New Brighton Community Preschool & Nursery

Education institution number:
70417
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
49
Telephone:
Address:

109 Beresford Street, New Brighton, Christchurch

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New Brighton Community Preschool 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 New Brighton Community Preschool and Nursery 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

New Brighton Community Preschool and Nursery is a long established, not-for-profit early childhood service with mostly long-serving staff. A significant number of children identify as Māori, and a small number are of Pacific heritage. A board of elected parents and community members provides governance. Since the 2019 ERO review, the service has made very good progress towards addressing the recommendations by embedding assessment for learning, teachers’ professional growth cycles and internal evaluation.

3 Summary of findings

The service’s curriculum is soundly based on Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and the service’s well integrated learning priorities. Children experience calm, unhurried opportunities to learn with respectful teachers who know them well. They are very well supported to be fully involved in a wide variety of purposeful learning experiences.

Leaders and teachers effectively remove barriers to enable all children to fully access the curriculum. Children with additional needs are very well supported by teachers who intentionally foster achievement of their learning priorities. Infants and toddlers interact with attentive teachers who are highly responsive to their verbal and non-verbal cues. They play and learn in a nurturing environment where teachers give them time to explore in the well-resourced learning areas.

Learning partnerships with whānau are well embedded. Teachers support Māori, and all children, to build a sense of belonging and wellbeing while increasing their social competence skills. Teachers consistently implement a responsive bicultural curriculum by:

  • purposefully integrating te reo Māori and tikanga Māori into the daily programme

  • fostering children’s mana and identity as successful learners through high quality assessment and planning for learning

  • intentionally involving whānau with identifying their children’s learning goals through assessment practices.

Collaborative senior leaders have clear aspirations for progressing curriculum and organisational priorities. Together with teachers, they use systematic internal evaluation for improvement in specific curriculum areas. This gives teachers confidence in their decision making about agreed changes. Internal evaluation could better evaluate outcomes for specific groups of children. A strategic priority after a period of disruption is to reconnect with their local community.

Those responsible for governance and leadership implement policies and procedures that effectively guide practices. They promote a whole-community approach to ongoing learning and wellbeing and provide meaningful support for children and whānau.

4 Improvement actions

New Brighton Community Preschool and Nursery will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning. They will continue to:

  • reconnect with their local community including kura and mana whenua to consolidate their position with key groups and ensure that each child experiences successful transitions to school

  • prioritise evaluation of outcomes for specific groups of children, so they are a more visible part of internal evaluation processes and practices.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of New Brighton Community Preschool 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

3 October 2022

6 About the Early Childhood Service

Early Childhood Service Name

New Brighton Community Preschool and Nursery

Profile Number

70417

Location

Christchurch

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

39 children, including up to 9 aged under 2

Percentage of qualified teachers

80-99%

Service roll

59

Review team on site

July 2022

Date of this report

3 October 2022

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, July 2019; Education Review, May 2017.

New Brighton Community Preschool & Nursery - 29/07/2019

1 Evaluation of New Brighton Community Preschool & Nursery

How well placed is New Brighton Community Preschool & Nursery to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

New Brighton Community Preschool and Nursery is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

New Brighton Community Preschool and Nursery provides education and care for children from infant to school age. The centre has a strong community focus and a long history in the local community, including regular representation on the Governance Board for the centre. The Centre Manager is supported by a governance board.

The centre provides full-day education and care for up to 39 children, with a maximum of nine children up to two years of age. Children have access to a nursery and a preschool area, as well as a number of outside areas which are accessible from the separate rooms. The attending families are from a diverse range of cultures.

The vision of New Brighton Community Preschool and Nursery is: "To create a community of learners sharing a common sense of purpose. Children, families, teachers, governance and management together embracing ongoing learning".

The pre-school's mission is to ensure that every child in the community has access to community based, quality early childhood care and education, which celebrates an authentic partnership with families. Children are encouraged to grow and develop while being guided by the core values of the centre: whakawhanaungatanga; manaakitanga; kaitiakitanga and ako.

The May 2017 ERO report identified a number of key next steps for improvement. These included: establishing priorities for learners; increasing staff knowledge and use of te ao Māori and success for Māori learners, appraisal processes, strategic planning and internal evaluation.

The centre has received ongoing targeted support through the Ministry of Education funded programme, Strengthening Early Learning Opportunities (SELO). Considerable work has been undertaken by leaders and the teaching team, in response to ERO’s recommendations. Significant progress is evident in all identified areas.

The Review Findings

Children are confident and work in reciprocal partnerships with other learners and teachers. They experience learning in well-resourced and carefully-planned learning environments that make good use of natural materials. Children with diverse learning needs are well supported by planning that includes intentional teaching, differentiated programmes and access to external support.

Consistent caregiving enables teachers to respond sensitively and respectfully to the changing needs and preferences of infants and toddlers. The calm and unhurried pace of teaching and learning allows younger children to have the time and space to lead their learning. Transitions into, within and beyond the centre are well managed and support the care and wellbeing of children and their whānau.

Children's culture, language and identity are well reflected in the environment. Strong cultural partnerships are evident across all aspects of the centre. Parents' aspirations are sought, acknowledged, valued and used to guide teaching and learning. There are strong collaborative practices evident among staff, parents and whānau.

The curriculum is responsive to the needs, strengths and learning interests of children. Teachers observe children's play and interactions carefully in order to create plans that will support and enhance their wellbeing and learning. The teaching practices enhance both creative play and aspects of intentional teaching. Children's learning and progress are regularly shared and discussed by all teachers within the centre. There is a thorough and systematic approach to assessment, planning and evaluation that is aligned to the service's strategic priorities. Leaders should continue to refine assessment practices to support children's individualised learning and measure progress over time.

