In Our Garden

1 Evaluation of In Our Garden

How well placed is In Our Garden to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

In Our Garden is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

In Our Garden is a privately owned early childhood service located in Hastings. It is licensed for 25 children, including 10 up to two years of age, within a mixed-age setting. Four children identify as Māori.

The owner/manager has oversight of the day-to-day running of the centre. Teachers have shared roles and responsibilities. As a result of increased roll growth, two additional teachers have been appointed.

The centre philosophy emphasises tuakana teina relationships, independence and respect within a play-based curriculum.

The November 2016 ERO report identified that assessment, planning and evaluation, bicultural curriculum and internal evaluation required strengthening. Teachers have engaged in professional learning opportunities to support them to make progress in addressing these areas. This previous report identified actions for compliance in relation to appointment and appraisal of teachers. These have been met.

The Review Findings

The centre's philosophy, vision and goals have been established in collaboration with parents, teachers and children, and are underpinned by shared values and beliefs.

Children learn and play in a calm, unhurried environment. They are supported to be independent, problem solve, and to take risks. Teachers know children well and are responsive to their individual needs. Warm, nurturing relationships between teachers and children are evident. Teachers actively promote each child's emotional and social competence. A wide range of resources and meaningful conversations support children's language development and literacy skills.

There has been a well-considered approach to developing the outdoor area where children take advantage of calm learning spaces that support their engagement and exploration. Infants and toddlers benefit from a mixed-age setting where they are valued as competent, capable learners. Older children have regular opportunities to take on leadership roles within the programme. Tuakana teina relationships are evident.

Teachers have worked collaboratively to strengthen the documentation of children's learning. They regularly share information about children to ensure that each child's needs and interests are consistently responded to. Children's profile books capture their participation and engagement in the programme. Teachers agree that it is timely to review the documented curriculum to establish clear expectations for assessment of children's learning. This should include:

• defining what the priorities for learning look like in practice, to guide teaching and to align these to the enactment of the service's philosophy

• links to children's culture, language and identity.

Successful transitions for older children on to school are well supported. Teachers respond to children's individual needs. Relationships with local schools have been developed and information about children's learning is shared.

Reciprocal relationships are established with families. Teachers seek a range of strategies to encourage parent participation in the programme.

Children use waiata and te reo Māori during the daily programme. Teachers have identified that further strengthening the understanding and integration of te ao Māori continues to be a next step. This should further support Māori children's success.

An ongoing cycle of review is leading to improved curriculum changes. A next step is to evaluate what is working well and who for. Such evaluation should support ongoing decision making for improvement.

Clear systems and processes guide centre operation, with a strong focus on continual improvement and sustainability. These include a useful strategic plan to guide service direction and a robust process for appointing teachers. Collaborative ways of working are promoted with everyone involved in the service. Emerging leadership amongst teachers empowers them to grow their professional capability. There is a commitment to ongoing professional learning opportunities to promote teacher growth and development.

The revised appraisal process provides a sound framework to support teachers to develop their practice. It is aligned to current Teaching Council guidelines. This requires further strengthening to include more specific, measurable goals to better evaluate the effectiveness of teaching strategies in relation to outcomes for children.

Key Next Steps

Teachers and ERO agree that they should continue to strengthen:

• assessment, planning and evaluation to align the priorities for children to the service's philosophy

• practice to promote Māori children's educational success

• internal evaluation to inform teacher practice and learning outcomes for children

• teacher appraisal.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of In Our Garden 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.

Phil Cowie

Director Review and Improvement Services

Central Region

1 July 2019

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

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.

1 Evaluation of In Our Garden

How well placed is In Our Garden to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

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

Background

In Our Garden is a privately owned early learning centre in Hastings. It is licensed for 20 children, including 15 up to two years of age. At the time of this ERO review, there were 21 children enrolled, including four Māori.

The centre was formally known as Chuckles Babycare and catered only for children under two years. In December 2015 the centre changed ownership and the licence was altered to cater for children over 2 years. The new centre owner is a qualified and registered teacher. Four other qualified teachers work in the centre, three of whom are fully registered.

The December 2014 ERO review found that the centre was not well placed to promote positive outcomes for children. The review found significant areas of noncompliance relating to children's physical safety, governance and leadership. Areas of practice that needed development included assessment, planning and evaluation, the bicultural curriculum, self review and the appraisal process.

After the previous ERO review, the teaching team received targeted support through a Ministry of Education funded programme, Strengthening Early Learning Opportunities (SELO), in order to meet all licencing requirements. Good progress has been made in areas identified as requiring improvement.

The Review Findings

The new owners of In Our Garden are committed to strengthening outcomes for children and have made good progress in addressing the areas of concern from the previous review.

The centre philosophy emphasises the importance of empowering children to become life-long learners through provision of a curriculum that is responsive to the needs of children and their families. This commitment is evident in practice. The philosophy is currently under review to reflect the new team's teaching priorities. When this is complete, next steps are for leaders and teachers to:

• collectively determine how philosophical values will be reflected in the programme

• develop indicators of expected practice linked to the philosophy which should be useful in informing decisions about learning and teaching.

Children benefit from a programme that supports their emerging interests and needs. Teachers plan collaboratively to enhance children's learning and arrange the environment to support this. The indoor and outdoor spaces promote exploration and physical development. Respectful caregiving supports infants' and toddlers' needs for strong and secure attachment. Teachers know how to access support for children with additional needs.

A collaborative teaching team culture is evident. Teachers are beginning to consider the impact of their teaching practice on children's learning. They should continue to strengthen their approach for assessment and evaluation to support decisions made about programme development.

Children's My Learning Journeys are attractively presented. Photographs and art work provide a visual record of their interests, participation and enjoyment in the programme, and their milestones. Family and whānau aspirations are sought and recorded. Connections between the centre and homes are strongly evident.

To meet relicensing requirements the centre manager and teachers have reviewed and developed policies and procedures to guide practice and operation. Leaders should ensure that policy guidelines are followed in practice. The manager has identified a key next step to improve internal evaluation in order to better review the effectiveness of centre operation. ERO agrees with this action.

The appraisal process has been strengthened to be more meaningful and provide better support for teachers' ongoing development. A suitable policy is also being developed to include all aspects for a robust appraisal. The centre manager has yet to participate in a formal appraisal process. This situation needs to be urgently addressed in order that her development needs are identified and supported.

The service has identified that a next step is to develop a strategic plan to identify priorities, guide development and ensure ongoing sustainability.

Children's cultures, languages and identities are supported and celebrated. The centre has implemented a variety of ways to gain information about parent aspirations for their children's learning including providing opportunities for whānau to meet with teachers. The environment and resources acknowledge te ao Māori.

In response to recent professional development, teachers are focused on improving their confidence in using of te reo Māori. The manager has recently taken steps to develop connections with local iwi. A key next step is to continue to develop this relationship so that children are given the opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of the cultural heritages of both parties to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Key Next Steps

Leaders and ERO agree next steps should include:

• establishing clear indicators of expected practice linked to the philosophy

• improving teachers' understanding of planning for learning

• strengthening internal evaluation

• continuing to strengthen the bicultural perspective in the programme.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of In Our Garden 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 human resource management. To meet requirements the service needs to improve its performance in the following area:

• ensure that the appointments policy and process are consistently implemented

• implement a system for appraisal for the centre manager.[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008,GMA7 & GMA7a]

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of In Our Garden will be in three years.

Joyce Gebbie

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central

11 November 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

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.