Red Beach Early Learning Centre

Education institution number:
10056
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
26
Telephone:
Address:

88 Bay Street, Red Beach

View on map

Red Beach 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 Red Beach Early Learning Centre are as follows:

Outcome Indicators

(What the service knows about outcomes for learners)


Whāngai Establishing

Ngā Akatoro Domains

 

Learning Conditions
Organisational Conditions

Whāngai Establishing
Whāngai Establishing

2 Context of the Service

Red Beach Early Learning Centre is privately owned. The service owner is actively involved in governance and management. Two head teachers are beginning to take on more responsibility as part of a leadership succession plan. The teaching team is fully qualified. Children enrolled are from a diverse range of ethnicities.

3 Summary of findings

The service’s small group context supports the development of strong relationships between teachers, children, and their families. Leaders and teachers provide a well-resourced environment that encourages investigation and discovery. A calm atmosphere promotes a sense of wellbeing. Children are active explorers who lead their own learning.

Children’s artwork is valued and well used to share information with families about what is happening in the curriculum. Teachers ensure children’s learning records are accessible. This allows children to revisit their learning and see themselves as successful learners.

Leaders and teachers are working towards integrating Māori words and aspects of tikanga Māori into everyday teaching practices. The languages and cultures of individual children and families are celebrated through cultural events. Consideration could now be given to how knowledge and information of children’s cultures could more strongly inform children’s individual learning plans.

Leaders and teachers document children’s progress over time. Assessment records show detailed and regular stories informed by children’s interests and use a variety of references to describe what children are learning. A deeper engagement with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, could help the team to develop learning-focused partnerships with families, and enhance assessment practices.

The service is well managed. Leaders and teachers work well together. Processes for strategic planning and internal evaluation have been established. A further refinement of these processes could bring more clarity to the service’s strategic direction. A robust process is in place to promote teachers’ ongoing professional development.

4 Improvement actions

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

  • Strengthen engagement with Te Whāriki to develop learning-focused parent partnerships which contribute to curriculum planning and assessment practices.

  • Continue to improve internal evaluation and strategic plans by using clearly defined evaluative questions to guide and evaluate progress towards strategic goals.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Red Beach 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)

26 October 2023

6 About the Early Childhood Service

Early Childhood Service Name

Red Beach Early Learning Centre

Profile Number

10056

Location

Red Beach, Auckland

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

20 children aged over 2 years

Percentage of qualified teachers

100%

Service roll

23

Review team on site

September 2023

Date of this report

26 October 2023

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, March 2020; Education Review, June 2016

Red Beach Early Learning Centre - 20/03/2020

1 Evaluation of Red Beach Early Learning Centre

How well placed is Red Beach Early Learning Centre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

Red Beach Early Learning Centre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

Red Beach Early Learning Centre is a well-established and privately-owned education and care service for up to 20 children over two years of age. The centre has a staff of fully qualified teachers.

The philosophy of the centre is guided by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. It identifies a commitment for staff to provide a centre culture that is positive, respectful and inclusive to cater for children's needs.

ERO’s 2016 report acknowledged a variety of positive features, which have been sustained. The report recommended areas of improvement that included strengthening internal evaluation and promoting increased leadership and management responsibilities. Good progress has been made in these areas. The report also recommended ensuring assessment practices of children's learning reflect Te Whāriki. Teachers continue to review and refine their practices.

The Review Findings

Children benefit from a calm environment that is welcoming and inclusive. Building and sustaining relationships with whānau are a feature of the centre. Staff are sensitive and responsive to the needs of individual children. Parents who spoke to ERO value the positive staff relationships and the effective communication between the centre and home.

Children are engaged and confident in their learning. They are quick to settle and make independent choices about their play. They play cooperatively with their peers. Children benefit from easy access to a well-designed outdoor area for them to explore and participate in learning.

Informative wall displays acknowledge children's efforts and successes. Teachers work collaboratively, use what they notice about children's interests and plan activities for them. Children's conversations are encouraged and respected by teachers. Teachers demonstrate skilful questioning techniques to extend children's thinking skills in meaningful ways.

Good progress has been made to include the centre's commitment to Te Tiriti Waitangi in centre programmes. Children are encouraged to sing waiata and participate in karakia and Māori storytelling.

Parents and whānau have access to relevant information about children's participation in centre programmes and opportunities to contribute to be involved in their child's learning. Children's learning stories provide a record of their participation in the programme. Teachers could now increase the visibility of children's languages and cultures in individual learning stories.

Portfolios are used as teachers carefully support children to transition to school. This practice helps to ensure children, and particularly those with additional learning needs, are well supported as they enter school.

The centre has good structures in place to support ongoing internal evaluation that positively impacts learning outcomes for children. A well-considered and robust appraisal process continues to strengthen teacher practice.

The owner and head teacher work well together in the daily operations of the centre. Strategic and annual plans are developed and used to guide centre operations. Further developing strategic goals that include indicators to measure against, should strengthen strategic planning.

