127 Meadowbank Road, Meadowbank, Auckland
View on mapHow well placed is PORSE Meadowbank S1 to promote positive learning outcomes for children?
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
PORSE Meadowbank S1 is a home-based education and care network operating under the umbrella of PORSE In-Home Childcare. Qualified and registered programme tutors work alongside educators to implement and support learning programmes for children in homes. PORSE also supports families and educators with professional development, administration and payroll services. A national team provides governance and management support for all PORSE services.
PORSE offers two models of education and care: the Home Educator model, where an educator works in their own home; and a Nanny Educator model, where an educator works in a family’s home. PORSE provides a range of training programmes and workshops for home educators, nannies and parents. Of the 81 children enrolled in the network at the time of this ERO review, three identify as Māori.
The PORSE vision is ‘expanding the hearts, minds and wellbeing of a nation through nurturing childcare in-home’.
This review is one of a cluster of seven home-based network reviews of PORSE In-Home Childcare.
Children’s interests inform the curriculum and records show that children take a leading role in their learning. Educators are well supported to identify and strengthen children’s interests through developing and providing a range of learning experiences for them. Programme tutors work alongside educators and support them to notice, recognise and respond to what children do. PORSE continues to develop and refine resourcing to support education programmes in homes.
Programme tutors work positively to strengthen the quality of educators’ observations. Where this is working well there is a clear link to children’s learning and the quality of meaningful experiences for them. Some educators make links to the goals and strands ofTe Whāriki. The concept of ako, reciprocal learning, is evident in practice. Educators develop a range of ways to show children’s learning in the programme journals, through learning stories and photographs.
There is increased responsiveness from parents and whānau to having a voice across the PORSE organisation. The use of information and communication technologies is having a positive impact. PORSE continues to consult with families.
Children have many opportunities to experience learning outside the home. Regular PORSE playschools are well planned. The learning experiences offered are intentional, responsive and strategic. Playschools and community events are evaluated to ensure they meet children’s needs.
Many of the children in the PORSE network are infants and toddlers. Planning for these children is highly evident. Educators and parents work alongside programme tutors to extend children’s interests.
Meadowbank offers gym sessions to family, whānau and educators twice a week. There is high attendance and they are well supported by educators and children from other community teams.
Children are supported to make connections with their language, culture and identity. Educators are gaining an understanding of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori. The PORSE team has worked positively to develop and establish a relationship with local iwi. This has been done in a respectful and authentic way. Meadowbank is building a relationship with Tamaki Marae. Family and whānau are always invited to join the team when holding events at Okahu Bay. PORSE has developed a number of useful resources for educators to use with children. PORSE identifies, and ERO’s external evaluation supports, a need to continue to build resources and knowledge to enhance practice that supports Māori children to achieve success as Māori.
A wide range of learning opportunities, documentation and systems support educators and programme tutors to meet legislative requirements and PORSE expectations. Roles and responsibilities at various levels of the organisation are clearly defined. A supportive team culture is evident. Career pathways promote professional growth and reward study and achievement.
The programme tutors’ performance management process incorporates links to professional teaching requirements. Appraisal includes regular constructive feedback linked to the personal and professional goals of individuals and strategic intent of PORSE. Development of systems to better monitor compliance with PORSE expectations is being considered.
PORSE values self review as a tool to promote improvement. Parents’ and educators’ views are regularly sought. Tools have been created and professional learning opportunities offered to support staff understanding. There is a need to further develop knowledge about, and use of, self review across the organisation. Using the existing framework in a more evaluative way to support decisions about development is an agreed next step.
A recent review has focused the PORSE vision and strategic intent on outcomes for children. PORSE should further explore this strategic priority to support evaluation of the quality of the outcomes and measurement of progress.
Priorities for the service are to continue to develop:
Before the review, the staff and management of PORSE Meadowbank S1 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.
PORSE has good systems and processes in place to protect the privacy of children and their families and whānau.
When is ERO likely to review the service again?
The next ERO review of PORSE Meadowbank S1 will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer
Central Region
27 May 2015
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 |
Meadowbank, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
55466 |
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Licence type |
Homebased Network |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
80 children, including up to 40 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
81 |
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Standard or Quality funded |
Standard funded |
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Gender composition |
Girls 43, Boys 38 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Other ethnic groups |
3 67 11 |
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Number of qualified coordinators in the network |
3 |
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Reported ratios of staff educators to children |
Under 2 |
1:2 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
March 2015 |
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Date of this report |
27 May 2015 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) These are available at www.ero.govt.nz |
Education Review |
June 2011 |
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Education Review |
August 2006 |
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Accountability Review |
May 2003 |
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 the draft methodology for ERO reviews in Home-based Education and Care Services: July 2014
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.
