Opeys Kindergarten

1 Evaluation of Opeys Plunket Education and Care Centre

How well placed is Opeys Plunket Education and Care Centre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

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

Background

Opeys Plunket Education and Care Centre is located in Otūmoetai, a residential suburb of Tauranga. It is an all-day centre and licensed for 60 children, including up to 18 children aged under two years. At the time of this review there were 86 children, including eight Māori attending the centre.

The centre comes under the governance and management of the Royal New Zealand Plunket Society. In July 2017, a new governance structure for the centre was initiated. As a result a national manager now oversees all seven Plunket Childcare Centres across New Zealand to support leadership and teaching practice.

Since the 2013 ERO evaluation the licence has been extended and the philosophy has been reviewed and reflects the centre's commitment to a bicultural environment.

The centre is a member of the Otūmoetai Community of Learning|Kāhui Ako.

The Review Findings

Children are encouraged to be confident, competent and curious. Teachers know the children well and relationships are positive and responsive. They listen carefully to what children say and support them to follow their interests. The outdoor environment promotes active exploration.

Long-standing and stable staffing supports continuity for children and their families. Meaningful and caring relationships with families and whānau support open communication. The centre is well known and an integral part of the learning community. This supports an informed process for children entering, progressing through and beyond the centre. Centre staff are supportive and build responsive relationships with families.

An inclusive approach for supporting learners with diverse needs informs centre-wide, responsive practice. Structured routines support children to predict and know expectations. Teachers are respectful of their needs, including those of children up to the age of two years.

Aspects of tikanga and te reo Māori are increasingly evident. Some teachers are beginning to explore culturally responsive practice. Extending this centre wide to build teachers understanding of an effective bicultural curriculum is a key next step. This should better support a meaningful and purposeful approach to support Māori learners to achieve success as Māori.

A wide range of learning opportunities inform a varied curriculum for children. Regular excursions for older children are supporting learning outside the centre and building an appreciation for the community. The emerging emphasis on environmental sustainability is extending a natural resource-based curriculum.

Individual planning identifies and responds to children's interests. Children engage in inquiry-based projects and this allows teachers and children to share knowledge. This approach promotes sustained engagement and extends on learning from home. Making the full curriculum accessible to learners should better foster a child-led curriculum.

Collaborative, positive and authentic relationships amongst teachers and leaders are evident. They regularly share their reflections, practice and research through teacher inquiry. Professional learning and development is actively sought for teachers to extend interests and passions. Leaders now need to extend appraisals to include observations and feedback.

Under the new governance structure, a strategic plan has been developed to guide centre operations and includes goals to strengthen internal evaluation. Policies and procedures are regularly reviewed. The national manager visits the centre regularly and supports leaders in developing internal evaluation to enable high-quality teaching practice to be embedded and inform centre improvements.

Key Next Steps

Particular priority needs to be given to:

• extending teachers' understanding of culturally responsive teaching and learning and implementing this centre wide

• building centre-wide understanding of effective evaluation to measure, monitor and appropriately inform high-quality teaching and learning for positive outcomes for learners

• develop and share with ERO an action plan that responds to the key next steps identified in this report.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Opeys Plunket Education and Care Centre 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 Opeys Plunket Education and Care Centre will be in three years.

Lynda Pura-Watson

Deputy Chief Review Officer

Te Tai Miringa - Waikato / Bay of Plenty Region

31 January 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

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.

1 Evaluation of Opey’s Education and Care Centre

How well placed is Opey’s Education and Care Centre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

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

Background

Opey’s Education and Care Centre is a full day education and care service located in Otumoetai, Tauranga. It provides education and care for up to 50 children in three specialised age group areas. It is a well-established, non-profit community childcare service with some second generation staff and families attending.

The centre comes under the governance and management of the Royal New Zealand Plunket Society, who oversee the governance of three early childhood centres in the region. The centre manager, with the support of team leaders, provides leadership for the centre. The service is committed to employing qualified and registered early childhood teachers, and they exceed recommended adult-to-child ratios. An experienced cook provides nutritious meals and the centre recently received a Healthy Heart Award from the Heart Foundation. Teachers use the centre van to take children on meaningful community outings, which extend their interests and learning.

