, and health and safety. To meet requirements the service needs to improve its performance in the following areas:

To meet requirements the service needs to improve its performance in the following areas:

• record keeping in relation to excursions, medication administration, emergency drills and the use of the service van to transport children

• have a documented process that outlines the appointment process of staff and how safety checking of the workforce is conducted in line with the Ministry of Education Licensing Criteria and Vulnerable Children's Act 2014

• appraisal implementation

• the implementation of appropriate health and safety practices in relation to children eating

• internal evaluation to monitor the effectiveness of centre operation and guide and improve decision-making about change.
  [Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS17; HS22; HS28; HS7; HS18; GMA7; GMA7A; PF2; GMA6]

To improve current practice, the early childhood service management should also ensure that:

• emergency drills for fire and earthquakes are held on separate days and are evaluated

• parental permission is sought for the use of children's images and personal information on social media sites

• develop a clear system that shows how sufficient staffing is maintained to ensure children are supervised at all times according to the license conditions

• appropriate hazard identification is strengthened to mitigate any potential hazards

• strategies to improve practice in regards to maintaining children's wellbeing are consistently implemented service wide.

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

• revised the medication record sheet to include a place for parents to sign to acknowledge administration

• devised a private van pickup/drop off policy

• amended the enrolment form to enable parents to give permission for children to use the service van and for the service to use children's images on social media.

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 Little Sunbeams Mayfair will be within two years.

Phil Cowie

Director Review and Improvement Services

Central Region

12 March 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 and Next Review

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.