Remarkable Start 4 Mountain Ash Drive, Frankton-Queenstown
View on mapRemarkable Start Early Learning
Remarkable Start Early Learning
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 Remarkable Start Early Learning are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) |
Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
|
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions |
Whakaū Embedding |
2 Context of the Service
Remarkable Start Early Learning is one of two privately-owned services guided by a Montessori approach where children are viewed as active participants in their own development. Children are from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds, including a small number who identify as Māori. Two centre owners lead a team of mostly qualified staff. This is the service’s first Akarangi | Quality Evaluation since opening in 2017.
3 Summary of findings
Children experience a culturally responsive, inclusive and localised curriculum based on Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Learning priorities of kaitiakitanga, whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, tangata whenuatangata are based on Māori values. These are evident in the way leaders and teachers develop learning partnerships with parents and whānau, within the environment and in documentation of children’s learning.
Children experience a broad bicultural curriculum reflective of their local area. Children benefit from language-rich learning interactions with their teachers who support them to be confident to speak and understand some te reo Māori and use New Zealand Sign Language.
Infants and toddlers experience a safe and secure environment. Teachers are responsive and respectful providing unhurried opportunities for younger children to learn.
Children with additional learning and development needs are well supported. Teachers work collaboratively with families and agencies to develop and implement planning to support children’s growing independence and foster their identity as successful learners.
Assessment and planning documentation consistently make visible children’s interests and learning progress. Documentation references Te Whāriki and the service’s curriculum priorities, however the learning outcomes are yet to be used to guide and design curriculum for individuals and groups of children.
Leaders and teachers are improvement focused. Appropriate resourcing is provided to support professional learning opportunities that build teacher capability. These align to the service’s strategic goals and teachers’ professional growth cycle. A collaborative process guides internal evaluation. Service leaders use internal evaluation processes well to take action and make improvements however they are not yet consistently monitoring and evaluating how well, planned actions have improved outcomes for children.
4 Improvement actions
Remarkable Start Early Learning will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
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unpack the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki with the learning community, to enhance the design of the curriculum for individuals and groups of children
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monitor internal evaluation improvement actions and evaluate the impact of teaching on outcomes for children.
5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements
Before the review, the staff and management of Remarkable Start Early Learning 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:
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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:
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emotional safety (including positive guidance and child protection)
-
physical safety (including supervision; sleep procedures; accidents; medication; hygiene; excursion policies and procedures)
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suitable staffing (including qualification levels; safety checking; teacher registration; ratios)
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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.
6 Actions for Compliance
Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliance:
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documented risk assessment of safety checking has been undertaken for centre owners.
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care 2008, GMA7A.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
5 October 2022
7 About the Early Childhood Service
Early Childhood Service Name |
Remarkable Start Early Learning |
Profile Number |
47374 |
Location |
Frankton, Queenstown |
Service type |
Education and care service |
Number licensed for |
76 children, including up to 16 aged under 2 |
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
Service roll |
94 |
Review team on site |
August 2022 |
Date of this report |
5 October 2022 |
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Akanuku | Assurance Review, June 2019 |
Remarkable Start Early Learning - 06/06/2019
ERO’s judgement
Regulatory standards |
|
Curriculum |
Meeting |
Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
Health and safety |
Meeting |
Governance, management and administration |
Meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Background
Remarkable Start Early Learning is a privately owned full-day education and care service in Queenstown. There are two centre managers/owners. Most of the staff are qualified. Children transition through four rooms according to age. They come from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds. This is the centre’s first ERO review.
Summary of review findings
The curriculum is based on the principles and strands of Te Whāriki (2017) the Early Childhood Curriculum and the Montessori philosophy. The programme supports children’s social competence and holistic development. Children’s language, culture and identity are acknowledged. Children have opportunities to learn te reo and tikanga Māori.
Parents have opportunities to contribute to their children’s learning. The layout of the premises supports indoor and outdoor play. There are suitable processes and practices for managing the operation of the service including policies and practices to promote health and safety of children. There is a process for ongoing self-review/internal evaluation to make ongoing improvements.
Next ERO Review
The next ERO review is likely to be an Education Review.
Alan Wynyard
Director Review and Improvement Services Southern
Southern Region
6 June 2019
Information about the service
Early Childhood Service Name |
Remarkable Start Early Learning |
|
Profile Number |
47374 |
|
Location |
Queenstown |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
76 children, including up to 16 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1-4 Better than regulatory standards |
Over 2 |
1-7 Better than regulatory standards |
|
Service roll |
99 |
|
Gender composition |
Boys 50, Girls 49 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 6 NZ European/Pākehā 57 Other ethnicities 37 |
|
Review team on site |
May 2019 |
|
Date of this report |
6 June 2019 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
First ERO review of the service |
General Information about Assurance Reviews
All services are licensed under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008. The legal requirements for early childhood services also include:
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the Licensing Criteria for Home-based Education and Care Services 2008
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the Licensing Criteria for Hospital-based Education and Care Services 2008.
Services must meet the standards in the regulations and the requirements of the licensing criteria to gain and maintain a licence to operate.
ERO undertakes an Assurance Review process in any service:
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having its first ERO review – including if it is part of a governing organisation
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previously identified as ‘not well placed’ or ‘requiring further development’
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that has moved from a provisional to a full licence
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that have been re-licenced due to a change of ownership
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where an Assurance Review process is determined to be appropriate.
Management Assurance on Legal Requirements
All early childhood services are required to promote children’s health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements. Before the review, the staff and management of a service 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.
As part of an Assurance Review ERO assesses whether the regulated standards are being met. In particular, ERO looks at a 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 certification; ratios)
-
evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.
As part of an Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:
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discussions with those involved in the service
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consideration of relevant documentation, including the implementation of health and safety systems
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observations of the environment/premises, curriculum implementation and teaching practice.