Beginnings and Beyond Quality Preschool

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 Beginnings and Beyond Quality Preschool are as follows:

2 Context of the Service

Beginnings and Beyond Quality Preschool is led by the service owner and centre supervisor. Teachers share responsibility for curriculum provision. The service has recently undergone substantial change following a merge with the owner’s second centre. It now offers a mixed age setting and new children, families and teachers have joined this service.

3 Summary of findings

Recent changes in curriculum delivery supports children’s learning. There are clear links to the centre philosophy through tikanga Māori and the values of kotahitanga, manaakitanga, and kaitiakitanga. Localised curriculum opportunities that reflect what matters to children, whānau and iwi are being
re-established in the centre. Leaders and teachers have prioritised equitable learning opportunities for Māori and Pacific children as new relationships are being built. All children’s sense of belonging is being nurtured through a time of change.

Child agency is valued and actively fostered by teachers. Inclusive and responsive practice enables children of all ages and abilities to engage in uninterrupted play. They learn within a calm environment. Learners with diverse needs are well nurtured, and their experiences are positively impacted through growing parent – teacher relationships. Infant and toddler needs are responded to within the mixed-age setting. Current improvement focussed practices are beginning to have a positive impact on children’s needs.

Assessment of children’s learning in relation to the valued learning outcomes in Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, is not yet consistent. Individual children’s language, culture and identity within the environment and in assessment practice is beginning to be affirmed and responded to.

Sound systems and processes guide strategic planning and promote positive outcomes for children. Teachers are committed to ongoing professional growth and building relational trust. A new format for teacher’s professional learning is aligned with strategic planning and internal evaluation, supporting sustained growth in the service. The early stages of these systems mean that changes have not yet been evaluated to know what is working for children, and why.

4 Improvement actions

Beginnings and Beyond Quality Preschool will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

• build evaluation capability to:
  • include clear evaluative questions
  • draw on voices from families, iwi and community
  • make judgements about the quality and effectiveness of the curriculum and how changes contribute towards learning outcomes for children.
• strengthen assessment, planning and evaluation practices to:
  • reflect individual children’s learning and development over time
  • use the learning outcomes from Te Whāriki
  • respond to and reflect individual children’s culture, language and identity.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Beginnings and Beyond Quality 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.

6 Actions for Compliance

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

• evidence of parental acknowledgement for the administration of medicine (HS28).

Shelley Booysen

Acting Director Review and Improvement Services

Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

2 November 2021 

7 About the Early Childhood Service

1 Evaluation of Beginnings and Beyond Quality Preschool

How well placed is Beginnings and Beyond Quality Preschool to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

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

Background

Beginnings and Beyond is a small mixed-aged education and care service in a residential area in Papamoa, Tauranga. The centre is licensed for 24 children, and has provision for up to eight children under the age of two. The current roll is 24 including ten children who identify as Māori. 

The centre philosophy reflects the bi-cultural nature of Aotearoa New Zealand and focuses on the following three principles:

• nga hononga ki te tamariki-relationships with children
• nga hononga ki te whānau-relationships with families
• nga hononga ki te ao Māori relationships with the wider world.

This early childhood service is owner operated. The owner oversees all administration and operation duties and a head teacher supports the day-to-day running of the centre. Progress since the last 2014 ERO report includes the development of strategic and annual plans, reviewed programme planning and assessment to be more accessible to children and their whānau, and further developed self-review systems and processes.

The Review Findings

Children benefit from teachers active modelling and encouragement of positive and responsive relationships. They enjoy a learning culture that promotes problem solving that is meaningful and authentic. Tuakana-teina relationships between older and younger children is a feature of the centre. This allows children to interact with and learn from others. Children up to the age of two are supported to interact and engage in a secure mixed-age learning environment. These approaches are responsive to individual needs and encourage independence. 

The centre provides an interesting and relevant programme four year olds. ERO observed some complex discussions related to the children’s interests and teachers focus on providing specific learning outcomes from this programme. These children are well supported to develop curiosity and confidence to explore the natural and physical world.

Teachers respond well to interests, strengths and abilities of all children. They deliberately plan a mix of adult-led and child-directed experiences. Children are able make choices around their play and learning and engage in all areas of the well-resourced centre. Literacy and numeracy are visible in the daily programme and well integrated into learning activities. Teachers foster children's confidence and competence as independent learners.

Positive and reciprocal relationships foster a strong sense of wellbeing and belonging for children and their families. Assessment and planning encourages parents to be partners in their children’s learning. They feel listened to, their aspirations valued, and families language, culture and identity are affirmed.

Effective shared leadership contributes to a collaborative approach to promoting positive learning outcomes for all children. The head teacher is well supported by teachers to deliver a culturally responsive programme, which includes meaningful integration of te reo and tikanga Māori. Recent self review has deliberately focused on strengthening teachers' bi-cultural practice.

The manager is providing sound governance to drive the centre direction. Since ERO's last review she has engaged in professional learning and development leading to improved self-review processes and practices. These now include the gathering and analysis of information from a range of sources which leads to centre and curriculum improvement.

Key Next Steps

ERO and management agree that there is a need to:

• strengthen the centre's strategic approach to the teacher appraisal process
• provide professional learning and development linked to specific individual and centre goals
• review the strategic plan to include provision of long term centre goals and succession plans leading to greater centre sustainability
• review the impact of centre routines on children's play and learning.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Beginnings and Beyond Quality 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.

In order to improve current practice, the service needs to:

• ensure the processes for meeting the requirements of the education council is fully implemented. Teachers need to provide sufficient evidence of meeting the Practicing Teaching Criteria (PTC).

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Beginnings and Beyond Quality Preschool will be in three years. 

Lynda Pura-Watson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Waikato / Bay of Plenty

16 May 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 

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.