The centre has traditionally had a positive ERO reporting history, and the staff have remained the same providing continuity for children families. Since the last ERO review in 2010 the service has further strengthened appraisal and self-review practices focused on the best possible outcomes for children. Teachers have also introduced sustainable practices focused on developing children’s learning about, and caring for, the environment and animals.

Teachers have had professional development and have introduced a physical education programme, designed to support children’s brain development. The centre manager, team leaders and teachers have established through its documented philosophy, shared values and beliefs for learning. Teachers foster children’s self esteem, build their confidence, and encourage their independence and interests in learning. They believe in being respectful and responsive to family values and cultural identities.

The Review Findings

Opey’s Education and Care Centre continues to provide high-quality education and care. The experienced centre manager provides effective professional leadership, and is well supported by knowledgeable team leaders. They empower teachers’ leadership capability and share leadership roles and responsibilities.

Teachers keep up-to-date with current theory and practice in early childhood education. They have turns at leading professional discussions during staff meetings and share current research and readings on education. They implement many aspects of te reo and tikanga Māori and are committed to increasing all teachers daily use of te reo Māori. The centre has robust, documented self-review processes and has an established reflective culture that contributes to positive outcomes for children and their families.

Children experience trusting and respectful relationships with teachers and their peers, which supports a positive climate for learning. There are extensive opportunities for children to develop friendships with one another, and their communication and language skills are fostered through a rich range of social experiences. Children’s transition between age group areas is thoughtfully managed and sensitive to their feelings and emotional wellbeing.

Children have access to technology such as computers to research areas of interests, and digital cameras which are used with the support of teachers. Concepts of literacy, mathematics, science and creative arts are integrated in meaningful contexts through children’s play.

Teachers have an in-depth knowledge of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. They notice children’s interests, recognise the potential learning, and appropriately respond. Teachers support children to develop their thinking skills and encourage them to problem solve. Children are developing as confident, capable and competent learners.

Notable strengths in:

the Orca’s area (three years to school age) include:

• children participating in projects over time that engage them in sustained and complex learning
• opportunities for children to develop inquiry skills and strategies, knowledge and dispositions, which promote learning that will support them in their transition to school
• experiences that develop children’s social competencies and leadership skills
• weekly outings in the community to further enrich educational experiences.

the Dolphin's area (18 months to three years of age) include:

• extensive opportunities for children to be creative and use their imagination during active exploration and investigation within the environment
• opportunities for children to develop their self-care skills, and enhance their social and communication skills
• children having choices and making decisions, and are supported to assess situations and take informed risks
• opportunities to extend their learning through sustained play experiences.

the Starfish's area (birth to 18 months) include:

• babies who receive personalised care routines with quality adult-to child-ratios (one adult to three babies)
• consistent teaching staff who skilfully tune into babies non-verbal and verbal communication. Baby sign language is used and teachers are responsive to individual personalities and temperaments
• babies and teachers having trusting and positive relationships that support their language and social development
• teachers and parents having open communication, and sharing relevant information about the child which enables teachers to provide sensitive and responsive care.

Centre families spoken to by ERO appreciate the quality of education and care their children receive. Teachers inform them about their children’s learning, and welcome families to share their knowledge and aspirations for their children. They value the Pukapuka Ako booklets that have stories and photographs of each child’s holistic learning journey at the centre. Currently teachers are in the process of implementing and further developing a system to share Pukapuka Ako booklets on-line with centre families.

Key Next Steps

ERO is confident that centre leaders and teachers have the capacity and effective self-review systems in place to enable them to continually strengthen, promote and sustain positive outcomes for children.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Opey’s Education and Care Centre 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 Opey’s Education and Care Centre will be in four years.

Dale Bailey

National Manager Review Services

Northern Region

12 September 2013

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

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.