5 Poplar Road, Stanmore Bay
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Our Space Early Childhood Education Centre is licensed for 30 children up to five years of age.
The centre's philosophy is based on whanaungatanga (warm, trusting relationships). It promotes staff knowing children and their whānau well, and supporting children as they lead and direct their own learning.
A new teaching team consists of four registered teachers, including the centre manager. Three teachers work with children who are two to five years old, and two teachers work with children under the age of two. Because of the mixed-age setting, some teachers work across all age groups at times.
The 2014 ERO review identified a number of areas of good performance. These included a responsive programme, skilful teaching, meaningful play and sustained conversations with children. Good progress with assessment and planning was noted. The report also noted that priorities for improvement included promoting success for Māori and self-review, including regular policy review. It recommended aligning strategic and annual planning, the philosophy, teacher appraisal and professional learning. Further improvement is still needed in these areas.
Children are happy and settled, and have a strong sense of belonging in the centre. They settle confidently in play areas and make deliberate choices about the resources they need. Children are able to engage in free, uninterrupted play and have many opportunities for physical challenge. Children lead their own play and learning, and have fun. They are caring and friendly with each other.
Infants and toddlers enjoy nurturing and trusting relationships with teachers. Teachers engage with them to support their wellbeing, their sense of belonging, and their learning and language development. They are responsive to children's cues and preferences.
Teachers have warm and respectful relationships with children. They interact with children and skilfully engage them in play that prompts them to collaborate and investigate ideas. Teachers read frequently to children and are developing their love of books and stories. The spacious learning environment provides children with a wide range of choices and allows them to take risks with their learning.
Art, science, literacy and early mathematics concepts are integrated into the programme. Teachers could now consider integrating early literacy and mathematics in the context of children's play in the outdoor areas. They should also plan for children's engagement in more complex and challenging play. Teachers are committed to strengthening the inclusion of te reo and tikanga Māori in the curriculum.
The curriculum is responsive to children's interests and strengths and teachers use the 'notice, recognise and respond' approach to planning. Teachers have made good progress in making learning more visible to parents and children. Portfolios show how teachers are recording and analysing significant learning moments, including children's developing dispositions for learning. Teachers should now consider how to show links between children's learning stories, and their progress and learning over time. They could also make the links between planning and assessment clearer.
Parents are encouraged to be partners in their children’s learning. Teachers provide good opportunities for families to participate in the programme, provide feedback and be involved in their children's learning and development. Parents appreciate that teachers listen to their aspirations and respond to their children’s strengths.
Teachers work well together. Leadership is distributed, based on teachers' strengths and interests. With the support of external expertise, the appraisal system has recently been reviewed and updated to meet the Education Council requirements. External support would also be helpful to help teachers strengthen programme planning and evaluation, and to develop a cycle of systematic internal evaluation.
Centre staff agree that key next steps include:
reviewing the centre's philosophy
developing teachers' capacity to increase the rigour of their internal evaluation, including their evaluation of programmes for children
developing long term and annual planning alongside internal evaluation, to build a culture of ongoing improvement.
Before the review, the staff and management of Our Space Early Childhood Education 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:
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.
To comply with legal requirements, the owner/manager should now ensure that:
All staff are included in a system of robust, regular appraisal. Education (ECC) Regulations 2008, 47; Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, GMA7; Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992.
The next ERO review of Our Space Early Childhood Education Centre will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
5 December 2017
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.
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Location |
Stanmore Bay, Whangaparaoa |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
10070 |
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Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 8 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
20 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 11 Girls 9 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
8 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:2 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
October 2017 |
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Date of this report |
5 December 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
March 2014 |
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|
Education Review |
February 2011 |
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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:
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.
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:
ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.
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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Our Space on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula provides full day education and care and is licensed for 30 children, including infants and toddlers, and children up to school age. Te Whāriki, the Early Childhood Curriculum, and aspects of the Reggio Emilia philosophies continue to underpin programmes. Families identify that they have mainly New Zealand European/Pākehā, Māori and Pacific heritage.
The centre is led by the owner/manager. Staff are all qualified teachers and they continue to work collaboratively to improve outcomes for children.
In 2011, ERO recommended that the new owners continue to focus on improvements to management systems, learning programmes and the environment and property. Significant progress has been made in many areas, particularly the environment and learning programmes.
Children at Our Space benefit from the warm, caring relationships that are evident through their interactions with teachers. Emphasis has been placed on developing children’s social competence. Children develop strong friendships with each other. When children interact in mixed age groups there is a strong sense of tuakana-teina (learning partnerships between younger and older learners) and siblings enjoy being with each other. Children have fun together and with teachers. Teachers cater well for the specific needs of infants and toddlers and set up environments that respond to their needs and interests.
Responsive and caring relationships underpin the centre’s welcoming tone. Parents appreciate the sense of family and the individual attention children receive from teachers. They receive good information about their children's learning and are encouraged to take an active part in the centre programme and events.
The programme responds to children’s emerging interests. Teachers build on children’s ideas. They make good use of open-ended questioning that encourages children’s thinking and exploration. Children’s language skills are extended through meaningful play and sustained conversations with their teachers. The unhurried pace in the centre allows children to express themselves and direct their own learning. Teachers agree that they could further develop strategies to consistently increase the complexity of children’s play.
Since ERO’s 2011 review, good progress has been made in assessment and planning. The centre manager has identified the need for further professional learning and development in this area.
The centre manager provides good leadership and models effective teaching practice. Shared leadership and areas of responsibility enable teachers to work collaboratively. Staff are committed to reflective practices that support ongoing improvement. Parents are included in decision making.
ERO and centre leaders discussed how more effective self review could enhance the centre’s direction. ERO affirms the centre’s priorities for improving outcomes for children. These are to:
ERO supports the manager’s intention to access external support to develop whole-centre understanding of effective self review.
The centre manager and teachers would benefit from support to develop a robust system of performance management that focuses on improved outcomes for children.
Before the review, the staff and management of Our Space Early Childhood Education 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:
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:
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
To comply with legal requirements, the owner/manager should now ensure that:
ERO and leaders discussed the need to improve the documentation and review of; hazards, accidents, the dispensing of medicine to children and earthquake and fire drills. The centre’s child protection policy could also be improved by making reference to provision for protected disclosures.
The next ERO review of Our Space Early Childhood Education Centre will be in three years.
Dale Bailey
National Manager Review Services Northern Region
7 March 2014
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.
|
Location |
Stanmore Bay, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
10070 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 8 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
22 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 15 Girls 7 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Fijian |
8 12 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates |
80% |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:6 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
January 2014 |
||
|
Date of this report |
7 March 2014 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
February 2011 |
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:
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.
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:
ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.
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.