100 Dawson Road, Otara, 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 White Heron @ Dawson are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) |
Whakaū Embedding |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
|
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions |
Whakaū Embedding Whakaū Embedding |
White Heron @ Dawson is one of three services that are part of White Heron Learning Centres Ltd. An area manager, owner and centre manager, who are qualified teachers, provide guidance and support to the teaching team. The majority of tamariki attending are identified as Māori or Pacific.
Tamariki experience respectful, reciprocal and responsive relationships with kaiako. Their mana is fostered in an environment that supports them to take increasing responsibility for their learning and the wellbeing of others.
The cultural identities of tamariki are acknowledged and supported through celebrations and the use of their home languages by kaiako. Te reo Māori and tikanga Māori are well integrated into the daily curriculum and kaiako practices. Transitions into, within and beyond the service are responsive to each tamariki and their whānau.
Kaiako thoughtfully resource the learning environment and encourage tamariki to explore a wide range of learning experiences. Kaiako respond to the verbal and non-verbal cues of tamariki, support their learning and foster their concentration and thinking.
Systems have been developed that contribute to ongoing improvement, such as a professional growth cycle. This process is helping to build the professional knowledge of kaiako, and it is supporting them to design and implement a responsive curriculum for all tamariki.
Tamariki strengths and interests inform the curriculum provided by kaiako. Leaders have identified a desire to develop a curriculum that clearly reflects the learning connections that are fostered between whānau and the service. Relational trust among leaders and kaiako supports collaborative evaluation of practices and ways to improve outcomes for tamariki.
Leaders aim to ensure that all tamariki have opportunities to access quality education and care. They build partnerships with relevant external agencies to support the inclusion of tamariki and whānau at the service. Leaders model professional accountability, and a commitment to achieving equitable outcomes for all tamariki.
White Heron @ Dawson will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Build the collective capability of kaiako to undertake and use internal evaluation processes to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching practices, and to monitor the implementation and impact of improvement actions on improved outcomes for tamariki.
For leaders to support kaiako to increase how well they respond to parents’ aspirations, in documented assessment, planning and evaluation information.
Before the review, the staff and management of White Heron @ Dawson 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 the onsite visit, the service provided ERO with evidence to shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
Having a sleep procedure that ensures children are checked for warmth, breathing and general wellbeing at least every 5 to 10 minutes (HS9).
Ensuring equipment, premises and facilities are checked on every day of operation for hazards to children, including windows and other areas of glass (HS12).
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
30 May 2023
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
White Heron @ Dawson |
|
Profile Number |
46190 |
|
Location |
Otara, Auckland |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
80 children, including up to 20 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
85 |
|
Review team on site |
April 2023 |
|
Date of this report |
30 May 2023 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, August 2019 |
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
White Heron @ Dawson is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
White Heron @ Dawson in Otara, provides education and care for babies and children up to school age. It is one of four early childhood centres owned and operated by White Heron Learning Centres Ltd. An area manager provides support and guidance in centre operations and teaching practices across the four services.
The centre has experienced a high level of staff turnover in the past three years, including changes of centre supervisors. The staff team consists of six registered teachers and six support staff, including three teachers in training. In addition, the centre regularly employs qualified relieving teachers. Staff reflect the ethnic diversity of the community they serve. Children with Māori or Pacific heritage continue to be the majority in the service.
Managers and teachers aim to provide positive quality outcomes, and this is evident in the centre's philosophy. The programme is guided by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
The 2015 ERO report identified high quality, culturally responsive and inclusive teaching and learning. Partnerships with parents and whānau were strong. Aspects of these positive approaches continue to be evident under the new teaching team.
Children are confident and have a strong sense of belonging. They play well together and develop respectful, caring relationships with other children and teachers. They are well supported to develop as competent learners.
Children experience an environment and curriculum that support their learning. They have access to a variety of experiences and make informed choices about their play. Children are able to play uninterrupted for extended periods. They are familiar with the expectations of mat time and meal time routines.
Tuakana/teina relationships are promoted, along with the concept of whānau. Teachers are respectful and responsive in their interactions with children. Some staff are able to speak to children with languages other than English, in their home languages.
Transitions into and through the centre are well supported and flexible. Children freely explore and move confidently within the three separate learning spaces. Centre leaders are starting to build relationships with local school communities to further support children transitioning to school. Children have many opportunities to experience literacy, mathematics and science through their play and at mat times.
Infants and toddlers benefit from an individualised approach to their care and learning. Teachers support them to settle into the centre. Transitions are flexible and well-paced for two year olds, as they join the older children. This allows them time to build confidence in their new environment. These very young children are well supported to explore the environment and to develop at their own pace.
The programme for the older children is responsive to children's interests, parent aspirations, and teachers' ideas. It is underpinned by a framework of annual events and cultural celebrations. Excursions offer opportunities for children to explore their local surroundings and the wider community. Regular use of the nearby park extends children's physical play. Teachers could consider providing more focus in the programme for older children to take risks and engage in more physical challenges. Walks to the local library support children's literacy learning. Parents and whānau are encouraged to become involved in the programme, and their contributions are appreciated.
Teachers and centre leaders place a strong emphasis on children's identity, culture and language as part of the learning programme. Māori children experience a curriculum that promotes and highly values te ao Māori. Pacific children and those of other cultures also experience a programme that promotes their cultures, languages and beliefs. It would be worthwhile to make use of Tātaiako and Tapasā resources to support teachers' reflection on their practices.
