Woodlands Preschool Limited - Huntsbury

1 Evaluation of Buttercups Preschool

How well placed is Buttercups Preschool to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

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

Background

Buttercups Preschool is a privately owned centre licensed for 30 children over 2 years of age. It is located in a purpose-built centre and comprises one large learning space and a smaller quiet room. The outdoor spaces utilise the slope of the land to provide two different but connected areas. The centre’s philosophy emphasises a holistic approach which focuses on relationships with families and children, a collaborative approach to children’s learning, and providing a nurturing home-like environment.

The centre has two owners. One is involved with administrative and managerial support, and the other, who is the centre manager, is a fully trained early childhood teacher. There is a head teacher, three fully trained early childhood teachers, a support teacher and a chef. The centre provides morning and afternoon tea and a cooked lunch.

The centre has made good progress in addressing all of the recommendations in the 2015 ERO report.

The centre is a member of the Te Mana Raupō Kāhui Ako|Community of Learning (CoL).

The Review Findings

Children and their families are warmly welcomed into a thoughtfully designed, learning-focused environment. Planning and resourcing ensure that the learning spaces are flexible, children have choice and there is a range of learning opportunities suited to children’s interests and abilities.

Children of all ages mix well together in the centre’s spaces. Older children naturally work with, and help, younger children (tuakana teina relationships), supporting the centre’s focus on a family environment. While each teacher has a small group for whom they are responsible, teachers take a collective approach to assessment, planning and evaluation. They know all the children well and support them effectively in their learning and wellbeing. Teachers model respectful, positive relationships.

Centre programmes, which are strongly based around the early childhood curriculum, Te Whāriki, are child-led, building on children’s interests as contexts for learning. Children are supported to develop skills, dispositions and understandings through a wide range of responsive activities and opportunities. Their learning and wellbeing are closely monitored and evaluated.

Teachers share with families, regular, detailed feedback on children’s development and progress. This feedback also outlines clear strategies for teachers and families to support children to achieve their goals. Children would benefit, however, from their culture, language and identity being more intentionally included in planning and assessment.

Teachers continue to develop te reo and tikanga understandings and practices. Some bicultural elements are incorporated into the environment and the programme. Leaders and teachers acknowledge that this is an area for further development.

The centre values highly its relationships with parents and whānau, and regularly seeks and acts on parent feedback. Parents are encouraged to play an active role in their children’s learning. Parents and children are well supported in transitions into and out of the centre.

Leaders build teamwork through a highly consultative culture and clear expectations. Teachers engage collectively in useful professional development which links to the centre’s strategic goals. They are supported to take on leadership roles in areas of interest. Improved appraisal systems have led to a growing culture of critical reflection.

The leaders have developed a useful strategic plan that links to the centre’s vision and values. Leaders and teachers increasingly use well-planned, comprehensive and purposeful internal evaluation to seek and bring about improvement in outcomes for children.

Key Next Steps

Leaders and ERO agree that the centre’s next steps to improve outcomes for children are to:

• develop clear expectations and collective responsibility to ensure the appropriate and effective use and integration of Māori values, te reo and tikanga Māori
• strengthen assessment, planning and evaluation to more visibly include children’s culture, language and identity.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Buttercups Preschool 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.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Buttercups Preschool will be in three years.

Alan Wynyard

Director Review & Improvement Services

Te Waipounamu - Southern Region

19 October 2018

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 and Next Review

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:

• Very well placed – The next ERO review in four years
• Well placed – The next ERO review in three years
• Requires further development – The next ERO review within two years
• Not well placed - The next ERO review in consultation with the Ministry of Education

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.