The Learning Garden

Education institution number:
52545
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
32
Telephone:
Address:

2a Haggit Street, Feilding

View on map

Puddleducks' Nursery & Preschools - Haggitt St

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 Puddleducks’ Nursery and Preschools – Haggitt St are as follows:

Outcome Indicators

(What the service knows about outcomes for learners)


Whakaū Embedding

Ngā Akatoro Domains

 

Learning Conditions
Organisational Conditions

Whakaū Embedding
Whakaū Embedding

2 Context of the Service

The service is one of seven within the Manawatū in the Aspiring Services Ltd group. This centre is supported by a senior leadership team and board, with day-to-day management overseen by a centre leader. Over a third of the ethnically diverse roll is Māori with a small number of Pacific learners.

3 Summary of findings

Children’s learning is well fostered in a setting where they experience their own and others’ cultures. Māori and Pacific learners have their culture affirmed through artefacts, resources and some language. There are aspects of this visible in assessment for some children. Children benefit from a responsive curriculum that recognises them as individual learners.

A focus on relationships effectively supports children’s sense of security. The environment is carefully considered to make use of space, offering ample opportunity for peer learning and exploration. Teachers are deliberate in gathering and using parent aspirations to inform planning. Children’s sense of belonging is promoted by partnerships between the centre and home.

The range of children’s developmental stages is well responded to by a collaborative teaching team. Inquiry and evaluation are growing alongside the capability of teachers, supported by wider organisational systems. The centre priorities for learning are established by staff and families. The impact of enacting these is yet to be evaluated, to understand how well the intended outcomes for children are being achieved.

Children and their families benefit from intentional actions of senior leadership and governance to support inclusion and equity. Stewardship provided at this level supports ongoing development for the varied experience of teachers and leaders. Positive and consistent outcomes for all children are the basis for decision making at a strategic level. The relationship the centre has with its community informs strategic planning across the wider organisation. Organisational leaders are yet to utilise evaluation findings to understand progress toward strategic priorities.

4 Improvement actions

Puddleducks’ Nursery and Preschools – Haggitt St will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

  • More deeply utilise parent aspirations in assessment and planning processes to reflect children’s culture, language and identity.

  • Ensure internal evaluation practices are undertaken with a clear focus that forefronts children and centre priorities, and is then used to understand what has worked, why and for which groups of children.

  • Senior leadership utilise findings of centre level evaluation to monitor, understand progress toward, and evaluate strategic priorities.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Puddleducks’ Nursery and Preschools – Haggitt St 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.

Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

17 January 2023 

6 About the Early Childhood Service

Early Childhood Service Name

Puddleducks’ Nursery and Preschools – Haggitt St

Profile Number

52545

Location

Feilding

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

27 children, including up to 8 aged under 2

Percentage of qualified teachers

80-99%

Service roll

34

Review team on site

November 2022

Date of this report

17 January 2023

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, May 2018; Education Review, March 2016

Rainbow Steps Learning Centre - 24/05/2018

1 Evaluation of Rainbow Steps Learning Centre

How well placed is Rainbow Steps Learning Centre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

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

Background

Rainbow Steps Learning Centre is a well-established, family-owned, all-day education and care service near Feilding.

The centre owner is responsible for the governance and management and the day-to-day running of the service and works as a full time teacher.

The centre philosophy promotes a focus on children’s wellbeing and belonging, where relationships are valued, in a family-like atmosphere.

The March 2016 ERO report identified a need for Ministry of Education support to further develop centre practices in order to improve outcomes for children. These included: self review; assessment; planning bicultural practices; interactions; teacher appraisal; and professional leadership, governance and management. Improvements are evident in all identified areas. The centre leader has undertaken an extensive course to improve leadership.

Staff have been involved in external professional development, with a focus on strengthening early learning opportunities for children, whānau, families and communities. This involved: assessment and planning; interactions to extend children's thinking; and bicultural practices. Professional learning has assisted staff to strengthen centre operation.

The Review Findings

Children are well supported to become confident communicators and to participate in collaborative and independent learning opportunities. Teachers use a range of strategies that progress and extend children's learning and their oral language.

Teachers demonstrate a knowledge of individual children and their learning. They have improved their planning for learning through better responding to children's current needs and interests. Learning stories appropriately capture developing dispositions, progress and skills of learners. Group and individual planning is becoming evident in portfolios and shared with parents through displays within the centre. A next step is to include, and respond to in this planning, the aspirations parents and whānau have for their children's learning.

Te ao Māori is prioritised and promoted. There is a deliberate focus on building te reo Māori capacity of teachers and children. Teachers are involved in ongoing professional development to further develop their knowledge of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori and the implications of this in the service's curriculum. They are considering ways to authentically integrate this into the daily programme and the developing, localised curriculum.

Professional learning supports the ongoing provision of improved learning opportunities for children. Internal and external appraisal is well considered and supports teacher growth and movement towards centre goals. Appraisal processes have been strengthened and aligned to the expectations for teacher attestation.

The head teacher's leadership practice effectively guides developments within the centre. She appropriately seeks guidance and has promoted the capacity building of staff. Improved systems and processes for centre operations and improvement are well considered and implemented.

Clear expectations, within a guiding framework, inform decision making, strategic planning and actions. Long term priorities are clearly actioned in annual planning.

A range of useful formats are used to review and evaluate the impact of changes on children and their learning. This is regularly undertaken, led by the centre manager, and results in improvement. A next step is to continue to deepen teachers' understanding of internal evaluation, including the use and value of evidence to support evaluative judgements.

