Sand Dunes Quality Early learning Centre

Education institution number:
60064
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
109
Telephone:
Address:

5 North Point Street, Plimmerton, Porirua

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Sand Dunes Quality Early learning Centre

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 (PDF 3.01MB) are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. The Akarangi Quality Evaluation Judgement Rubric (PDF 91.30KB) derived from the indicators, is used to inform the ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.

ERO’s judgements for Sand Dunes Quality Early Learning Centre are as follows:

Outcome Indicators

ERO’s judgement

What the service knows about outcomes for learners

Whakawhanake Sustaining

Ngā Akatoro Domains

ERO’s judgement

He Whāriki Motuhake

The learner and their learning

Whakawhanake Sustaining

Whakangungu Ngaio

Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability

Whakawhanake Sustaining

Ngā Aronga Whai Hua

Evaluation for improvement

Whakaū Embedding

Kaihautū

Leaders foster collaboration and improvement

Whakawhanake Sustaining

Te Whakaruruhau

Stewardship through effective governance and management

Whakawhanake Sustaining

2 Context of the Service

Sand Dunes Quality Early Learning Centre is a privately owned early childhood service providing education and care for children from infants to school age. Three specific learning environments cater for the different age groups.

3 Summary of findings

Leaders and teachers work collaboratively to enact the service's philosophy, recognising Te Tiriti o Waitangi as foundational. They use Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and other key documents to determine what the educational and wellbeing priorities are for all children.

Assessment for learning effectively informs teacher practice. Teachers’ gather information about children, their learning and development to consider barriers to teaching and learning. Children’s diverse languages and cultures are evident in documentation. Teachers’ make learning visible to identify progress and continuity of learning over time in relation to the learning outcomes of Te Whāriki. Children have many opportunities to learn through a responsive programme. The environment invites exploration and challenge which promotes their willingness to become involved in a wide range of experiences.

Infants and toddlers experience a calm and slow-paced programme that gives them space and time to lead their learning. Responsive caregiving supports those who are less mobile to develop strong and secure attachments. Kaiako who work with infants and toddlers ensure approaches are responsive to their cultures, identities, languages, and customs.

Te reo me ngā tikanga Māori practices are woven into the programme by teachers to enrich children’s learning.  Leaders are reconnecting with local iwi and hapū to further support the development of the service’s localised curriculum.

Leaders foster and promote high level inquiry-based knowledge approaches. Teachers have many opportunities to trial, improve and implement professional learning and capability building systems that improve their practice. The service leader has developed a journal to better support teachers to inquire more deeply into their practice and consider and reflect on how well their practices align to and reflect key professional practice expectations. 

Evaluation, inquiry, and knowledge building systems are well established in the service. Leaders and teachers use the findings from these to improve the programme. They have yet to identify and use indicators of good practice to measure the information they collect against to more reliably support decision making and possible next steps for development and improvement.

Those responsible for governance and management develop and implement policies and procedures that are current, fit for purpose and effectively guide practice. Leaders show a strong commitment to the philosophy, vision and goals of the service.

4 Improvement actions

Sand Dunes Quality Early Learning Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

  • continue to embed leaders and Kaiako knowledge in internal evaluation for improvements to the curriculum. As part of the evaluation process identify indicators of good practice, improve data quantity and quality by gathering a wider range of perspectives such as children, parents and whanau. Collaboratively make sense of the data gathered against the identified indicators and use the findings to improve practice and determine strategic goals.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Sand Dunes Quality Early Learning Centre 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.

Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

2 July 2021 

6 About the Early Childhood Service

Early Childhood Service Name Sand Dunes Quality Early Learning Centre
Profile Number 60064
Location Plimmerton, Porirua

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

95 children, including up to 25 aged under 2.

