163/165 Main Highway, Ellerslie, Auckland
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Natural Steps Early Childhood Centre (Ellerslie Village) is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
Natural Steps Early Childhood Centre (Ellerslie Village) operates in two adjacent, extensively renovated residential villas, with infants and toddlers in one villa and older children in the preschool villa. There is a large outdoor area at the rear of both villas. In 2019 the centre's licence was amended. It is now licensed for 65 children, including up to 25 children under two years of age. The centre caters for a culturally diverse community.
The centre is one of three services with the same ownership. The owner and regional manager are actively involved in the centre and support the manager with day-to-day management. Natural Steps in Ellerslie employs nine registered teachers, including three head teachers. Many teachers are longstanding staff in this centre.
The centre’s philosophy is aligned with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and its intent is for children to become lifelong learners. It is influenced by Reggio Emilia principles and values and the Emmi Pikler approach. The philosophy emphasises mutual respect, social responsibility and a strong partnership between children's homes and the centre.
The 2016 ERO review identified the need to increase the rigour of internal evaluation and strengthen teaching practices. It recommended a review of the time available for teachers' documentation and reflection. As a result of professional learning and development for teachers, there have been positive shifts in teaching practices since 2016. The requirement to align policies and procedures with the requirements of the Children's Act 2014 has been addressed.
Children are confident and happy. They work well together in sustained play. Friendships are established through tuakana/teina relationships. Teachers implement inclusive practices that enable children with additional learning needs to participate in the programme. Children have a strong sense of belonging in the centre.
Children choose their own activities and interests from a range of resources in playrooms and the outside areas. Their prior knowledge is recognised in the prepared learning environments. These surroundings promote children’s exploration and collaboration alongside teachers who provide responsive support for play. Literacy and mathematics are included as part of children's activities. A focus on art is a particular feature of the environment.
Teachers promote responsive relationships and provide consistently nurturing and positive care for infants and toddlers. They respond to children’s cues and preferences and maintain a calm, slow pace in the programme. The environment is thoughtfully arranged for these younger children.
Transitions within the service and on to school are well managed. Close communication has been established with the local school. To support continuity of learning when children transition, their achievements and development are celebrated and documented to share with whānau and their new school.
Te ao Māori is valued and reflected through resources, displays, waiata and tikanga. Children’s individual pieces of Māori and Pacific art are displayed. Their individual cultures are celebrated throughout the year.
Teachers have established strong relationships with families and the community. Assessment portfolios provide parents with an insight into their children’s learning progress and development. Teachers acknowledge and use children's interests and parents' aspirations to inform assessment and planning. The use of an online communication platform and additional ways of communicating, encourages feedback from parents and whānau.
Leaders and teachers promote a culture of continuous learning and ongoing improvement. A wide variety of professional development has included intentional teaching, promoting social competence, and the integration and use of flexible resources. Internal evaluation and performance appraisal have also been areas for professional development. There is a clear understanding of the role of internal evaluation in the improvement process.
Centre operations are guided by strategic and annual plans and regularly reviewed policies and procedures. Staff and whānau have opportunities to contribute to review processes.
Key next steps are to continue:
strengthening assessment, planning and evaluation to promote positive learning outcomes for individual children
building bicultural practices to support children's familiarity with local Māori history and the dual cultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Before the review, the staff and management of Natural Steps Early Childhood Centre (Ellerslie Village) 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.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region - Te Tai Raki
14 February 2020
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.
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Location |
Ellerslie, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
10138 |
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Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
65 children, including up to 25 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
68 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 33 Boys 35 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Chinese other ethnic groups |
2 43 13 10 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
October 2019 |
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Date of this report |
14 February 2020 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
April 2016 |
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Education Review |
March 2013 |
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Education Review |
February 2010 |
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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.
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Natural Steps Early Childhood Centre in Ellerslie Village, operates in two adjacent residential villas that have been thoughtfully adapted to cater for young children. The service provides for up to 46 children, with infants and toddlers in one villa and older children in the preschool villa.
Since ERO’s 2013 review, a modern addition to the preschool villa has been completed and other improvements have been made. The outdoor areas at the rear of the villas provide expansive grass areas and natural shade under well-established trees.
The owner works closely with the centre manager and the two head teachers. The teaching teams include eight registered teachers, and many staff are longstanding team members. Centre operations are underpinned by a guiding vision and values. There is a strong focus on respectful, trusting relationships with children and their whānau, and on promoting children’s belonging and wellbeing. Programmes for children are guided by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, as well as aspects of Pikler and Reggio Emilia approaches and philosophies.
