Northcote Early Learning Centre

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 Early Learning Centre are as follows:

2 Context of the Service

Northcote Early Learning Centre is one of three privately owned services under the same ownership. A qualified centre manager, supported by an external mentor and other professional leaders, is responsible for daily operations of the service. A small number of Māori and Pacific children are enrolled.

3 Summary of findings

Children experience an environment that positively promotes their agency and independence. They learn self-care skills and are well-supported by teachers to manage and express their emotions with confidence. Infants and toddlers benefit from consistent and responsive caregiving that offers a sense of security in the attachments formed with familiar adults.

Children are provided with natural play-based experiences which allow them to engage in mathematical, literacy and science-based opportunities. Leaders and teachers intentionally give priority to supporting children’s developing oral language. They recognise a need to strengthen partnerships with families/whānau and local schools to support effective transitions for older children. 

An inquiry-focused curriculum encourages whānau participation in their children’s learning. There are frequent opportunities for children to problem-solve and explore their own working theories about their experiences at the service. Providing more complex experiences for older children to challenge and extend their learning and development is an area for teachers to focus on.

Evaluation, critical reflection and knowledge building, are embedded practices which support improvements to curriculum provision and service operations. Internal evaluation is well linked to the service’s strategic priorities and the professional goals of teachers. Multiple sources of information show what leaders and teachers know about children’s increasing capabilities. Leaders could now work with teachers to improve their understandings of culturally responsive practices to enable them to better identify and respond to inequities for all children.

Those responsible for governance and management allocate resources in ways that align to their philosophy, vision, and goals for children’s learning. They have carefully selected external expertise and implemented leadership programmes to grow the shared capabilities of the teaching team. Leaders model and expect professional accountability and collective responsibility for the wellbeing and learning of all children at this service.

4 Improvement actions

Northcote Early Learning Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

• Increase the opportunities parents and whānau have to actively contribute to their child’s learning, to support children's transition to school.

• Support teachers to provide a curriculum with increased opportunities for older children to engage in sustained and complex play.

• Support teachers to implement a culturally responsive curriculum that focuses on equitable outcomes for all children.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Northcote Early Learning Centre 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)

24 April 2023

6 About the Early Childhood Service