Te Puawaitanga o Ngati Ruanui ECE

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 are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Judgements are made in relation to the Outcomes Indicators, Learning and Organisational Conditions. The Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.

ERO’s judgements for Te Puawaitanga o Ngati Ruanui ECE are as follows:

2 Context of the Service

Te Puawaitanga o Ngati Ruanui ECE is an all-day, iwi governed, early learning service. A centre manager oversees day-to-day management, supported by five qualified teachers across two age-group rooms. Most children who attend are Māori. 

3 Summary of findings

The kaupapa Māori philosophy and service vision promote children’s positive learning outcomes. Children have ongoing opportunities to experience the tikanga of Ngāti Ruanui through play-based contexts. Learning and teaching experiences connecting children to te ao Māori are joyfully and meaningfully woven through the programme. Whanaungatanga and manaakitanga are expressed and experienced by children.

Caring, learning-focused relationships with teachers successfully support children’s sense of wellbeing and belonging. Teachers know children well. However, individual children’s cultures, languages and identity are yet to be reflected through documented assessment. Leaders and teachers are deliberate in how they work with children to enhance their skills and development. Children display confidence and capability as learners.

Children with diverse learning needs are well supported to engage with the daily programme. Care within a whānau approach is at the core of the curriculum for younger children. Teachers build shared understanding of teaching practice to provide an increasingly consistent approach. Children experience inclusive learning.

Assessment for individual children’s learning reflects who they are as learners and upholds their mana. Children’s learning and progress over time is purposefully mapped in relation to the intended outcomes of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Teachers are yet to use this information to understand the effectiveness of their teaching in progressing children’s learning goals.  

Leaders are embedding sound systems to support improvement. Internal evaluation is promoting ongoing growth. The board ensures a richly resourced environment and low teacher to child ratios. Management and governance leaders positively promote the wellbeing of children and their families.

4 Improvement actions

Te Puawaitanga o Ngati Ruanui ECE will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

• Strengthen the evaluation of planning for children’s learning to improve teachers’ insight about the impact of their teaching on progressing learning priorities.

• Reflect individual children’s cultures, languages, and identity in documented assessment to visibly acknowledge the cultural contexts in which children live and the influence of these on learning.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Te Puawaitanga o Ngati Ruanui ECE completed an ERO 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; safety checking; teacher registration; ratios)

• relevant evacuation procedures and practices.

All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.

Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)

13 June 2023 

6 About the Early Childhood Service