Mini Thinkers

Education institution number:
47296
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
114
Telephone:
Address:

11 Musselburgh Rise, Musselburgh, Dunedin

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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 Conditions
Organisational Conditions

Whakawhanake Sustaining
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:

  • 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

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:

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.