PORSE Nelson/Marlborough/West Coast S2

Education institution number:
55505
Service type:
Homebased Network
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
1
Telephone:
Address:

Shop 7-8 1 Market street, Blenheim

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PORSE Nelson/Marlborough/West Coast S2 - 08/08/2018

1 Evaluation of PORSE Nelson/Marlborough/West Coast S2

How well placed is PORSE Nelson/Marlborough/West Coast S2 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

PORSE Nelson/Marlborough/West Coast S2 is a home-based education and care network operating under the PORSE In-Home Childcare Network (NZ) Ltd. It is one of two PORSE networks currently active in the region. Of the 115 children enrolled, 13 are Māori and four are Pacific.

This network offers two options for education and care: the home educator model where the educator works in their own home; and the nanny educator model, where an educator works in a family's home.

At the time of the March 2011 ERO report, the service was known as PORSE In-home Childcare Nelson S1. Since then, Evolve Education Group Limited (EEG), has taken over ownership of PORSE, adopting existing structures for national and community team management.

The PORSE senior leadership team, which is responsible for operation, reports to the EEG board of directors. In this network, three programme tutors who are qualified and registered teachers, work alongside educators and nannies to assist them to implement suitable care and learning programmes for children in homes. Their practice is supported by regional and local coaches.

The PORSE vision is, 'expanding the hearts, minds and wellbeing of a nation through nurturing childcare in-home'.

This review is one of two home-based network reviews of PORSE In-Home Childcare Network (NZ) Ltd.

The Review Findings

Children enjoy continued opportunities to participate in a wide range of learning experiences in educators' homes and the local community. Many attend PORSE-organised playschools, physical activity sessions and excursions. These provide interesting challenges and opportunities to socialise with peers. Programme tutors are aware of local resources to support children with additional learning needs.

Leaders and programme tutors articulate commitment to practice and operation that acknowledges the intent of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The implementation of a bicultural perspective in children's programmes is supported through access to on-line information and other resources. The programme tutors should continue to seek connections in the local Māori community, and Ministry of Education resources, to inform their approach. The development of a more strategic and sustainable approach, strongly led at governance level, is a priority.

Relationships among the programme tutors, families and educators are supportive and well established. Building learning partnerships with families and whānau has continued to be a development priority, strongly promoted by PORSE. Comprehensive information is regularly shared about PORSE operation. Programme tutors provide informative monthly reports about children's learning, wellbeing and interests. Families' input is sought and valued. The use of on-line systems for two-way sharing of information is strengthening how families contribute to this.

Children's transitions into and out of the network are carefully considered and undertaken in collaboration with families. The programme tutors should continue to develop relationships with school personnel, and their understanding of best practice, to strengthen support for families making the transition to primary school. A strategic review of the PORSE transition-to-school process is underway.

Programme tutors' regular visits and communication with educators give suitable attention to ensuring PORSE expectations, health and safety requirements are noted, educator practice is acknowledged and ongoing guidance is provided. Feedback from programme tutors, in relation to educators' development priorities, is evident.

Educators are purposefully supported by programme tutors to develop suitable learning experiences in response to children's emerging interests. Many educators link children's learning to the strands, learning outcomes and goals of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Some develop plans to extend children's learning and receive parent input. Programme tutors should continue to strengthen the focus on:

  • identifying and recording children's significant interests and learning, and strategies and resources to extend these

  • reflecting children's cultures, languages and identities in learning records

  • supporting educators' understanding of Te Whāriki (2017)

  • ensuring children have ongoing opportunities to reflect on and revisit their learning.

As a first step towards supporting programme tutors to work with their communities to clarify local learning priorities, PORSE should prioritise the review of the philosophy that guides teaching and learning.

The programme tutors in this region work collegially, supporting each other in their roles. PORSE provides good face-to-face support for their practice. There are regular opportunities for collaborative discussion with other programme tutors, coaching and professional learning and development. Programme tutors have an inclusive approach and are proactive in seeking ways to support educators to participate in professional learning opportunities and PORSE events, and express their point of view.

PORSE provides good support for leadership and through focused professional development and forums for sharing practice. In their specifically defined roles, coaches provide effective assistance for programme tutors' practice.

The appraisal process provides opportunities for programme tutors to reflect on their practice and receive constructive feedback from regional coaches. A new process has been developed in 2018 in line with the Education Council revised requirements. Consideration should also be given to developing inquiry-based practice linked to children's outcomes and guidelines to support the new process.

A well-organised governance and management framework supports operation and practice. There are clear reporting lines and an appropriate focus on quality assurance. PORSE has developed a comprehensive range of up-to-date guidelines that enable programme tutors and educators to successfully undertake their roles. Curriculum guidelines, particularly in relation to planning for learning, and working with infants and toddlers, require updating. Further development is planned for later in 2018. The recent appointment of a curriculum and quality assurance coach should support this work.

