Above & Beyond Education & Care

1 Evaluation of Above & Beyond Education & Care

How well placed is Above & Beyond Education & Care to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Above & Beyond Education & Care requires further development to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

Leaders need to strengthen systems to ensure practices align with procedures so that licensing requirements are met.

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

Background

Above & Beyond Education & Care is a privately-owned service located in the Tauranga suburb of Gate Pa. It is licensed for 50 children including 15 aged under two years. The current roll of 64 includes 21 children who are Māori and a small number of Pacific descent. The centre provides an all-day service Monday to Friday between 7:30am and 5:30pm.

The centre philosophy states that 'Above and Beyond has love at the heart of our teaching. It is the central and innermost part, the vital and essential ingredient of all our practice and theory'.

The centre has three age-based areas for infants, toddlers and pre-school children. The director provides overall leadership and direction for the service and an educational leader oversees the day-to-day management and delivery of the curriculum. Most teachers are qualified. A new educational leader has been appointed and is currently transitioning into the role.

The Review Findings

ERO identified areas of non-compliance related to health and safety matters.

Children make choices about their learning and engage in periods of sustained uninterrupted play. Learning experiences foster children's imagination, exploration, and problem solving. Individual learning plans are being developed to acknowledge parent aspirations and children’s strengths and interests. Aligning children's planning to the learning outcomes from Te Whāriki will strengthen this area. Māori children and whānau are welcomed and experience opportunities where their language and culture are affirmed. Children are familiar with the daily routines and structure of the centre and demonstrate a sense of belonging.

Inclusive practice based on respect and trust is responsive to children and whānau. Open communication with parents and whānau fosters reciprocal relationships and promote children's learning and wellbeing. A whānau oriented approach supports the flexible transition of children and whānau into, through and beyond the centre. Children's oral language development is well supported. Teachers ask open questions and positively engage with children in their play. Positive guidance strategies empower children and support their developing social competence and confidence. A collaborative approach supports children with additional learning needs. Teachers maintain a calm and unhurried pace. Children demonstrate a sense of wellbeing.

Children up to the age of two years are well nurtured and cared for. Teachers know infants' and toddlers' home routines and integrate these into their practice. A range of sensory experiences promote exploration and development for these young children.

A new educational leader is establishing meaningful relationships with teachers, children and whānau. Teacher strengths and interests are acknowledged and valued. Leaders and teachers are well supported through professional learning. Appraisal processes continue to be refined. Development of an appraisal policy with clear guidelines is needed. A robust framework is guiding centre-wide strategic internal evaluation. Strengthening alignment between the centre strategic plan to improve outcomes for children, internal evaluation and appraisal goals, is likely to support a more focused approach to ongoing centre development.

A clear philosophy and set of values provides the direction for the service. A collaborative approach to governance and management is supporting the enactment of these. A strong focus on equity and inclusive practice is evident.

Key Next Steps

Leaders need to strengthen systems to ensure practices align with procedures so licensing requirements are met.

Teachers need to continue to strengthen assessment, planning and evaluation, making full use of the learning outcomes from Te Whāriki to:

• more intentionally plan resources and experiences that deepen and extend children’s learning over time

• reflect children’s language, culture and identity

• evaluate how well-planned teaching strategies promote individual learning and value information shared from whānau.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Above & Beyond Education & Care 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.

Actions for compliance

ERO identified areas of non-compliance relating to health and safety and premises and facilities. To meet requirements the service needs to ensure:

• evidence of how evaluation of the emergency drills has informed the annual review of the service's emergency plan
• premises, furniture, furnishings, fittings, equipment, and materials are kept safe, hygienic and maintained in good condition
• all indoor and outdoor items and surfaces, furniture, equipment and materials are safe and suitable for their intended use - boxes over one metre in height were removed, addressing safe fall concerns
• a record of all medicine (prescription and non-prescription) given to children attending the service. Records include evidence of parental acknowledgement.

[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, PF4, PF5, HS1, HS8, HS28]

During the onsite review the service addressed the following non-compliance:

• boxes over one metre in height were removed, addressing safe fall concerns

• a record of all medicine (prescription and non-prescription) given to children attending the service now include evidence of parental acknowledgement.

Development Plan Recommendation

ERO recommends that the service, in consultation with the Ministry of Education, develops a plan to address the key next steps and actions outlined in this report.

Phil Cowie

Director Review and Improvement Services Central

Central Region

19 December 2019

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

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.

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.