52 Huia Road, Papatoetoe, Auckland
View on mapAkarangi | 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 The Learning Castle are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) |
Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
|
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions |
Whāngai Establishing Whāngai Establishing |
The Learning Castle is governed and managed by three directors. A centre manager oversees the daily curriculum and is supported by qualified teachers and two support staff. The majority of the children enrolled are of Indian descent. A small number of children are Māori or have Pacific heritages. This is the first ERO review of the service since a change of ownership in March 2019.
Children experience a curriculum that respects and supports their right to be confident in who they are. Māori children experience success as Māori. Leaders, teachers, and whānau Māori work well together fostering positive outcomes for these children.
The identity, languages, and cultures of children of Pacific heritages, as well as children from diverse ethnicities are well supported. They hear and can use their languages in the context of their play. As a result, children have a strong sense of belonging. Teacher's value and reflect the cultural diversity of the community. They foster dual and multiple language learning, which strengthens communication with children, family and whānau.
Infants and toddlers have indoor and outdoor environments that encourage them to explore. Children benefit from a calm and unrushed programme with adults who are responsive to their needs. Teachers could build their knowledge about current teaching theories to further strengthen the curriculum for infants and toddlers.
Teachers support children’s literacy and mathematical understanding through learning experiences that are culturally responsive. Children’s play preferences are respected, and they engage in activities that are enjoyable. Teachers are beginning to explore the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Leaders and teachers recognise they need to strengthen curriculum assessment and planning processes and evaluate the impact of the curriculum on improved learning outcomes for children.
Leaders and teachers remove barriers for all children to successfully participate in the service. They identify their needs and flexibly work with whānau to support children’s learning and development. Children and their whānau are well supported to transition into and throughout the service, and as children move onto school.
A priority is to build the collective capability of the new leadership team. This includes developing a shared understanding of evaluation to promote sustained improvements over time. Leaders recognise that participating in relevant professional development with an external provider could support this.
The Learning Castle will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Continue to build teachers’ professional knowledge of quality care and education practices for infants and toddlers.
Improve processes for curriculum evaluation, planning and assessment for learning. These practices should support teachers’ inquiry into the effectiveness of their practice, making evidence-based changes, and evaluating the impact of these changes on children’s learning.
Before the review, the staff and management of The Learning Castle 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.
During and since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
Having a written emergency plan that shows review of the plan on at least an annual basis and implementation of improved practices as required (HS7).
Documenting evidence of how evaluation of the emergency drills has informed the annual review of the service’s emergency plan (HS8).
Having evidence of parental permission and approval of adult:child ratios for excursions (HS17).
Having evidence of parental permission for any travel by motor vehicle (HS18).
Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
23 November 2022
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
The Learning Castle |
|
Profile Number |
46337 |
|
Location |
Papatoetoe, Auckland |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
70 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
100% |
|
Service roll |
84 |
|
Review team on site |
October 2022 |
|
Date of this report |
23 November 2022 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Reviewed under previous ownership: |
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
The Learning Castle is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
The Learning Castle is a privately owned centre in Papatoetoe that is licensed for up to 70 children, including up to 10 under the age of two years. There are three separate rooms for children of different ages.
The centre's philosophy highlights the importance of respecting the diverse cultures of the community. Children come from culturally diverse backgrounds, including a small number of Māori children. The largest group of children is Indian. Some teachers reflect this cultural diversity.
The centre is led by a supervisor and head teacher. The majority of teachers are qualified. A cook is an addition to the team. Since the 2015 ERO report there have been a number of staff changes.
The centre opened in 2013. The 2015 ERO report noted warm relationships and the promotion of children's cultural heritage, which continue to be strengths. Good progress has been made improving internal evaluation, and making programme planning more visible to whānau.
Children are settled and engaged in the programme, making good use of the spacious environment and outdoor play space. They are developing social skills as they play cooperatively with their peers. Children confidently make choices from prepared resources and activities, and benefit from sustained periods of uninterrupted play. There are opportunities for creative and imaginative play. Science, literacy and mathematics are also woven into the daily programme.
Infants and toddlers enjoy nurturing care and benefit from close adult attention. The outdoor play environment offers further opportunities for toddlers to develop mobility and independence.
Teachers welcome children into the centre and work closely with them. Teachers could deepen children's learning with more challenging investigations and conversations, and by raising their expectations of children's capabilities. Teachers could also consider ways to help children independently access resources to support their learning.
Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, guides the programme. Teachers continue to develop strategies to document and enhance their planning, assessment and evaluation practices. They discuss children's interests and plan activities and resources to support shared topics of interest. Portfolios are an attractive record of children's learning experiences. Centre leaders agree that strengthening the focus on child-led learning, and including children's voice in planning, would be worthwhile.
Inclusive practices are evident in the centre. Teachers recognise and value children's cultural backgrounds and continue to develop bicultural practices. They use te reo Māori with the children in phrases and waiata. Displays and cultural artefacts promote the various cultures of the children in the centre. Teachers use some aspects of children's diverse home languages.
Children's transitions into and through the centre are well developed. Teachers work appropriately with external agencies to support children with additional needs.
The centre is well governed and managed. The centre manager and head teachers work collaboratively. It is timely to make the head teacher's vision for the centre more visible for the teaching team and centre whānau. This would help support the team's collective understanding of the service's goals and promote its valued outcomes. The engagement of a mentor or 'critical friend' would help to build leadership capability in the centre.
A policy framework guides centre operations. Opportunities for professional learning continue to grow professional practice. Managers continue to refine their strategic planning document and self-review process. The appraisal system is currently under review to ensure greater alignment with Teaching Council requirements.
Key next steps for the centre include further developing:
teachers' capacity to extend critical thinking and complex play for older children
planning, assessment and evaluation, with a greater focus on child-led learning
strategic planning that aligns with the centre's annual goals
the extent to which the centre's philosophy reflects teachers' core beliefs and values, and the revised Te Whāriki.
Before the review, the staff and management of The Learning Castle 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.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services Northern
Northern Region
23 May 2019
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.
|
Location |
Papatoetoe, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
46337 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
70 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
82 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 46 Girls 36 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
9 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
February 2019 |
||
|
Date of this report |
23 May 2019 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
October 2015 |
|
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 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.
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.