BestStart Tawa South

1 Evaluation of BestStart Tawa South

How well placed is BestStart Tawa South to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

BestStart Tawa South requires further development to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

At the time of this review, BestStart managers were recruiting and inducting a number of leaders and teachers for this service. Significant development is required in assessment, planning and evaluation, culturally responsive practices, parent and whānau partnership, and provision for infants and toddlers.

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

Background

BestStart Tawa South, previously ABC Redwood, is licensed for 70 children including up to 20 aged under two years. Children enrolled represent a diverse range of ethnicities. Ten are Māori. BestStart Educare Ltd (the organisation) owns a number of early childhood services across New Zealand.

The service vision is ‘the beauty of this place lies in the cultures of the people.'

The centre is divided into two age-related sections. The centre manager is newly appointed. Head teachers for the preschool and the infants and toddlers' section were not in place at the time of this review. Relieving teachers were supporting permanently employed staff. Regional managers have oversight of curriculum and operation.

The June 2017 ERO report identified areas requiring improvement, including: assessment, planning and evaluation; extending children's interests over time; internal evaluation; teachers' understanding of te ao Māori; and developing learning partnerships with whānau Māori and the Pacific community to better support educational success. Little progress has been made.

This review was one of five in BestStart Educare Ltd, Wellington region.

The Review Findings

Provision for children's learning is variable. Older children are settled and busy, engaging in sustained independent play and focused group experiences. They demonstrate social competence and confidence.

Children aged under two years would benefit from teachers growing their professional understandings of the unique characteristics of infants and toddlers to inform curriculum design and delivery for younger children. This should support them to better engage and extend their learning. Currently, teaching strategies are primarily focused on providing resources and managing routines. Children need to be better supported to settle into play, make meaningful choices, and learn alongside adults through intentional teaching interactions.

With the establishment of a new leadership team, it should be a priority to review the service philosophy and define the learning outcomes that matter most to this community. This process should be guided by consultation with families. Leaders and teachers should then establish clear, specific expectations for teaching practice in order to purposefully promote the agreed priority outcomes for children.

ERO and management agree that culturally responsive practices require further development. This should include:

• improving the bicultural curriculum

• partnership with whānau Māori and Pacific communities to establish what success looks like for their children, and promoting this in practice

• purposefully reflecting children's diverse cultures, languages and identities within everyday teaching interactions and in learning documentation.

Clear guidelines need to be developed for assessment, planning and evaluation. These should be used to build teacher understandings and monitor consistent, high-quality practices that result in improved outcomes for children. Particular attention should be paid to:

• setting specific and measurable learning goals for children, based on parent aspirations

• documenting how teachers plan and implement targeted and individualised strategies

• focusing assessments on clear, observable evidence of children's progress

• drawing on children's diverse cultures, languages and identities to enrich strategies and assessments

• showing the use and effectiveness of individual education plans for children with diverse learning needs.

Teachers regularly review elements of practice using key early learning research as a guide. Their collective approach and well-considered actions result in improvements for children. A next step is to strengthen the use of internal evaluation processes, with a focus on measuring the impact current practices are having on child outcomes. This should better support teachers’ decisions about where to make refinements to their practice.

A well-considered appraisal process supports teachers’ ongoing development and inquiry into the effectiveness of their practice. Purposeful appraisal goals focus on strengthening leadership and practice to promote children’s learning and wellbeing.

The organisation should establish clear and consistent understandings, expectations and practices around promoting educational success for Māori and Pacific children. Leaders and teachers should be supported to purposefully draw on the cultural expertise and aspirations of families and whānau, key staff and community. The organisation should then monitor the impact of this development, on teacher practices as well as outcomes for Māori and Pacific children.

Senior managers effectively foster a collective sense of responsibility to implement the vision, values and mission of the organisation. Systems, processes and guiding templates are well developed and regularly reviewed to continually improve provision for children. Recently revised induction information for relieving teachers includes clearer guidance around expectations for interactions and positive guidance, specific to individual centres and their learners. Embedding its use across BestStart centres should further promote consistency of practice, benefitting children.

Key Next Steps

ERO, managers and teachers agree that priorities are to:

• improve teacher knowledge and provision for infants and toddlers

• grow understanding and practice in assessment, planning and evaluation

• improve documentation to support the monitoring and progress of children with diverse learning needs

• develop the bicultural curriculum

• build culturally responsive practices that reflect the service's diverse community

• strengthen internal evaluation to focus on outcomes for children.

In addition, the organisation should support teachers’ understanding around promoting success for Māori and Pacific children.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of BestStart Tawa South completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. n 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 premises and facilities and health and safety. To meet requirements the service needs to improve its performance in the following areas:

• ensuring children's access to the licensed space is not unnecessarily limited

• recording of injuries and incidents that occur at the service, including evidence that parents have been informed

• record-keeping of all medicine given to children attending the service.

Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, PF2, HS27, HS28.

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.

Dr Lesley Patterson

Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)

Southern Region - Te Tai Tini

25 May 2020

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

Location		Wellington
Ministry of Education profile number		50084
Licence type		Education & Care Service
Licensed under		Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008
Number licensed for		70 children, including up to 20 aged under 2
Service roll		84
Gender composition		Male 44, Female 40
Ethnic composition		Māori NZ European / Pākehā Other ethnic groups	10 46 28
Percentage of qualified teachers		80% +
Reported ratios of staff to children	Under 2	1:4	Better than minimum requirements
	Over 2	1:8	Better than minimum requirements
Review team on site		March 2020
Date of this report		25 May 2020
Most recent ERO report(s)		Education Review	June 2017
		Education Review	July 2013

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.