Tafesilafa'i Early Learning Centre (TELC)

1 Evaluation of Tafesilafa'i Early Learning Centre (TELC)

How well placed is Tafesilafa'i Early Learning Centre (TELC) to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Tafesilafa'i Early Learning Centre (TELC) requires external support to establish effective governance, management and employment practices and to build leadership and teaching capability.

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

Background

Tafesilafa'i Early Learning Centre (TELC) is a total immersion Samoan service that operates under the umbrella of the Canterbury Catholic Diocese. It provides education and care for children from birth to school age. Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, guides the centre programme.

The aoga is a not-for-profit, community based service, governed by a board that oversees the centre's strategic direction. The Trust has been deregistered under the Charitable Trusts Act since 2010.

There are two registered teachers including the supervisor, who oversee the programme delivery. The rest of the staff comprise of a large number of relief teachers.

The 2014 ERO report identified some improvement in the quality of programmes for children and in the management of aoga operations. Since 2014, professional support for the governance board and staff has focused on improving the quality of the programme, internal evaluation, governance and management. For this professional development to have a positive impact, there needs to be a better understanding about effective governance and management structures and practices.

The Review Findings

Children continue to benefit from being immersed in an inclusive and welcoming gagana and aganu’u Samoa context. They participate enthusiastically in cultural aspects of the programme. Some children take leadership roles in lotu and mat-time and use gagana Samoa confidently in their interactions with adults.  Samoan cultural resources, artefacts and photo displays are strongly evident.

Teachers promote a programme that acknowledges the bicultural heritages of Aotearoa and include te reo Māori in the learning programme. They could further strengthen the programme by building on Māori world views and values of families belonging to other cultures.

Relationships amongst children are respectful and inclusive. Children confidently approach adults and articulate their ideas. They are imaginative, initiate activities and make independent choices relating to their play. It would be useful for the supervisor to develop a roster so that relievers know what they need to do to sustain the flow of the programme.

Teachers' external professional development has had a positive impact on how they document and describe what they know about children's learning and development. Children's individual portfolios contain some good records of what teachers know about children. Teachers meet regularly to share and discuss what they have noticed about individual children's progress. They evaluate learning and plan programmes that are focused on activities that children enjoy. Teachers should continue to work towards engaging parents in their children’s learning and maintaining consistently good quality practices.

The management and governance committee have made some progress in meeting their governance and management responsibilities and obligations. They have engaged with an external professional development provider to gain clarity of their roles. Developing a clear vision and mission to guide the service's future direction with strong links to policies and procedures is a next step. The committee agrees it urgently needs to appoint an experienced centre manager with early childhood education qualifications, to lead the team.

Key Next Steps

As a priority, the board will need to clarify its status as a Trust, establish effective governance and management structures and review the centre's financial viability. The governance and management committee agrees that improvements are required in: 

• the quality of leadership, governance and management systems and practices, including robust performance appraisal and internal evaluation
• teaching practices and programmes that extend children's learning
• employment practices that increase the number of qualified early childhood teaching staff and support the retention of staff
• the transparency of committee operations and strategic planning, and the levels of collaboration and consultation amongst parents, staff, the manager and committee.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Tafesilafa'i Early Learning Centre (TELC) 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:

• police vetting for all staff and volunteers
• policies and procedures for the prevention of and response to suspected child abuse
• medication and accident records
• information for parents and aiga about the use of Ministry of Education equity funding
• personnel policies and procedures, including employment contracts

Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, GMA3,7, HS28,31;
Education Act 1989, s319D, Vulnerable Children Act 2014.

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 Tafesilafa'i Early Learning Centre (TELC) will be within two years. 

Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

30 October 2017 

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.