A system is in place to regularly review policies and procedures. The owner and head teacher agree they need to ensure policies and procedures align with practice. While parents have opportunities to contribute to their children's learning, managers are continuing to explore ways of extending educational learning partnerships with whānau and parents.

Key Next Steps

The key next steps are to:

  • increase the visibility of individual children's emergent learning and interests over time in documentation

  • strengthen strategic planning and refine goals supported by indicators that could measure how effectively these goals are being met.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Red Beach Early Learning 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.

Steve Tanner

Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)

Northern Region - Te Tai Raki

20 March 2020

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

Location

Red Beach, Orewa

Ministry of Education profile number

10056

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

20 children aged over 2 years

Service roll

30

Gender composition

Girls 15 Boys 15

Ethnic composition

Māori
NZ European/Pākehā
other ethnic groups

3
20
7

Percentage of qualified teachers

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Over 2

1:7

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

January 2020

Date of this report

20 March 2020

Most recent ERO report(s)

 

Education Review

June 2016

Education Review

April 2013

Education Review

March 2010

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

The overall judgement that ERO makes will depend on how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:

  • Very well placed

  • Well placed

  • Requires further development

  • Not well placed

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.

Red Beach Early Learning Centre - 27/06/2016

1 Evaluation of Red Beach Early Learning Centre

How well placed is Red Beach Early Learning Centre 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

Red Beach Early Learning Centre is a well established, privately owned education and care service for up to 20 children over two years of age. It offers all day and half day sessions in a purpose built facility in a quiet residential area in Whangaparoa, north of Auckland. Outdoor sessions make use of the local natural environment and community.

Since ERO's 2013 review the owner has delegated more responsibility for daily operations to the head teacher. The stable teaching team consists of long serving qualified teachers. Making the bicultural programme more visible, and revising the centre philosophy have been the focus of centre development.

ERO's 2013 review identified the centre's commitment to respectful teaching practices that promote child-led learning. These practices have been sustained.

This report highlights the need to embed new management systems and strengthen internal evaluation so that research continues to inform the provision of the programme.

The Review Findings

Children make good use of the whole learning environment to explore and initiate their own activities. They play well together, show respect when interacting with adults and each other and solve problems as they participate in imaginative and sustained play. They enjoy revisiting and sharing their learning experiences with others. In some group play contexts, children extend their learning through collaborative interactions.

Children access a wide range of natural resources, and enjoy outdoor sessions that use the large reserve next door to the centre and other local community venues. Activities are well resourced and children are offered many opportunities that encourage exploration and creativity.

The environment reflects the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa, New Zealand. A team focus to imbed and integrate te reo Maōri into the programme reflects teachers' commitment to strengthening the centre's bicultural programme. Wall displays share useful information about children's interests and learning in a print-rich environment.

The centre owner and staff share a commitment to the principles of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and to the philosophy of learning through play. Teachers model a calm and gentle tone when interacting with children. They work well as a team to respond to children’s play. Teachers know children’s individual interests and preferences and ask open-ended questions to invite children's contributions to discussions. They provide clear instructions and model the use of appropriate language.

The service’s internal evaluation documentation shows that parents share their aspirations for their children’s learning. A recent survey shows that parents are highly satisfied with the variety of activities in the learning programme, the welcoming and child friendly environment and the quality of teaching. They also value how teachers readily communicate about their children and the learning and care provided.

Teachers are continuing to seek ways to strengthen learning partnerships with local schools. They should consider the appropriateness of their formal testing of older children’s learning and review their programme in the light of their philosophy and Te Whariki.

The owner is experienced and shares leadership with the teaching team. Teachers' performance appraisal shows their ongoing reflection about their professional practice.

Evaluation is very well embedded in centre practices. Teacher reflections are linked to outcomes for children and improvements align with the centre's strategic direction. Teachers’ individual contributions are valued and are supported by targeted professional development and mentoring. Decision making is collaborative and teachers have regular professional discussions with others in local centres.

Teacher inquiry into aspects of their practice has been a recent key focus of their professional development. Leaders should ensure that this inquiry and evaluation are underpinned by a shared understanding of current research about early childhood education.

Key Next Steps

Centre leaders agree that priorities for improvement include:

  • ensuring that assessment of children's learning reflects Te Whāriki and indicators of best practice in Early Childhood Education

  • working with parents to share information about current theory and best practice in early childhood education

  • strengthening internal evaluation so that research and evidence inform improvement and

  • continuing to promote increased leadership and management responsibilities for staff.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Red Beach Early Learning 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.

In order to improve current practice, the owner should ensure that regulatory checks on sleeping children are documented.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Red Beach Early Learning Centre will be in three years.

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

27 June 2016

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

Location

Red Beach, Orewa

Ministry of Education profile number

10056

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

20 children, including up to 0 aged under 2

Service roll

33

Gender composition

Girls 18 Boys 15

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

Indian

Asian

other European

3

23

2

1

4

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%+

Based on funding rates

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Over 2

1:7

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

May 2016

Date of this report

27 June 2016

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

April 2013

Education Review

March 2010

Education Review

April 2007

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.