This page outlines the criteria that we use in our Education Reviews, of hospital-based early childhood services, to make an overall judgement of how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children, or contributes to children's learning and promotes their wellbeing.
A service will receive one of the following four overall judgements at the end of their education review:
- Very well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children
- Well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children
- Requires further development to promote positive learning outcomes for children
- Not well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children
Criteria used to make a judgement
Very well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children
ERO finds that the service is consistently effective in promoting positive learning outcomes for children. High quality performance in relation to ERO's evaluation indicators will be evident. Highly effective and highly responsive practice refers to the practices that are outlined in ERO's evaluation indicators for early childhood services.
The service will have:
- systems that promote stability in staffing, leadership and management
- self review that demonstrates the service is likely to sustain high quality performance.
It is likely that the service will have a positive ERO reporting history (of at least two consecutive ERO reports.)
In addition there will be evidence of all of the following:
- the curriculum responds very effectively to the interests, strengths and abilities of all children
- the curriculum is highly responsive to children's cultures, languages and identities
- a bicultural curriculum is in place and bicultural practice is highly evident
- teaching is highly effective in developing children's confidence and competence as lifelong learners
- the wellbeing and learning of priority groups (including Māori, Pacific, children with special needs, and children up to the age of two) are actively promoted
- Māori children are well supported to achieve success as Māori
- there are well established partnerships with parents/whānau that contribute to positive outcomes for children
- leadership is highly effective in building the quality of learning and teaching
- management implements highly effective planning, systems, policies and procedures
- a shared vision, focused on high quality early childhood education, is evident in practice
- self review results in continuous improvement
Well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children
ERO finds that the service is largely effective in promoting positive learning outcomes for children. Good performance in relation to ERO's evaluation indicators will be evident.
There will be sound evidence of the following:
- the curriculum responds to the interests, strengths and abilities of all children
- the curriculum is responsive to children's cultures, languages and identities
- bicultural practice is evident
- teaching develops children's confidence and competence as lifelong learners
- the wellbeing and learning of priority groups (including Māori, Pacific, children with special needs, and children up to the age of two) are promoted
- Māori children are supported to achieve success as Māori
- partnerships with parents/whānau are established
- leadership helps build the quality of learning and teaching
- management implements planning, systems, policies and procedures
- a shared vision for the service is in place
- self review is becoming established and results in improvement
ERO will have confidence that the service has the capacity to address the areas where limited evidence or effectiveness is identified.
Requires further development to promote positive learning outcomes for children
ERO finds many of the factors that contribute to positive learning outcomes for children are not evident or require significant development. ERO will have some confidence that the service can improve with support.
ERO will maintain an ongoing relationship with the service when it has material concerns about aspects of the following:
- provision for children's learning
- responsiveness to children's cultures, languages and identities
- the quality of teaching
- the effectiveness of leadership
- the effectiveness of management
- the effectiveness of governance
- the quality of self review
ERO will identify areas where the service does not comply with regulations.
If ERO continues to have concerns about children's health and safety it will determine the next review in consultation with the Ministry of Education.
Not well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children
ERO finds the service is not performing adequately, is not meeting legal requirements and does not have the capacity to make improvements without support or Ministry involvement.
There will be significant non-compliance with regulations. ERO will have material concerns about most of the following:
- the provision of a safe environment
- provision for children's wellbeing
- provision for children's learning
- the appropriateness of the curriculum
- the quality of teaching
- the effectiveness of leadership
- the effectiveness of management
- the effectiveness of governance
- the quality of self review
ERO will not review the service again until the Ministry of Education is satisfied that the service meets licensing requirements. The service's ERO reporting history will be considered in guiding this decision.
This approach will be used where there is a high level of concern about children's health and safety.