Strong leadership of the centre supports positive outcomes for children and continued improvement. Teachers are encouraged to grow in capability and capacity through the use of reflective practice and professional development that is responsive to their needs and the goals and priorities of the centre. Leaders should continue to develop the newly-introduced appraisal process and include formal observations of teacher practice.

There is a good system in place to support ongoing use and understanding of internal evaluation processes to improve outcomes for children.

Key Next Steps

The centre's key improvement priorities are to promote sustainability of the improvements already made, and further embed:

  • assessment for learning
  • internal evaluation
  • the teacher appraisal system.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of New Brighton Community Preschool & 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 Te Tai Tini

Southern Region

29 July 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

Location

Christchurch

Ministry of Education profile number

70417

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

39 children, including up to 9 aged under 2

Service roll

58

Gender composition

30 Girls, 28 Boys

Ethnic composition

Māori
NZ European/Pākehā
Other ethnicities

20
28
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

1:7

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

May 2019

Date of this report

29 July 2019

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

May 2017

Education Review

March 2013

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.

New Brighton Community Preschool & Nursery - 02/05/2017

1 Evaluation of New Brighton Community Preschool & Nursery

How well placed is New Brighton Community Preschool & Nursery to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

New Brighton Community Preschool and Nursery requires further development. The long process of earthquake recovery in this community has hampered the ability of the board, centre leaders, and staff to maintain and continue to improve the quality of the curriculum, governance and management systems and practices. After returning to their building after earthquake repairs in late 2016, they have begun to refocus. They need more support to improve curriculum, management, and governance practices to provide high quality education for all children.

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

Background

New Brighton Community Preschool and Nursery provides education and care for babies, infants and children to school age in two separate areas. The nursery and the preschool classrooms each have direct access to their own outdoor area. Nearly all the staff are qualified and certificated early childhood teachers. The centre manager and many of the staff have worked at the centre for a number of years.

The service is administered by a board of parent and community representatives who are elected annually.

The leaders and teachers have made little progress to meet the recommendations in the 2013 ERO report. Increasing te ao Māori in the programme remains an area for improvement.

The Review Findings

Children enjoy positive and affirming relationships with their teachers and each other. Children interact well together, sharing ideas and inviting other children to join their play. They are well supported by their teachers. Teachers listen carefully, offer suggestions and provide additional resources or experiences to help children extend their ideas and interests.

Children successfully use the inviting and thoughtfully presented learning environment to develop their creativity and to engage in purposeful learning with each other. Teachers make good use of the local community to extend children's knowledge of their environment and the range of experiences that they provide for children.

Infants and toddlers in the nursery are nurtured in a calm and inviting environment. Teachers have a good knowledge and understanding of each child and their family. They use this information appropriately to provide an environment where infants and toddlers are confident to explore and build relationships with others.

Children with diverse needs are well supported and included in the programme. Teachers make good use of outside agency support to improve their knowledge and support these children. Other children actively seek the best ways to help children with diverse needs and involve them in their play.

A four-year involvement in professional development to learn about and support children from Pacific cultures shows a high level of commitment by teachers to these children and their culture. However, the outcomes for children from this professional development have still to be evaluated.

Board members are committed and active in the centre. They regularly participate in training and have a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities. This provides them with an appropriate foundation for improving aspects of governance such as the strategic plan and internal evaluation.

Assessment of children's learning and programme plans provides parents, teachers and children with a good record of children's interests and the wide range of experiences provided within the centre and the wider community. However, next steps for learning, the range of ways teachers will support their learning, and evaluation of the learning outcomes are not clear.

Key Next Steps

ERO and the service leaders agree that the next steps are to build governance, management and leadership capability and capacity to sustain the service and improve learning outcomes for children. These include:

  • establishing priorities for learning that are clearly articulated and reflected in the centre philosophy, the strategic plan, assessment and programme planning, and internal evaluation
  • developing an in-depth understanding of internal evaluation, ensuring that evaluations are well documented, and showing evidence of the process and outcomes for children's learning
  • developing strategic planning that shows how the key priorities will be achieved, regularly monitored, evaluated and reported
  • increasing staff knowledge and use of te ao Māori in the programme and documentation
  • developing ways to ensure Māori children experience success as Māori
  • improving appraisal systems and practices for teachers and leaders.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of New Brighton Community Preschool & 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

Actions for compliance

ERO identified areas of non-compliance relating to governance and management. To meet requirements the service needs to improve its performance in the following area:

  • establishing and maintaining effective governance and management practices, particularly internal evaluation and strategic planning.
    [47(1)(a) Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008]

To improve compliance, the leaders must:

  • increase the level of monitoring around excursions and related documentation.

Development Plan Recommendation

ERO recommends that the service consult with the Ministry of Education and 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 New Brighton Community Preschool & Nursery will be within two years.

Dr Lesley Patterson

Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern/Te Waipounamu

2 May 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

Christchurch

Ministry of Education profile number

70417

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

39 children, including up to 9 aged under two

Service roll

60

Gender composition

Girls 31 Boys 29

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

Samoan

Niuean

Fijian

12

42

4

1

1

Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:3

Better than minimum requirements

Over 2

1:8

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

March 2017

Date of this report

2 May 2017

Most recent ERO reports

 

Education Review

March 2013

Education Review

September 2009

Education Review

August 2006

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.