ERO’s 2013 report identified many positive features. In particular it noted effective management and collaborative leadership. ERO recommended improving planning and assessment, self-review, staff appraisal and strategic planning. Good progress has been made in these areas. ERO also recommended that the centre’s philosophy statement include a commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Children and their parents are warmly welcomed and children settle quickly into play activities of their own choice. Children’s belonging and wellbeing are very well supported in the inviting, home-like environment. Teachers give careful attention to children’s care and are very purposeful in the way they support children’s developing independence.
The strong focus on developing children’s sense of belonging and promoting their wellbeing is the foundation for high quality provision for infants and toddlers. There is a calm, unhurried and inclusive tone in this villa. Teachers’ philosophy relating to infants’ care and education is well understood and clearly evident in practice. Children establish close bonds with their teachers and are well supported to develop at their own pace. Children are encouraged to explore freely, particularly in the outdoors.
Teachers are very effectively encouraging infants' and toddlers’ oral language development. They engage these younger children in meaningful conversations and frequently share and enjoy books with them in various spaces around the centre. Children’s individual journals contain very good information about each child’s care and learning and reflect a sense of partnership with parents. Teachers use research about best practice in infant and toddler programmes to continually improve their practice.
A highlight of the preschool programme is teachers’ and children’s obvious enjoyment as they engage with each other in play. Children work together cooperatively and communicate with adults confidently. Teachers foster children’s creativity and imagination. Children participate in story-telling in ways that support their literacy learning and promote a love of learning. Teachers could now review the balance between teacher-directed and child-led learning and the extent to which they support depth and complexity in children’s learning over time.
Teachers have recently participated in professional development that has helped them to become more confident about using te reo Māori words and phrases in their interactions with children. Some staff and whānau have begun to take a leadership role in this area. Whānau express their appreciation of this bicultural development. Teachers’ improved understanding of te reo and tikanga Māori and their commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and bicultural practices are apparent in a variety of centre documents and practices.
The centre environments are carefully designed and resourced to support teaching and learning. Indoor spaces are attractively presented and furnished. Children have ready access to outdoor areas that offer a variety of physical challenges as well as areas for creative and imaginative play. The natural environment and materials are important and valuable aspects of children’s learning experiences at the centre.
Children’s transitions from one part of the centre to another are well managed. This is in large part because there are good connections between the two villas and children are familiar with all teaching staff. Managers provide good information for parents about the transition process. They have also developed useful processes for supporting children and families as they prepare to make the transition to school.
Teachers continue to work with an external adviser to strengthen their assessment and programme planning practices. Individual children’s portfolios contain well analysed learning stories that show teachers’ knowledge of each child.
Teachers plan programmes collaboratively. They regularly reflect on learning outcomes for children and use this information to plan programmes around specific focus areas. Teachers use a variety of strategies to share information with parents about the programme and about children's learning.
The owner and manager work well together and support teachers to take leadership roles and develop leadership skills. Teachers value the owner’s active, ongoing support for their individual and collective professional development and her pastoral care.
The owner has expanded her strategic planning processes. As a result, there is now a greater shared understanding about the centre’s future direction and next steps. Staff are currently in the process of reviewing their philosophical approaches and practices.
The owner and manager recognise that they could now increase the rigour of internal evaluation by:
using indicators of best practice in early childhood education as a basis for deepening their evaluation of centre practices
considering ways to include children’s ideas and perspectives in their self-review processes.
It would be worthwhile to explore options for ensuring that teachers have appropriate undisturbed time to complete documentation and to reflect on their teaching practice. Teaching teams could strengthen their practices by:
considering ways to increase the complexity in collaborative child-directed learning
more purposefully planning strategies for fostering children’s thinking and independent problem solving
more specifically connecting assessment and programme plans for each child to their family's cultural knowledge and identity, home languages, and their place in the context of whānau and community.
Before the review, the staff and management of Natural Steps Early Childhood Centre (Ellerslie Village) 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.
To improve current practice, the owner and manager are aware of the need to align relevant policies and procedures with the Vulnerable Children Act 2014 and new Education Council requirements.
The next ERO review of Natural Steps Early Childhood Centre (Ellerslie Village) will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
20 April 2016
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 |
Ellerslie, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
10138 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
46 children, including up to 20 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
55 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 28 Girls 27 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Chinese South East Asian other |
5 35 8 2 5 |
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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 |
January 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
20 April 2016 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
March 2013 |
|
|
Education Review |
February 2010 |
||
|
Education Review |
March 2007 |
||
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.