Picton Community 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 (PDF 3.01MB) are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. The Akarangi Quality Evaluation Judgement Rubric (PDF 91.30KB) derived from the indicators, is used to inform the ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.

ERO’s judgements for Picton Community Early Learning Centre are as follows:

2 Context of the Service

Picton Community Early Learning Centre is a not-for-profit service, governed by a parent committee. A manager oversees the day-to-day operations. The head teacher and team leader are responsible for teaching and curriculum development. The service is member of Te Wheke Akoranga Marlborough Sounds Kāhui Ako.

3 Summary of findings

Leaders and kaiako collaboratively develop and maintain responsive, reciprocal, respectful partnerships with parents, children and whanau. Their viewpoints contribute to curriculum design.

The curriculum is inclusive and strongly based on children’s needs and emerging interests. Infants, toddlers, and children with diverse needs are well supported. Children demonstrate a sense of belonging and trust in the environment and their teachers.

Teachers are focused on implementing a bicultural curriculum and strengthening their understanding of equity in relation to culture. Kaiako and leaders have accessed appropriate professional learning to inform their approach. Te reo me ngā tikanga Māori are woven throughout the programme in increasingly authentic ways, supporting all children as bicultural New Zealanders.

Planning for children’s learning is well developed. Assessment records clearly show that children’s progress is thoughtfully supported by teachers, in collaboration with parents. Parents have not yet been consulted about what learning matters most for them, in relation to their children and the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki.

Leaders are embedding a culture of trust and collaboration that fosters collective responsibility for the learning and wellbeing of all children, and the operation of the service. Guidelines for teaching and learning are collaboratively developed and promote consistent practice. Professional learning is promoted and valued. Regular, collaborative reflection on practice contributes to ongoing improvement.

The management committee has established useful systems, processes and guidelines for teaching and learning with kaiako. Some organisational systems and processes require better alignment to assist them to monitor and measure how well their professional obligations are met and what is happening for children and their learning.

4 Improvement actions

Picton Community Early Learning Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning. These are to continue to:

• embed learning priorities in relation to the outcomes in the early childhood curriculum, Te Whāriki in consultation with parents
• work on the alignment of key organisational processes philosophy, strategic goals, internal evaluation and appraisal to sustain of good practice
• strengthen understanding and use of internal evaluation for ongoing improvement of the service curriculum.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Picton Community Early 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.

6 Actions for Compliance

ERO found areas of non-compliance in the service relating to:

• children’s limited access to part of the licensed space at times
• the annual review of the emergency management plan and organisation of emergency supplies.

Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education & Care Services 2008 PF2, HS7.

Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it now has the:

• required emergency supplies.

Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education & Care Services 2008 HS7.

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

25 June 2021 

7 About the Early Childhood Service

1 Evaluation of Picton Community Early Learning Centre

How well placed is Picton Community Early Learning Centre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Picton Community Early Learning Centre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

This centre is a non-profit community-based early learning centre governed by a parent committee. The centre has created strong links with the local community.

The centre's facilities include separate indoor and spacious outdoor areas for children who are under-two and over-two years old. The majority of the teaching staff are qualified early childhood teachers, many of whom have worked at the centre for a number of years.

The centre's head teacher and manager have maintained the strengths evident at the time of the centre's 2009 ERO review and have addressed and embedded the areas that required further development at the time.

The Review Findings

The centre philosophy is strongly evident. Staff actively foster children's wellbeing and sense of belonging through inclusive practices and positive, responsive, respectful relationships.

Teachers have a good knowledge of individual children and their families. Strong partnerships have been established with the parents who take an active role in developing learning goals for their children and evaluating progress. Many parents share aspects of their culture in the programme to benefit all children.

The curriculum successfully promotes children's learning and wellbeing. Programmes evolve from children's individual strengths, interests and needs. Literacy, mathematics and physical activity are included in ways that are meaningful and extend children's thinking and problem-solving skills.

Children are well supported to lead their learning. Teachers observe, listen, respond, and participate with children in ways that help to extend their interests, ideas and creativity.

Te reo and tikanga Māori are well integrated into the programme by teachers and parents working together and sharing their knowledge. Children are proud of their Māori heritage, and willingly practice and participate in community events.

Leaders and teachers have make very good use of professional development to develop child assessment practices that effectively identify children's learning and progress. The assessments clearly show the ways teachers have promoted learning and the learning outcomes of these actions. Children's home cultures, including te reo and tikanga Māori are skilfully interwoven in the learning stories and evaluations.

The nurturing relationships that exist between the teachers and the infants and toddlers ensure that these young children are settled and confident in the nursery environment. Teachers use a good range of approaches to help infants and toddlers become active explorers and to participate in the programme and daily routines.

Leaders have established good systems and structures for the operation of the centre. They actively foster ongoing improvements to programmes and practices. Decision making clearly focuses on promoting the best possible care and education for children. Leadership and management practices help to promote good levels of teamwork and collaboration. 

Ongoing centre improvement is well supported by regular professional development and robust self reviews. These two factors have contributed to notable improvements to the centre's documented philosophy, assessment and planning for individual children, evaluation and aspects of centre plans.

Key Next Steps

Centre leaders and ERO agree that the need steps for the centre include:

• improving the quality of the group plans and evaluations
• embedding and building on recent initiatives for strategic planning, staff appraisals and self review. 

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Picton Community Early 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 Picton Community Early Learning Centre will be in three years. 

Chris Rowe
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Acting)

2 June 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 the draft methodology for ERO reviews in Home-based Education and Care Services: July 2014

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.