PORSE (Play, Observe, Record, Support, Extend, Evaluate) is an in-home early childhood organisation with it National Service Office located in Hawkes Bay. Area offices are located throughout New Zealand. Within the area offices, PORSE personnel, including coaches and programme tutors, work with parents, nanny educators and home educators to provide early childhood education and care for infants, toddlers and young children. Children are cared for in their own homes or in small groups in the home of their educator.
The PORSE mission is “to have all people in New Zealand schooled in nurturing and educating children in their care.” Families are valued partners in children’s education and care.
The PORSE Meadowbank S1 network provides for 169 children in the Eastern Bays area of Auckland. Programme tutors, who are registered teachers, have primary responsibility for children’s learning. They provide support, encouragement and informative resources for in-home educators. PORSE offers many opportunities for educators to support each other and participate in professional development courses.
Educators foster children’s social and emotional development, and children benefit from warm, caring interactions in familiar environments. Educators use community facilities and PORSE playschools to provide children with regular opportunities to play and interact with other children. PORSE encourages educators to make the most of natural environments. Re-focusing assessment, planning and reflective practice on children’s learning would help programme tutors to enrich outcomes for children in both home and playschool environments.
Parents/whānau select their children’s educators. They have direct day-to-day relationships with educators and are well informed about their children’s daily activities. Parents/whānau are generally happy with the services offered by PORSE, although they would like more involvement in programme and planning for their children. ERO suggests that PORSE review how the organisation supports staff to develop their confidence and skills in fostering bi-cultural practices and improving partnerships with Māori whānau.
The PORSE coach and programme tutors agree that a next step is for them to further develop self review and strengthen planning, assessment and evaluation practices so that they provide better support for children’s learning. It could also be beneficial for PORSE to review its support for programme tutors to help them refocus their work on outcomes for children.
ERO will review the service again within three years.
Before the review, the management of PORSE Meadowbank S1 was invited to consider its priorities for review using guidelines and resources provided by ERO. ERO also used documentation provided by PORSE Meadowbank S1 to contribute to the scope of the review.
The detailed priorities for review were then determined following a discussion between the ERO review team and the management and staff. This discussion focused on existing information held by the service (including self-review information) and the extent to which potential issues for review contributed to positive outcomes for children atPORSE Meadowbank S1.
All ERO education reviews in early childhood focus on the quality of education. For ERO this includes the quality of:
ERO’s findings in these areas are set out below.
This review of PORSE Meadowbank S1 is informed by organisational and local documentation, visits to homes selected by PORSE, interviews with PORSE staff and educators, written feedback from parents, and observations of programmes provided for children.
In PORSE Meadowbank Area Office a team approach means that all staff have direct contact with families and educators to support enrolment, induction and office administration.
Relationships. Affirming, respectful relationships between programme tutors, families, educators and children are a strength of the service. Practices that support positive relationships include:
Children benefit from these positive relationships.
Learning environments. Children learn in appropriate, well resourced home-based learning environments. Good use is made of community resources, events and weekly PORSE playschool sessions to provide children with opportunities for active participation, exploration and social contact with their peers.
Programme implementation. Educators develop programmes in response to children’s identified needs and interests. Home-based experiences are complemented by a range of group sessions in community settings. Features of the programmes provided for children include educators:
Reflective practice. Programme tutors reflect on and critique their professional practice. They evaluate the programme provided at playschools and music groups, and identify areas for improvement. Programme tutors have identified that their next step is to model and share these good practices with educators to further develop their understanding of assessment and evaluation of children’s learning.
In-depth self review. Information about self review is gathered in multiple ways. It would be beneficial for the coach and programme tutors to strengthen their evaluation of this information to ensure that educators are supported to extend children’s learning. PORSE could:
review the quality of appraisals for programme tutors and educators to ensure there is an increased focus on teaching and learning and on the provision of constructive feedback to increase educators’ knowledge and skills; and
support programme tutors to focus on children’s learning and progress by providing better quality comments in their visit notes.
In order to sustain a high functioning team, it would be useful for PORSE to consider providing ongoing external professional learning opportunities for programme tutors. This training should enable them to share examples of, and model, good practice with educators.
