435 Marshland Road, Marshland, Christchurch
View on mapAkarangi | 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 Fundamentals Marshland are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) |
Whakaū Embedding |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
|
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions |
Whakaū Embedding Whāngai Establishing |
Located in a semi-rural location, Fundamentals Marshland is one of two privately owned and operated early childhood services. A small number of Māori and children from Pacific nations attend. A large outdoor area supports the mixed aged group setting. The service has made some progress against the key next steps of ERO’s 2019 report in relation to bicultural practice, internal evaluation, and assessment.
Children’s agency, independence, and decision-making are supported by teachers who are intentional in considering the provision of resources, experiences, and the learning environment. Active movement is a core aspect of the philosophy and is promoted in both the indoor and outdoor environments. There are dedicated quiet areas. Key teachers support the emotional and social wellbeing of infants and toddlers.
Assessment documentation shows children’s learning and progress against the learning outcomes from
Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Leaders and teachers have not yet developed a shared understanding of the purpose of the learning outcomes with parents and whānau. Information about children’s culture, language, and identity is shared, however, it is not clearly acknowledged within children’s assessment documentation.
A process of review is well established. Leaders and teachers reflect on their practice and draw on relevant research to make ongoing improvements. A useful internal evaluation framework is in place. This framework is not yet used to make evidence-based judgements about the effectiveness of teacher practice on children’s outcomes.
Leaders and teachers continue to develop their confidence and competence in using te reo Māori. Some progress has been made to include te ao Māori concepts into the curriculum and there are some opportunities for children to hear and use te reo Māori. Professional learning on the history of the local area has been undertaken, however, the service is yet to incorporate local pūrākau and histories of mana whenua into the curriculum.
Systems and processes are regularly reviewed. Leader's guide and mentor teachers to build capability and promote a shared understanding of the service’s established philosophy, priorities, and values. The learning and wellbeing of children are the primary consideration for decision making.
Fundamentals Marshland will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
develop with parents and whānau a shared understanding of the purpose of the learning outcomes from Te Whāriki in planning and use these to develop individualised programmes for their children
incorporate local pūrākau and histories of mana whenua into the curriculum
increase opportunities for children to hear and use te reo Māori
gather a wider range of evidence through the internal evaluation process to inform collaborative sense making, evaluative judgements and decision making.
Before the review, the staff and management of Fundamentals Marshland 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)
17 May 2023
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Fundamentals Marshland |
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Profile Number |
46377 |
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Location |
Christchurch |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
35 children, including up to 5 aged under 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
48 |
|
Review team on site |
January 2023 |
|
Date of this report |
17 May 2023 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, October 2019; Education Review, June 2016 |
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Fundamentals Marshland is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Fundamentals Marshlands is one of two early learning services owned and operated by a family business in Christchurch. The centre caters for the learning and education of children aged two-to-five years old. Fundamentals Merivale is the other centre in Christchurch.
Since the 2016 ERO report there have been significant changes to the ownership, leadership and administration of the service. The owner/manager and teaching team have developed a strategic, consistent approach to the operation and administration of both services.
Leaders and teachers have established a shared vision and philosophy. The vision states ‘our children enjoy a challenging and fun environment that encourages them to think, act and succeed in mind, body and spirit so they can become confident, independent life-long learners . The philosophy emphasises active movement, love of learning, respect, fun and collaboration for children.
Fundamentals Marshlands caters for children's wellbeing and learning within a mixed-age group setting. There is a high ratio of teachers to children. All of the teachers, including the centre owner/manager, are either qualified and registered or involved in training.
This review was part of two education and care reviews in the Fundamentals ECE Ltd service.
Respectful, reciprocal relationships underpin the service's strategic direction and curriculum which promotes positive outcomes for tamariki, whānau and teachers. The shared philosophy, vision and values are very evident in teacher practices, the environment and the learning programme. Teachers model care and respect for one another and for children and families.
Teachers promote a positive sense of wellbeing and belonging for children and families. ERO observed many parents comfortable to spend time at the centre with their children. Learner-centred relationships are actively fostered. The aspirations of parents are valued and used to inform individual planning and learning experiences of interest to children. Parents are well informed about their children’s learning and wellbeing through daily, face-to-face communication, informative wall displays and children's well written digital learning records.