Key Next Steps

ERO identified the need for the manager and staff to:

  • continue to develop assessment and planning processes including ways to add depth and complexity for individual children
  • develop programmes that respond to the aspirations parents and whānau have for their children and incorporate te ao Māori
  • continue to deepen teachers' understanding of internal evaluation.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Rainbow Steps Learning Centre 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.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Rainbow Steps Learning Centre will be in three years.

Patricia Davey

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)

Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region

24 May 2018

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

Feilding

Ministry of Education profile number

52545

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

27 children, including up to 8 aged under 2

Service roll

32

Gender composition

Boys 17, Girls 15

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā
Indian

4
26
2

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%+

Based on funding rates

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:3

Better than minimum requirements

Over 2

1.9

Meets minimum requirements

Review team on site

March 2017

Date of this report

24 May 2018

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

March 2016

Supplementary Review

March 2013

Education Review

October 2011

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 and Next Review

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:

  • Very well placed – The next ERO review in four years
  • Well placed – The next ERO review in three years
  • Requires further development – The next ERO review within two years
  • Not well placed - The next ERO review in consultation with the Ministry of Education

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.

Rainbow Steps Learning Centre - 22/03/2016

1 Evaluation of Rainbow Steps Learning Centre

Rainbow Steps Learning Centre How well placed isto promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

Management, leadership and systems require further development for Rainbow Steps Learning Centre to be well placed to promote positive outcomes for children.

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

Background

Rainbow Steps Learning Centre is a family-owned full-day education and care service near Feilding. The centre has been part of the local community for many years.

The centre owner is responsible for the governance and management of the centre. She is also in charge of the day-to-day running of the centre and works as a full time teacher.

Significant issues affecting the services viability in 2015 resulted in changes to staffing, minimum child attendance requirements, and some operational processes. Up until then staffing was stable.

The centre philosophy promotes a focus on children’s well-being and belonging, where relationships are valued, in a family-like atmosphere.

Since the March 2013 ERO report, staff have been involved in external professional development to assist them to review the centre philosophy and ways of promoting children’s positive behaviour. Some progress has been made in response to the previous ERO report.

This service has a variable ERO reporting history.

The Review Findings

Children experience caring relationships that supports their sense of belonging. Staff are responsive to individual needs. They make some useful links to home in their discussions with children. A next step is for staff to make wider and more positive use of conversations to extend children’s language, problem solving and thinking. 

Children are familiar with centre routines and expectations. A good range of resources allow children to make choices and play independently. The outdoor area provides useful opportunities to learn about the natural world and to care for the environment.

Staff should strengthen the bicultural programme and build on te ao Māori in the curriculum. This should give improved significance to Māori learners’ culture, language and identity.

A focus for management has been on building sustainability practices. The centre manager has recently accessed support from an external mentor to assist her and provide professional guidance. It is timely to clarify and develop shared understanding of roles and responsibilities in governance, management, leadership and teaching.

Strategic and annual planning requires development to sufficiently focus on the centre priorities, and include plans for improving teaching and learning. Aspects of assessment, planning and evaluation processes need improvement.

A self-review process is in use and assists teachers to inquire into some aspects of centre operation. The process continues to be an area for ongoing development. Internal evaluation should more clearly show the impact of teachers’ practices on children’s learning.

Staff appraisal was not carried out in 2015. Some progress has been made in developing a centre process to support teachers to improve their teaching practice. This has yet to be fully implemented. Opportunities for the centre leader to inquire into and develop leadership is an important aspect in appraisal and a priority to improve outcomes for children.

Key Next Steps

The centre has yet to fully address areas for development identified in the previous ERO report. The manager and staff need to improve and develop their understanding of and practices in:

  • self review, to more clearly show the impact of teachers’ practices on children’s learning
  • assessment, including how this information is used to plan for and extend individual children
  • annual and strategic planning, to better inform centre priorities for teaching and learning
  • high quality interactions, that build on and extend children’s language and thinking
  • opportunities for Māori children and whānau to have success as Māori and extending bicultural practices
  • appraisal, including a focus on appropriate leadership goals
  • professional leadership, governance and management.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Rainbow Steps Learning Centre 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 governance and management and the provision of an effective early childhood education for children. To meet requirements the service needs to improve its performance in the following areas:

  • ensure that the service is effectively governed and managed in accordance with good management practices, including review practices, appraisal and police vetting.
  • ensure that the service acknowledges and reflects the unique place of Māori as tangata whenua
  • ensure that the practices of adults providing education and care demonstrate an understanding of children’s development and knowledge of relevant theories and practice in early childhood education.Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, GMA and Curriculum.

Development Plan Recommendation

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

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Rainbow Steps Learning Centre will be within two years.

Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central

22 March 2016

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

Feilding

Ministry of Education profile number

52545

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

27 children, including up to 8 aged up to 2

Service roll

25

Gender composition

Boys 16, Girls 9

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā

  8
17

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49%       50-79%       80%+
Based on funding rates

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:4

Better than minimum requirements

Over 2

1:10

Meets minimum requirements

Review team on site

January 2016

Date of this report

22 March 2016

Most recent ERO report(s)

Supplementary Review

March 2013

Education Review

October 2011

Supplementary Review

April 2008

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 and Next Review

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:

  • Very well placed – The next ERO review in four years
  • Well placed – The next ERO review in three years
  • Requires further development – The next ERO review within two years
  • Not well placed - The next ERO review in consultation with the Ministry of Education

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.