ERO provides information about the education system as a whole through its national reports. This information will be used as the basis for long term and systemic educational improvement.
As part of this review ERO evaluated the extent to which:
The PORSE Māori as Tangata Whenua policy promotes connections with Māori communities and professional development for staff on the application of the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It aims to increase Māori participation and to ensure that training programmes reflect the bicultural nature of New Zealand.
Programme tutors at the PORSE Meadowbank office currently have responsibility for three children of Māori descent.
Relationships with families. There is a strong emphasis on building positive, respectful and supportive relationships with educators, children and their whānau. Daily interaction assists educators to be responsive to the needs and aspirations of whānau, and to discuss shared strategies for working with children. Daily journal entries keep whānau informed about their children’s activities.
Documentation. Educators’ discussions with whānau could be more frequently included in family manuals, programme tutor records and children’s journals. Maintaining records of how educators and programme tutors value and respond to children’s cultural heritage and the input of whānau is likely to contribute to the development of more effective partnerships that support children’s learning.
Review of policy and practice. It would be worthwhile for PORSE Meadowbank S1 to review the application of the PORSE Māori as Tangata Whenua policy and consider how they could:
Before the review, the management and staff of PORSE Meadowbank S1 completed an ERO Home-Based CareManagement Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they have attested that they had taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal obligations related to:
administration;
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on outcomes for children:
In order to improve current practice, PORSE should ensure that:
ERO, the PORSE coach and programme tutors agree that it would be useful for PORSE meadow bank to:
review and share guidelines for good practice in planning, assessment and evaluation in order to further improve the quality of education provided for children; and
review the implementation of policies and strategies that contribute to the achievement of improved educational outcomes for Māori children.
ERO will review the service again within three years.
Richard Thornton
National Manager Review Services
Northern Region
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Licence type |
Home-Based Care |
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Chartered under |
Education (Home-based Care) Order 1992 |
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Roll number |
169 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 56%, Girls 44% |
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Ethnic composition |
NZ European/Pākehā 77%, Māori 1%, Chinese 1%, other 21% |
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Review team onsite |
March 2011 |
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Date of this report |
1 June 2011 |
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Previous ERO reports |
Education Review, August 2006 Accountability Review, May 2003 |
1 June 2011
These are the findings of the Education Review Office’s latest report onPORSE (Play, Observe, Record, Support, Extend, Evaluate) is an in-home early childhood organisation with it National Service Office located in Hawkes Bay. Area offices are located throughout New Zealand. Within the area offices, PORSE personnel, including coaches and programme tutors, work with parents, nanny educators and home educators to provide early childhood education and care for infants, toddlers and young children. Children are cared for in their own homes or in small groups in the home of their educator.
The PORSE mission is “to have all people in New Zealand schooled in nurturing and educating children in their care.” Families are valued partners in children’s education and care.
The PORSE Meadowbank S1 network provides for 169 children in the Eastern Bays area of Auckland. Programme tutors, who are registered teachers, have primary responsibility for children’s learning. They provide support, encouragement and informative resources for in-home educators. PORSE offers many opportunities for educators to support each other and participate in professional development courses.
Educators foster children’s social and emotional development, and children benefit from warm, caring interactions in familiar environments. Educators use community facilities and PORSE playschools to provide children with regular opportunities to play and interact with other children. PORSE encourages educators to make the most of natural environments. Re-focusing assessment, planning and reflective practice on children’s learning would help programme tutors to enrich outcomes for children in both home and playschool environments.
Parents/whānau select their children’s educators. They have direct day-to-day relationships with educators and are well informed about their children’s daily activities. Parents/whānau are generally happy with the services offered by PORSE, although they would like more involvement in programme and planning for their children. ERO suggests that PORSE review how the organisation supports staff to develop their confidence and skills in fostering bi-cultural practices and improving partnerships with Māori whānau.
The PORSE coach and programme tutors agree that a next step is for them to further develop self review and strengthen planning, assessment and evaluation practices so that they provide better support for children’s learning. It could also be beneficial for PORSE to review its support for programme tutors to help them refocus their work on outcomes for children.
ERO will review the service again within three years.
When ERO has reviewed an early childhood service we encourage management to inform their community of any follow up action they plan to take. You should talk to the management if you have any questions about this evaluation, the full ERO report or their future intentions.
If you would like a copy of the full report, please contact the service or see the ERO website, www.ero.govt.nz.
Richard Thornton
National Manager Review Services
Northern Region