The child-centred curriculum clearly defines the learning priorities for children to be socially confident, capable learners who are empowered to drive their own learning, take manageable risks and develop courage and resilience. Children have many opportunities to be involved in physical challenges within the spacious and well equipped inside and outside areas. Creativity, early literacy and science are well integrated into the learning programme in ways that are meaningful for children.
Teachers are responsive to children's individual interests, strengths and capabilities. Children with additional needs are well supported to succeed within an inclusive and collaborative learning environment.
The owner/manager has high expectations for teaching practice and learning outcomes for children. There is a deliberate focus on building leadership capacity, teacher capability and a collaborative team culture. Targeted external and internal professional development and individual support and mentoring are aligned to service priorities. A robust appraisal process and systematic approach to inquiry and internal evaluation is increasing the effectiveness of teachers' reflective and evaluative practices. Leaders value, and make good use of, the strengths and skills of the teaching team.
The owner manager has developed a systematic approach to the management and operation of the service. The strategic plan is well aligned to centre philosophy, internal evaluations, appraisal and professional learning. New systems and processes are well understood and used effectively by the teaching team. The learning and capabilities within this team are well used to support understandings of all teachers across the service.
The service leaders have identified, and ERO agrees, that the key next steps are to:
ERO and service leaders agree that refining the strategic plan to clearly identify key annual priorities and actions, would enable them to effectively monitor, evaluate and report on the progress of these strategic goals.
Before the review, the staff and management of Fundamentals Marshland 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.
During the on-site stage of the review ERO identified that the hazard register needed to be improved to show how any identified hazards would be eliminated, isolated or made inaccessible to children. The health and safety officer addressed this concern promptly and developed a clear process to improve the identification and management of potential hazards.
ERO has identified, and service leaders agree, that the key next step is to ensure that hazard identification, management and assurance processes are robust and are regularly reviewed.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services Te Tai Tini
Southern Region
15 October 2019
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 |
Christchurch |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
46377 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
32 children, over the age of two years old |
||
|
Service roll |
43 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 22, Girls 21 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
9 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:6 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
July 2019 |
||
|
Date of this report |
15 October 2019 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
June 2016 |
|
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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Fundamentals Preschool Marshland is well placed to provide positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Fundamentals Preschool Marshland is a small, privately-owned centre. It provides full-day care and education for up to 32 children over 2 years to school age. The centre opened in 2014. At the time of this review there were 16 children enrolled. Concepts of physical development and challenge underpin the centre's programme to support children to think, act and succeed in mind, body and spirit, and to be confident learners.
The leadership team is made up of the supervisor and assistant supervisor. Other teachers have leadership roles in the daily running of the centre.
This review was part of the review of the two centres in the Fundamentals Preschool organisation.
Children show a strong sense of belonging in their centre. They learn and play in a calm, settled environment.
Children play an integral part in the learning process. They are often aware of the learning purpose of activities, for example their current gym focus. Their interests are the basis for planned and child-led activities. They have opportunities to be the teacher and share new learning with other children.
Teachers' planning clearly outlines the learning intended and how the children will be supported. There is deliberate inclusion of activities into the daily programme to support identified learning needs of individual children.
Children benefit from meaningful interactions with their teachers that extend and challenge their thinking, knowledge and imaginations.
Children learn from a wide range of opportunities that include:
Teachers show a genuine commitment to providing an environment for children to learn about New Zealand's bicultural heritage. This learning is effectively integrated through the programme.
The assistant supervisor provides knowledgeable leadership for the teaching team and models effective teaching practice.
The Fundamentals Preschool owners and leaders have provided appropriate resources and equipment to support the philosophy of children's physical development being key to being a successful learner.
As a result of research and professional learning and development (PLD):
Leaders have identified priorities for improvement through evaluation practices, including gathering parents' ideas and opinions. Relevant PLD and appraisal goals have been aligned to the areas for improvement for all teachers.
The leaders have identified, and ERO agrees, that they need 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.
The next ERO review of Fundamentals Preschool Marshland will be in three years.
Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern
27 June 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 |
Christchurch |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
46377 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
32 children aged over 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
16 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 11; Girls 5 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Pākeha |
16 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
May 2016 |
||
|
Date of this report |
27 June 2016 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report |
No previous ERO report |
||
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.