Waiuku Early Learners

Education institution number:
25083
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
28
Telephone:
Address:

43 Constable Road, Waiuku

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Waiuku Early Learners

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 Waiuku Early Learners are as follows:

Outcome Indicators

(What the service knows about outcomes for learners)

Whāngai Establishing

Ngā Akatoro Domains

 

Learning Conditions
Organisational Conditions

Whakaū Embedding

Whakaū Embedding

2 Context of the Service

The service is located on Waiuku College grounds. Shared governance and operational oversight are provided by a parent committee board and centre manager. Approximately one third of children enrolled are identified as Māori and a small number are Pacific. The service’s philosophy places value on children learning through play.

3 Summary of findings

Children lead their own learning through a play-based curriculum that promotes mathematics, literacy, te reo Māori and sign language. These experiences enrich and deepen children's learning.

Teachers’ planning responds to children’s learning needs. They focus on building children's ways of knowing and being, and their individual capabilities and skills. Use of the learning outcomes of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, to assess learning and progress is currently inconsistent. Whānau take frequent opportunities to contribute and engage in ongoing dialogue with teachers about their child’s development. Excursions in the college grounds and into the local community extend children’s learning about the wider world.

Leaders and teachers are building Te Tiriti based practices. Teachers, children and whānau members share and grow their knowledge of te ao Māori alongside each other. Te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and Māori values such as ngā hononga (relationships) and kaitiakitanga (caring for the natural world) are naturally woven into children's experiences. Children's assessment is interwoven with te reo Māori and whakataukī reflective of the learning taking place. Māori children have opportunities to experience success as Māori.

Governors and leaders have developed systems and processes that promote equity of children’s access, experience, and participation. Trust and collaboration between teachers, leaders and governors support decision making and professional growth. Internal evaluation shows evidence of some improvements over time, and teachers’ working knowledge of evaluation continues to be an area of growth. The service’s organisational conditions are supporting a positive community of learning which uplifts the mana of children and their whānau.

4 Improvement actions

Waiuku Early Learners will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

  • Strengthen assessment practices to ensure that these consistently respond to children’s learning and gives consideration to the valued learning outcomes from Te Whāriki.

  • Build on evaluation practices to ensure that improvement actions are understood in terms of what is or is not working well for individuals and groups of children and their outcomes.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Waiuku Early Learners 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.

6 Compliance

Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:

  • Daily checks of equipment, premises, and facilities for hazards to children include all areas required by the licensing criterion (HS12).

Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)

13 June 2023 

7 About the Early Childhood Service

Early Childhood Service Name

Waiuku Early Learners
Profile Number 25083
Location Waiuku

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

38 children, including up to 8 aged under 2

Percentage of qualified teachers

80-99%

Service roll

35

Review team on site

April 2023

Date of this report

13 June 2023

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, February 2020; Education Review, February 2016

Waiuku Early Learners - 25/02/2020

1 Evaluation of Waiuku Early Learners

How well placed is Waiuku Early Learners to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

Waiuku Early Learners is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

Background

Waiuku Early Learners incorporated is a not-for-profit community owned centre. It is licensed to provide education and care for 38 children, including eight under the age of two years. At the time of this review 49 children were enrolled, 12 of whom identify as Māori. The centre continues to provide a mixed-age environment for children. Approximately half of the staff in the centre hold early childhood qualifications and staffing has remained mostly unchanged since the last review.

The centre's philosophy reviewed in 2018 states they aim to include all children, welcoming and supporting them to reach their full potential. It also places priority on whānau being the heart of the centre and the extensive environment as providing plentiful open-ended experiences and learning through holistic play.

The Review Findings

Children participate in meaningful play and authentic learning experiences within the centre and local community. Literacy, mathematics and science are well integrated into play and learning. Children engage in sustained play. They have opportunities to persevere, use their imagination and play independently or alongside others.

Transitions in and out of the centre are sensitively managed in response to individual children’s needs. Effective respectful relationships are formed with each child and their whānau, which supports children’s learning and sense of belonging.

Children are viewed as positive partners in the learning environment. They experience a language-rich environment where teachers use a range of strategies to promote oral language development and understanding. Teachers have responsive and sensitive relationships with children. Centre provision for infants has been reviewed to include a primary care person to ensure their needs are well met. Teachers work cooperatively, and actively encourage children to help and support each other. Children with identified special needs are appropriately catered for within the calm and inclusive centre environment.

Centre staff value children's language, culture and identity. Teachers naturally integrate aspects of te reo and tikanga Māori into the curriculum and identify that this an area to continue to strengthen. They are reflective practitioners who collaboratively discuss their practice.

Attractive and informative records are maintained to reflect children’s learning and progress. They are easily accessible to children and their families. Children benefit from these positive partnerships about care and learning.

The centre is well managed. There are positive working relationships between the governance committee and the centre manager. Leaders have established a collaborative team culture where staff input is valued. They have high expectations and have implemented effective self-review processes to manage change and improvement. Leaders' priority on building teacher capability through appropriate professional learning and development has had a positive impact on the centre-wide approach to assessment, planning and evaluation. This is supporting teachers to grow in confidence to place more emphasis on noticing, recognising and responding to children’s strengths and interests.

Key Next Steps

In order to improve outcomes for children the centre manager and ERO agree priority should be placed on:

  • clarifying governance and management responsibilities to further strengthen the working partnership and provide support for the centre manager

  • continuing to grow leaders' confidence and capability, in particular strengthening aspects of the appraisal process, and coaching and mentoring of staff

  • maintaining the focus on development of a more localised curriculum recognising New Zealand's dual cultural heritage.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Waiuku Early Learners 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.

Darcy Te Hau

Acting Director Review and Improvement Services

Central Region - Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

25 February 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

Waiuku

Ministry of Education profile number

25083

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

38 children, including up to 8 aged under 2

Service roll

49

Gender composition

Male 26

Female 23

Ethnic composition

Māori

NZ European/Pākehā

Other ethnic groups

12

32

5

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%+

Based on funding rates

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:3

Better than minimum requirements

Over 2

1:5

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

December 2019

Date of this report

25 February 2020

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

February 2016

Education Review

November 2012

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.