Northcote Baptist Community Preschool

Education institution number:
20118
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
42
Telephone:
Address:

67 Eban Avenue, Northcote, Auckland

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Northcote Baptist Community Preschool

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 Northcote Baptist Community Preschool 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

Northcote Baptist Community Preschool is well established and part of the Northcote Baptist Church. The preschool is owned by the Northcote Baptist Community Trust who have a trustee on the preschool’s board of governance. An experienced service provider is supported by a dedicated team. Children attending the service reflect the diverse ethnic background of the local community.

3 Summary of findings

Children at the centre are curious, eager learners. They experience a peaceful, unhurried curriculum in a well-resourced and accessible learning environment. Children direct their own learning and sustain their play for long periods of time. Teachers’ inclusive practices support children to respect and value each other.

Infants and toddlers experience calm, nurturing and meaningful interactions with teachers who know them well. Teachers working with these younger children intentionally prompt and foster their confidence and independence. Infants’ and toddlers’ oral language development is skilfully supported by teachers.

Teachers skilfully include te reo Māori and aspects of tikanga Māori into the daily curriculum. Their culturally responsive practices contribute to children’s growing understanding of respect for other cultures.

Trusting and respectful learning-focused partnerships between children, parents/whānau and teachers are evident. The teaching team provides many opportunities for parents to share information about children’s learning and progress. Strong links between children’s homes and their experiences at the service are highly evident and contribute to children’s continuity of learning.

High quality assessment practices show teachers have a deep understanding of children and their learning outcomes. Teachers skilfully plan to extend children’s interests and capabilities. The progression of children’s learning over time is aligned with parent-identified and child-focused learning outcomes, as well as with children’s interests. These effective practices contribute to meaningful learning partnerships with families.

Children are well prepared to transition to school. Successful transitions are supported by effective partnerships between whānau, the service and local schools. The service’s active engagement as part of the Northcote Kāhui Ako | Community of Learning has strengthened their links with the wider education community. This networking has had a significant impact on teachers’ continuing focus on providing high quality and equitable learning outcomes for children.

The centre manager provides well-considered and effective leadership. A high level of relational trust is evident. Effective systems and processes guide the service’s operation. Ongoing high quality internal evaluation ensures that there is a strong focus on continuous improvement. An external mentor, the use of innovative digital technologies and purposeful professional learning for teachers have contributed to significant and positive shifts in teaching practice.

4 Improvement Action

Northcote Baptist Community Preschool will include the following action in its Quality Improvement Planning:

  • Continue to deepen teachers’ and children’s understanding of biculturalism, including practices that demonstrate a commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and what this means for children of diverse cultures.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Northcote Baptist Community Preschool completed an ERO 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; safety checking; teacher registration; ratios)

  • relevant evacuation procedures and practices.

All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.

Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)

27 June 2023 

6 About the Early Childhood Service

Early Childhood Service Name

Northcote Baptist Community Preschool

Profile Number

20118

Location

Northcote, Auckland

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

50 children, including up to 8 aged under 2

Percentage of qualified teachers

80-99%

Service roll

48

Review team on site

April 2023

Date of this report

27 June 2023

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, September 2018
Education Review, February 2015

Northcote Baptist Community Preschool - 13/09/2018

1 Evaluation of Northcote Baptist Community Preschool

How well placed is Northcote Baptist Community Preschool to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

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

Background

Northcote Baptist Community Preschool is well established and part of the Northcote Baptist Church. The preschool is licensed for 50 children including up to seven under two years of age. One room is a nursery for infants and toddlers, and there are two preschool rooms for older children. The nursery has its own outdoor space with access to, and a view of, the larger outdoor environment, which is shared by the older groups of children.

The preschool's primary aim is to provide a quality early childhood care and education programme, based on Christian values and Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Teachers have also taken inspiration from aspects of Reggio Emilia and RIE philosophies, particularly with regard to the environments and children's sense of belonging.

