- ERO evaluates and reports on the education and care of children and young people in early childhood services and schools.
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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.
Shooting Stars provides full day education and care for up to seventeen children, between the ages of three months and five years. The centre changed ownership in May 2015. It is privately owned and operated and the centre owner is the head teacher.
Centre practice is guided by the pedagogy of Pikler and Magda Gerber. These theorists promote approaches where children are trusted to be explorers and self-learners. Children are also given the opportunity for their physical development to occur naturally with adult care and supervision. Teachers also allow children to be active participants in their own care activities. Each child has a programme designed to develop their interests and curiosity, and whānau involvement is central to the centre's vision for all children.
Parents, children and teachers all contribute in meaningful ways to the development of a responsive curriculum. This ensures that children have their interests fostered. Teachers know children well. They celebrate each child's uniqueness and follow up on children's individual wonderings and dispositions.
Teachers bring a strong research base to curriculum design and this can be seen in the daily programme. Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, is an integral part of programme documentation and teacher practice.
Teachers have reviewed and renewed the learning environments to reflect the centre vision and philosophy. The indoor environment ensures that children of all ages are stimulated by an environment that supports their interests and is accessible to them. The outdoor environment provides natural resources and experiences that help children develop physically, emotionally and intellectually.
Numeracy and literacy are very well supported and integrated throughout the curriculum. Planning and assessment systems are authentic and reflect children's progress and learning overtime.
Teachers work alongside children to support and promote their development. Children with additional needs fully participate and are included in all aspects of the centre programme.
The centre has a strong bicultural element and the centre's philosophy, day-to-day practice and documentation references Treaty of Waitangi principles. Teachers use te reo Māori as a natural part of conversations with children and tikanga Māori underpins all centre practice.
High level professional leadership guides centre practice and the centre owner also works in the centre. She models child-centred care and nurturing learning interactions with children. This guidance and modelling has shaped the centre's positive culture and is supporting the development of a growing professional learning community. The centre leader recognises that by developing sustainable operating systems for management and governance the administration of the centre will be strengthened as it continues to grow.
Effective self-review practices drive improvement and inform decision making. Centre staff work collegially to undertake reviews and implement changes. Centre leaders have accessed external professional development for teachers to support the centre's vision for high quality learning and care for all children.
ERO and the centre leader agree that a key next step is to continue developing sustainable administration systems to support centre operations and growth.
Before the review, the staff and management of Shooting Stars Daycare 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.
The next ERO review of Shooting Stars Daycare will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
29 June 2016
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 |
Ellerslie, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
45625 |
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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 |
17 children, including up to 8 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
15 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 9 Girls 6 |
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Ethnic composition |
Pākehā Samoan |
14 1 |
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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 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:6 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
May 2016 |
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Date of this report |
29 June 2016 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
April 2013 |
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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:
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.
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.