Percentage of qualified teachers

80%+

Service roll

91

Ethnic composition

Māori 13, NZ European/Pākehā 66, Other ethnic groups 12

Review team on site

April 2021

Date of this report

2 July 2021

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, October 2017; Education Review, August 2014

Sand Dunes Quality Early learning Centre - 06/10/2017

1 Evaluation of Sand Dunes Quality Early Learning Centre

How well placed is Sand Dunes Quality Early Learning Centre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

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

Background

Sand Dunes Early Learning Centre is a privately owned and operated service. At the time of this ERO review, 7 of the children enrolled identified as Māori and 3 are of Pacific heritage.

The service provides education and care for children from three months to five years of age, five days a week. Specific learning environments cater for the different age groups.

All teachers are fully qualified. They represent a diverse range of cultures. Day-to-day operation is the responsibility of the centre manager, who supports two assistant managers and the teaching team.

The previous ERO report identified areas requiring further improvement. These included: developing children's independence during meal times; strengthening assessment and evaluation of learning, and appraisal. Good progress has been made in these areas.

The Review Findings

Children experience warm and respectful relationships. Teachers support and work alongside them as they engage in sustained play. Literacy and mathematics is woven into the programme. A range of useful teaching strategies is used to support learning and foster independence.

Responsive caregiving supports the needs of infants and toddlers for strong and secure attachments. Children experience a calm, welcoming and unhurried learning environment that encourages exploration.

Te ao Māori is well promoted and evident in the centre. Aspects of the programmes appropriately incorporate kaupapa Maori concepts such as annual marae visits, waiata and te reo Māori. Specific professional learning and development has been used to support leaders and teachers to develop their understanding of what te ao Māori looks like in the programme. Encouraging consistent use of te reo Māori would further enrich the programme.

Leaders have identified the need to further strengthen their understanding of what success looks like for Pacific children and their families. Building strong relationships with whānau, parents and families is an ongoing focus. Developing targeted learning partnerships with whānau Māori and its Pacific community is a priority for the centre.

A useful programme planning framework supports the identification of children’s strengths, interests and needs. Teachers notice, recognise and respond to their learning and interests. There are regular opportunities for children to contribute to the planning process.

Children’s profile books are an attractive records of their interests, strengths and engagement in the programme. There has been considerable progress in identifying children's learning within the profile book narratives since the previous ERO review. To build learning partnerships with whānau, parents and families the following aspects of assessment should include:

  • making the planning process more visible to parents

  • celebrating children’s culture, language and identity within their learning stories.

Leaders and teachers are focused on improving the quality of education and care through ongoing spontaneous self review. Measuring the impact of the learning programme and teacher practice on children’s learning is a next step.

The centre's philosophy has recently been reviewed in collaboration with staff. To further support effective implementation of the philosophy additional work is required. This includes:

  • considering ways to further consult with parents, whānau and families about priorities for children's learning
  • developing good practice indicators to enable leaders and teachers to measure and evaluate service practices.

Collaborative leadership is highly evident. It promotes ongoing improvement across the service. Leaders recognise and use teachers' specific skills and expertise. The team are well supported to take on leadership responsibilities.

Teachers' capability is supported through an appropriate appraisal process.

Key Next Steps

ERO and leaders agree that key next steps include:

  • encouraging use of te reo Māori in the programme

  • strengthening assessment for learning

  • enhancing internal evaluation

  • consider ways to further consult with the centre's community and developing clear indicators of good practice based on the teaching philosophy.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Sand Dunes Quality Early Learning Centre 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 Sand Dunes Quality Early Learning Centre will be in three years.

Alan Wynyard

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)

Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region

6 October 2017

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

Plimmerton

Ministry of Education profile number

60064

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

95 children, including up to 25 aged under 2

Service roll

95

Gender composition

Girls 50, Boys 45

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā
Pacific
Other ethnic groups

7
83
3
2

Percentage of qualified teachers

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:4

Better than minimum requirements

Over 2

1:7

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

August 2017

Date of this report

6 October 2017

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

August 2014

Education Review

May 2010

Education Review

May 2007

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.