Discovery Early Learning Centre

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 Discovery Early Learning Centre are as follows:

2 Context of the Service

Discovery Early Learning Centre is a privately-owned service governed by the Discovery Christian Trust. A long-serving manager has responsibility for day-to-day operations. The service does not currently have a head teacher. The roll is culturally diverse. A small number of children are Māori. A number of children are from Pacific and Indian heritages. Little progress has been made against the key next steps from the previous 2019 and 2016 ERO reports.

3 Summary of findings

Children experience a curriculum aligned with the Christian philosophy and Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Teachers are respectful and responsive to learners’ interests, strengths and needs. They support children to work cooperatively with and alongside each other. The well-resourced learning environment provides opportunities for children to make choices and lead their own learning. Those with additional learning needs are suitably supported.

Assessment documentation acknowledges Te Whāriki goals and learning outcomes. Children’s progression over time is not yet evident in relation to these outcomes. Parents have regular opportunities to share their aspirations and cultural information. Children’s languages and cultures are yet to be made visible in their individual learning documentation.

A bicultural curriculum that promotes places of value for Māori is yet to be developed and there is limited use of te reo Māori. This is an area of practice that has not progressed sufficiently over time. The development of a localised curriculum that acknowledges and reflects mana whenua needs to be prioritised.

There is no current system for appraising teachers and little evidence of professional learning and development. A professional learning and development plan that reflects the needs of the teaching team and builds leadership and teacher capability is required. Developing and implementing a robust professional growth cycle is an urgent priority.

Internal evaluation has previously been identified by ERO as an area that required development and is now a priority for improvement. Leaders and teachers do engage in reflection and review and use this information to guide ongoing improvements. However, internal evaluation as a systematic process that makes a judgement about the quality or effectiveness of practice is not used.

Greater monitoring of health and safety, and governance, management and administration processes and practices, is required.

4 Improvement actions

Discovery Early Learning Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

• make visible in assessment documentation, children’s progress in relation to the Te Whāriki learning outcomes and meaningfully shows children’s cultures, languages, and identities

• develop a localised curriculum that acknowledges and reflects the unique place of mana whenua

• develop and implement a robust professional growth cycle and ensure appropriate endorsement of teacher’s practising certificates is undertaken

• build a shared understanding of the purpose, and implement processes needed, for using internal evaluation that leads to positive outcomes for children.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Discovery Early Learning Centre 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

ERO identified the following areas of non-compliance:

• daily hazard checks include hazards present in kitchen, and aligning the checklist to specifically include cleaning agents, poisons, and other hazardous materials, condition, and placement of learning, play and other equipment

• evidence of parental acknowledgement for administration of category iii medications

• the child protection policy includes information about the practices the service employs to keep children safe from abuse and neglect

• a system of regular appraisal.

[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services, 2008, (HS12, HS28, HS31, GMA7)]. 

7 Recommendation to Ministry of Education

ERO recommends the Ministry follows up with the service provider to ensure non-compliances identified in this report are addressed.

Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

13 January 2023 

8 About the Early Childhood Service