Centre leaders are developing an organisational culture based on collaboration and respect. They provide professional development to strengthen teaching practices. It is now timely to use external support to work with the teaching team. The new team is developing a shared understanding of internal evaluation processes.
Key next steps for teachers include:
planning more specific, effective teaching strategies to extend children's individual learning
continuing to strengthen children's records of learning, by making learning progress more visible
developing a shared understanding of good quality assessment, planning and evaluation.
Next steps for managers to further improve outcomes for children include:
continuing to increase the rigour of staff appraisal processes
providing leadership training that will continue to build teachers' leadership potential
working with teachers to formalise evaluation processes, evaluative thinking, and the documentation of outcomes and impacts for children's learning.
ERO recommends that the service provider access external professional support for teachers to assist them in improving assessment, programme planning and evaluation practices.
Before the review, the staff and management of White Heron @ Dawson 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.
To improve current practice, managers should ensure that they outline the amount received under each equity funding component on the annual report to parents and the community.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services Northern
Northern Region
2 August 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 |
Otara, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
46190 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
80 children, including up to 20 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
98 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 51 Boys 47 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
30 |
|
|
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 |
May 2019 |
||
|
Date of this report |
2 August 2019 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
February 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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
White Heron @ Dawson in Otara, Auckland, is a newly established, privately owned service. It provides full day and sessional care and education for up to 80 children, including 20 children up to two years of age. The majority of children enrolled are of Māori or Pacific Island descent. At the time of ERO’s review the roll was full. This centre is one of four located in south Auckland operating under the umbrella of White Heron Learning Centres Limited.
This service is ably led and managed by the owner and centre manager. Together, they have responded positively to recent feedback from ERO regarding improvements to practice for other services that they operate. The teaching team’s professional learning and development has been well supported and extended. This is this centre’s first education review.
Children are cared for in three aged related rooms. Children’s movement between rooms is not restricted and they take advantage of opportunities to move throughout the centre. Each room has an allocated outdoor play space. Teachers often take children out into the park next door and to the library nearby.
The service’s philosophy provides a sound foundation for the programme and teaching practices. The aims are to create respectful and reciprocal relationships, instil traditional values, enhance children’s language and build their sense of self and identity. Staff place a high priority on promoting children’s individuality and cultural backgrounds and developing a sense of community with children and parents.
Children demonstrate a strong sense of belonging and ownership. It is clear that they are at the heart of centre operations. They and their families are greeted warmly on arrival. Children’s diverse home languages are often used to greet and talk with children, families and staff. The cultural diversity of the community is reflected in the make-up of the teaching team.
Children are developing a good sense of their own identity. They also display knowledge of and respect for the identities of others. They settle happily into play, either in small and friendly groups, or they follow their own interests exploring the thoughtfully set out resources and environment.
Children demonstrate pride in their accomplishments and engage well with each other and teachers. They are confident to approach adults with questions and conversation. Teachers talk with children in authentic and genuine ways. Teachers skilfully extend, affirm and challenge children’s thinking. Children are being well supported to manage things for themselves and become more independent. The service’s strong focus on respect for self, others and the environment is evident in all interactions.
Children have good opportunities to develop their literacy and mathematics understandings and skills in real life contexts. Teachers are supporting parents’ growing knowledge of Te Whariki, the early childhood curriculum, which is well integrated into the programme and highly visible in centre documentation.
Children’s learning is well documented in their portfolios. Children’s portfolios acknowledge the significance of whānau or aiga, not only to the child but to the centre. Opportunities for Māori and Pacific Island children to achieve success in their respective cultures are the foundation of the programme. These opportunities are seamlessly woven through all aspects of centre operations.
Parents’ aspirations for their children’s learning are recorded and responded to. Parents spoken to by ERO talked about their high levels of satisfaction with the service and their close communication and connection to the teaching team. Partnerships with parents are particularly evident in the infant room where strong bonds exist between children and teachers.
Each individual child is acknowledged and valued. Teachers thoughtfully consider what children and their whānau/aiga bring to the centre and how they might respectfully build on children’s knowledge. Centre leaders could now consider how they might use this information further, supporting and encouraging whānau to make effective contributions to the centre programme.
Managers have established a vision and appointed leaders who have developed a philosophy appropriate to this setting. The service’s vision and philosophy are strongly reflected in practice. Professional feedback has been well considered and incorporated into centre processes and procedures.
Centre leaders provide good leadership models. This has supported teachers to develop confidence in voicing their own thoughts and ideas. Self review has been used to influence change in teaching practice. These factors support a deepening, shared understanding of how quality teaching practices contribute to positive outcomes for children.
Centre leaders and ERO agree that in order to further improve outcomes for children, they could:
Before the review, the staff and management of White Heron @ Dawson 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:
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 White Heron @ Dawson will be in four years.
Dale Bailey
Deputy Chief Review Officer
Northern
11 February 2015
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 |
Otara, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
46190 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
80 children, including up to 20 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
112 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 62 Girls 50 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Samoan Cook Island Tongan Niue Tokelau other Pacific Pākehā |
27 42 17 15 6 2 2 1 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates |
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 |
December 2014 |
||
|
Date of this report |
11 February 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
No previous ERO reports |
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.