Union Street East, Dunedin Central, Dunedin
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Otago University Childcare Association - College Centre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
The Otago University Childcare Association - College Centre Rōpu Tiaki Tamaiti is one of two centres governed and administered by a committee and a director appointed by the Otago University Childcare Association. The College Centre Rōpu Tiaki Tamaiti is situated on the University of Otago campus and is close to the Otago Polytechnic. The Otago University Childcare Association has an overarching Mission of 'A community of excellence in Early Learning', with objectives of 'celebrating te ao Māori, thriving learners, strong community and sustainability'.
The College Centre Rōpu Tiaki Tamaiti provides education and care for up to 32 children, with a maximum of 10 children under two years of age. The centre has a mixed age approach to learning and teaching, with all learning areas able to be accessed by all children. The attending families are from a diverse range of cultures.
The philosophy of the centre is 'We honour te Tiriti o Waitangi using te reo me ona tikanga Māori in our daily practice'. The values of the College Centre Rōpu Tiaki Tamaiti are respect, relationships and sustainability.
Since the 2016 ERO review the association has taken a strategic approach to implementing ERO's recommendations. The focus on ensuring consistency and continuity across all centres by strengthening systems and processes includes: leaders reporting on how well these systems and processes are enabling the associations vision and expectations to be met, planning for children's learning, strengthening the performance management system, and developing an understanding of rigorous self-review.
The College Centre Rōpu Tiaki Tamaiti has a strong focus on building strong relationships between staff, children and families/whānau based on meeting the learning needs of the children. There are many and varied opportunities for the families and whānau to engage with the centre and discuss the aspirations they have for their children. Teachers value and acknowledge parent and whānau aspirations for their children and take these into account when planning learning and activities assessment. As a result, teachers know the children, parents and community well and are responsive to individual needs.
The association ensures consistency of practice across the services with a clear and strategic vision and direction for the centre. Leaders have a strong commitment to its philosophy and goals. The importance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi is acknowledged through partnerships, policies and practices. Teachers use some te reo Māori and practice some tikanga, particularly within routines. Children have opportunities to learn about and participate in aspects of Māori culture. Teachers have identified their participation in on-going professional learning to support the development of bicultural practices.
Teachers provide a curriculum that is responsive to infant's toddlers and young children's deep interests. Children play in a mixed age group setting that encourages the building of tuakana/teina relationships. A range of teaching strategies and practices are used to respond to their cultures, identities and languages.
Children under two years of age are well supported by strong systems and practices. They benefit from strong attachments with teachers. There are high levels of care and respect. Children are very settled in their environment.
Effective transition practices support children's language culture and identity. Children's sense of belonging is nurtured during and after transitions into and within the centre by honouring the cultural uniqueness that Māori and other children bring with them. Teachers foster children's friendships to enhance their security and confidence at settling in and transition times. These successful transition practices are supported by the effective partnerships the centre has built with families.
Teachers are responding well to the revised appraisal process. Regular appraisal meetings with the head teacher ensure that teachers continue to work towards their learning goals and teaching as inquiry. Leaders and teachers have identified that formal observations of teaching are needed to strengthen and embed the appraisal process.
The next steps to improve outcomes for children, are to continue to strengthen and:
embed aspects of the appraisal system (teaching as inquiry and formal teaching observations)
build on current bicultural practices.
Before the review, the staff and management of Otago University Childcare Association - College 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:
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.
Alan Wynyard
Director Review and Improvement Services Southern
Southern Region
12 April 2019
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.
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Location |
Dunedin |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
83065 |
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Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
32 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
29 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 13, Boys 16 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
February 2019 |
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Date of this report |
12 April 2019 |
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Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review |
January 2016 |
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Education Review |
October 2012 |
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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.
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.
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.
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
The College Childcare centre is situated on the university campus and close to the Otago Polytechnic. It provides education and care for up to 28 children in a mixed-age setting.
The College Childcare Centre is one of two centres under the umbrella of the Otago University Childcare Association (OUCA). The head teacher is responsible for the day-to-day running of the centre. The two centres are governed and managed by a committee and a director. At the time of the ERO visit the long-serving OUCA director was completing her last week in the role and a new director was due to start the following week.
Leaders and teachers have made some progress on the recommendations in the 2012 ERO report, however, most are still work in progress.
Teachers know the children, parents and their community well. Children have a strong sense of belonging and some have formed strong friendships with one another. The centre philosophy identifies working in partnership with parents as one of its key beliefs. Teachers encourage parents to share information and to participate in the programme, bringing their knowledge and skills. They ensure interactions with families are accepting and respectful of who they are.
Teachers support children with particular needs well. They value the diverse cultures of the families in the community. Children work together and help each other. They are encouraged to be independent, develop self-help skills and make choices. Teachers support children to explore things that interest them.
Children benefit from a range of learning experiences. These include:
Children are encouraged to lead their own learning. Teachers use a range of strategies to respond to children and make use of the teachable moment to build oral language and social competence. Teachers should assure themselves of the quality of their interactions with children by reviewing their practices and strategies from time to time.
Teachers use some te reo Māori and practice some Māori tikanga particularly within routines. Children and teachers celebrate Matariki and perform at Polyfest. Teachers participate in on-going professional learning to support bicultural practices in the centre.
Teachers whose primary responsibility is to work with the infants and younger children carefully guide and support them throughout the programme. They plan regularly and evaluate progress. Teachers have a well-developed system to plan for individual children. Children’s profile books are an attractive record of their time and experiences at the centre. Best examples in profile books show the teachers’ role in promoting and extending learning and how parents’ wishes have been responded to.
The head teacher is part of a strong association-wide leadership team. The leaders have begun to introduce organisation-wide expectations for curriculum implementation including assessment, planning and evaluation. Documentation in this centre shows that teachers are working to develop shared understandings on what effective assessment, planning and evaluation for groups of children could look like. Leaders need to take a more active role in supporting this development.
The OUCA leaders have a strong focus on continual improvement and regularly consult with their community. A useful strategic plan provides guidance around priorities for the future. The centre has an annual plan to show how it will be implemented. This plan requires ongoing monitoring, evaluation and regular reporting on progress from the head teacher. It also needs to include an evaluation of the effectiveness of curriculum, teaching and learning. The head teacher and teachers’ appraisals need to be strengthened to ensure consistency and alignment with the centre’s future vision.
The leaders and ERO agree that the next steps in the OUCA improvement journey are to strengthen systems and processes to bring consistency of practice across the two centres. Leaders at all levels should monitor and report on how well these systems and processes are enabling the association’s vision and expectations to be met.
Leaders should ensure the centre implements robust planning for groups and individuals in ways that meet the association’s guidelines and desired outcomes for children. This includes leaders monitoring the quality of planning to be assured that:
The effectiveness of the association’s strategic plan and goals would be strengthened by:
Leaders and teachers also need to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Otago University Childcare Association - College 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:
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:
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
The next ERO review of Otago University Childcare Association - College Centre will be in three years.
Chris Rowe
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Acting)
14 January 2016
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.
|
Location |
Dunedin |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
83065 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
28 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
29 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys: 16 Girls: 13 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Samoan Asian African European |
3 21 1 1 1 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates |
80% |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
November 2015 |
||
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Date of this report |
14 January 2016 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
October 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
March 2009 |
||
|
Education Review |
June 2007 |
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.
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:
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.