262 Westminster Street, Mairehau, Christchurch
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Mairehau First Learners is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Mairehau First Learners is one of three privately owned early learning services operated by First Learners Ltd. It is located in suburban Christchurch. The policies and administration framework are provided by the First Learners organisation. The centre supervisor is supported by the centre's team leaders and an education services manager.
The centre is a full-day service licensed to provide education and care for up to 65 children, with a maximum of 11 children under two years of age. There are three separate areas for teaching and learning. Children transition between these areas as they progress in age and education. The attending families and their children are from a diverse range of cultures.
The mission statement of First Learners Ltd is 'We provide a child initiated educational programme in a homely, welcoming environment. A place to learn and grow'. The philosophy has been recently reviewed and includes:
a focus on being a friendly united team that is open to new ideas and challenges
a strong community focus
family and whānau being encouraged to take an active part in their child's learning journey.
Significant progress has been made in addressing the findings of the 2015 ERO review. This includes the implementation of a teacher appraisal system, and the further development of understanding in the use of internal evaluation as a tool for improvement. The owner of First Learners Ltd has also employed a full-time education service manager to oversee all three centres.
This review was part of a cluster of three early learning centre reviews in the First Learners Ltd organisation.
Children have choice in their learning and experience a wide range of learning opportunities. The programme is well resourced, and there is a focus on providing natural materials. There is a strong focus on learning through play. Teachers work alongside children, inviting their participation and extending their interests. Children with diverse learning needs are well supported by planning that includes intentional teaching.
Children up to the age of two years benefit from caring teachers who promote a calm and peaceful environment. They are well supported in their care routines. The environment is welcoming and inclusive, fostering each child to develop a sense of belonging.
Transitions into and within the centre are well managed to meet the individual needs of children and their families. Teachers work flexibly to ensure children are well supported as they transition between each area of the centre.
The curriculum is responsive to the needs, strengths and interests of children. Teachers work collaboratively and base their planning on children's emerging interests and their individual stages of development. This supports children's wellbeing and learning.
There are many and varied opportunities for the families and whānau to engage with the centre and discuss the aspirations they have for their children. As a result, teachers know the children, parents and community well and are responsive to individual needs.
Effective leadership is focused on improvement and building teacher capacity and capability. Teachers are encouraged to improve through the use of reflective practice and professional development that is responsive to their needs and to centre goals and priorities. The recently introduced appraisal system promotes high quality teaching and learning. Leaders set clear expectations for all staff and provide thorough guidelines and feedback.
There is a useful system in place to support use and understanding of internal evaluation processes to improve outcomes for children.
The centre has identified, and ERO agrees, that the key next steps to improve outcomes for children are to continue to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Mairehau First Learners 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.
During the on-site stage of review ERO identified that the service provider needed to ensure that processes for human resources management included appropriate appointment procedures. The service provider responded promptly and amended the appointment procedure to ensure that the appropriate requirements were included.
ERO identified an area of non-compliance.
The service provider must ensure that medicine (prescription and non-prescription) has evidence of parental acknowledgement of administration. Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008 Criterion HS28.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services Te Tai Tini
Southern Region
13 September 2019
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.
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Location |
Christchurch |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
65007 |
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Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
65 children, including up to 11 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
59 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 30, Boys 29 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
6 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
July 2019 |
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Date of this report |
13 September 2019 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
August 2015 |
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Education Review |
June 2013 |
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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.
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.
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 |
Mairehau First Learners are well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Mairehau First Learners is one of three private centres owned and administered by First Learners Limited. The centre provides education and care for children from birth to six years.
The centre has three separate areas within the one building. There is a nursery for children under two years, the middle room is a transitional room for children aged approximately from two to three years and a third room for three-year to six-year olds depending on the readiness of the individual child. The preschool has its own outdoor area. The nursery and the two to three-year-old children share an outdoor space.
Leadership of the centre includes the owner/manager and a newly established Education Service Manager (ESM). The ESM is also the supervisor of Mairehau First Learners who is supported by a team leader from each area of the centre.
The First Learners managers have made good progress in meeting most of the recommendations identified in the 2013 ERO review. The appointment of an ESM, and professional development in 2014 has helped teachers at the three centres to develop a shared philosophy and vision, and a better understanding of strategic planning. Improvement of self-review practice including staff appraisal is at an early stage of development.
This review was part of a cluster of three education and care service reviews in the First Learners Limited organisation.
The centre has a positive culture. Teachers are welcoming, inclusive and very supportive of children’s diverse learning needs. Children are well supported to be independent learners. Children’s ideas are valued and responded to respectfully. Older children have good opportunities to extend their interests and talents.
Teachers work well together. They use successful practices that engage most children in independent, group and free play.
Literacy, mathematics and Māori culture are well integrated into the programme and children’s play activities.
Children respond well to a flexible and well-planned transition programme that meets individual children’s needs. The supervisor and the teachers have established good relationships with local primary schools.
Infants show confidence and a good sense of belonging in the nursery. The environment is calm with unhurried routines. Teachers are caring and nurturing.
Teachers make useful observations that contribute to programme planning for individual and groups of children. Children’s profile books clearly show their individual learning and development over time. Teachers seek whānau and family feedback on a range of issues. This information enables them to have good knowledge of children to plan for their next steps in learning.
The supervisors and teachers have a shared understanding of the First Learners philosophy. They are reflective and have a strong focus on improving outcomes for children.
The supervisor has high expectations for teaching and learning. Leadership across the team is shared. Individual teacher strengths and interests are effectively used to support children’s learning.
The licensee, supervisor and teachers have responded well to professional development. They are developing useful systems to help them review their practices, programme and the operation of the centre. The recently reviewed philosophy is highly visible in the environment and is effectively integrated into teacher practices and in the programme.
ERO, the licensee and supervisor agree that recent initiatives need to be embedded and evaluated. This includes:
ERO identified that the ESM role and responsibilities needs to be clearly defined. This includes the promotion of positive relationships across the centres.
ERO is requesting a report on the effectiveness of the leadership structure, and progress towards the next steps outlined above within a year of confirmation of this report.
Before the review, the staff and management of Mairehau First Learners 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 Mairehau First Learners will be in three years.
Chris Rowe
Acting Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern
25 August 2015
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 |
Christchurch |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
65007 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
65 children, including up to 11 aged under two |
||
|
Service roll |
77 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 44; Boys 33 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
6 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
June 2015 |
||
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Date of this report |
25 August 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review |
June 2013 |
|
|
Education Review |
May 2011 |
||
|
Supplementary Review |
June 2008 |
||
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.
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.