PORSE values self review as a tool to promote improvement. Parents' and educators' views are regularly sought as part of the process. Suitable frameworks have been developed for strategic and spontaneous review, and learning opportunities provided to strengthen the programme tutors' practice. Regular reviews are undertaken that lead to improvement. Further work is needed to support the successful use of the framework at all levels to inform decision making about ongoing developments.

The PORSE organisation continues to undergo significant change. There is a continued focus on developing operation and practices to support a sustainable future.

Key Next Steps

The national coach and ERO agree the priorities for this network are to continue to strengthen:

  • assessment, planning and evaluation

  • the bicultural curriculum

  • internal evaluation

  • implementation of Te Whāriki 2017.

At governance and management level priorities are to:

  • update teaching and learning guidelines

  • use success indicators identified in the strategic intent to measure progress in relation to child outcomes

  • embed the revised appraisal process.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of PORSE Nelson/Marlborough/West Coast S2 completed an ERO Home-based Education and Care 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 PORSE Nelson/Marlborough/West Coast S2 will be in three years.

Alan Wynyard

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)

Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region

8 August 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 Home-based Education and Care Service

Location

Blenheim

Ministry of Education profile number

55505

Institution type

Homebased Network

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

80 children, including up to 80 aged under 2

Service roll

115

Standard or Quality Funded

Standard

Gender composition

Boys 63, Girls 52

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā
Samoan
Tongan
Other ethnic groups

13
89
3
1
9

Number of qualified coordinators in the network

3

Required ratios of staff educators to children

Under 2

1:2

Over 2

1:4

Review team on site

June 2018

Date of this report

8 August 2018

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

March 2011

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 the draft methodology for ERO reviews in Home-based Education and Care Services: July 2014

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.

PORSE Nelson S1 - 16/03/2011

1 The Education Review Office (ERO) Evaluation

PORSE (Play, Observe, Relate, Support, Extend, Evaluate) is an in-home early childhood organisation with its National Support 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 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. Parents are kept well informed of their children’s development and PORSE activities to enhance and strengthen interactions and relationships.

PORSE Nelson (55505) provides a service for children and families in the Nelson region.

Parents and families contribute to daily programmes provided by educators. Programme tutors visit educators monthly and provide feedback and support, as well as carry out health and safety checks. Children’s development and their involvement in the PORSE programme, including excursions, are well documented.

The care and education of children takes place within home settings. Those in the sample visited by ERO confirmed that children have access to environments that provide opportunities for exploration, challenge and creative expression.

The child-based programme offers a wide range of experiences. Children are seen as confident and competent learners. Programme tutors and educators strengthen learning opportunities by providing additional playschool sessions to build on children’s interests and previous experiences. There is a noticeable focus on children’s development and links are made to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.

Educators are warm, responsive and respectful of children. Programme tutors value and foster relationships between educators and seek their feedback to inform the programme. Educators trust children’s choices and opportunities for leadership are fostered.

A good range of activities and materials, including the use of community resources, is available to children. All reasonable steps are taken to make home environments safe. Designated areas inside and outdoors enable children to explore and participate in varied learning experiences.

Educator professional development is well supported. Visit notes for families identify children’s interests, developing skills and educator training.

Some aspects of self review are used well to inform improvements in the programme. However, there is a need to strengthen self-review processes of educators’ practice and to ensure compliance requirements are regularly monitored and met.

Future Action

ERO will review the service again within three years.

2 Review Priorities

The Focus of the Review

Before the review, the management of PORSE Nelson S1 was invited to consider its priorities for review using guidelines and resources provided by ERO. ERO also used documentation provided by PORSE Nelson 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 Nelson S1.

All ERO education reviews in early childhood focus on the quality of education. For ERO this includes the quality of:

  • the programme provided for children;
  • the learning environment; and
  • the interactions between children and adults.

ERO’s findings in these areas are set out below.

The Quality of Education

Background

The PORSE Nelson network was established in October 2008. This is the first ERO report. The service offers a range of in-home early childhood options for children. Some families choose to employ a nanny who works in the children’s home, others choose to place their children with a home educator in the educators’ homes. PORSE has extensive systems and strategies to monitor and manage the quality of education and care provided for children. Programme tutors, guided by the area coach, visit children regularly and provide written notes to parents about the visit. They work alongside educators to ensure that children receive an acceptable standard of education and care. There is a high level of educator training.

Areas of good performance

The child-based programme provides a wide range of experiences and is responsive to children’s learning needs and interests. There is a noticeable focus on children’s development and sound links are often made to Te Whāriki. Children are viewed as confident and competent learners.

Programme tutors and educators strengthen the programme by providing additional playschool sessions. Programme tutor visit notes for families identify children’s interests, developing skills and educator training.

Educators are warm, responsive and respectful of children. Programme tutors value and foster relationships between educators and seek their feedback to inform the programme. Educators trust children’s choices and opportunities for leadership are fostered.

A good range of materials and activities, including the use of community resources, is available to children. All reasonable steps are taken to make home environments safe. Designated areas inside and outdoors enable children to explore and participate in a variety of learning experiences.

