Vital 5 Glen Eden - 12/09/2019

• On this page:

• 1 Evaluation of Vital 5 Glen Eden
• 2 Information about the Early Childhood Service
• 3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

How well placed is Vital 5 Glen Eden to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Vital 5 Glen Eden is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

Vital 5 Glen Eden, in West Auckland, is a small purpose-built centre. The centre is licensed for up to 30 children and is a community based, not-for-profit early learning service. It caters for a diverse ethnic group of children, from two years to school age.

The centre is owned by the Lifewise Trust, an Auckland-based social development organisation. The Trust is an arm of the Methodist Mission, and offers a variety of community services, including a small number of licensed early learning centres. The centre's philosophy reflects the Lifewise Trust's ethos, which focuses on each child's wellbeing and respectful and reciprocal relationships with whānau. The Trust provides wraparound care and support for vulnerable whānau and their children.

The centre manager leads a team of three teachers. A Lifewise service manager supports the centre's governance, leadership and teaching.

The Review Findings

Children benefit from a calm environment that is welcoming and inclusive. Teachers spend quality time nurturing and settling children into their day. Building and sustaining relationships with whānau is a feature of the centre. Staff are sensitive and respectful in responding to the needs of individual children and whānau.

The programme is flexible and responsive to children's interests. Carefully considered learning environments invite children into a variety of attractively presented play spaces. Children make decisions about their play and have opportunities to lead and participate in uninterrupted learning. Teachers foster children's independence and promote self-management skills.

Teachers notice children's interests and plan activities accordingly. They are well placed to now deepen their teaching practices and programme documentation to extend children's learning. Children's learning stories provide a record of their participation in the programme. Some learning stories clearly document individual children's next learning and highlight their progress over time. The centre manager agrees it is timely to ensure this practice is consistent across the centre.

Teachers use te reo Māori in greetings, waiata and karakia. They could consider ways to increase the visibility of other languages, cultures and identities in individual learning portfolios.

Teachers support children well in their transition to school. A considered and individualised approach ensures all children, including those with additional learning needs, are valued and well supported to start school.

The experienced centre manager shares daily responsibilities with the teaching team. The Lifewise Trust encourages shared leadership and coaching, and provides generous funding for staff professional development. External professional development has supported a review of teacher appraisals, which now align to the Teaching Council regulations.

A variety of useful processes contribute to internal evaluation. Outcomes inform decision-making to improve learning for children. Involving whānau in these reviews could provide opportunities to grow learning partnerships.

Lifewise Trust provides strong governance and management support for the centre. The centre’s strategic plan is linked to the Lifewise Trust strategic plan. A sound policy framework ensures the health and safety of children and adults. A system is in place to regularly review policies and procedures.

Key Next Steps

The centre manager agrees key next steps are to:

• deepen teaching practices and programme documentation to extend learning outcomes for children

• ensure high quality learning stories are consistent across the centre

• continue to ensure whānau are involved in decision making processes to promote learning partnerships

• strengthen internal evaluation practices to include multiple perspectives.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Vital 5 Glen Eden 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

12 September 2019

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

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.