11 Musselburgh Rise, Musselburgh, Dunedin
View on mapMini Thinkers
Mini Thinkers
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 Mini Thinkers are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
|
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
2 Context of the Service
Mini Thinkers is a privately owned, purpose-built service that opened in 2017. The service is currently undertaking building and ground extensions. The owner/manager leads a team of 22 mainly qualified teachers and a number of support staff. Children are grouped according to age in five learning hubs.
3 Summary of findings
Teachers are highly responsive to children through warm and respectful relationships. Infants are empowered to explore and learn in a safe and secure environment. Toddlers challenge themselves and are involved in a wide range of learning experiences. They are settled and engaged in the curriculum. Learning hubs are well resourced for all ages and abilities.
Children have learning opportunities that promote independence and decision-making in well planned and spontaneous skill-based activities. Young children are effectively supported to develop competency in numeracy and literacy. Teachers plan a curriculum that provides challenges, longer term projects and the opportunity to pursue self-selected learning goals.
Detailed guidelines and thorough systems support teachers to assess and plan for all children’s learning. Leaders have developed and implemented a useful learning progressions framework aligned to the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Learning is carefully tracked and monitored to inform ongoing planning and show children’s progress over time. Evaluations of group planning show evidence of progress in relation to the identified learning outcomes. Leaders are well informed about the learning and progress of all children particularly Māori.
A recent evaluation of the bicultural curriculum has resulted in greater integration of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori. This has increased all teacher’s capability and complexity and depth in using te reo Māori in conversations with children. Integrating bicultural approaches in assessment practices continues to be a priority.
A well-established robust internal evaluation process is in place. This informs decision making and results in ongoing improvements to the learning environments and builds teacher practice. Leaders develop, implement, review, and evaluate management systems, processes, and practices. Sound systems are in place for monitoring and reporting how regulatory and professional requirements are being sustained.
4 Improvement actions
Mini Thinkers will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
-
continue to extend all teachers’ capability to increase the complexity and depth in using te reo Māori in conversations with children.
5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements
Before the review, the staff and management of Mini Thinkers 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:
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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)
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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
11 August 2022
6 About the Early Childhood Service
Early Childhood Service Name |
Mini Thinkers |
Profile number |
47296 |
Location |
Dunedin |
Service type |
Education and care service |
Number licensed for |
100 children, including up to 35 aged under 2 |
Percentage of qualified teachers |
100% |
Service roll |
115 |
Ethnic composition |
Māori 16, NZ European/Pākehā 79, Chinese 4, Indian 4, Other ethnic groups 12 |
Review team on site |
May 2022 |
Date of this report |
11 August 2022 |
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Akanuku | Assurance Review, May 2019 |
Mini Thinkers - 27/05/2019
ERO’s judgement
Regulatory standards |
|
Curriculum |
Meeting |
Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
Health and safety |
Meeting |
Governance, management and administration |
Meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Background
Mini Thinkers is a privately-owned, full-day education and care service. It opened in 2017. The owner/manager leads a team of 14 qualified teachers and a number of support staff. Children are grouped according to age in four learning hubs. This is the service’s first ERO review.
Summary of review findings
Teachers plan, implement and evaluate an inclusive curriculum based on Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. The programme is a balance of adult and child-initiated experiences over the course of the day. Parents are regularly informed of the service’s operation. The service acknowledges parents’ aspirations for their children. The layout of the premises supports indoor and outdoor play. There is a variety of resources and equipment for children.
There are suitable systems for governing and managing the service, including the recruitment and ongoing training of staff, reviewing and evaluating the service’s operations, and monitoring health and safety.
Next ERO Review
The next ERO review is likely to be an Education Review.
Alan Wynyard
Director Review and Improvement Services Southern
Southern Region
27 May 2019
Information about the service
Early Childhood Service Name |
Mini Thinkers |
|
Profile Number |
47296 |
|
Location |
Dunedin |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
100 children, including up to 35 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80+ % |
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 Better than regulatory standards |
Over 2 |
1:8 Better than regulatory standards |
|
Service roll |
118 |
|
Gender composition |
Girls 50%, Boys 50% |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 12% NZ European/Pākehā 84% Other ethnicities 4% |
|
Review team on site |
April 2019 |
|
Date of this report |
27 May 2019 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
First ERO review of 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:
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the Licensing Criteria for Home-based Education and Care Services 2008
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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:
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having its first ERO review – including if it is part of a governing organisation
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previously identified as ‘not well placed’ or ‘requiring further development’
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that has moved from a provisional to a full licence
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that have been re-licenced due to a change of ownership
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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:
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discussions with those involved in the service
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consideration of relevant documentation, including the implementation of health and safety systems
-
observations of the environment/premises, curriculum implementation and teaching practice.