Northcote Baptist Community Trust owns the preschool and has a representative on the Board of Governance. The board provides governance oversight, the head teacher manages the day-to-day operation of the centre and three lead teachers take responsibility for guiding curriculum practices. The majority of teachers are registered early childhood teachers.

The preschool caters for a predominantly Chinese and Pākehā community. A small number of Māori, as well as children from other cultures, reflect the cultural diversity in the community.

Previous ERO reviews identified good practices such as supportive relationships and continuing good quality learning programmes. Centre leaders have responded positively to recommendations for improvement in the 2015 ERO report. These included developing teachers’ bicultural practices, further extending older children’s thinking and learning, and increasing children’s involvement in assessment and planning.

Northcote Baptist Community Preschool is part of the stewardship group of the Northcote Community of Learning|Kāhui Ako (NCoL). The service has successfully won support from the Teacher Led Innovation Fund (TLIF).

The Review Findings

Teachers welcome children and their whānau in positive, nurturing ways, making time to engage everyone in friendly and professional conversations. Partnerships with whānau are well developed and help children to settle confidently into the centre. Transitions into and within the centre are highly responsive to each family's needs. Teachers support children's successful transition to school in meaningful ways.

Children are respectful towards teachers and peers. They lead their own learning through their individual interests and group work, often sustaining their focus for long periods. Teachers prompt children to engage in many opportunities for complex play and discussions. They use open questions to encourage children’s responses and extend their vocabulary. Leaders and teachers provide high quality resources to support children's meaningful and purposeful learning. Children practise a range of self-management skills as part of daily routines.

Infants and toddlers learn in a calm, natural environment. Teachers are nurturing and provide responsive caregiving. They have deliberate conversations with children. Infants and toddlers are encouraged to develop independence in their play and to make choices about indoor and outdoor exploration. They have easy access to an environment that is well resourced and fosters their curiosity.

Teachers are culturally responsive. They are highly committed to speaking te reo Māori and to increasing their confidence and capability. Other languages and cultures of children are also celebrated and well supported.

Teachers value whānau aspirations, knowledge, skills and expertise. They regularly assess children's learning progress. Programmes are planned purposefully in response to this information. There is a focus on deepening children's thinking and ideas. Teachers also ensure that children’s interests and cultural capabilities influence programmes. Teachers know about current theories in early childhood education and seek further research.

The use of an online communication platform has increased teachers' contact with whānau. Learning stories focus on learning dispositions and each child's progress over time. Team leaders are re-establishing hard-copy portfolios for children to revisit, share and build on their learning.

Leaders acknowledge the strengths and capabilities of their teachers. Distributed leadership fosters team relationships. Regular meetings provide time to focus on shared understandings and lead to improved teacher practice.

External support has helped to improve the preschool's robust appraisal processes, which promote a high level of professional practice. Teachers engage in video coaching as part of ongoing reflections about their teaching practice.

The Board of Governance continues to provide strong direction and oversight for the preschool. Board members are collaborative and ensure teachers have relevant opportunities to build their capability. There is a high level of investment in professional learning and development that supports the service's future direction. Teachers have a rigorous approach to internal evaluation, which leads to ongoing improvement. Comprehensive and thorough policies, processes and systems guide the effective operation of the preschool.

Key Next Steps

The head teacher and board have identified appropriate next steps for the centre, which include:

  • lifting the level of te reo Māori by increasing teachers' confidence and capability

  • further strengthening innovative teaching practices to extend positive learning outcomes for children.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Northcote Baptist Community Preschool 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.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Northcote Baptist Community Preschool will be in four years.

Violet Tu’uga Stevenson

Director Review and Improvement Services

Te Tai Raki - Northern Region

13 September 2018

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

Northcote, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

20118

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

50 children, including up to 7 aged under 2

Service roll

54

Gender composition

Boys 29 Girls 25

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā
Chinese
other ethnic groups

2
16
30
6

Percentage of qualified teachers

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:2

Better than minimum requirements

Over 2

1:7

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

August 2018

Date of this report

13 September 2018

Most recent ERO report(s)

 

Education Review

February 2015

Education Review

February 2012

Education Review

July 2008

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.