The Nest Limited

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 The Nest Limited are as follows:

2 Context of the Service

The Nest Limited is a privately owned service that changed ownership in 2023. As a result, there is new leadership and some changes to teaching teams. A director and centre manager provide governance, management and curriculum leadership. Approximately one third of children enrolled are Māori. This is the first ERO review of the service under new ownership.

3 Summary of findings

Children’s learning and wellbeing is well supported by the daily curriculum. They are encouraged to make choices and decisions about experiences they participate in. Children hear some te reo Māori spoken by teachers and take part in aspects of tikanga Māori, such as waiata and karakia.

Care given by teachers is understood as integral to infants and toddlers learning. Supporting young children’s social and emotional competencies is prioritised. Inclusive teaching practices enable children with additional learning needs to engage fully in the curriculum. 

The learning outcomes from Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and the service’s priorities for learning are beginning to form the basis for assessment, planning and evaluation of children’s learning. Leaders have introduced a new assessment for learning process and are intentionally building teacher capability to record children’s learning and progress over time. Assessment information does not yet reliably:

• draw on parents’ and whānau knowledge in relation to their child’s learning
• reflect all children’s cultures and languages.

Leaders are establishing systems, processes, and practices to increasingly promote children’s learning and wellbeing. A strategic plan and priorities for children’s learning have been established by leaders and teachers. Processes for monitoring and evaluating progress toward these priorities are in the very early stages and strategic planning is yet to be influenced by the perspectives of parents and whānau. 

Leaders have an intentional approach to managing change and are building teacher capability. The teaching team undertakes professional learning together to develop shared understandings and expectations of teaching practices. Relational trust and collaboration are promoted. There is a useful framework in place to guide evaluation for improvement. Evaluation processes are guiding teachers to become increasingly focused on understanding the impact of their teaching practices in relation to desired learning outcomes for children.

4 Improvement action

The Nest Limited will include the following action in its Quality Improvement Planning:

• Improve collaboration with parents and whānau to ensure their knowledge and aspirations:
• contribute to their individual child’s learning 
• enable teachers to respond to children’s cultures, languages and identities as learners more effectively
• materially influence strategic goals, and improvement plans for children’s learning and wellbeing.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of The Nest Limited 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.

6 Actions for Compliance 

During the review, the service provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following 
non-compliances:

• Having a written procedure for safety checking all children’s workers that meets the safety checking requirements of the Children’s Act 2014.
• Having hazard management systems that include daily checks of hazards present in the kitchen, or windows and other areas of glass.

Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, GMA7A, HS12.

Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)

12 August 2024 

7 About the Early Childhood Service