Areas for development and review

Aspects of self review are used well to inform improvements in the programme. However, there is a need to strengthen self-review processes to inform improvements in educators’ practice and to ensure compliance requirements are regularly monitored and met.

3 National Evaluation Topics

Overview

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.

Promoting Children’s Social and Emotional Competence

As children learn to make sense of their world they develop an understanding of themselves in social contexts, including the early childhood service. As part of this review ERO looked at how each service’s curriculum supports children’s developing social and emotional competence.

The findings are reported in the Quality of Education section of this report and used as part of a national evaluation report on this topic.

4 Management Assurance on Compliance Areas

Overview

Before the review, the management and staff of PORSE Nelson S1 completed an ERO Home-Based CareManagement Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they had taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal obligations related to:

  • administration;
  • health, safety and welfare;
  • personnel management; and
  • financial and property management.

During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on outcomes for children:

  • emotional safety (including behaviour management, prevention of bullying and abuse);
  • physical safety (including behaviour management, sleeping and supervision practices; accidents and medication; hygiene and routines; travel and excursion policies and procedures);
  • staff qualifications and organisation; and
  • evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.

5 Recommendations

ERO and the service arranger agreed that programme tutors and educators will continue to:

  • use self review to inform improvements in practice and to ensure health and safety compliance obligations are regularly monitored and met.

6 Future Action

ERO will review the service again within three years.

Kathleen Atkins

National Manager Review Services

Central Region

16 March 2011

About the Service

Type

Home-Based Care

Licence type

Chartered under Education (Home-based Care) Order 1992

Roll number

136

Gender composition

Boys 75, Girls 61

Ethnic composition

New Zealand European/Pākehā 69, Māori 6, Other ethnic groups 61

Review team onsite

December 2010

Date of this report

16 March 2011

Previous ERO reports

First report

16 March 2011

To the Parents and Community of PORSE Nelson S1

These are the findings of the Education Review Office’s latest report onPORSE (Play, Observe, Relate, Support, Extend, Evaluate) is an in-home early childhood organisation with its National Support 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 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. Parents are kept well informed of their children’s development and PORSE activities to enhance and strengthen interactions and relationships.

PORSE Nelson (55505) provides a service for children and families in the Nelson region.

Parents and families contribute to daily programmes provided by educators. Programme tutors visit educators monthly and provide feedback and support, as well as carry out health and safety checks. Children’s development and their involvement in the PORSE programme, including excursions, are well documented.

The care and education of children takes place within home settings. Those in the sample visited by ERO confirmed that children have access to environments that provide opportunities for exploration, challenge and creative expression.

The child-based programme offers a wide range of experiences. Children are seen as confident and competent learners. Programme tutors and educators strengthen learning opportunities by providing additional playschool sessions to build on children’s interests and previous experiences. There is a noticeable focus on children’s development and links are made to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.

Educators are warm, responsive and respectful of children. Programme tutors value and foster relationships between educators and seek their feedback to inform the programme. Educators trust children’s choices and opportunities for leadership are fostered.

A good range of activities and materials, including the use of community resources, is available to children. All reasonable steps are taken to make home environments safe. Designated areas inside and outdoors enable children to explore and participate in varied learning experiences.

Educator professional development is well supported. Visit notes for families identify children’s interests, developing skills and educator training.

Some aspects of self review are used well to inform improvements in the programme. However, there is a need to strengthen self-review processes of educators’ practice and to ensure compliance requirements are regularly monitored and met.

Future Action

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.

Kathleen Atkins

National Manager Review Services

Central Region

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT REVIEWS

About ERO

ERO is an independent, external evaluation agency that undertakes reviews of schools and early childhood services throughout New Zealand.

About ERO Reviews

ERO follows a set of standard procedures to conduct reviews. The purpose of each review is to:

  • improve quality of education for children in early childhood services; and
  • provide information to parents, communities and the Government.

Reviews are intended to focus on outcomes for children and build on each service’s self review.

Review Focus

ERO’s framework for reviewing and reporting is based on four review strands.

Quality of Education – including the quality of the programme provided for children, the quality of the learning environment and the quality of the interactions between staff and children and how these impact on outcomes for children.

Additional Review Priorities – other aspects of the operation of a service, may be included in the review. ERO will not include this strand in all reviews.

National Evaluation Topics – This strand contribute to the development of education policies and their effective implementation. The information from this strand is aggregated by ERO for its national evaluation reports. Topics for investigation are changed regularly to provide up-to-date information.

Compliance with Legal Requirements – assurance that this service has taken all reasonable steps to meet legal requirements.

Review Coverage

ERO reviews do not cover every aspect of service performance and each ERO report may cover different issues. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to this service.

Review Recommendations

Most ERO reports include recommendations for improvement. A recommendation on a particular issue does not necessarily mean that a service is performing poorly in relation to that issue. There is no direct link between the number of recommendations in this report and the overall performance of this service.