Twizel Early Learning Centre Inc

ERO’s Akanuku | Assurance Review reports provide information about whether a service meets and maintains regulatory standards. Further information about Akanuku | Assurance Reviews is included at the end of this report.

ERO’s Judgement

At the time of the review, ERO identified non-compliance with regulatory standards that must be addressed.

Background

Twizel Early Learning Centre is a community education and care service that is governed by a parent committee. The centre manager role is currently being shared by two curriculum leaders until a permanent appointment is made. The teaching team in mostly qualified. There is a small number of Māori children attending the service.

Summary of Review Findings

The service curriculum is consistent with Te Whāriki, the early childhood education curriculum. Teachers engage children in language rich interactions and are responsive to their verbal and non-verbal cues. Children play and learn in a well-resourced learning environment. The design and layout of the building allows for a variety of indoor and outdoor play experiences for children.

Monitoring is required to maintain the improvments made to aspects of governance, management and health and safety.

Actions for Compliance

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

• a system of regular appraisal of staff.

Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008: GMA7.

Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:

• heavy equipment that could fall or topple and cause serious injury or damage (HS6)

• accurate records of the time each child attending the service sleeps, and checks made by adults during that time (HS9)

• equipment, premises, and facilities are checked every day of operation for hazards to children, in particular electrical cords (HS12)

• risk assessments are undertaken and signed on employment (GMA7a)

• attendance registers that have evidence of parental signatures to attest to their child’s attendance. (GMA11)

Recommendation to Ministry of Education

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

Next ERO Review

The next ERO review will be in consultation with the Ministry of Education.

Kathy Lye
Acting Director Review and Improvement (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

28 March 2023 

Information About the Service

General Information about Assurance Reviews

All services are licensed under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008. The legal requirements for early childhood services also include the Licensing Criteria for Education and Care Services 2008.

Services must meet the standards in the regulations and the requirements of the licensing criteria to gain and maintain a licence to operate.

ERO undertakes an Akanuku | Assurance Review process in any centre-based service:

• having its first ERO review – including if it is part of a governing organisation

• previously identified as ‘not well placed’ or ‘requiring further development’

• that has moved from a provisional to a full licence

• that have been re-licenced due to a change of ownership

• where an Akanuku | Assurance Review process is determined to be appropriate.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

All early childhood services are required to promote children’s health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements. Before the review, the staff and management of a service 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.

As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO assesses whether the regulatory standards are being met. In particular, ERO looks at a 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 certification; ratios)

• relevant evacuation procedures and practices.

As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:

• discussions with those involved in the service

• consideration of relevant documentation, including the implementation of health and safety systems

• observations of the environment/premises, curriculum implementation and teaching practice.

1 Evaluation of Twizel Early Learning Centre Inc

How well placed is Twizel Early Learning Centre Inc to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

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

Background

Twizel Early Learning Centre Inc is a community-based early childhood service licensed for 39 children up to school age, including 12 children under two. Teachers provide education programmes for different aged children in two rooms. Each room has a separate outdoor play area. The centre is located next to Twizel Area School.

The centre is led by a team made up of the centre manager, two curriculum lead teachers and two teachers. They are supported by a teacher in training, a centre assistant and an office manager.

The philosophy and vision are underpinned by the early childhood curriculum and strong connections to their children's families and the local community. Valued learning outcomes include children being supported to develop:

• strong and trusting relationships

• belief that their unique contributions are valued

• independence through having the time and space to grow and develop in a nurturing environment

• a strong sense of their culture and identity

• self-confidence and life skills through exploration.

Since the last ERO review in 2016, the leaders and teachers developed an action plan to address the recommendations from the report and have made very good progress in addressing these. There have been some changes in the board and centre leadership over this time.

The Review Findings

Twizel Early Learning Centre is effectively enabling positive outcomes for children. The centre philosophy, vision and identified learning priorities guide the programme and focus on equitable outcomes for children.

Teachers provide a responsive curriculum closely aligned with Te Whāriki (the early childhood curriculum) and nurturing, interesting learning environments. They plan using authentic contexts for learning and use children's strengths, needs and interests to engage them in the programme. Children make choices from a wide range of planned activities and resources provided by teachers.

The bicultural curriculum is visible and consistently integrated into many aspects of teaching, learning and resourcing. This is supporting all children to know about New Zealand's bicultural heritage, and helps Māori children to be proud in their identity.

The centre provides a range of well-planned and thoughtfully resourced indoor and outdoor environments that meet the needs of children. Teachers have redeveloped the outdoor area to provide more challenge and exploration opportunities for infants and toddlers. Younger children benefit from high teacher ratios and a settled, nurturing environment. Children with additional learning needs are well supported by the collaborative and inclusive culture within the centre.

Teachers have improved the way they assess and plan programmes for children. They identify children’s individual needs and interests, and plan intentional teaching strategies to meet their learning goals. Leaders have developed systematic processes that support teachers to make regular evaluations of children’s progress.

Effective leadership now sets a clear direction for teachers. This ensures a consistent approach and is continuing to build the quality of teaching practice. The centre manager is effectively strengthening relationships within and beyond the centre. The board, leaders and teachers value and make use of the contribution of whānau and the local community. These connections are positively contributing to the quality of teaching and learning.

Key Next Steps

ERO and the centre leaders agree, that the following next steps are to:

• continue to refine internal evaluation practices, including the use of more purposeful indicators to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of teaching practices

• review and refine the centre's philosophy, vision and values to clearly reflect current priorities.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

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

Alan Wynyard

Director Review & Improvement Services Southern

Te Waipounamu - Southern Region

3 September 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

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.